﴿ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴾

“However, ere [We condemn them to] that supreme suffering, We shall most certainly let them taste of a suffering closer at hand, so that they might [repent and] mend their ways.”

A believer (mu’min ) is one who accepts the Divine Truth and a sinner (faasiq) is one who rejects it for the sake of self-protection. These are two separate characters—entirely different from each other—and the fate of individuals who are entirely different in character cannot be the same. In the present world, one who accepts the Truth, proves that he gives prime importance to Truth. Such a person will have greatness conferred upon him in the Hereafter. As opposed to this, one who considers himself great, while ignoring the Truth, shall have a lesser position in the real life of the Hereafter.