The Meaning of the Imams' Statement: We Do Not Declare Any Muslim a Disbeliever for a Sin Unless He Considers It Permissible

Question:
He asks: What is the meaning of the Imams' statement, "We do not declare any Muslim a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible"? And does considering it permissible occur through action or through speech?

Answer:
The intended meaning of "sin" here is what is less than disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah); that is, a sin that is less than disbelief and less than shirk, such as zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), theft, drinking khamr (intoxicants), and consuming riba (usury or interest). These are major sins among the greatest of sins. However, a Muslim is not ruled to have exited the religion by committing them until he considers them permissible. If he says, "Riba is lawful," or "Khamr is lawful," or "Zina is lawful," then he is ruled a disbeliever, because he has considered permissible what Allah has forbidden. But if he commits them while believing they are forbidden, yet his desire overpowers him, and Shaytan makes them attractive to him, and his soul, which commands evil, leads him to fall into them—not out of considering them permissible, but out of desire and lust—then he is a lover of sin, a committer of a major sin, but he is not ruled a disbeliever. Yes.