to Pharaoh and of Noah to his people. Moses engaged in striving and obedience to Allah, while his people exercised patience and sought Allah’s help, thereby attaining a praiseworthy outcome. The drowning of Pharaoh and his people also brought about immense benefit. Likewise, what Noah experienced resulted in his descendants alone remaining, while Allah destroyed all his people; their destruction was thus beneficial.

If forbidding an evil causes its harm to increase, yet brings about an overriding benefit, then forbidding it is good. But if its harm increases and grows greater, with no good to offset and outweigh it, forbidding it is not prescribed—unless it is offset by a greater benefit. If doing so leads to an even greater evil, it is not prescribed. For example, someone who enjoins what is right may lack patience: when subjected to harm, he becomes so distraught that he falls into sin, diminishing his faith and religious commitment. This brings no good either to him or to those people. It is otherwise if he remains patient, fears Allah, strives, and does not transgress Allah’s limits, but instead exercises piety and patience: his outcome will be praiseworthy.

Those people may repent, and Allah may accept their repentance through the blessing of his efforts; or He may destroy them for their transgression, and that may be beneficial, as the Most High says:

“So the people who did wrong were utterly destroyed. And all praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds.”