for it betrays ill thoughts of Allah, ignorance of the breadth of His mercy, and a sense of safety from His subtle entrapment of the servant through blessings until He seizes him unawares.

The purpose of this ḥadīth is not to confine the major sins to those mentioned—because they are many—but to identify the gravest of them, as the statement of Ibn Masʿūd cited by the author immediately afterward makes clear.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: it demonstrates that feeling secure from Allah’s plan and despairing of His mercy are classified among the major sins.

Benefits derived from the ḥadīth

1. It is forbidden to feel safe from Allah’s plan or to despair of His mercy, and both attitudes rank among the greatest of the major sins—as even the Murjiʾah and the Khārijites acknowledge.
2. Shirk—associating partners with Allah—is the most serious offense and the gravest of the major sins.
3. A servant must keep himself between fear and hope: when he fears he must not despair, and when he hopes he must not feel secure.