(The sixteenth point): These people suspend judgment concerning general expressions and do not affirm their general scope, whereas the early generations say: The Messenger acquainted us with the meanings of faith and explained it to us. We know with immediate certainty what he intended by it. We know, as a matter of necessary knowledge, that someone said to possess assent, yet who does not verbally profess faith despite being able to do so, does not pray or fast, does not love Allah and His Messenger, and does not fear Allah—but instead hates the Messenger, shows him hostility, and fights him—is not a believer. Likewise, we know that the unbelievers among the polytheists and the People of the Book who knew that he was Allah’s Messenger, yet treated him in this manner, were regarded by him as unbelievers, not believers. Our certainty about this is greater than our certainty that the entire Quran contains no non-Arabic expression. Thus, even if a conflict were supposed, giving precedence to that necessary knowledge would be more appropriate.

If they say, “When someone is known to have been declared an unbeliever by the Messenger, it is thereby known that assent was absent from his heart,” they are told: This is an obstinate denial of the facts, if they mean that such people were doubtful and uncertain. But if they mean that assent unaccompanied by action is deficient and tantamount to nonexistent, this is correct. Moreover, their contention can only be established if it is first established that faith consists solely of the heart’s assent and knowledge. Yet that can only be established after accepting these premises, of which this contention is itself one. A claim cannot therefore be established by the claim itself, given the unbelief of the person concerned.

It is further said: We know with immediate certainty that the Jews and others knew that Muhammad was Allah’s Messenger, yet he judged them to be unbelievers. We therefore know, as a necessary truth of his religion, that a person may be an unbeliever despite possessing assent to his prophethood in the heart, if he does not act upon that assent by loving him, revering him, and submitting to what he brought.