The default for people is fitrah (the innate natural disposition) or shirk (associating partners with Allah)

Question:
He says: There is a book titled *Callers at the Gates of Hell*, in which the author states that the default for people is shirk (associating partners with Allah) unless they are guided and others, and that this is the case in this age. What is Your Eminence’s opinion on this matter?

Answer:
This is a heavy matter. The default is fitrah (the innate natural disposition); the default is that people are born upon fitrah (the innate natural disposition). So the one who claims Islam, the default for him is that he is upon fitrah (the innate natural disposition) until it becomes clear that he has done what necessitates shirk (associating partners with Allah). As for the one who lives in the lands of the disbelievers and does not claim Islam, the default for him is kufr (disbelief) until he leaves his Islam. This generalization is not absolute; it varies.
Environments differ. If it is an environment of the disbelievers and Islam has not appeared, the default for him is that he is with them, unless it becomes clear and is established that he has embraced Islam. And if he is with the Muslims, the default for him is that he is a Muslim upon fitrah (the innate natural disposition), unless it becomes apparent that he is an apostate. We ask Allah for safety.