The Criterion for Declaring a Specific Person a Disbeliever and Denying the Attributes

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, you mentioned, may Allah preserve you, that a specific person may be declared a disbeliever by his action if it is one of the nullifiers of Islam. However, some scholars do not declare disbelievers those who commit acts of disbelief, such as denying the attributes and the like. Is there a criterion that distinguishes between the one who is declared a disbeliever by the mere act, regardless of his intention, and the one who is not declared a disbeliever because he may be interpreting the text?

Answer:
The issue of denying the attributes requires a distinction. If the one who denies them knows the evidence and intentionally denies and interprets them, he is a disbeliever, like the leaders of the Jahmiyyah and the extremists of the Mu'tazilah, because he commits this act out of his knowledge. As for the one who follows a scholar without knowing his evidence and the one who interprets the text, who thinks he is on the right path, he is to be disliked, the truth is to be explained to him, and he is not to be declared a disbeliever until the truth is explained to him. As for the issue of the one who commits shirk (associating partners with Allah) or speaks words of shirk, and he is not coerced, he is to be declared a disbeliever and a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). The hearts are known only to Allah; we do not rule on the inner state, but on the apparent.