with sincere devotion to Him alone. Whoever neither associates partners with Him nor worships Him refrains from worshipping both Him and anyone else, like Pharaoh and those like him. Such a person is in a worse condition than one who associates partners with Allah. Worshipping Allah alone is therefore indispensable. It is obligatory upon everyone and is never waived for anyone. This is Islam in its universal sense, besides which Allah accepts no religion.

Yet Allah does not punish anyone until He sends a messenger to him. Just as He does not punish him before that, none will enter Paradise except a believing Muslim soul. Neither one who associates partners with Allah nor one who arrogantly refuses to worship his Lord will enter it. Whoever was not reached by the call in this world will be tested in the Hereafter. None will enter the Fire except those who follow Satan; whoever has no sin will not enter it. Allah does not punish anyone with the Fire until He has sent a messenger to him. Thus, anyone whom a messenger’s call has not reached—such as a young child, a person deprived of reason, or someone who died in an interval wholly without a prophetic message—will be tested in the Hereafter, as the transmitted reports state.

With regard to obligations and prohibitions, a distinction must therefore be made between what is binding upon everyone in every circumstance—namely, justice concerning the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants, by worshipping Allah with sincere devotion to Him alone and not wronging people in any way—and what is forbidden to everyone in every circumstance, with no instance of it being permissible—namely, immoral deeds, injustice, associating partners with Allah, and speaking about Allah without knowledge—and all other matters.

Allah Most High says:

“Say, ‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you: do not associate