One who insults the Divine Essence and loves the disbelievers: is he a disbeliever?
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The questioner : A question about my brother, a hypocrite, who insults the Divine Essence for any reason and loves the disbelievers as if they were his brothers. Can we declare him a disbeliever?
The Shaykh : So, what is it?
The questioner : Can we declare him a disbeliever and say that he is a disbeliever?
The Shaykh : No, we do not declare him a disbeliever unless he considers it permissible to be loyal to the disbelievers in his heart. Otherwise, the scope of declaring people disbelievers will expand for us. The one who consumes usury or interest is a disbeliever, the one who steals is a disbeliever, the deceiver is a disbeliever, and the fornicator is a disbeliever. This is not said. It is said that the one who considers these forbidden things permissible, including loyalty to the disbelievers, is a disbeliever. For example, as some ignorant people say, "My brother, why don't you perform ablution and pray?" He says to you, "My brother, no ablution and no prayer. This used to be the case." This is disbelief. But when you say this to him and he says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance, may Allah guide us," do you notice the difference between the two? I am asking you.
The questioner : How?
The Shaykh : What do you have to do with me? I am giving you an example that some people who do not pray, when you order them to pray, say to you, "No prayer..."
The questioner : I understood this, but your question in the end...
The Shaykh : I understood. I asked you about the end. Do you notice the difference or not? I saw in your eyes that you were distracted from me.
The questioner : You were distracted.
The Shaykh : Two men who abandon prayer. One, when it is said to him, "My brother, why don't you pray? Pray," says to you, "No prayer, no such thing. This used to be the case for the Arabs, the Bedouins, the people of filth, and so on. Now there is no need for this prayer." This man is a disbeliever. And another man like him who does not pray, but when we remind him of prayer, says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance." So the question was, and I hope you are with me, do you notice the difference between the two with me?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, the first one is a disbeliever, and the second one is not a disbeliever, but he is an open sinner, and his sin and open sinfulness are sufficient for him. On this scale, you say this about all the sins, including loyalty to the disbelievers. If he considers loyalty permissible and does not consider it forbidden, which our Lord forbids by the explicit text of the Qur'an, then he is like the man who does not pray and says, "This prayer used to be the case," so he is a disbeliever. But the one who says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance, we need to accommodate and live, and so on," is an open sinner and not a disbeliever. Is the difference clear to you, if Allah wills?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So, what is it?
The questioner : Can we declare him a disbeliever and say that he is a disbeliever?
The Shaykh : No, we do not declare him a disbeliever unless he considers it permissible to be loyal to the disbelievers in his heart. Otherwise, the scope of declaring people disbelievers will expand for us. The one who consumes usury or interest is a disbeliever, the one who steals is a disbeliever, the deceiver is a disbeliever, and the fornicator is a disbeliever. This is not said. It is said that the one who considers these forbidden things permissible, including loyalty to the disbelievers, is a disbeliever. For example, as some ignorant people say, "My brother, why don't you perform ablution and pray?" He says to you, "My brother, no ablution and no prayer. This used to be the case." This is disbelief. But when you say this to him and he says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance, may Allah guide us," do you notice the difference between the two? I am asking you.
The questioner : How?
The Shaykh : What do you have to do with me? I am giving you an example that some people who do not pray, when you order them to pray, say to you, "No prayer..."
The questioner : I understood this, but your question in the end...
The Shaykh : I understood. I asked you about the end. Do you notice the difference or not? I saw in your eyes that you were distracted from me.
The questioner : You were distracted.
The Shaykh : Two men who abandon prayer. One, when it is said to him, "My brother, why don't you pray? Pray," says to you, "No prayer, no such thing. This used to be the case for the Arabs, the Bedouins, the people of filth, and so on. Now there is no need for this prayer." This man is a disbeliever. And another man like him who does not pray, but when we remind him of prayer, says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance." So the question was, and I hope you are with me, do you notice the difference between the two with me?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, the first one is a disbeliever, and the second one is not a disbeliever, but he is an open sinner, and his sin and open sinfulness are sufficient for him. On this scale, you say this about all the sins, including loyalty to the disbelievers. If he considers loyalty permissible and does not consider it forbidden, which our Lord forbids by the explicit text of the Qur'an, then he is like the man who does not pray and says, "This prayer used to be the case," so he is a disbeliever. But the one who says to you, "May Allah accept our repentance, we need to accommodate and live, and so on," is an open sinner and not a disbeliever. Is the difference clear to you, if Allah wills?
The questioner: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.