What is the authenticity of the hadith: “Whoever declares a Muslim a disbeliever has himself disbelieved”?
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The questioner : He asks about the following hadith and its degree of authenticity: “Whoever declares a Muslim a disbeliever has himself disbelieved”?
The Shaykh : Yes. I do not know this hadith in this exact wording, but what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is what indicates its meaning, which is that if a person says to someone, “O disbeliever,” or calls a man a disbeliever when he is not, the ruling returns to the one who said it. This is what is established, and it carries the same meaning as the wording mentioned by the questioner. It contains a severe warning against describing Muslims as disbelievers except with clear proof from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). By this, we know the error of some people for whom declaring others disbelievers has become easy, even in matters of independent legal reasoning where the one who disagrees is not considered misguided. You will find them declaring disbelievers those who disagree with them, and this is a very serious matter. It is obligatory for a person to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in this issue and not to declare anyone a disbeliever except one whose disbelief is indicated by the Book and the Sunnah. Even so, an action or statement may be disbelief, yet the one who performs it or says it may be excused due to ignorance or being misled, in which case the proof must be established against him before he is judged a disbeliever.
And let it be known that describing a person as a disbeliever or a believer is not entrusted to people, but is entrusted to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What the Book and the Sunnah indicate to be disbelief is disbelief, and what has no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah indicating that it is disbelief, it is not permissible for anyone to make it disbelief. Just as making things lawful and forbidden, and making things obligatory, are taken from the Book and the Sunnah, so too are declaring someone a disbeliever and declaring someone an open sinner. A person will be accountable before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for what he utters, especially in these serious matters. Allah the Exalted said:[Qaf 50:16-18]. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. The listener also, in the last of the questions for this question, the honorable Shaykh says.
The Shaykh : Yes. I do not know this hadith in this exact wording, but what is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is what indicates its meaning, which is that if a person says to someone, “O disbeliever,” or calls a man a disbeliever when he is not, the ruling returns to the one who said it. This is what is established, and it carries the same meaning as the wording mentioned by the questioner. It contains a severe warning against describing Muslims as disbelievers except with clear proof from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). By this, we know the error of some people for whom declaring others disbelievers has become easy, even in matters of independent legal reasoning where the one who disagrees is not considered misguided. You will find them declaring disbelievers those who disagree with them, and this is a very serious matter. It is obligatory for a person to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in this issue and not to declare anyone a disbeliever except one whose disbelief is indicated by the Book and the Sunnah. Even so, an action or statement may be disbelief, yet the one who performs it or says it may be excused due to ignorance or being misled, in which case the proof must be established against him before he is judged a disbeliever.
And let it be known that describing a person as a disbeliever or a believer is not entrusted to people, but is entrusted to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). What the Book and the Sunnah indicate to be disbelief is disbelief, and what has no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah indicating that it is disbelief, it is not permissible for anyone to make it disbelief. Just as making things lawful and forbidden, and making things obligatory, are taken from the Book and the Sunnah, so too are declaring someone a disbeliever and declaring someone an open sinner. A person will be accountable before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for what he utters, especially in these serious matters. Allah the Exalted said:
(16) And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein (17) When the two receivers receive, seated on the right and on the left. (18) Man does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الإِنْسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ * إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ * مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌThe questioner : May Allah reward you. The listener also, in the last of the questions for this question, the honorable Shaykh says.