Is it permissible to declare a specific person a disbeliever or an open sinner?
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The questioner : Do we call the one who commits shirk (associating partners with Allah), who calls upon the dead... and seeks their aid and help, a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), even if he is a specific individual...
The Shaykh : This issue, which is ruling that a specific person is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), a kafir (disbeliever), a fasiq (open sinner), or something similar, has led people to take two extremes and a middle path. Pay attention, people have taken two extremes and a middle path in this. For example, some people say that we do not declare any specific person a disbeliever absolutely; rather, we use general terms and say: whoever does such-and-such is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), whoever does such-and-such is a kafir (disbeliever), whoever does such-and-such is a fasiq (open sinner), and we do not describe any specific person, no matter what the case may be. This is an error, because if we said this, no one would remain a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah); we would be ruling on general, absolute essences, and the ruling would effectively be lifted. And some people are the opposite: when they find texts that rule that a person is a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), they apply them to every specific person. This is also an error. When we find texts that indicate that this action is shirk (associating partners with Allah), or that this action is fisq (open sinfulness), or...
The Shaykh : This issue, which is ruling that a specific person is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), a kafir (disbeliever), a fasiq (open sinner), or something similar, has led people to take two extremes and a middle path. Pay attention, people have taken two extremes and a middle path in this. For example, some people say that we do not declare any specific person a disbeliever absolutely; rather, we use general terms and say: whoever does such-and-such is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), whoever does such-and-such is a kafir (disbeliever), whoever does such-and-such is a fasiq (open sinner), and we do not describe any specific person, no matter what the case may be. This is an error, because if we said this, no one would remain a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah); we would be ruling on general, absolute essences, and the ruling would effectively be lifted. And some people are the opposite: when they find texts that rule that a person is a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), they apply them to every specific person. This is also an error. When we find texts that indicate that this action is shirk (associating partners with Allah), or that this action is fisq (open sinfulness), or...