"Any term or label negated by Allāh and His Messenger, such as the terms 'Ēmān,' 'Islam,' 'Religion,' 'prayer,' 'fasting,' 'purity,' and 'pilgrimage,' refers to

He also said: «فما جاء من نفي الأعمال في الكتاب والسنة فإنما هو لانتفاء بعض واجباته كقوله تعالى: ﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسليمًا﴾ [النساء ٦٥]» "Whenever actions are negated in the Qur'ān and Sunnah, it is due to the absence of some of their obligations, as seen in the Āyah: 'But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.'" [Majmū’ Al-Fatāwā (22/530)] If someone says: What is the evidence that Allāh has protected the people of Badr from falling into disbelief? The response: Allāh guaranteed them Paradise, as evidenced by the story of Ḥāṭib. The Prophet ﷺ said regarding them: ((لعلَّ الله اطلع عليهم فقال: اعملوا ما شئتم؛ فقد أوجبتُ لكم الجنة)) "Perhaps Allāh has looked to the people of Badr and said: 'Do as you wish, for I have granted you Paradise.'" [Bukhāri 6939] I say: Whoever denies the unique status of the people of Badr and Allāh's protection of them from falling into actions that would take them out of the fold of Islam, has caused a contradiction between the ḥadīth and Allāh's statement: {إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ} "Indeed, Allāh does not forgive associating others with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills" [An-Nisā', 48, 116]. This is because major disbelief and polytheism are unforgivable, whereas Allāh has guaranteed the people of Badr Paradise. If someone were to ask: Is it not possible for one of the people of Badr to fall into disbelief, but then be guided to repent from it, die in a state of repentance, and thus enter Paradise, thereby avoiding any contradiction between the texts? 1. Allāh forgave the people of Badr without making that forgiveness contingent on repentance. Therefore, we must acknowledge this virtue for them in its absolute form, without imposing any conditions where Allāh has not done so. 2. If we were to accept such a view, we would render this virtue meaningless! It would imply that their participation in Badr holds no special significance since scholars unanimously agree that all sins, even disbelief, can be forgiven through repentance. So if the people of Badr’s sins were only forgiven upon repentance, there would be no special virtue that sets them apart from others. I conclude this discussion with a statement from Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy on him: «قوله لأهل بدر ونحوهم: ((اعملوا ما شئتم؛ فقد غفرت لكم)): إِنْ حُمِلَ على الصغائر، أو على المغفرة مع التوبة: لم يكن فرق بينهم وبين غيرهم، فكما لا يجوز حَمْلُ الحديث على الكفر ؛ لِمَا قد عُلِمَ أنَّ الكفرَ لا يُغْفر إلا بالتوبة؛ لا يجوز حَمْلُهُ على مُجرَّد الصغائر المُكَفَّرة باجتناب الكبائر» “His statement (ﷺ) to the people of Badr and others like them: ‘Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you’—if it were understood to refer only to minor sins or to forgiveness upon repentance, then there would be no distinction between them and others.