When is one who contradicts the text ruled to be an innovator, and what is the ruling on innovation?

The questioner : The questioner asks: When is one who contradicts the text ruled to be an innovator, and what is the ruling on innovation in the religion?

The Shaykh : As for the ruling on issuing fatwas in the religion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has sufficed us in issuing fatwas regarding it by saying, "Every innovation is misguidance." As for when a person is ruled to be an innovator, this requires investigating the man's condition. Is the ruling and the evidence hidden from him, in which case it is explained to him? For a person may do what is disbelief without being a disbeliever, and he may say what is disbelief without being a disbeliever, due to the presence of a barrier.
Did you not know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He lost his she-camel in a desert and searched for it. "We will catch up with you, whether you like it or not." "Do you like sleep?" "Say yes, and everyone sleeps and rests." He saw his she-camel in a desert and searched for it but did not find it, then he lay down in the shade of a tree waiting for death, having lost hope of finding it. Suddenly, he saw its bridle hanging on the tree, so he took it and said, "O Allah, You are my slave and I am your Lord." He made a mistake out of extreme joy. If a person were to say this intentionally, addressing his Lord, saying "O Allah, You are my slave and I am your Lord," what would happen? He would be a disbeliever. He would be a disbeliever. But considering that the joy was so intense it overcame him until his tongue let slip with this statement, he was not held accountable for it. Another story is about a man who was extravagant with himself.
Oppressing her, death came to him and he feared that Allah would punish him, so he ordered his family to shave him when he died and throw him in the sea. His family did that, then the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, gathered him and asked him why he did that? He said, "O Lord, I did that out of fear of You," so Allah forgave him. This man doubted the power of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Will He hold him accountable for that or not? And doubt in the power of Allah is disbelief, but he was not ruled a disbeliever because he was interpreting it. So the important thing is that any person who does what contradicts the Shari'ah, we do not rule on him based on this action until his condition becomes clear to us. If it becomes clear and his action is one of disbelief, do not be repelled by declaring him a disbeliever for his disbelief, and do not care if we saw a man who never prays, while he is living among Muslims, living among Muslims but never prays. Do we say we do not declare him a disbeliever specifically, or do we declare him a disbeliever? We declare him a disbeliever, and no honor for him. We say this is a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam because he is living among Muslims, and the Muslims know that prayer is among the best of the obligatory duties. He is not a common ignorant person. So the important thing is that we do not declare anyone an innovator, nor do we declare them misguided, nor do we declare them a disbeliever until the argument is established against them. Yes, everyone. But there is a distinction between the one who says "I do not know" while living among Muslims, and the one who says "I do not know" while he is new to Islam or lives in the desert and does not know. That is, a person's circumstances may contradict what he claims. No, no, no, this is a problem. Declaring someone a disbeliever is not for the common people. A common person may declare a person a disbeliever, so he is obedient, because he is a common person. The discussion is about the scholars who have from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger what they know by it the conditions of creation and the rulings of creation. As for a common person, if a person does the slightest thing that does not please him, he says, "No, this is sufficient." Some of the common people now, when something comes to them that they do not know from the rulings of the Shari'ah, they say, "This is rejected because it is a new religion." Yes. Is the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam prescribed or not? It is prescribed in its places. Some of the common people, when they saw an imam prostrating after the salam, said, "I seek refuge in Allah, this is an innovator. He has brought us a new religion and we do not accept it." This is a problem. No, the discussion is about the scholars who know the rulings of Allah and His Messenger and know who they apply to.