And some people there are who say, 'We believe, these being the second group of the wretched who are deprived of [true] belief even as they claim [to have] it when they say 'we believe' in God, because the locus of belief is the heart and not the tongue: [as in the case of where] the bedouins say, 'We believe'. Say: 'You do not believe; but rather say, “We have submitted”, for faith has not yet entered into your hearts [Q. 49:14]. The meaning of their statement 'we believe in God and [in] the Last Day', is that they are claiming possession of the two [branches of] knowledge, that of God's oneness and that of the final return (maʿād), both of which constitute the principles of religion and its foundation. In other words, [they are saying] 'we are not like the polytheists who are veiled from the Truth nor like the People of the Scripture who are barred from [true knowledge of] religion and the final return - for, the teachings of the People of the Scripture concerning the final return does not accord with the truth. Know that to disbelieve is to be veiled and where one is veiled from the truth, as in the case of the polytheists, or from religion, as in the case of the People of the Scripture; and the one who is veiled from the truth is necessarily veiled from religion the very means by which one arrives at the truth. But the one who is veiled from religion may not necessarily be veiled from the truth. These, however, claim to be free of both veils at once. Thus they are shown to be liars by having their selves deprived of faith. In other words, so long as they are such they cannot be believers; [but they are not believers.]
