Clarification of what is obligatory for students of knowledge regarding distinguishing between major and minor disbelief.
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The Shaykh : This is also one of the matters that students of knowledge must distinguish between: disbelief and disbelief, and shirk (associating partners with Allah) and shirk. They must distinguish between shirk or disbelief of the heart and verbal disbelief. If a Muslim commits verbal disbelief, he is not judged as a disbeliever by Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), but he is obligated not to return to it, as indicated by the hadiths reported in this chapter, such as the hadith of Ibn Abbas in *Musnad al-Imam Ahmad*: The point is that the Prophetic policy requires silence regarding some matters if they are not errors of the heart, but rather verbal errors, so that these erring individuals may review themselves. If they persist in it, the error must be corrected, as you heard in this hadith and the one before it.
In summary: Some matters that some Muslims are accustomed to are not explicit violations of the Shari'ah, but it is better to leave them and turn away from them. In such matters, one who has some knowledge and jurisprudence should be lenient with people and tactful in guiding them to turn away from these matters, and they should not be like those who exchange what is inferior for what is superior, but rather they should do the exact opposite.
Of this nature is leaving the kissing of hands in place of shaking hands, for you have learned the virtue of shaking hands through the action and saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is all I have.
When he addressed him - (peace and blessings be upon him) - a man stood up to say to him: "What Allah wills and what you will, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "Have you made me a peer to Allah? Say: What Allah wills alone."
حينما خاطبه -عليه الصلاة والسلام- فقام رجل ليقول له: ما شاء الله وشئت يا رسول الله، فقال: أجعلتني لله نِدًا، قل: ما شاء الله وحدهIn summary: Some matters that some Muslims are accustomed to are not explicit violations of the Shari'ah, but it is better to leave them and turn away from them. In such matters, one who has some knowledge and jurisprudence should be lenient with people and tactful in guiding them to turn away from these matters, and they should not be like those who exchange what is inferior for what is superior, but rather they should do the exact opposite.
Of this nature is leaving the kissing of hands in place of shaking hands, for you have learned the virtue of shaking hands through the action and saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This is all I have.