means a portion equal to that of the killer, as the other hadith explains. Since he regarded the killing of those whose lives are inviolable as permissible in principle, nothing restrained him from killing any such person. He thus became a partner in the killing of every soul. Related to this is the saying of Allah Most High:

“For that reason, We decreed for the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul—unless in retribution for murder or for corruption in the land—it is as though he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a life, it is as though he has saved all mankind.”

Similarly, rejecting any particular messenger is tantamount to rejecting the messengers as a whole, as Allah says:

“The people of Noah rejected the messengers.”

“ʿĀd rejected the messengers.”

There are other similar passages. Also belonging to this category is the saying of Allah Most High:

“Those who disbelieve say to those who believe, ‘Follow our way, and we will bear your sins.’ Yet they will bear none of their sins. They are certainly liars. They will surely bear their own burdens, and other burdens along with their own, and on the Day of Resurrection they will surely be questioned about what they used to fabricate.”

He thus states that the leaders of misguidance bear none of their followers’ sins, while also stating that they bear their burdens—that is, the sins of their followers—without diminishing their followers’ burdens of sin in the least. This is because their will was firmly resolved upon that outcome, and they did all that lay within their power. They therefore incur the recompense of everyone who acts accordingly, for recompense for an action is deserved when there is a resolute will to perform it together with doing whatever lies within one’s power to accomplish it.

This accords with what is established in both Sahīh collections in the hadith narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās from Abū Sufyān: