When is it said: "I have established the proof against so-and-so"?

The questioner : Regarding the establishment of proof, my teacher, when do you say, "I have established the proof against so-and-so"?

The Shaykh : First, one must consider the two parties here: the one establishing the proof and the one against whom the proof is established. If the one establishing the proof is truly a scholar of the Book and the Sunnah, that is the first condition. The second condition is that he possess eloquence and clarity, such that he is able to present to people what he has of knowledge in clear Arabic if he is an Arab, or if he is a non-Arab, the matter does not go beyond the eloquence and clarity we mentioned in his own language. As the Qur'an indicated in its saying: So, if the one establishing the proof has been granted eloquence and clarity in his language or the language of his people, and generally, as we mentioned before, he is knowledgeable, then at that time he can say, "I have established the proof regarding what concerns him." But the second party remains: does the second party have the understanding, perception, and psychological readiness to accept? Or, excuse me, I misspoke, so that you understand clearly: does he have the readiness to understand? The proof may be clear and evident, yet the malicious, associating, disbelieving person does not accept it. But I want to repeat what I want to say: if he has the readiness to understand the proof, then if the first condition is realized in the one conveying the message, and it becomes clear to the conveyor that the one to whom it is conveyed has grasped the subject through his proof and clarity, then at that time I can say, "I have established the proof against so-and-so."
Personally, it is difficult for me to imagine that any person who says, "I have established the proof against so-and-so," is speaking in accordance with reality. It is difficult for me to imagine this reality, because I do not find, or I can hardly imagine, the conditions being gathered in both the conveyor and the one to whom it is conveyed. One of the two parties may be deficient in the matter, so it is not correct to say, "I have established the proof against so-and-so." This is from one aspect. From another aspect, what is intended by the one who claims, "I have established the proof against so-and-so"? Is the intention to declare him a disbeliever? Declaring him a disbeliever does not make the sword the only barrier between him and disbelief. So, if he chooses disbelief over the sword, he is undoubtedly a disbeliever. But since we live today in a chaos of unlimited freedom, where a person is free in what he says and what he does, we say, "We have established the proof." What is the goal behind that? To declare him a disbeliever? You cannot say, "I have established the proof against him, so he is a disbeliever," because the obstacle we mentioned earlier stands in the way.
So, there remains nothing here but to entrust the matter of this person to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). He is the One who knows the truth of this conveyor and that one to whom it is conveyed: whether the proof was established against the one to whom it is conveyed or not.
Your Lord is the All-Knowing of what is in the breasts, so He is his accountant. As for us, we have only the outward appearance. Any Muslim who testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, except in the very, very rare case where you imagine a man who is truly knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, and on the other side, the one to whom it is conveyed receives the matter and understands it, but he stubbornly refuses and disbelieves. This is the one about whom it can be said that he has disbelieved, although in our society, that does not lead to a major consequence, because the rulings of the Shari'ah are not applied. This is all I have.