And among the testimony by description is the testimony that every disbeliever or one who associates partners with Allah has committed major shirk, or is a hypocrite.
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The Shaykh : As for the description, we say: We testify "that every disbeliever or one who associates partners with Allah has committed major shirk, or is a hypocrite".
We say: Every disbeliever is in the Fire, every one who associates partners with Allah with major shirk is in the Fire, and every hypocrite is in the Fire. Is that so? Is this a general statement or a specific one? This is a general statement by which we testify.
There are currently disbelieving leaders who die. Do we testify that they are in the Fire?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : For example, the leader of the Jews who was killed and died, do we testify that he is in the Fire?
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: We testify, O Shaykh, we testify.
The Shaykh : Yes, specifically him.
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Why, people? He died upon disbelief.
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Yes? Do you testify?
The student :
The Shaykh : Fine. I see that the precaution and the clearing of one's conscience is that we do not testify. This is the precaution. And although, I mean, this is not the case; our testimony that this person is in the Fire is not as a safeguard against it as our testimony for a disbeliever who has openly declared his disbelief but did not die upon disbelief. That person might be guided later. But a person who died upon disbelief, we testify, meaning we testify that until the last moment of his life, we did not know that he became a Muslim. The testimony of disbelief in this case is close. But with this, we say: the precaution is that you do not testify, that you do not testify. If your testimony that he is in the Fire is for one who is not among its people, it will not have an effect. And if he is among its people, there is no need for your testimony; he is among the people of the Fire.
For this reason, we see that testifying that a disbeliever who is still alive is in the Fire is not permissible, without doubt, due to the possibility that he might become a Muslim, and how many disbelievers have become Muslims. As for if he died upon disbelief and we did not know that he ever said "La ilaha illa Allah" on any day, then we also do not testify that he is in the Fire. Why? As a precaution, or? As a precaution.
We say: Every disbeliever is in the Fire, every one who associates partners with Allah with major shirk is in the Fire, and every hypocrite is in the Fire. Is that so? Is this a general statement or a specific one? This is a general statement by which we testify.
There are currently disbelieving leaders who die. Do we testify that they are in the Fire?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : For example, the leader of the Jews who was killed and died, do we testify that he is in the Fire?
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The student: We testify, O Shaykh, we testify.
The Shaykh : Yes, specifically him.
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Why, people? He died upon disbelief.
The student: We do not testify.
The Shaykh : Yes? Do you testify?
The student :
The Shaykh : Fine. I see that the precaution and the clearing of one's conscience is that we do not testify. This is the precaution. And although, I mean, this is not the case; our testimony that this person is in the Fire is not as a safeguard against it as our testimony for a disbeliever who has openly declared his disbelief but did not die upon disbelief. That person might be guided later. But a person who died upon disbelief, we testify, meaning we testify that until the last moment of his life, we did not know that he became a Muslim. The testimony of disbelief in this case is close. But with this, we say: the precaution is that you do not testify, that you do not testify. If your testimony that he is in the Fire is for one who is not among its people, it will not have an effect. And if he is among its people, there is no need for your testimony; he is among the people of the Fire.
For this reason, we see that testifying that a disbeliever who is still alive is in the Fire is not permissible, without doubt, due to the possibility that he might become a Muslim, and how many disbelievers have become Muslims. As for if he died upon disbelief and we did not know that he ever said "La ilaha illa Allah" on any day, then we also do not testify that he is in the Fire. Why? As a precaution, or? As a precaution.