Warning against being lax regarding verbal shirk (associating partners with Allah), with a note on the importance of the outward appearance and its connection to the inner state.

The Shaykh : But beware that someone says: "Since shirk is verbal, it is nothing to me; I can do this thing because the criterion is what is in the hearts." This is a mistake that many people fall into. We must know that Allah (Mighty and Majestic), when He sent His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to reform the hearts and purify them from the filth of shirk and disbelief, did not send him only for this reform. Rather, his reform (peace and blessings be upon him) was broader and more comprehensive than that. His reform extended from the hearts to the reform of deeds and words. Therefore, the hadith that some of them narrate in a deficient and limited form is perhaps one of the causes of people’s deviation from this truth: that the Lawgiver also concerns Himself with reforming words and deeds, just as He reforms the hearts. That hadith is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . In the hadith, there is a continuation that many do not mention, which is: , .
We must not forget this truth. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not look only at the heart, but also at the deed. Your word is a deed; if it is good, it is good, and if it is evil, it is evil. It does not suffice you to say, "My heart is pure, my heart is clean," as many do who are afflicted with imitating the disbelievers. Imitation has types, and few are free from this imitation. But the most heinous form of imitation is placing the "bernitah" (hat) on the head, because it is like a cover over this Muslim’s personality, indicating that he is a disbeliever, and this is his emblem, which speaks to that. When you rebuke him for it, he rushes to say: "His heart is good, his faith is good." He may even argue with the previous hadith, narrating it truncated: . He considers the image that he depicted—meaning the human being—to be like wearing this "bernitah." But no; the intended image in the hadith is the image in which Allah created him. He may be dark-skinned or brown-skinned, and the like of that. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not look at these images with which He created people, but He looks at their hearts, which they were commanded to reform and build up with faith, and at their deeds as well. If they are righteous, He rewards them with good for them; otherwise, the opposite is the case.
So, our Lord also looks at deeds, not only at hearts. We must not forget this in such matters. Of course, we pray, fast, give charity, and perform Hajj if one is able; these are all deeds, so we do not forget them. But in a context like discussing an issue where a person speaks without meaning its significance, saying to you, "My intention is good, and Allah only looks at what is in the hearts," we say: This is a wrong answer. The Wise Lawgiver also looks at deeds, and among deeds are words.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Be clear, what do you want from the hadith?

The questioner : .

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh : I am not telling you to complete the hadith. Be clear, what do you want from the hadith?

The questioner : My intention is that there is no concern regarding speech now.

The Shaykh : Do you mean you understood from all this discussion that this is verbal disbelief, so it is nothing to me?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : Then?

The questioner : So it is a confirmation of this.

The Shaykh : Fine, say it to me like that. Say it to me before this.