That is: every soul carries a burden. Indeed, it carries its own burden and not the burden of another soul. And We were not to punish until We send a messenger. Mahmoud said: "Its meaning is that it is not correct to punish a people until the proof is established upon them by sending the messenger..." Ahmad said: "This question also addresses the Qadari who claims that reason guides to the necessity of reflection and to many of Allah's commands, even if a messenger is not sent. He is charged with using his reason and is held accountable for neglecting to comply with the command, which would necessitate punishment. For them, reason is sufficient in establishing knowledge, indeed in all rulings, based on the principle of rational good and evil. As for the Sunni, this question does not apply to him, for reason is a condition for the obligation of general rulings, and there is no obligation before the arrival of the laws and the sending of the prophets. At that point, the ruling is established and the proof is set forth, as this verse indicates, which Al-Zamakhshari seeks to distort, but it eludes him and blocks the paths of deception before him, for it is the glorious Book from which falsehood does not approach from before it or from behind it. Yes, reason is essential for acquiring knowledge, but not for its obligation. There is a great distance between acquisition and obligation. And Allah is the Grantor of success." A people are not punished except after We send a messenger to them, so that the proof is established upon them. If you say: the proof is necessary for them before the sending of the messengers, because they have the evidences of reason by which they know Allah, and they have neglected reflection while they are capable of it. Their deserving of punishment is due to their neglect of reflection upon what they have, and their disbelief because of that, not due to neglecting the laws which can only be known through revelation, and acting upon them is only valid after belief. I say: the sending of messengers is part of the awakening to reflection and the stirring from the slumber of heedlessness, so that they do not say: we were heedless, so if only a messenger had been sent to us to alert us to reflect on the evidences of reason.