saml authority implementation question

Hello,
	Just had a quick question about the SAML authentication assertion 
ticket. From what I have read on SAML authority, if an SP requests a 
SAML authentication assertion, then the authority has to provide it. 
Now, is there any condition under which the SAML authority should 
respond with a success simply if the user is present in the user 
directory (and not logged in) while conforming with SAML (and Liberty) 
guidelines.
	Thanks in advance.
		Rishi
P.S. I am a newbie, and so I apologize if this is a stupid question