One group says that this applies only to those who come to the Resurrection with faith. In their view, the designation “believer” applies only to someone who dies as a believer. If someone believes and then apostatizes, they do not regard his earlier belief as faith. This is the position adopted by al-Ashʿarī, a group of Ahmad’s followers, and others. Likewise, they say that a disbeliever is someone who dies as a disbeliever.

They say that Allah’s love and hatred, pleasure and displeasure, friendship and enmity depend solely on a person’s state at death. Thus, Allah loves those whom He knows will die as believers, is pleased with them, and befriends them with an eternal love and an eternal friendship.

They say that ʿUmar was a friend of Allah even while he was a disbeliever. This position is known to have been held by Ibn Kullāb and those who followed him, such as al-Ashʿarī and others.

Most groups disagree with him on this. They say that a person may be an enemy of Allah and then become His friend, and that Allah may hate him and then love him. This is the position of the jurists and the general public. It is also the position of the Muʿtazilah, the Karrāmiyyah, all the Hanafīs, and the early Mālikīs, Shāfiʿīs, and Hanbalīs. The Quran supports this, as in His words:

“Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.’”

“And if you are grateful, He is pleased with that for you.”

And His words: “Indeed, those who believed