"The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, page 180, volume 12, Majmu' al-Fatawa of Ibn Qasim
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The Shaykh :"The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, page 180, volume 12, Majmu'..." Okay, twelve, or do we say ten and two?
The student: Twelve.
The Shaykh : Why? Because this is[Al-A'raf 7:160].
"He said in *Majmu' al-Fatawa* of Ibn Qasim: 'As for declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir), the correct view is that whoever from the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) exercises independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and intends the truth but errs is not declared a disbeliever; rather, his error is forgiven. And whoever it becomes clear to him what the Messenger brought, then he opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than the path of the believers, he is a disbeliever. And whoever follows his desire and falls short in seeking the truth and speaks without knowledge, he is a sinner and a transgressor; then he may be an open sinner (fasiq), or he may have good deeds that outweigh his bad deeds.'"
He (may Allah have mercy on him) divided people into three categories:
The first category: He exercised independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and intended the truth but erred; so his error is forgiven, and in fact, he has a reward for his ijtihad.
The second: It became clear to him the truth, but he followed a path other than the path of the believers. So what is he? A disbeliever, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:.
The third: He followed his desire and fell short in seeking the truth and spoke without knowledge; so he is a sinner and a transgressor, without doubt, because it is obligatory that one does not speak except with knowledge. Then he may be an open sinner (fasiq), or he may have good deeds that outweigh his bad deeds. This is the statement of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) with this detail.
"And he also said on page 229, volume 3 of the aforementioned collection, in his speech: 'This is while I am always, and whoever has sat with me knows this from me, among the greatest of people in forbidding the attribution of a specific person to being a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a transgressor, except if it is known that the prophetic proof has been established against him, such that whoever opposes it is a disbeliever at times, an open sinner at other times, and a transgressor at other times.'"
And that is because he (may Allah have mercy on him) was accused of declaring believers disbelievers, so he wanted to defend himself and said: "I am in the gatherings and in every place among the greatest of people in forbidding the attribution of a specific person to being a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a transgressor. Takfir is clear, and declaring someone an open sinner (tufsiq) is when a person commits a major sin and becomes an open sinner, and transgression is what is below major sins, except if it is known that the prophetic proof has been established against him, such that whoever opposes it is a disbeliever at times, an open sinner at other times, and a transgressor at other times. A disbeliever if the act is one of disbelief, an open sinner if it is a major sin, a transgressor if it is a minor sin."
"And I affirm that Allah has forgiven this Ummah its errors, and this encompasses errors in the narrative and verbal issues and the practical issues. And the Muslims continued to dispute over many of these issues, and none of them testified against another with disbelief, open sinfulness, or transgression", nor with karamah. And what he (may Allah have mercy on him) said in this is true, and that there is no difference between the issues he calls principles and the issues he calls branches; whoever exercises independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and errs, there is no sin on him, on the condition that he exerts his utmost effort, to the end of it. Questions?
The student: Twelve.
The Shaykh : Why? Because this is
And We divided them into twelve descendant tribes [as distinct] nations.
وقطعناهم اثنتي عشرة أسباطا أمما"He said in *Majmu' al-Fatawa* of Ibn Qasim: 'As for declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir), the correct view is that whoever from the Ummah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) exercises independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and intends the truth but errs is not declared a disbeliever; rather, his error is forgiven. And whoever it becomes clear to him what the Messenger brought, then he opposes the Messenger after the guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than the path of the believers, he is a disbeliever. And whoever follows his desire and falls short in seeking the truth and speaks without knowledge, he is a sinner and a transgressor; then he may be an open sinner (fasiq), or he may have good deeds that outweigh his bad deeds.'"
He (may Allah have mercy on him) divided people into three categories:
The first category: He exercised independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and intended the truth but erred; so his error is forgiven, and in fact, he has a reward for his ijtihad.
The second: It became clear to him the truth, but he followed a path other than the path of the believers. So what is he? A disbeliever, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
and We will connect him to Hellfire
ونصله جهنمThe third: He followed his desire and fell short in seeking the truth and spoke without knowledge; so he is a sinner and a transgressor, without doubt, because it is obligatory that one does not speak except with knowledge. Then he may be an open sinner (fasiq), or he may have good deeds that outweigh his bad deeds. This is the statement of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) with this detail.
"And he also said on page 229, volume 3 of the aforementioned collection, in his speech: 'This is while I am always, and whoever has sat with me knows this from me, among the greatest of people in forbidding the attribution of a specific person to being a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a transgressor, except if it is known that the prophetic proof has been established against him, such that whoever opposes it is a disbeliever at times, an open sinner at other times, and a transgressor at other times.'"
And that is because he (may Allah have mercy on him) was accused of declaring believers disbelievers, so he wanted to defend himself and said: "I am in the gatherings and in every place among the greatest of people in forbidding the attribution of a specific person to being a disbeliever, an open sinner, or a transgressor. Takfir is clear, and declaring someone an open sinner (tufsiq) is when a person commits a major sin and becomes an open sinner, and transgression is what is below major sins, except if it is known that the prophetic proof has been established against him, such that whoever opposes it is a disbeliever at times, an open sinner at other times, and a transgressor at other times. A disbeliever if the act is one of disbelief, an open sinner if it is a major sin, a transgressor if it is a minor sin."
"And I affirm that Allah has forgiven this Ummah its errors, and this encompasses errors in the narrative and verbal issues and the practical issues. And the Muslims continued to dispute over many of these issues, and none of them testified against another with disbelief, open sinfulness, or transgression", nor with karamah. And what he (may Allah have mercy on him) said in this is true, and that there is no difference between the issues he calls principles and the issues he calls branches; whoever exercises independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) and errs, there is no sin on him, on the condition that he exerts his utmost effort, to the end of it. Questions?