and gains in his worldly life, he is not included within the scope of this hadith.”

The man who quoted the hadith said to him: “If I were to do everything unbecoming and say, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,’ would I enter Paradise without entering the Fire?”

He—may Allah have mercy on him—answered:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Whoever believes that merely uttering these words ensures that a person will enter Paradise and never enter the Fire under any circumstances is astray, contradicting the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the believers. For the hypocrites, who will be in the lowest depths of the Fire, have uttered these words, and they are many. Indeed, hypocrites may fast, pray, and give charity, yet none of this is accepted from them. Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah, but He deceives them. When they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing off before people, and they remember Allah only a little.”

And He Most High says:

“Say, ‘Spend willingly or unwillingly; it will never be accepted from you. Indeed, you are a defiantly disobedient people.’”

“Nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted except that they disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger, come to prayer only lazily, and spend only reluctantly.”

And He Most High says:

“Indeed, Allah will gather the hypocrites and the disbelievers all together in Hell.”

And He Most High says:

“On the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will shine ahead of them and on their right. They will say, ‘Our Lord, perfect our light for us.’”

And He Most High says:

“On the Day you see the believing men and women with their light shining ahead of them and on their right: ‘Good news for you today: Gardens beneath which rivers flow.’”

—up to His words—

“So today no ransom will be accepted from you, nor from those who disbelieved.”

In the two Sahīh collections, it is reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”

Muslim’s version adds: “Even if