Is one excused if he commits an act of disbelief or shirk (associating partners with Allah) while being ignorant?
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The first question of Fatwa No. ( 9257 ):
Q1: Does everyone who commits an act of disbelief or shirk (associating partners with Allah) become a disbeliever? Knowing that he committed this act while ignorant, is he excused for his ignorance or not? And what are the proofs for the excuse or the lack of excuse?
A1: A person of legal age is not excused for worshipping other than Allah, or drawing near to Allah through sacrifices to other than Allah, or making vows to other than Allah, or similar acts of worship that are the exclusive right of Allah, except if he is in a non-Muslim land and the call to Islam has not reached him; then he is excused due to the lack of the call, not merely due to ignorance. This is based on what was narrated by Muslim , from Abu Hurayrah , from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:
By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.
والذي نفس محمد بيده لا يسمع بي أحد من هذه الأمة يهودي ولا نصراني ثم يموت ولم يؤمن بالذي أرسلت به إلاَّ كان من أصحاب النارon which they would hang their weapons, these people were newly converted from disbelief and they only asked for it but did not do it. So what happened from them was contrary to the Shari'ah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered them in a way that indicates that if they had done what they asked for, they would have become disbelievers. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.