Is the ignorant person excused in having loyalty and love for other than Allah and seeking intercession from other than Allah?
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The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Is a person excused by ignorance in having loyalty to, or taking as a protector, other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?
The Shaykh : The correct view is that a person is excused by ignorance in everything, in everything. However, he may not be excused from another angle, which is negligence and not asking. That is, this person who takes others as protectors may be informed that this is not permissible and that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). He might say, "We found our fathers doing this, and our shaykhs do not forbid us from it." In that case, we know that he is what? Negligent, so he is not excused. But if he was not informed of this, and he professed Islam, prayed, paid zakah, fasted, and performed Hajj, but he had this affliction, believing that it was nothing, then he is not declared a disbeliever.
The questioner : The people of the Sunnah, O Shaykh. Now, the people of the Sunnah and the community, the sayings of the people of the Sunnah, and the books that are published for that purpose—has the argument not been established against these people up to now?
The Shaykh : Yes, if it reached them, if it reached them. But there are common people, O Sami, who know nothing about this, they know nothing about this at all.
The questioner : And they do not read?
The Shaykh : And they do not read, and they do not read it.
The questioner : Shaykh, regarding shirk, like the worship of idols, meaning if someone says that one is excused by ignorance... the fitrah (the innate natural disposition)...?
The Shaykh : Yes, but the fitrah may be changed by something, the fitrah may be changed by something. So some of them say to others, "We do not worship them except to bring us closer to Allah."
The questioner : Excused, meaning, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : If nothing reached him, if nothing reached him, his case before Allah is clear[An-Nisa 4:165], yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Is a person excused by ignorance in having loyalty to, or taking as a protector, other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?
The Shaykh : The correct view is that a person is excused by ignorance in everything, in everything. However, he may not be excused from another angle, which is negligence and not asking. That is, this person who takes others as protectors may be informed that this is not permissible and that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). He might say, "We found our fathers doing this, and our shaykhs do not forbid us from it." In that case, we know that he is what? Negligent, so he is not excused. But if he was not informed of this, and he professed Islam, prayed, paid zakah, fasted, and performed Hajj, but he had this affliction, believing that it was nothing, then he is not declared a disbeliever.
The questioner : The people of the Sunnah, O Shaykh. Now, the people of the Sunnah and the community, the sayings of the people of the Sunnah, and the books that are published for that purpose—has the argument not been established against these people up to now?
The Shaykh : Yes, if it reached them, if it reached them. But there are common people, O Sami, who know nothing about this, they know nothing about this at all.
The questioner : And they do not read?
The Shaykh : And they do not read, and they do not read it.
The questioner : Shaykh, regarding shirk, like the worship of idols, meaning if someone says that one is excused by ignorance... the fitrah (the innate natural disposition)...?
The Shaykh : Yes, but the fitrah may be changed by something, the fitrah may be changed by something. So some of them say to others, "We do not worship them except to bring us closer to Allah."
The questioner : Excused, meaning, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : If nothing reached him, if nothing reached him, his case before Allah is clear