he prays and fasts and claims to be a Muslim.”

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

“Whoever possesses four traits is a complete hypocrite, and whoever possesses one of them has a trait of hypocrisy until he abandons it: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; when he makes a covenant, he betrays it; and when he disputes, he behaves wickedly.”

However, if a person says, “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,” sincerely and truthfully from his heart, and dies upon that, he will not remain in the Fire forever. No one with a mustard seed’s weight of faith in his heart will remain in the Fire forever, as established in authentic hadiths from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

But those who enter it from among “the sinful among those who face the qiblah in prayer”—those who commit theft, unlawful sexual intercourse, drink wine, bear false witness, consume usury, devour orphans’ wealth, and others—if they are punished in it, Allah will punish them in proportion to their sins. As stated in the authentic hadiths:

“For some, the Fire will reach their ankles; for others, their knees; and for others, their waists. After remaining there for as long as Allah wills, they will be brought out like charcoal. They will then be cast into a river called Life, and will grow again in it as a seed grows in the debris carried by a flood. They will enter Paradise with these words inscribed upon their necks: ‘These are those who were in Hell, whom Allah has freed from the Fire.’”

This matter is discussed in detail elsewhere. And Allah knows best.