The Ruling on Excusing Ignorance for One Who Says to His Shaykh: Forgive Me and Have Mercy on Me

The questioner : What the Shaykh al-Islam mentioned regarding those who say, "O Shaykh so-and-so, forgive me and have mercy on me"—are these phrases and the like something for which one is excused due to ignorance, or are they not?

The Shaykh : This depends on the specific person's situation. One may be excused due to ignorance, or one may not be. However, there is no doubt that the speech of the one who says this is shirk (associating partners with Allah).

The questioner : Are there any phrases that do not carry a meaning of ignorance, or are they dependent on each individual?

The Shaykh : How is it?

The questioner : Say, are there any phrases for which one is not excused, or as is judged in the phrases?

The Shaykh : Kufr (disbelief) is from its beginning to its end. If a person is ignorant and no one has alerted him, he is excused for it as long as he claims to be a Muslim; he is a Muslim. But if he does not claim to be a Muslim, such as the Jews and the Christians, then that is a reality. Even if they are ignorant, they are punished.