Is it valid to cite the statement “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to dwell therein” as evidence for declaring a person who commits a major sin a disbeliever?

Question:
A group of Muslims say in their interpretation of the statement of Allah the Exalted that the meaning is that the one who commits a major sin is in the Fire, dwelling there eternally and not coming out of it, and that his ruling in this world is that he is a disbeliever. Is this statement correct, given that we have inherited it from our people and our land?

Answer:
This is the statement of the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah, who declare a Muslim a disbeliever for a major sin that is less than shirk (associating partners with Allah) and less than kufr (disbelief). This is a misguided and invalid school of thought. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, said . “Less than that” means less than shirk. Among these is the killing of a soul, which falls under the will of Allah: if Allah wills, He forgives its perpetrator, and if He wills, He punishes him. The phrase “dwelling therein” does not mean eternal, permanent abode; rather, it means a long duration of stay. He stays in it for a long time, but he does not remain in it forever. A Muslim, even if he is a sinner and enters the Fire and is punished, does not remain in it forever, whether he killed a soul or committed something else. He does not remain in it forever. Only the disbeliever and the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) remain in it forever, may Allah protect us from that.
The bottom line is that this is the belief of the people of misguidance, the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah, and it is not permissible to hold their belief.