The Ruling on One Who Commits Major Shirk Out of Ignorance

Question:
The questioner asks: Is one who commits major shirk excused due to ignorance? And if he dies upon major shirk out of ignorance, is he among those who will remain in the Fire forever, or is he excused for his ignorance?

Answer:
One is not excused by ignorance as long as he is among the Muslims; rather, the truth is established against him. He is called to repent, and if he repents, well and good; otherwise, he is killed. If he is left to Allah, his affair is left to Allah. If he dies upon shirk, he is from the people of the Fire, except if he is from the people of the period of ignorance (fatrah), where no Messenger came, no Qur'an came, and no callers came. The affair of the people of the fatrah is left to Allah. The people of the fatrah are left to Allah; they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection. If they respond to the truth, they will enter Paradise, and if they refuse, they will enter the Fire. As for one who is among the Muslims, and he persists in worshipping graves and the people of the graves, and calls for aid to the people of the graves, and does not accept from the callers, and does not pay attention to the callers, this is the right of the people of shirk. If he dies upon this, this is the right of the people of shirk: he is not washed, and no prayer is offered over him. However, it is obligatory upon the callers to call them to Allah. It is obligatory upon the scholars to call them. They should disperse, go to the mosques where shirk is practiced, write letters, distribute them among them, come to them, urge them to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and denounce shirk against them. They should not leave them alone.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called Quraysh and others, and he was patient. The Companions were likewise. And despite this, they fought those who refused. It is known that among the Zoroastrians there were ignorant people, among the Christians there were ignorant people, and among the Jews there were ignorant people. But as long as they were called to Allah, they and those with them had the same ruling: they were fought, even if there were ignorant people among them, because the ignorant ones did not go out to the Muslims seeking the truth; they followed their companions, they followed their leaders, and they were killed with them. The Companions fought the Persians, among whom were ignorant people; they fought the Christians, they fought the Jews, they fought the polytheists, among whom were ignorant people, among whom were practitioners, among whom were callers to falsehood, and among whom were the following, heedless, and negligent ones. They fought them with them. We ask Allah for safety.