The Criterion of the Word of Tawhid That Saves from Eternal Abode in the Fire

How do we reconcile the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim: from Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali, who said that Abu Dharr narrated to him, saying: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was sleeping, and he was wearing a white garment. Then I came to him again and found him sleeping. Then I came to him and he had woken up, so I sat beside him.So he said: (There is no slave who says: (La ilaha illa Allah),Then he died upon that, except he enters Paradise! I said: even if he commits zina and even if he steals?He said: Even if he commits zina and even if he steals! I said: Even if he commits zina and even if he steals?He said: Even if he commits zina and even if he steals! Three times,Then he said in the fourth: despite the nose of Abu Dharr,So Abu Dharr went out saying: even if the nose of Abu Dharr is ground down).
And what we see and read about the people of the misguided sects, such as the Rafidah and the Khawarij, and what happens with the hypocrites; for they testify to the testimony of tawhid and die upon it? Please inform us, may Allah guide you and reward you?
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
The hadith of Abu Dharr—as you heard—indicates clearly that this one who says—Meaning: the one who says: (La ilaha illa Allah)—is a true believer; but his soul incited him to commit some sins, indeed some major sins such as zina, theft, and others.
And the path of the people of the Sunnah and the community is that the believing person, even if he commits a major sin, his ultimate destination is Paradise, and any punishment before Paradise is up to Allah (Mighty and Majestic); if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him,And the evidence for that is the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Nisa: 48], so all those who commit sins—even if they are great—if they are less than disbelief, do not prevent entry into Paradise, so the ultimate destination of the doer is Paradise; but he may be punished for the sin he committed, or Allah may forgive him, and the matter is up to Allah, [Al-Nisa: 48].
As for the hypocrites, and the people of the innovations that declare them disbelievers, their innovations declare them disbelievers, in reality they did not say: (La ilaha illa Allah) with their hearts; because this deviation that leads to disbelief contradicts sincerity,And the saying: (La ilaha illa Allah) requires sincerity.

As for saying: (La ilaha illa Allah) while he believes that there is no Lord and no God—may Allah protect us from that—or he believes that with Allah there is a god who manages the universe, or he believes—for example—that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) all apostatized after his death, or he believes that Abu Bakr and 'Umar apostatized after the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or similar innovations that declare one a disbeliever,So these did not have sincerity in their saying: (La ilaha illa Allah), so their innovations contradict the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): (Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah—Or whoever says: (La ilaha illa Allah)—enters Paradise).

The questioner: That is: the Messenger did not say: Whoever says: (La ilaha illa Allah) with the words only,Meaning: that his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) does not include everyone who says: (La ilaha illa Allah)! The Shaykh: No.
No.
Rather, sincerity is necessary, for this reason, listen to the saying of Allah the Exalted regarding the hypocrites: [Al-Nisa: 142],And in the same surah He says: [Al-Nisa: 145],And He says about them: [Al-Munafiqun: 1] This is a testimony to the message, [Al-Munafiqun: 1] meaning: they are liars in their saying.