The Meaning of the Phrase: “We Do Not Declare Anyone a Disbeliever for a Sin Unless He Considers It Permissible”
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The phrase “We do not declare anyone a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible” appears in several books of creed, such as al-Tahawiyyah and al-Mantiqah, among others. The Murji'ah cite it as evidence that disbelief does not occur through actions, but only through belief. Please clarify the correct understanding of this phrase.
Answer:
Actions other than shirk (associating partners with Allah); it is necessary to qualify the action as being other than shirk. As for an action that involves shirk, such as prostrating to an idol or slaughtering for other than Allah, one is ruled to be a disbeliever, because this is an act of disbelief. Likewise, abandoning the prayer: authentic hadiths and evidence exist regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons it. Even if it had not been established as obligatory, the accountability for this phrase is based on its general application. It should have been qualified, because it should be said “actions other than shirk.” Also, actions for which there is no evidence regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons them, such as abandoning the prayer, require these two qualifications. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The phrase “We do not declare anyone a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible” appears in several books of creed, such as al-Tahawiyyah and al-Mantiqah, among others. The Murji'ah cite it as evidence that disbelief does not occur through actions, but only through belief. Please clarify the correct understanding of this phrase.
Answer:
Actions other than shirk (associating partners with Allah); it is necessary to qualify the action as being other than shirk. As for an action that involves shirk, such as prostrating to an idol or slaughtering for other than Allah, one is ruled to be a disbeliever, because this is an act of disbelief. Likewise, abandoning the prayer: authentic hadiths and evidence exist regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons it. Even if it had not been established as obligatory, the accountability for this phrase is based on its general application. It should have been qualified, because it should be said “actions other than shirk.” Also, actions for which there is no evidence regarding the disbelief of the one who abandons them, such as abandoning the prayer, require these two qualifications. Yes.
Source
شرح لمعة الاعتقاد [ صالح الفوزان ]، بداية من قوله : ونرى الحج والجهاد ماضيين مع طاعة كل إمام — islamhouse.com (58:11)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.