will your sharing in the punishment benefit you today, since you did wrong.”

Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, those who believe, the Jews, the Sabians, the Christians, the Magians, and those who associate others with Allah—Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is Witness over all things.”

Thus, all descendants of Adam fall within these six categories. A fuller discussion of this belongs elsewhere.

Section

The point here is that reward and punishment relate only to actual deeds: performing good deeds, such as worshipping Allah alone; refraining from evil deeds, such as refraining from associating partners with Him, which is itself an actual act; and committing evil deeds, such as abandoning monotheism and worshipping others besides Allah, which is also an actual act.

Allah Most High says:

“Whoever comes with a good deed will have better than it; but whoever comes with an evil deed—those who commit evil deeds will be recompensed only for what they used to do.”

And He, Most High, says:

“If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, it is against yourselves.”

And He, Most High, says:

“Whoever does righteous deeds, it is for his own benefit; and whoever does evil, it is to his own detriment.”

And He, Most High, says:

“For those who do good is the best reward—and more. Neither darkness nor humiliation will cover their faces. Those are the inhabitants of Paradise; they will abide therein forever.”

“But those who earn evil deeds—the recompense of an evil deed is its like, and humiliation will cover them”—up to His words—“Those are the inhabitants of the Fire; they will abide therein forever.”

And He, Most High, says: