Takfir and the Issue of Excuse through Ignorance
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The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: This questioner is from France. He says: In France, in a certain city, there are young men who declare people to be disbelievers and they argue with the issue of excuse through ignorance, saying that they never excuse anyone for ignorance. He says: What is your guidance to them regarding this issue? May Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
Takfir is not something done except by the people of knowledge; it is not done except by the people of knowledge who know the causes of takfir. Not everyone can declare people to be disbelievers. This is not permissible. The ignorant, the pretenders to knowledge, and those who follow their desires are not permitted to do this. It is not permissible for them to declare someone a disbeliever without knowledge, and it is not permissible for them to declare someone a disbeliever out of desire. If they hate a person, they declare him a disbeliever, or if a person is not from their party, they declare him a disbeliever. This is not permissible; it is forbidden, and may Allah protect us from it. Rather, the one who commits a nullifier of Islam, a nullifier from the nullifiers of Islam, and the judge rules against him with apostasy, then the judge’s ruling is valid. As for the word "he is a disbeliever," this is not permissible. Yes. But you should warn people against these things and advise them. As for ruling against them with disbelief, this is not permissible.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
If you rule against him with disbelief, it entails the obligation to kill him. It entails that his wife is divorced from him. It entails that he does not inherit from his relatives, nor do they inherit from him. It entails that his wealth becomes the property of the public treasury. These are matters that, yes, take a Muslim out of Islam. And you are ignorant, or you are his enemy, or he is not from your party, from such-and-such a party. This is not permissible. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: This questioner is from France. He says: In France, in a certain city, there are young men who declare people to be disbelievers and they argue with the issue of excuse through ignorance, saying that they never excuse anyone for ignorance. He says: What is your guidance to them regarding this issue? May Allah grant you success.
The Shaykh:
Takfir is not something done except by the people of knowledge; it is not done except by the people of knowledge who know the causes of takfir. Not everyone can declare people to be disbelievers. This is not permissible. The ignorant, the pretenders to knowledge, and those who follow their desires are not permitted to do this. It is not permissible for them to declare someone a disbeliever without knowledge, and it is not permissible for them to declare someone a disbeliever out of desire. If they hate a person, they declare him a disbeliever, or if a person is not from their party, they declare him a disbeliever. This is not permissible; it is forbidden, and may Allah protect us from it. Rather, the one who commits a nullifier of Islam, a nullifier from the nullifiers of Islam, and the judge rules against him with apostasy, then the judge’s ruling is valid. As for the word "he is a disbeliever," this is not permissible. Yes. But you should warn people against these things and advise them. As for ruling against them with disbelief, this is not permissible.
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
If you rule against him with disbelief, it entails the obligation to kill him. It entails that his wife is divorced from him. It entails that he does not inherit from his relatives, nor do they inherit from him. It entails that his wealth becomes the property of the public treasury. These are matters that, yes, take a Muslim out of Islam. And you are ignorant, or you are his enemy, or he is not from your party, from such-and-such a party. This is not permissible. Yes.
Source
المنتقى من أخبار سيد المرسلين 01-04-1435هـ — alfawzan.live (1:03:26)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.