The ruling on using the story of the Najashi as evidence for not applying the Shari'ah

Question:
This is a questioner via the internet from Belgium. He says: Some people rely on the story of the Najashi, and the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) praised him, even though he did not apply the Shari'ah, as an excuse for the judges of laws today. Is this argument correct?

Answer:
The Najashi was in a Christian community that had not embraced Islam, and he could not apply Islam to them because they had not embraced Islam, so he is excused in this regard. As for those who testify that there is no god but Allah and claim Islam, the Shari'ah must be applied to them because they believe in it; they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they believe in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, so the Shari'ah must be applied in this matter. As for applying it to disbelievers—disbelievers do not believe in it—how can we apply it to them? Yes.