Is ignorance an excuse in major shirk?
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The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Your Eminence, is the ignorant person excused in major shirk?
The Shaykh : He is excused in everything, but on the condition that he has not been negligent in seeking the truth. The second condition is that he does not know himself to be a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), meaning that he does not claim to be a Muslim. Therefore, the mushrikin today are indeed mushrikin, without a doubt. But those to whom nothing about Islam has reached, or who were Muslims but they associate partners with Allah without knowing it, these people are excused.
The questioner : The second condition, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : The second condition?
The Shaykh : The second condition is that he does not know himself to be a mushrik. If he knows himself to be a mushrik, then he is not excused.
The questioner : Your Eminence, is the ignorant person excused in major shirk?
The Shaykh : He is excused in everything, but on the condition that he has not been negligent in seeking the truth. The second condition is that he does not know himself to be a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), meaning that he does not claim to be a Muslim. Therefore, the mushrikin today are indeed mushrikin, without a doubt. But those to whom nothing about Islam has reached, or who were Muslims but they associate partners with Allah without knowing it, these people are excused.
The questioner : The second condition, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : The second condition?
The Shaykh : The second condition is that he does not know himself to be a mushrik. If he knows himself to be a mushrik, then he is not excused.