What is the ruling on describing one who deals in riba (usury or interest) as one who belittles the religion and as a disbeliever?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some students of knowledge say that those who consume riba (usury or interest) and engage in it extensively are belittling the religion, and that belittling the religion is disbelief. Therefore, they are disbelievers and apostates. Does this belittling of the religion constitute apostasy? Please clarify this for us, may Allah preserve you.

Answer:
This is a newly invented statement, and these people are ignorant. It is not permissible for them to issue rulings of disbelief and apostasy while they are ignorant. Merely consuming riba (usury or interest) without deeming it lawful is a major sin among the major sins. No, no, one does not rule that its perpetrator is a disbeliever unless he deems riba lawful. The one who deems riba lawful is the one who is ruled a disbeliever. As for merely consuming riba, he is a doer of a major sin and a destructive sin among the destructive sins, but he is not ruled a disbeliever. Even if a person is lax in many obligatory matters and in many forbidden matters, he is lax, but he is not ruled a disbeliever due to his laxity, as long as he has not deemed it lawful. So he is not ruled a disbeliever. Yes.