Is it valid to cite the verse: “So test them; Allah knows best about their faith” as evidence for the variation of faith in the heart?

The questioner:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: Abu 'Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book on faith that one may cite the variation of faith in the heart by the saying of Allah the Exalted: He says: I hope you will clarify that.

The Shaykh:
The variation of faith in the heart. What does the question say?

The questioner:
He says: May Allah reward you. Abu 'Ubayd cites the variation of faith in the heart by the saying of Allah the Exalted: .

The Shaykh:
The apparent meaning of the verse is that they may enter the hearts of non-believers, and that we only resorted to stratagems and appeared to be believers for the sake of lagging behind. I do not see that it indicates variation in faith in the hearts; rather, it indicates that we have only the outward appearance, but we test those in whom we have doubt, applying the test to them until their true nature becomes clear. Yes.