The second is the claim that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, uses the designation “believer” rather than “Muslim,” in statements such as “Or a Muslim,” because the person is not among the distinguished and most excellent believers. It is as though he were saying: because he is not among the foremost who are brought near to Allah, but among the righteous who follow the middle course.

Both these points are contested by the majority of scholars. They say: It was not because that man was not among the distinguished and most excellent believers—such as the foremost who are brought near to Allah—that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said of him, “Or a Muslim.” If that were so, he would be denying the unqualified designation of faith to the righteous, Allah-fearing people who follow the middle course and are promised Paradise without punishment, since they belong to those on the right rather than the foremost who are brought near to Allah. But this is not the case. Rather, those on the right, together with the foremost who are brought near to Allah, are all believers promised Paradise without punishment. Everyone of this description is a believer by the agreement of Muslims, both those of the Sunnah and those of innovation.

If it were permissible to deny someone faith because another person’s faith was superior, faith would be denied to most of Allah’s pious allies, and indeed to many of the prophets. This is utterly untenable. It resembles the claim that a designation is denied because its recommended perfection is absent. We have already explained that nothing of this kind occurs in the words of Allah or His Messenger.

Rather, this hadith specifically concerns someone described as a Muslim but not a believer. He must therefore fall below the rank of the righteous who follow the middle course and are destined for Paradise. His faith must fall short of the faith of all these people, so he cannot have fulfilled all the faith that they were commanded to have. Then, if he is capable of attaining that faith but neglects what is obligatory, he deserves blame. If, however, it is supposed that he is incapable of attaining the faith that characterizes these people, then he is unable to attain faith like theirs, and this would not have been obligatory for him. Thus, even if he