. . up to where he said: "And declaring someone a disbeliever is a threat, for even if the statement is a denial of what the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), said

The Shaykh : Up to where he said: "And declaring someone a disbeliever is a threat. For even if the statement is a denial of what the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), said, the man may be a recent convert to Islam". Declaring someone a disbeliever is undoubtedly a threat, and it is also a ruling that transfers a person from inviolability to the permissibility of shedding his blood and taking his wealth. It is a threat because when the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), says, "Whoever does such-and-such has become a disbeliever," and , he does not mean mere information; rather, he means a threat and a deterrent from this action.
He said: "But the man may be a recent convert to Islam". The meaning of being a recent convert to Islam is that he converted recently. "Or he may have grown up in a remote desert", remote from cities and from knowledge. "And such a person is not declared a disbeliever for denying what he denies until the proof is established against him". This is the truth, by the saying of Allah the Exalted: , and by His saying: , and by His saying: . "And the man may not have heard those texts"; if he had heard them, he would have affirmed them. "Or he may have heard them but they were not established for him". This is an excuse if he heard texts containing the declaration of disbelief but they were not established for him, for he cannot act upon them and it is not permissible for him to act upon them. "Or yes, or he may have had another opposing factor that necessitated their figurative interpretation, even if he was mistaken". Yes, perhaps he hears the texts and knows their meaning, and they are established for him, but he finds evidence that opposes them. If it opposes them, he must need what? He must need figurative interpretation, by interpreting the established texts in a way that does not oppose the established meaning. All of these are excuses. But when do they become an excuse? They become an excuse if the person exerted effort but the truth did not become clear to him; then he is excused.
He said, (may Allah have mercy on him): "And I always used to mention the hadith in the two Sahihs about the man who said:

When I die, burn me, then grind me into powder, then scatter me in the wind and in the sea, for by Allah, if my Lord has power over me, He will subject me to a punishment that He has never subjected anyone to.’ So they did that to him, then (Allah) said to the earth: ‘Return what you have taken,’ and there he was, standing. He said to him: ‘What made you do what you have done?’ He said: ‘Fear of You, O Lord.’ So He forgave him because of that (fear).

إذا أنا مت فأحرقوني ثم اسحقوني ثم ذروني في اليم فوالله لئن قدِر الله علي ليعذبني عذاباً ما عذبه أحداً من العالمين ففعلوا به ذلك فقال الله : ما حملك على ما فعلت قال : خشيتك فغفر له

Sunan Ibn Majah 4255Sahih (Darussalam)

".
This is a man who was extravagant toward himself, wronging himself, with many sins and disobedience. He feared Allah the Exalted, so he said to his family: "When I die, burn me," meaning burn me with fire, "then grind me to powder" until I am like dust, "then scatter me in the sea." The sea means the ocean, so that I may be dispersed with these dead things. Then he swore that if Allah had power over him, He would punish him. He was fleeing from what? From the punishment of Allah the Exalted. He did not want Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He), to punish him, so he made this bequest. Then Allah said to him after He gathered him from the sea: "What led you to this?" He said: "Your fear, O Lord." So Allah forgave him. How generous is Allah the Exalted, even though this is a man about whom the Shaykh al-Islam says: "This is a man who doubted Allah's power and His resurrection of him after he was scattered; indeed, he believed that he would not be resurrected. This is disbelief by the consensus of the Muslims, but he was ignorant and did not know it, and he was a believer who feared that Allah would punish him, so He forgave him for that". So this is an excuse. If it had not been an excuse, Allah the Exalted would have punished him for his doubt about Allah's power. Then he also said: "And the one who interprets the texts from among the people of independent legal reasoning who are eager to follow the Messenger, (peace and blessings be upon him), is more deserving of forgiveness than such a person". The one who interprets the texts from among the people of independent legal reasoning—this is a condition: if he exerted effort and the truth became clear to him in the form of figurative interpretation, along with his eagerness to follow the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him), then he is more deserving of excuse. This is from the vastness of the mercy of Allah the Exalted, and it falls under the generality of His saying: .