The Ruling on the Statement "Both Are Clear" in Comparing the Qur'an with Songs

Question:
May Allah reward you. The honorable scholar says: I advised a man against listening to songs while he was in his car listening to them, so I played for him a tape containing the recitation of the Qur'an. I asked him which one is better, and he said, "Both are clear." May Allah keep you safe. Does he commit disbelief, and is he excused due to his ignorance of a word like this?

Answer:
This word is very serious. In terms of shirk (associating partners with Allah), it is kufr (disbelief). I know it is kufr unless there is evidence of his ignorance and that he did not intend this matter. He may have said it out of stubbornness or because he was angry. The caller should approach with gentleness; he may get angry and then say a terrible word due to a mistake. In any case, it is a serious word. There is no doubt that it is a word of kufr, but he may not have intended this; rather, anger or ignorance may have driven him to say it. Yes.