Al-Hajj 22:13

<h2>The meaning of worshipping Allah as it were upon the edge</h2><p>Mujahid, Qatadah and others said:</p><div class="arabic uthmani">عَلَى حَرْفٍ</div><p>(upon the edge) means, in doubt. Others said that it meant on the edge, such as on the edge or side of a mountain, i.e., (this person) enters Islam on the edge, and if he finds what he likes he will continue, otherwise he will leave. Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said:</p><div class="arabic uthmani">وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ</div><p>(And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge.) "People would come to Al-Madinah to declare their Islam and if their wives gave birth to sons and their mares gave birth to foals, they would say, `This is a good religion,' but if their wives and their mares did not give birth, they would say, `This is a bad religion."' Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "One of them would come to Al-Madinah, which was a land that was infected with a contagious disease. If he remained healthy there, and his mare foaled and his wife gave birth to a boy, he would be content, and would say, `I have not experienced anything but good since I started to …

He calleth unto him whose harm is nearer than his benefit; verily an evil patron and verily an evil friend!

(Perhaps) they call on one whose hurt is nearer than his profit: evil, indeed, is the patron, and evil the companion (or help)!

He calls unto him whose harm is nearer than his profit; certainly, and evil Maula (patron) and certainly an evil friend!

He invokes one whose harm is closer than his benefit. What a miserable master. What a miserable companion.