The Ruling on Declaring Someone a Disbeliever Based on Outward Appearance

Question:
Is this statement the position of the people of the Sunnah, that every deed or every statement that makes its doer a disbeliever does so only because it indicates disbelief in the inner heart?

Answer:
This is what the people of the Sunnah and the community have said. They rule with disbelief based on outward appearance, for we have nothing but the outward appearance. So if one associates partners with Allah in a statement or a deed that is outward, such as slaughtering for other than Allah, or making a vow for other than Allah, or prostrating to other than Allah, we rule that he is a disbeliever by his deeds. Or if he speaks words of disbelief, we rule that he is a disbeliever by his deeds. We have nothing but the outward appearance. Just as if one embraces Islam and displays Islam, we rule that he is a Muslim based on the outward appearance. So we only rule based on outward appearances. Yes.