He went on to say, “Our position is that they are, without reservation, believers, while their affair is left to Allah the Exalted: if He wills, He punishes them, and if He wills, He pardons them.

He also said, “The foundation of faith is a divine gift from which the servants’ deeds arise; its essence, therefore, is affirmation, acknowledgement, and works,” and he cited the dispute over whether faith may increase or decrease,