In any event, they identify defects in the falsehoods of others and grounds for condemning them from which some benefit may be gained.

An example is their disagreement over questions of designations and rulings, and of the divine promise and threat.

The Kharijites and Mu'tazilites say:

“A person guilty of major sins who has not repented of them will abide eternally in the Fire and possesses no faith whatsoever.”

The Kharijites then say:

“He is an unbeliever.”

The Mu'tazilites agree with their ruling, but not with the designation.

The Murji'ah say:

“He is a believer with complete(1) faith, with no deficiency in his faith. Indeed, his faith is like that of the prophets and the righteous servants of Allah.”

This is a disagreement over the designation. Their jurists then say the same as the mainstream community concerning those guilty of major sins:

“Some of them will enter the Fire, while others will not.”

This is established by authentic hadiths and was agreed upon by the Companions and those who faithfully followed them.

Thus, they do not disagree with Ahl al-Sunnah and the scholars of hadith regarding the ruling concerning such a person in the Hereafter; they disagree with them only over the designation. They also disagree concerning those who profess but do not act.

Many of the Murji'ah theologians say:

“We do not know that anyone(2) among the people of the qiblah who is guilty of major sins will enter the Fire, nor do we know that any of them will not enter it. It is possible that all the sinners will enter it, that none of them will enter it, or that only some will enter it.”

They also say:

“If someone sins and repents, it cannot be affirmed with certainty that his repentance has been accepted; rather, he too may enter the Fire.”

They therefore suspend judgment on all these matters, which is why they are called the Wāqifah—those who suspend judgment. This is the position of Qadi Abū Bakr, others among the Ash'arites, and still others.

The former invoke the texts concerning the divine threat and their general applicability, while the latter counter them with the texts concerning the divine promise and their general applicability.

The former say:

“The sinners are not included in the promise, because they(3) do not