will be enemies to one another, except the righteous.”

When a close friendship does not serve the interests of both parties, it ends in enmity. It serves their interests only when it is for Allah’s sake. Even if each helps the other obtain what he seeks, and seeks the other’s assistance with his consent, this mutual consent carries no weight. Rather, it turns into mutual hatred, enmity, and cursing. Each says to the other: “Were it not for you, I would not have done this on my own. My ruin was brought about by both you and me.”

The Lord does not forbid them to hate, oppose, and curse one another. Were either of them wronging the other by doing so, he would have been forbidden to do it. Each says to the other: “You brought me into this to satisfy your own desire.” This is like two people who commit fornication together: each says to the other, “You did this with me to satisfy your own desire. Had you refused, I would not have done it.” Yet each has the same claim against the other, so their claims balance one another. Thus, when one pursues and solicits the other more insistently, the other complains more of being wronged and curses that person more. If their pursuit is equal, they stand on equal terms.

When a husband acquiesces in his wife’s infidelity, he does so only to please the man or the woman, seeking some other end of his own. For example, he may love her, while she will remain with him only on these terms. He therefore says to the man committing adultery with her: “You corrupted my wife to satisfy your own desire, whereas I consented only to satisfy hers. So when you corrupted my wife and wronged me,