The ruling on relying solely on uttering the testimony of faith without action

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some people cite this story as evidence that uttering the testimony of faith is sufficient for a person’s Islam, even if he does not act on it. They say that he was asked to bear witness to the testimony while he knew he was about to die, so he would not act on it. What is the response to that?

Answer:
Yes, that is correct. If a person utters the testimony of faith while believing in it, intending it, and holding it as a belief, and he is unable to act on it, then he is among the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and among the people of Paradise, because he was unable to act. If Abu Talib had uttered it with certainty and belief, he would have been among the people of Paradise, even if he did not act, because he had no opportunity to act. As for the one who says it in a state of health and well-being and then neglects the blind, this is a disease; this is among the most vile of diseases. This is not permissible. “La ilaha illa Allah” (There is no god but Allah) entails knowledge, action, and sincerity. It is not a word one says and becomes a Muslim without acting. No, that is not correct. The state of ease is like the state of hardship. The state of the one who says it at the time of death is excused regarding the condition of action, because he did not have the opportunity; he is excused. But the one who abandons action while he is sound, upright, and capable of acting, yet abandons it out of laziness, is not excused. This is not excusable. This is easing things for people. This is generalizing it to everyone, whether in a state of health or in a state of death. This is misleading people. Yes.