Armstrong
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I've already posted that the god doesnt judge a person by the number of prayers he offers or the number of verses he knows but by his deeds. I'm reposting what I had posted a while back
You are taking those verses completely out of context; yes God judges people on the basis of your deeds thats precisely why no one really knows whether a said person would go to heaven or hell (if they are what they're thought to be in the traditional sense of those words) irrespective of their faith.
But he also judges them on the basis of monotheistic belief.
And the complete verse you quoted (16:97) comes from Chapter 16 of the Koran where Until verse 88, the sura is directed at the polytheists; from verse 90 on wards it teaches the Muslims in various ways. Verse 89 connects the two parts by naming the Prophet as witness to the believers and disbelievers of his community. (pg.166, Oxford World's Classics - the Quran, M.A.S. Abdel Haleem)
Those aforementioned verses are not addressing Non Muslims but Muslims and is not exclusive of the monotheistic belief and the religious practices that go with it.
If one reads the entire chapter which part is dealt with whom becomes somewhat evident because different groups of people are being addressed in different parts.