Some people have claimed that you hold the view that anyone who judges by other than what Allah has revealed is declared a disbeliever absolutely, with the condition of knowledge only. What is your opinion on this?

The questioner : All praise is due to Allah; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and the badness of our deeds. Whoever Allah guides has no one to misguide, and whoever He misguides has no one to guide. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows, the truest speech is the speech of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the worst of matters are their innovations. Every innovation is a religious innovation, every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. Our Shaykh, some people have claimed that your fatwa on the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever, and your support forThe Shaykh : Ibn Uthaymeen andThe Shaykh : Ibn Baz, is that anyone who judges by other than what Allah has revealed is declared a disbeliever absolutely, with the condition of knowledge only!

The Shaykh : This is a mistaken understanding. The condition of knowledge applies to the one who denies the ruling of the Shari'ah, not to the one who acts contrary to the ruling of the Shari'ah. So, the one who acts contrary to the ruling of the Shari'ah is an open sinner and a transgressor, and his reward is with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). He falls under the generality of His saying (the Exalted): . As for the one who denies and rejects the ruling of the Shari'ah, he has two cases: The first is that he is aware that this is the ruling of the Shari'ah, yet he denies it; in that case, he is a disbeliever. As for the one who does not know the ruling of the Shari'ah, it is not permissible to rush to declare him a disbeliever until the Shari'ah proof is established against him and it is made clear to him that this is the ruling of Allah. If he then persists in his denial, then at that point he is declared a disbeliever. However, mere practical contradiction of his correct belief does not make him a disbeliever. One who believes that this is the ruling of Allah and that it is the truth, such as the prohibition of riba (usury or interest), for example, but he engages in riba, or the prohibition of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and he engages in zina, or similar sins, is not a disbeliever without doubt; rather, he is an open sinner. But if he denies these things, then the denial is the criterion for disbelief and the cause of disbelief. The denial is the criterion for disbelief and the cause of disbelief, with the condition that he knows that it is disbelief.