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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Describing societies as being in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and exaggeration in declaring someone a disbeliever

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Question:
Is describing societies as being in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) an exaggeration in declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir)?

Answer:
It may be an exaggeration in declaring someone a disbeliever, or it may be less than that. The general pre-Islamic age of ignorance ended with the sending of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so it is not permissible to describe the Islamic world as being in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance; this is a false statement. After the sending of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the general pre-Islamic age of ignorance ceased, but some of it may remain in some people, or in some tribes, or in some lands.
Four things from the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignoranceأربع من أمر الجاهلية
Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 14:161
In my community, they will not leave four things: wailing over the dead, seeking rain from the stars. He mentioned four matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, so it is possible that some of the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance remain. Likewise, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to some of his Companions when a man was insulted for his mother: "Did you insult him for his mother?"
You are a person who has (remnants of) Ignorance in himإنك امرؤ فيك جاهلية
Sahih Muslim 1661c
.
So there may be some of the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance in some individuals, and this does not necessitate disbelief. If there is some of the matters of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance in some Muslims, it does not necessitate their disbelief, but it necessitates that this matter is forbidden, so he must leave it and repent from it. Yes.
Source التحذير من الغلو في التكفير — islamhouse.com (1:16:46)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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