dependent on His will. To deny either of these two realities is itself a form of shirk (associating partners with Allah). This, then, invalidates the claim of those who categorically guarantee forgiveness for every sinner. By singling out shirk, Allah draws our attention to something even graver—such as denying the very Creator—or to the suggestion that He may choose never to punish anyone for any sin. Were that the case, He would not have said that He forgives some people but not others. If every wrong-doer were automatically forgiven without repentance or good deeds that erase sins, He would not have made forgiveness contingent on His will.

Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“And He forgives anything short of that for whom He wills.” ⦗4:48⦘

This clearly shows that He forgives some and not others; hence both the blanket denial of punishment and the notion of universal amnesty are false.

The Root of Faith
Section

Allah’s allies are the believers who fear Him; and because people differ in faith and taqwā (God-consciousness), they likewise differ in the degree to which they are Allah’s allies. Conversely, since people vary in disbelief and hypocrisy, they vary in their enmity toward Allah in proportion to that.

The foundation of faith and taqwā is believing in the messengers of Allah. Its essence is to believe in the Seal of the Messengers, Muhammad ﷺ, for believing in him necessarily entails believing in all of Allah’s scriptures and messengers.

The root of disbelief and hypocrisy is