Your belief in the other Books consists in acknowledging them with your heart and tongue, whereas your belief in the Criterion consists in acknowledging it and following what it contains.

As for his words, “and His messengers,” this means that you believe in the messengers Allah has named in His Book, and believe that Allah fashioned them as messengers and prophets whose names are known only to the One who sent them. You must also believe in Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and your belief in him differs from your belief in all the other messengers.

Your belief in the other messengers consists in acknowledging them, whereas your belief in Muhammad consists in acknowledging him and believing him, steadfastly adhering to what he brought. When you follow what he brought, you fulfil the obligatory duties, regard as lawful what is lawful and as forbidden what is forbidden, refrain when faced with doubtful matters, and hasten to do good deeds.

As for his words, “and the Last Day,” this means that you believe in resurrection after death, the reckoning, the Balance, reward and punishment, Paradise and Hell, and everything with which Allah has described the Day of Resurrection.

As for his words, “and believe in divine decree, both its good and its evil,” this means that you believe that whatever has befallen you could never have missed you, and whatever has missed you could never have befallen you. Do not say, “If such-and-such had happened, this would not have happened,” or, “Were it not for such-and-such, this and that would not have happened.”

He said: “This, then, is belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day.”