“Then the end of those who did evil was the worst, because they denied Allah’s signs and used to ridicule them.”

As for the absence of both good and evil deeds, its recompense is the absence of both reward and punishment. Suppose a man believes in the Messenger in general terms and, for a time, does not commit many prohibited acts, yet has never heard that they are prohibited and therefore does not believe them to be so. For example, someone may believe without knowing that Allah has forbidden carrion, blood, and pork, or that He has forbidden marriage to relatives except for four categories, or that He has forbidden four categories through marriage ties—prohibiting each spouse from marrying the other’s ascendants and descendants. If he believes and does not commit these prohibited acts, yet does not believe them to be prohibited because he has never heard this, he receives neither reward nor punishment for this.

But if he learns of their prohibition and accepts it as such, he is rewarded for that belief. If he also refrains from them despite his own desire for them, he receives an additional reward. This is like someone whose soul urges him to pursue desires, but he restrains it: a fasting person who desires food and sexual intercourse but restrains himself, or someone who desires wine and indecent acts but restrains himself. Such a person receives an additional reward according to the extent to which he restrains himself, patiently resists forbidden things, and occupies himself with acts of obedience that are their opposites. When he performs those acts of obedience, they prevent him from committing forbidden acts.