he deserves to remain eternally in the Fire, never to leave it. All these views are false; we have discussed them at length elsewhere.

Rather, in matters of divine promise and warning, a believer in the unqualified sense—one deserving to enter Paradise without punishment—is someone who fulfils the obligations and avoids what is forbidden. These are the people meant when believers are mentioned without qualification. Whoever commits these major sins is not among these believers, since he exposes himself to punishment for the major sin he has committed. This is what is meant by those who say that the intent is to deny the reality of faith or its completeness. They do not mean the recommended degree of completeness, for falling short of that does not warrant blame or a warning of punishment. Jurists say that ritual bathing has two forms: complete and sufficient. Yet someone who opts for the sufficient form rather than the complete form is not blameworthy. Thus, anyone who understands “denying the completeness of faith” as denying its recommended completeness is mistaken. This resembles the position of the Murji’ah. Rather, what is denied is its obligatory completeness.

This principle applies consistently to everything else that Allah and His Messenger have negated. For example, Allah says:

“The believers are only those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, and whose faith increases when His verses are recited to them,”

continuing to His words:

“Those are the believers in truth.”

Likewise, the transmitted hadith states:

“There is no faith in one who is not trustworthy, and no religion in one who does not honour his covenant.”

Similarly, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “There is no prayer without the Mother of