Thus, a belief judged less likely to be true is conjecture and a misapprehension. Such thoughts may fall under the inward thoughts that are pardoned, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah has pardoned my community for what passes through their minds, so long as they neither speak of it nor act upon it.”

They may also fall under the whisperings described as pure faith, as is established in the Sahīh:

“The Companions said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, one of us finds within himself thoughts that he would rather be burned to a cinder or fall from heaven to earth than utter.’

He asked, ‘Have you really experienced this?’

They replied, ‘Yes.’

He said, ‘That is pure faith.’”

In another hadith:

“One of us finds within himself thoughts that he considers too dreadful to utter.”

He said:

“Praise be to Allah, who has reduced his scheming to mere whisperings.”

These thoughts that arise are of three kinds. Some are sinful and weaken faith, though they do not extinguish it. Certainty in the heart has degrees. Some are pardoned, and the person who experiences them is forgiven. Others are accompanied by pure faith.

A parallel to this is the report in the Sahīh, narrated by Ibn Shihāb, from Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyib and Abū Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān, from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“May Allah have mercy on Lot! He certainly had recourse to a mighty support. Had I remained in prison as long as Joseph did, I would have answered the one who summoned me. We have more right to doubt than Abraham, when his Lord said to him, ‘Do you not believe?’ He replied, ‘Yes, but to reassure