Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation) — Page 204
204 HAQIQATUL-WAḤI—THE PHILOSOPHY OF DIVINE REVELATION to be believers provided they do not retain any vestige of hypocrisy and do not deny manifestly visible divine miracles; otherwise, says God Almighty: إنَّ الْمُنْفِقِينَ في الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ. Meaning that, the hypocrites shall be cast in to the lowest depths of Hell. The hadith also says: مَا زَنَا زَانٍ وَهُوَ مُؤْمَنْ وَمَاسَرَقَ سَارِقٌ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ Meaning that, no adulterer, when committing adultery, and no thief, while stealing, is a believer. How then can a hypocrite in the state of hypocrisy be a believer? If the doctrine that by pronouncing a person a disbeliever one becomes a disbeliever himself is not correct, then let them show me the edict of their own clerics to this effect and I shall accept it. But if one does become a disbeliever, then publish an announcement about the dis- belief of the 200 clerics, mentioning each one of them by name. After this, it will be forbidden for me to entertain any doubt about their pro- fession of Islam provided they do not happen to suffer from any taint of hypocrisy. 1. Surah an-Nisa', 4:146 [Publisher] 2. As I have stated before, a person becomes a disbeliever by declaring a dis- believer to be a believer, for he denies the disbelief of one who is in reality a disbeliever. And I see that all those people who fail to believe in me consider those to be believers who have declared me to be disbeliever. Thus, even now, I do not consider the people who face the Qiblah to be disbelievers, but how can I consider those to be believers who have brought about the grounds for their disbelief with their own deeds. (Author)