Questioner asks: “Is it correct that we say, the uncle of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is a believer with his heart, disbeliever with his actions?”

Shaykh Fawzaan’s reply: “It does not benefit him (having) the belief in the heart (only), all of them, all of the disbelievers believed in their hearts that he was the Messenger of Allah, Allah says:

“We know that you, [O Muhammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allah that the wrongdoers reject.” (6:33).

And Allah mentions regarding The People of the Book:

“Those to whom We have given the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know [it].” (2:146)

Belief in the heart (alone) does not benefit (rather) belief is speech of the tongue, belief in the heart and actions of the limbs, it increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, this is belief. So therefore Abu Taalib even if he believed in his heart it does not benefit him because he wasn’t the only one who believed (in his heart alone) the disbelievers included, they believed with their hearts but that which prevented them was arrogance, envy and the sectarianism of the time of Ignorance.”