a lying, wicked, and unjust person. Rather, they observe rewards for good deeds and punishments for evil deeds that offer a lesson and a deterrent, just as they did in the age of ignorance before the messengers came. When the revealed message brought warnings of the Hereafter, it clarified what people had been unaware of.

The second extreme:

This is the extreme of those who are excessively strict and hold that belief has no effect on actions. Indeed, the most extreme among them, such as certain Muʿtazilī theologians, say: “Allah has a ruling for every action; whoever errs concerning it is sinful and will be punished.” Thus, they hold that a Muslim scholar exercising independent judgment is sinful and will be punished for his error whenever evidence from revelation escapes his notice, even though he has striven and exhausted his ability in seeking Allah’s ruling. Such is their position on independent scholarly judgment and belief. Then, if someone neglects an obligation or commits a forbidden act, they say that the threatened punishment must be carried out against him. They therefore hold that sinful Muslims must remain in Hell forever. This is the position of the majority of the Muʿtazila and the Khawārij. The Khawārij, however, declare a person a disbeliever for committing a major sin—or even a minor sin, according to some of them.

As for the Muʿtazila, they say:

“He occupies an intermediate position between the two: neither a believer nor a disbeliever.”

The community that follows the middle course holds that belief may or may not affect rulings, depending on the evidence and the factors involved. This is also what happens in natural matters: the effects of foods and medicines may or may not vary according to the beliefs of the physician and the patient. A person may believe that something has a beneficial or harmful property and consequently benefit from it or suffer harm, even though it has no such property. He may also hold such a belief