when he associates others with Allah. Unbelief, transgression, or outright disobedience may sometimes bring a person certain worldly gains, yet it remains impermissible for him to pursue them in that manner, because the harm incurred is greater than the benefit attained. The Messenger ﷺ was sent to realize benefits and perfect them, and to nullify harms and reduce them. Thus, whatever Allah commands is predominantly beneficial, and whatever He forbids is predominantly harmful. A full exposition of these maxims would exceed the scope of these brief pages. Allah knows best.