The ruling on one who says that songs and the recitation of the Qur'an are the same

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, he says: I advised a man to stop 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 of the two is better, and he said they are the same. We ask Allah for safety. Does he commit disbelief? And is he excused for his ignorance regarding a statement like this?

Answer:
This is a very serious statement. This is shirk (associating partners with Allah) that appears as kufr (disbelief); it appears as kufr (disbelief), unless there is evidence of his ignorance and that he did not intend this in the matter. He may have said it out of stubbornness, as if you angered him. The caller should proceed with wisdom, using words that may anger him, and then he may say a heavy word due to a mistake. In any case, it is a serious statement. There is no doubt that it is a major statement, but he may not have intended this meaning; rather, anger or ignorance may have driven him to say it.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you