What is the ruling on one who denies some of the attributes if the evidence is established against him?
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The questioner : That is, is the one who denies the attributes, or some of the issues of the attributes, or some of the issues of the creed, considered a disbeliever after the evidence is established against him, or is he ruled to be so? Or does the original ruling remain based on the general rule?
The Shaykh : We also discussed this specific point and brought up the example of the one who made that unjust will.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We narrated it in a previous session. It is necessary to establish the evidence, and if obstinacy appears from him, then he is ruled to be a disbeliever at that time. But if there is a doubt in his case...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : ...and he has an excuse in his view, then it is not permissible to declare him a disbeliever. The proof is that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community, led by the imams of hadith, is that they accept the narration of many of the misguided sects that deviate from the methodology of the pious predecessors, such as the Mu'tazilah, the Khawarij, the Shi'ah, and others. The meaning of this acceptance is that they do not declare them disbelievers, even though they acknowledge that they are deviating from the Sunnah. For example, the Mu'tazilah, the Khawarij, and the Ibadis, who are well-known today in this age, agree with the Shi'ah in much of the misguidance. The greatest of this misguidance, in our view, is that they say the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is created. The Mu'tazilah say this, the Khawarij say this, and the Ibadis, who are well-known today in this age, claim this. Nevertheless, they accept the hadith of the Mu'tazili. What does this acceptance indicate? It indicates that this Mu'tazili, even though he believes that the speech of Allah is created, has not exited the Islamic religion with this false belief. Why? Because the first condition of an authentic hadith is that its narrator be a Muslim. If he is not a Muslim, his hadith is dropped and his narration is not considered at all. So, when we see the imams of hadith using the hadiths of these sects that have exited the saved group as evidence, it means that they do not declare them disbelievers, but they declare them misguided. Why do they not declare them disbelievers? Here is the point of my speech and my citation: because they know that they intended the truth but erred, and did not intend to fight the correct creed, except for those among them who are known to have done so, whom they rejected like spitting out a seed and gave them no weight. These Mu'tazilah and Khawarij—this was the position of the people of the Sunnah regarding them. Excuse me, the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah are much better than these people. Therefore, it is not the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community to declare these people disbelievers; rather, we suffice with the fact that they are on misguidance and deviation. And if something comes from them of denying what is equivalent to describing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with something like His saying, and they deny it[An-Naml 27:14], then these are the disbelievers. I think I have answered your question, if Allah wills. Please, go ahead.
Abu Malik : If you permit us, this is what we testify to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and believe in with certainty, and we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to meet Him upon this correct and good belief, if Allah wills. But it is not hidden from all the brothers, and from every student of knowledge, and from the people of this true call upon which our affair is established, if Allah wills, that those people claim to be from the Asha'irah and others of the sects that deviated from Islam and distanced themselves from the true religion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is not hidden from everyone that they declare us disbelievers, and at the head of those who declare us disbelievers are Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on them). And this creed alone, if it is established with certainty that they hold it, and they say it, repeat it, and call people to believe in it, then in my opinion they exit the religion with it, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : We also discussed this specific point and brought up the example of the one who made that unjust will.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : We narrated it in a previous session. It is necessary to establish the evidence, and if obstinacy appears from him, then he is ruled to be a disbeliever at that time. But if there is a doubt in his case...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : ...and he has an excuse in his view, then it is not permissible to declare him a disbeliever. The proof is that the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community, led by the imams of hadith, is that they accept the narration of many of the misguided sects that deviate from the methodology of the pious predecessors, such as the Mu'tazilah, the Khawarij, the Shi'ah, and others. The meaning of this acceptance is that they do not declare them disbelievers, even though they acknowledge that they are deviating from the Sunnah. For example, the Mu'tazilah, the Khawarij, and the Ibadis, who are well-known today in this age, agree with the Shi'ah in much of the misguidance. The greatest of this misguidance, in our view, is that they say the speech of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is created. The Mu'tazilah say this, the Khawarij say this, and the Ibadis, who are well-known today in this age, claim this. Nevertheless, they accept the hadith of the Mu'tazili. What does this acceptance indicate? It indicates that this Mu'tazili, even though he believes that the speech of Allah is created, has not exited the Islamic religion with this false belief. Why? Because the first condition of an authentic hadith is that its narrator be a Muslim. If he is not a Muslim, his hadith is dropped and his narration is not considered at all. So, when we see the imams of hadith using the hadiths of these sects that have exited the saved group as evidence, it means that they do not declare them disbelievers, but they declare them misguided. Why do they not declare them disbelievers? Here is the point of my speech and my citation: because they know that they intended the truth but erred, and did not intend to fight the correct creed, except for those among them who are known to have done so, whom they rejected like spitting out a seed and gave them no weight. These Mu'tazilah and Khawarij—this was the position of the people of the Sunnah regarding them. Excuse me, the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah are much better than these people. Therefore, it is not the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community to declare these people disbelievers; rather, we suffice with the fact that they are on misguidance and deviation. And if something comes from them of denying what is equivalent to describing Allah (Mighty and Majestic) with something like His saying, and they deny it
And they rejected them, while their [inner] selves were convinced thereof
وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْAbu Malik : If you permit us, this is what we testify to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and believe in with certainty, and we ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to meet Him upon this correct and good belief, if Allah wills. But it is not hidden from all the brothers, and from every student of knowledge, and from the people of this true call upon which our affair is established, if Allah wills, that those people claim to be from the Asha'irah and others of the sects that deviated from Islam and distanced themselves from the true religion of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is not hidden from everyone that they declare us disbelievers, and at the head of those who declare us disbelievers are Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on them). And this creed alone, if it is established with certainty that they hold it, and they say it, repeat it, and call people to believe in it, then in my opinion they exit the religion with it, and Allah knows best.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.