And by this, the distinction between the statement and the one who makes it, and between the action and the one who performs it, is known.
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The Shaykh : He said: "And by this, the distinction between the statement and the one who makes it, and between the action and the one who performs it, is known. Not every statement or action that constitutes open sinfulness and disbelief results in the one who makes it or performs it being judged as such. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, page 165, volume 35 of *Majmu' al-Fatawa*: 'The basis of this—and this is a rule—the basis of this is that the statement which is disbelief by the Book, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus is called disbelief in terms of the statement itself. Yes, the statement itself is affirmed as indicated by the scriptural proofs. For faith is among the rulings received from Allah and His Messenger. It is not a matter in which people judge by their suspicions and desires. Nor is it obligatory, when the statement is made, to judge every person who says it as a disbeliever until the conditions for declaring someone a disbeliever are established in his case and its impediments are removed.'" Then he gave an example by saying: "For example, one who says that intoxicants or usury or interest are lawful because he recently converted to Islam, or because he grew up in a remote desert, or because he heard a statement he rejected and did not believe it to be from the Qur'an or from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), just as some of the Salaf used to reject certain things" and so on.
The important point is that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is among the most expansive in the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever, and that not everyone who makes a statement that entails disbelief or performs an action that entails disbelief becomes a disbeliever. Rather, if it is due to a permissible figurative interpretation, and he is of the type of people qualified for independent legal reasoning, then he is not declared a disbeliever, nor is he considered an open sinner. Then he mentioned an important issue, saying: "Or because he heard a statement he rejected and did not believe it to be from the Noble Qur'an or from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)" meaning that he is not declared a disbeliever if he heard a reciter reciting a verse and said, "This is never from the Qur'an," and this is his belief, and he does not know. Do we say that his rejection of this verse leads to disbelief? The answer is: No, it does not lead to disbelief. But if he said, "This is [from the Qur'an], but I do not accept it," for example, or said, "This is authentic to me from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but I do not agree with it," then he is a disbeliever without doubt, even if it is assumed that the hadith is not in the two Sahihs or one of them.
And he said: "If the Messenger said it, but I do not agree with it, or if it is an order, but I do not commit to it. For example, if this is something that makes a person a disbeliever by leaving it, then there is no doubt in his disbelief. Just as some of the Salaf used to reject certain things until it was established for them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said them, until he said: 'Then these people are not disbelievers,' and so on".
The important point is that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is among the most expansive in the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever, and that not everyone who makes a statement that entails disbelief or performs an action that entails disbelief becomes a disbeliever. Rather, if it is due to a permissible figurative interpretation, and he is of the type of people qualified for independent legal reasoning, then he is not declared a disbeliever, nor is he considered an open sinner. Then he mentioned an important issue, saying: "Or because he heard a statement he rejected and did not believe it to be from the Noble Qur'an or from the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)" meaning that he is not declared a disbeliever if he heard a reciter reciting a verse and said, "This is never from the Qur'an," and this is his belief, and he does not know. Do we say that his rejection of this verse leads to disbelief? The answer is: No, it does not lead to disbelief. But if he said, "This is [from the Qur'an], but I do not accept it," for example, or said, "This is authentic to me from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but I do not agree with it," then he is a disbeliever without doubt, even if it is assumed that the hadith is not in the two Sahihs or one of them.
And he said: "If the Messenger said it, but I do not agree with it, or if it is an order, but I do not commit to it. For example, if this is something that makes a person a disbeliever by leaving it, then there is no doubt in his disbelief. Just as some of the Salaf used to reject certain things until it was established for them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said them, until he said: 'Then these people are not disbelievers,' and so on".