Is a person excused for ignorance?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, and praise is due to Allah. A questioner says: If a person is not held accountable for a mistake, does it necessarily follow that he is excused for his ignorance in general?
The Shaykh : Does
The questioner : Does it necessarily follow that he is excused for his ignorance in general?
The Shaykh : Yes, it necessarily follows that a person is excused for ignorance, and there is no doubt that he is excused for ignorance. However, if he was negligent in learning—and this is what happens often, unfortunately—if he was negligent in learning, he is not excused, because it is obligatory for him to learn. For example, we find some people who performed Hajj in the year 1410 and made a mistake in their Hajj. When do they come to ask? They ask today, after how much time has passed? Seven years. This is negligence. It is obligatory for a person, if he is in doubt about a matter, to ask about it immediately and not delay. If he delays in asking, then we may not excuse him for his ignorance, because what is it? Because he is negligent. It is obligatory to ask and to investigate. Also, we find some people who are warned that a certain thing is forbidden; it is said, "This is forbidden," and then a verse is recited and applied to something other than what Allah intended by it. He says:[Al-Ma'idah 5:101] If his brother tells him, "This is forbidden," he says, "Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet, do not speak, ask." He says, "No, I will not ask, because Allah says: [Al-Ma'idah 5:101] This person is also not excused for ignorance, because it is obligatory, when a doubt is presented to him, to do what? To ask and to seek the truth. But if a person has never thought of this matter at all and has not been warned about it, then he is excused. The evidence for this in the Qur'an is abundant, among which is the saying of the Exalted: [Al-Qasas 28:59] And His saying, Blessed and Exalted is He: [At-Tawbah 9:115] And His saying, the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:165] The texts on this are numerous, but the whole issue is whether the person is excused for this ignorance or not. He may not be excused because of what? Because he was negligent in asking. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Does
The questioner : Does it necessarily follow that he is excused for his ignorance in general?
The Shaykh : Yes, it necessarily follows that a person is excused for ignorance, and there is no doubt that he is excused for ignorance. However, if he was negligent in learning—and this is what happens often, unfortunately—if he was negligent in learning, he is not excused, because it is obligatory for him to learn. For example, we find some people who performed Hajj in the year 1410 and made a mistake in their Hajj. When do they come to ask? They ask today, after how much time has passed? Seven years. This is negligence. It is obligatory for a person, if he is in doubt about a matter, to ask about it immediately and not delay. If he delays in asking, then we may not excuse him for his ignorance, because what is it? Because he is negligent. It is obligatory to ask and to investigate. Also, we find some people who are warned that a certain thing is forbidden; it is said, "This is forbidden," and then a verse is recited and applied to something other than what Allah intended by it. He says:
O you who have believed, do not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you
يا أيها الذين آمنوا لا تسألوا عن أشياء إن تبد لكم تسؤكمdo not ask about things which, if they are shown to you, will distress you
لا تسألوا عن أشياء إن تبد لكم تسؤكمAnd never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother a messenger reciting to them Our verses. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.
وما كان ربك مهلك القرى حتى يبعث في أمها رسولا يتلو عليهم آياتنا وما كنا مهلكي القرى إلا وأهلها ظالمونAnd Allah would not let a people stray after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid
وما كان الله ليصل قوما بعد إذ هداهم حتى يبين لهم ما يتقون[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allah after the messengers
رسلا مبشرين ومنذرين لئلا يكون للناس على الله حجة بعد الرسلThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.