after the proof has been established is one of the fundamentals of faith, and denying His knowledge of all things is like denying His power over all things. Nevertheless, she deserved blame for her sin. This is why the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—gave her a shove and said, “Do you fear that Allah and His Messenger would treat you unjustly?” This principle is discussed at length elsewhere.

It is thus clear that this statement constitutes disbelief. However, its speaker is not to be declared a disbeliever until he has received sufficient knowledge to establish against him the proof whose disregard constitutes disbelief. Evidence demonstrating the falsity of this statement abounds in the Quran, the Sunnah, and the agreement of the early generations of this Muslim community, its imams, and its shaykhs; there is no need to set it out at length. Indeed, it is a necessarily known tenet of Islam that commands and prohibitions remain binding upon Allah’s servants until death.

As for the question, “Could such a statement come from someone whose heart holds submission to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?” the answer is:

This cannot come from anyone who acknowledges prophethood at all. Rather, whoever says this disbelieves in all the prophets and messengers, for they all brought commands and prohibitions binding upon Allah’s servants until death. Indeed, this statement cannot come from anyone whose heart holds submission to Allah and who acknowledges Him as the God of all creation. Such acknowledgment necessarily entails being a servant of Allah, submissive to Him. Whoever permits a person to do whatever he wishes without submitting to Allah in worship has denied that Allah is his God.