Is one excused by ignorance if the correct call to the oneness of Allah (tawhid) did not reach him?

The questioner : On Thursday, we began with matters of shirk (associating partners with Allah), specifically regarding the Sufis in Chechnya. I asked some scholars in Dagestan about the religion that reaches them?

The Shaykh : About it.

The questioner : About the Islamic religion that reaches them, meaning, is it Sufism or tawhid (the oneness of Allah)? They said that what has reached them for the last three hundred years is only Sufism; that is all they know. Of course, we are speaking with the elderly. They say, "There is no god but Allah," but their firm belief is that if there is no Shaykh, one does not enter Paradise. The Shaykh, of course, is a dead man. They ask the Shaykh, meaning, to draw near to Allah, just as the Quraysh did. They say, "O Shaykh, O Wakhdi," calling upon the awliya (close friends of Allah). This is what has reached them; they know nothing else. Most of the elders reject what we say regarding "There is no god but Allah," but the younger ones accept it, and praise be to Allah.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : What is their ruling, O Shaykh? Some of them say that they are mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah).

The Shaykh : We have mentioned many times that Islam builds its rulings on appearances and leaves the hidden matters to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). As you all know, Islam has conditions and pillars. Whoever acknowledges them is considered a Muslim, even if his acknowledgment is hypocrisy (nifaq); his hypocrisy is between him and his Lord, and Allah will hold him accountable. We have no concern but with the apparent. As for these people you mentioned, I imagine them from afar and have not seen them, but I have seen their like in other countries. There is no doubt that they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and they pray, fast, and perform Hajj (the major pilgrimage). If they bring forth the five pillars of Islam, and they believe in Allah, His angels, and His books—the known pillars of faith—then there is no doubt that they misunderstand many of these conditions or pillars. The first of these is the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The meaning of "There is no god but Allah" is that there is no deity worthy of worship in existence except Allah, and the meaning of "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" is that we do not worship Allah except by what the Messenger of Allah brought. Whoever realizes this meaning in the first testimony and this meaning in the second testimony is a Muslim, and what he said (peace and blessings be upon him) applies to him: So, we treat these people as Muslims. As for our Lord, He knows best what He will hold them accountable for. We distinguish here between these poor people to whom the call to the truth, which we call the Salafi call, has not reached, and many of these Arabs who live in Arab countries and have heard the call to the truth but then denied and rejected it. I believe that these two groups are not equal in the sight of the Lord of the Worlds. This is because the ignorance of the first group is considered an excuse for them, meaning the call did not reach them. And our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: On this occasion, I say that until a Messenger is sent—either a Messenger by his person and his call, or by his call without his person, as is our case today—we have not had a Messenger come to us, but the Messenger's call has come to us, so the argument is established against us. But not every individual in the world—the entire world, both the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds—has the argument established against them, like these people who did not know Islam except from the Sufi angle. Therefore, our position regarding these people is truly the position of a doctor toward a patient: he is compassionate toward his patient and concerned about his recovery, and that is by providing him with his medicines. These people must be cared for so that they understand the Qur'an, even if it has reached them. And I think, no matter how much ignorance and attachment to Sufism they have, they must have heard of two things: one is the Qur'an and the other is the Sunnah. In that case, the caller should constantly emphasize to them that Islam is the Qur'an and the Sunnah: the Qur'an and the Sunnah, the Qur'an and the Sunnah. And if a caller remains among them for years, planting in their minds that Islam is what Allah said and what the Messenger of Allah said, then once this seed is planted in their hearts, the caller begins to help them understand some matters related to the Book and the Sunnah, especially what I mentioned earlier regarding tawhid (the oneness of Allah): what is the meaning of "There is no god but Allah"? And this creed, praise be to Allah, is very clear in the Noble Qur'an: Then it is explained to them what these verses mean, and their attention is drawn to the difference between what the Qur'an and the Sunnah mean regarding the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and what they are upon, which they inherited from their fathers and grandfathers. The important thing is two matters: one relates to the caller, and the other relates to these people being called. These people are not judged as disbelievers (kuffar) or as being outside of Islam. It is sufficient for us, and in our hearts, to believe that they are undoubtedly misguided from Islam. This is regarding them. As for us, as callers, it is obligatory upon us, as I likened earlier to the doctor and the patient, to be gentle with them and to guide them to the straight path. And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O our Shaykh, and Glory be to You, O Allah, and with Your praise.

The Shaykh : I testify that there is no god but You. I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You.