death, while the weak-willed person is he who lets his soul follow its desires and entertains vain hopes concerning Allah.”

But the Muslim who follows the law of Islam regards as forbidden what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. He neither forbids what is lawful nor indulges in it excessively. Rather, he takes what he needs of food, clothing, or marriage, exercising moderation in these matters and in worship, without burdening himself beyond his capacity. You will find that such a person achieves, through striving against his soul and subduing his desires, what benefits him more than that arduous, innovated path of little benefit. Most who have followed that path have retraced their steps, broken their pledge, and failed to observe it as it should be observed.

Such a person receives a reward for this that he would not receive for following that other path. Through it, his soul is purified and journeys towards his Lord, and he experiences an increase in faith that the followers of that path do not experience. Their souls will inevitably urge them towards forbidden desires, for there is no child of Adam who has not sinned or contemplated a sin, except John son of Zechariah. Allah Most High has said:

“And mankind was created weak.”

Tāwūs said that this concerns women and man’s limited ability to remain patient without them, as mentioned previously. Attraction to women is thus a natural inclination common to all the children of Adam. Many of them may also be tried by an attraction to males, as has been reported of them. A man may thus be tried by an attraction to beardless youths; even if he does not commit the gravest act of sexual immorality, he is tried by lesser acts, such as physical contact and looking. Hardly any of them escapes sexual immorality, either inwardly or