Question: Some preachers say that the one who is excused due to ignorance is a Murji'ah and an innovator, and that he should not be sat with. What is the ruling on this statement? Answer: O brothers, this issue is the issue of being excused due to ignorance. Ignorance, O brothers, is an excuse for the one to whom nothing about Islam has reached and who has not heard the Qur'an, such as one who lives in remote jungles, far from the Muslims, and has not heard the Qur'an nor heard anything about Islam. Such a person is among those in the period of ignorance (fatrah). He is among those in the period of ignorance, and his affair is left to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). As for the one to whom the Qur'an has reached, who has heard the Qur'an, and who understands Arabic and understands the language of the Qur'an, the argument has been established against him, and he is not excused due to ignorance. An Arab hears إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise [Al-Ma'idah 5:72] and says, "I am ignorant, I do not know." Well, what does it mean that "whoever associates partners with Allah"? And what does shirk (associating partners with Allah) mean? Allah has forbidden Paradise to him وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. [Al-Ma'idah 5:72] إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا Indeed, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze. [Al-Ahzab 33:64] . And what does "the disbelievers" mean? And what does kufr (disbelief) mean? He says, "I do not know," while he hears, does not ask, and does not learn. This person is not excused due to ignorance, O brothers. Yes.

Excuse by Ignorance

Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

Question:
Some preachers say that the one who is excused due to ignorance is a Murji'ah and an innovator, and that he should not be sat with. What is the ruling on this statement?

Answer:
O brothers, this issue is the issue of being excused due to ignorance. Ignorance, O brothers, is an excuse for the one to whom nothing about Islam has reached and who has not heard the Qur'an, such as one who lives in remote jungles, far from the Muslims, and has not heard the Qur'an nor heard anything about Islam. Such a person is among those in the period of ignorance (fatrah). He is among those in the period of ignorance, and his affair is left to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
As for the one to whom the Qur'an has reached, who has heard the Qur'an, and who understands Arabic and understands the language of the Qur'an, the argument has been established against him, and he is not excused due to ignorance. An Arab hears

Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise

إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ

[Al-Ma'idah 5:72]

and says, "I am ignorant, I do not know." Well, what does it mean that "whoever associates partners with Allah"? And what does shirk (associating partners with Allah) mean? Allah has forbidden Paradise to him

and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.

وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ

[Al-Ma'idah 5:72]

Indeed, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا

[Al-Ahzab 33:64]

. And what does "the disbelievers" mean? And what does kufr (disbelief) mean? He says, "I do not know," while he hears, does not ask, and does not learn. This person is not excused due to ignorance, O brothers. Yes.

Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-60-أسباب محبة الله للعبد|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (56:56)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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