the worship of whatever he desires, and acts of disobedience and sins are averted from him. As Allah Most High says:

“Thus We turned evil and indecency away from him. Indeed, he was one of Our chosen servants.”

He explains that evil and indecency were turned away from him because he was one of Allah’s chosen servants. These are the ones of whom He says:

“Indeed, you have no authority over My servants.”

And Satan said:

“By Your might, I will surely mislead them all, except Your chosen servants among them.”

It is established in an authentic hadith that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever says, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ sincerely from his heart, Allah will forbid the Fire to touch him.”

Sincerity removes the causes of entering the Fire. Thus, anyone who enters the Fire despite saying, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,” has not fully attained the sincerity in these words that would protect him from the Fire. Rather, his heart contained some element of associating partners with Allah, which led him to commit what caused him to enter the Fire. Associating partners with Allah is more imperceptible within this community than the creeping of ants.

For this reason, the servant is commanded to say in every prayer:

“You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

Satan commands the association of partners with Allah, and the soul obeys him in this. The soul continually turns toward something other than Allah, either fearing it or placing its hopes in it. Thus, the servant remains ever in need of purifying his monotheism of the taints of associating partners with Allah.

In the hadith narrated by Ibn Abī ‘Āsim and others, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Satan says: ‘I destroyed people through sins, but they destroyed me through “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah” and seeking forgiveness. When I saw that, I spread whims and desires among them, so they sin without seeking forgiveness, because they think they are doing good.’”