to the point that one of them says, “Whoever does any of these things will never prosper.” They have no hope that his repentance will be accepted. It is reported that ‘Alī said, “Among us are such-and-such, and among us are such-and-such, but one who has been sodomized is not one of us.” They say, “Such a person can never become righteous again, even if he repents,” despite his being a Muslim who acknowledges that what he did is forbidden.

They include in this judgment those who have been compelled to engage in any of these acts of sexual immorality, saying, “Had this person possessed any goodness in Allah’s sight, He would not have allowed someone to overpower him, do such a thing to him, and compel him.” Such things are done to many slaves, willingly or by force, and likewise to craftsmen’s hired workers, willingly or by force, as well as others in similar circumstances, such as boys attending Quran schools and others. They have forgotten the words of Allah Most High:

“Do not force your slave girls into prostitution, if they wish to remain chaste, seeking the fleeting gains of this worldly life. If anyone compels them, then after they have been compelled, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

These people may not understand what repentance entails. This attitude may be a person’s disposition and practice, or it may be a belief. This is among the gravest forms of misguidance and error, for despairing of Allah’s mercy is on a par with feeling secure from Allah’s plan. Their attitude is the opposite of that of those who regard acts of sexual immorality as lawful: the latter feel secure from Allah’s plan against those who commit them, while the former make those who commit them despair of Allah’s mercy. A person of truly profound religious understanding neither makes people despair of Allah’s mercy nor emboldens them to disobey Him. In the matter of deliberate sins, this is analogous to the attitude of those who follow their desires and religious innovations