পৃষ্ঠা 285: তৃতীয় অধ্যায়: কিয়ামতের মহা আলামতসমূহ (মাহদী, দাজ্জাল, ঈসা (আ.), ইয়াজুজ-মাজুজ, পশ্চিমাকাশে সূর্যোদয়)

Mention of the responses concerning this matter and the author's explanation of them.

For this reason, the author of "al-Kashshaf" stated: "As you can see, no distinction is made between the disbelieving soul when it believes outside the valid time for faith, and the soul that believed at its proper time but did not earn any good, so that it may be known that His saying: {Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds} combines two inseparables, neither of which ought to be detached from the other for their possessor to succeed and attain happiness; otherwise, the outcome is wretchedness and ruin." End of the quote from "al-Kashshaf".

Al-Baydawi pointed to the apparent indication of the verse toward this meaning, saying: "The meaning is that faith at that time will not benefit a soul that had not previously put forth its faith, nor a soul that had put forth its faith but did not earn any good within its faith. This serves as evidence for those who do not consider faith devoid of works to be valid; that is, those who consider deeds to be an integral component of the essence and reality of faith, such as the Mu'tazilah, unlike those who regard deeds as part of its perfection and increase, such as the majority of Ahl al-Sunnah, the general body of Ahl al-Hadith, and most of the Imams."

Then al-Baydawi briefly pointed out three responses to this, saying: "And it is open to the one who considers [deeds non-essential to core faith]; meaning, one who considers faith devoid of deeds to still be valid, to restrict this ruling specifically to that day, and to interpret the disjunctive phrasing as conditioning the benefit upon one of the two matters, with the meaning of: {it will not benefit a soul} devoid of both, its faith; and the conjunction with {she had not} carries the meaning: it will not benefit a soul the faith that it newly initiated at that time even if it earned good deeds therein." End quote.

The elucidation of his statement is: We reply, first of all, that we concede that the meaning is indeed such, but we restrict the ruling specifically to that day, without generalizing it to all times. Thus, whoever dies as a believer prior to that day, his faith will benefit him even if he did not earn any good within it or perform righteous deeds. As for the one who lives to witness that day: if he had put forth faith prior to it and earned good deeds within it, it will benefit him; otherwise, such as if he did not put forth faith beforehand, or put it forth without earning any good deeds within it, it will not benefit him.

This is the substance of the first answer; and contained therein is the fact that the general scriptural texts indicate that bare faith is beneficial in all circumstances and times.

The substance of the second answer is: The particle 'or' (aw) is sometimes used for the generality of negation, as in the statement of Allah the Exalted: {And do not obey from among them a sinner or an ungrateful disbeliever}; meaning, not a single one of them. At other times, it is used for the negation of generality, and that is when a negation is construed as being conjoined with a negation, followed by the inclusion of 'or' (aw). This verse belongs to the first category, so the meaning is: it will not benefit a soul that had not previously put forth...