What is the ruling on the one who says, "Respect the one who has changed his religion, for he has used his intellect"?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: There are those who say, "Respect the one who has changed his religion, for he has used his intellect."
The Shaykh:
This is contrary to the saying of the MessengerSahih al-Bukhari 6922 And this one says, "Respect him." Compare this with the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes, this is a deviation, and may Allah protect us from it.
The presenter:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
The issue is not a matter of intellect; the issue is a matter of worship. You are a slave, a slave to Allah. No matter who you are, you are a slave; you do not escape the servitude of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). You are not a free slave, but you are liberated from desire, liberated from the religion of the polytheists, and liberated from the bondage of the polytheists. As for Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), you are His slave. Your worship of Allah is honor, and your worship of other than Him is humiliation. Your worship of Allah is honor for you, dignity for you, and elevation for you. As for your worship of other than Him, it is humiliation and it is degradation. Yes.
He says: There are those who say, "Respect the one who has changed his religion, for he has used his intellect."
The Shaykh:
This is contrary to the saying of the Messenger
Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.
صلى الله عليه وسلم من بدل دينه فاقتلوهThe presenter:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
The issue is not a matter of intellect; the issue is a matter of worship. You are a slave, a slave to Allah. No matter who you are, you are a slave; you do not escape the servitude of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). You are not a free slave, but you are liberated from desire, liberated from the religion of the polytheists, and liberated from the bondage of the polytheists. As for Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), you are His slave. Your worship of Allah is honor, and your worship of other than Him is humiliation. Your worship of Allah is honor for you, dignity for you, and elevation for you. As for your worship of other than Him, it is humiliation and it is degradation. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم مَن يقول مَن بدّل دينه فاحترموه لأنه قد استعمل عقله؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.