out of personal desire, and at other times severity overcomes him out of personal desire. In both cases, he follows his desires without guidance from Allah:

“And who is more astray than one who follows his own desires without guidance from Allah?”

Unlawful sexual intercourse is a major sin. As for looking and physical intimacy, minor lapses in these matters are forgiven through avoidance of major sins. But if someone persists in looking or physical intimacy, it becomes a major sin. Persistence in such conduct may be more serious than a few acts of grave indecency. Indeed, the harm of continually looking with desire, together with the infatuation, companionship, and physical intimacy connected with it, may be far greater than the harm of unlawful intercourse that is not persisted in.

For this reason, the jurists stipulate that an upright witness must neither commit a major sin nor persist in a minor one. A hadith traced back to the Prophet states:

“No sin is minor when persisted in, and no sin is major when forgiveness is sought.”

Indeed, looking and physical intimacy may lead a man to associate partners with Allah, as He, Most High, says:

“Among people are those who take others besides Allah as equals, loving them as they should love Allah.”

Thus, infatuation with physical beauty arises only from weakness in one’s love of Allah and weakness of faith. Allah, Most High, mentions it in the Quran only in connection with the wife of al-‘Azīz, who associated partners with Allah, and the people of Lot, who likewise associated partners with Him. The utterly infatuated lover becomes a slave to his beloved, submitting to that person, his heart held captive.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought together mention of the prescribed punishments—if someone’s intercession prevents one of Allah’s prescribed punishments, he has opposed Allah—in the report narrated by Abū Dāwūd from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever’s intercession prevents a prescribed punishment