What is your opinion of the one who says: We apply the term mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) to the one who displays shirk (associating partners with Allah), but we do not rule that he has committed riddah (apostasy) until the proof is established?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, this, may Allah preserve you, is a question whose meaning has been repeated. He says: What is your opinion of the one who says that we apply the term mushrik to the one who displays shirk, but we do not rule that he has committed riddah until the proof is established against him? Is this statement correct?

Answer:
If he is like the one who is ignorant of this matter, yes, it is explained to him. But if he lives among the Muslims and someone like him does not ignore this matter because the knowledge has reached him, the da'wah (calling others to Islam) has reached him, and the Qur'an has reached him, someone like him does not ignore this matter, so he is not excused by ignorance. And we do not rule on hearts; we rule on the apparent. As for the hearts, their matter is with Allah (Mighty and Majestic); we are not tasked with ruling on hearts. Yes.