Otherwise, had they denied him the unqualified designation while affirming that he possessed some faith by virtue of which he would be brought out of the Fire, they would not have been innovators. All of Ahl al-Sunnah agree that he has been deprived of the obligatory fullness of faith, and has thus lost some of the faith required of him. Yet he remains subject to the threatened punishment. Only those among the Jahmiyyah and Murji’ah who say that faith is indivisible dispute this; they say that his faith is complete.

Those who deny him the unqualified designation argue that this designation entails praise and deserving reward, just as when we describe someone as God-fearing, righteous, or upon the straight path. Since these descriptions are not applied without qualification to an evildoer, neither is the designation of faith. As for his inclusion among those addressed as believers, this is because such an address encompasses everyone who possesses any faith: it conveys a command to them, and their sins do not release them from that command.

As for what Ahmad said concerning Islam, he followed al-Zuhrī, who said in connection with the hadith of Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās:

“They used to regard Islam as the declaration of faith, and faith as deeds.”

This may be understood in two ways. The declaration may be intended together with the outward deeds that follow from it. This is the Islam that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained when he said:

“Islam is that you testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish prayer, pay zakah, fast Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the House.”

Or the declaration alone may be intended, without the performance of the outward obligations. This is not what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, defined as Islam.

It may, however, be said, “The Islam of the Bedouins was of this kind.” The response is that when the Bedouins and others embraced Islam during the Prophet’s lifetime, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, they were required to perform the outward deeds: prayer, zakah, fasting, and pilgrimage. No one was left with merely uttering the declaration; rather, anyone who openly committed a sin was punished for it.