And if either of them does not supplement this with what the Messenger brought, he either adds its opposite or adds nothing. If he adds the opposite of what the Messenger brought, he falls into denial, which is compound disbelief. If he adds nothing, he remains in simple disbelief, whether he is in doubt or in a state of aversion and heedlessness.

A disbeliever either conceives of the message or does not. If he does not conceive of it, he is heedless of it and has no faith in it. As Allah says:

“Do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his own desires, and whose conduct exceeds all bounds.”

And He says:

“So We exacted retribution from them and drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.”

However, complete heedlessness occurs only in someone whom the message has not reached, and disbelief for which a person is punished occurs only after the message has reached him. This is why He coupled denial with heedlessness. If someone conceives of what the Messenger brought but turns away, he is averse to it, as Allah Most High says:

“When guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer.”

“But whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a life of hardship.”

And as He says:

“You see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion.”

And as He says:

“When they are told, ‘Follow what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘Rather, we follow what we found our forefathers following.’”

If, despite this, he has no share in it—neither affirming nor denying it, neither loving nor hating it—then he is in doubt about it. Allah has described this as the condition of many disbelievers, whether hypocrites or others, as He says:

“Only those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day ask your permission. Their hearts are filled with doubt, and in their doubt they waver.”

And as Moses said: “Has there not come to you the news of those before you—the people of Noah