“Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed—except one who is compelled while his heart remains firm in faith—but whoever opens his heart to disbelief…” to the end of the verse.

Shaykh al-Islām said: “This verse is among the proofs that the view of Jahm and his followers is false. Allah has made everyone who utters words of disbelief subject to the punishment threatened against disbelievers, except one who is compelled while his heart remains firm in faith.

“If it is objected: ‘But Allah, Exalted is He, says: “But whoever opens his heart to disbelief”?’

“The answer is: This agrees with the beginning of the verse, for whoever disbelieves without being compelled has opened his heart to disbelief. Otherwise, the end of the verse would contradict its beginning.” (1)

With this established, anyone who outwardly complies with the polytheists when they call upon him to prostrate before their idol or sacrifice to it, willingly and freely obeying them for whatever purpose, and then claims that he prostrated and sacrificed only to Allah, is among those who have disbelieved in Allah and opened their hearts to disbelief. More flagrant still is the case of someone who acknowledges to the polytheists that he prostrates before their idol and sacrifices to it, then claims that he is lying to them. This is like someone who says to the Jews, Christians, or polytheists: “The religion that