—the lawful litanies through which a person safeguards himself from his enemies among both devils and human beings. Allah is the One who grants success.

1793 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Avoid the seven deadly sins.” They asked, “Messenger of Allah, what are they?” He replied, “Associating others with Allah; sorcery; killing a soul that Allah has made sacred except with right; consuming usury; devouring the property of an orphan; turning one’s back on the day of battle; and slandering chaste, believing, unsuspecting women.” Agreed upon.

[Explanation]
We have already discussed the opening of this hadith and the phrase “killing a soul that Allah has made sacred except with right,” and we noted that the lives deemed inviolable fall into four categories: the Muslim, the dhimmī, the treaty-bound non-Muslim (muʿāhad), and the temporary visitor under safe-conduct (mustaʾmin). It is unlawful to kill any one of them except with due right. We also spoke about the treaties concluded between Muslims and non-Muslims, clarifying that such agreements are permissible whenever need or genuine benefit demands them. The scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—differed over whether a treaty may extend beyond ten years, and whether an open-ended treaty is valid. We mentioned that treaties are of three kinds: