The overall purport of the ḥadīth: The Jew told the Prophet ﷺ that some Muslims fell into minor shirk whenever they uttered the phrases he mentioned. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed that such wording does constitute shirk and directed them to use expressions that steer clear of every trace of association: they should swear only by Allah and should connect the servant’s will to Allah’s will with thumma (then), a particle that denotes sequence and delay, so that the servant’s will remains subordinate to the will of Allah.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to this chapter: it establishes that saying, “Whatever Allah wills and whatever you will,” is shirk.

Lessons drawn from the ḥadīth:
1- Saying “Whatever Allah wills and whatever you will,” and swearing by anything other than Allah, is shirk, for the Messenger ﷺ affirmed the Jew’s judgment that both are forms of shirk.
2- The Jews were aware of the concept of minor shirk.
3- People can show sharp understanding when spurred by their own inclinations.
4- The truth must be accepted from whoever brings it, even if he is an enemy who follows another religion.
5- Minor shirk does not expel a person from the fold of Islam.
6- One must avoid expressions that compromise sound creed and replace them with wording free of any association with Allah.
7- When a scholar forbids something, he should, where possible, provide a permissible alternative that fulfils the same purpose.
8- The prohibition of shirk is absolute; nothing is exempt—not even swearing by the Kaaba, the House of Allah on earth—so how much more so anything else?
9- Allah possesses will, and the servant possesses will, yet the servant’s will is subordinate to and dependent upon the will of Allah.