Many hadiths have been narrated regarding the declaration of disbelief, some of which refer to major disbelief and others to minor disbelief. What is the criterion for distinguishing between them?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. Many hadiths have been narrated regarding the declaration of disbelief, and some of them refer to the disbelief that expels one from the religion, while others do not refer to the disbelief that expels one from the religion, as we have discussed. So what is the criterion for the student of knowledge to distinguish between...? I mean, what is the criterion for the disbelief that expels one from the religion?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Is it simply that it is qualified with the definite article (alif and lam)?
The Shaykh : Yes, we mentioned in the chapter on the rulings of the apostate, in our discussion of *Bulugh al-Maram*, the criteria for disbelief. It would be best for you to refer to them so that you may learn. Then, if the matter is between the disbelief that expels one from the religion or disbelief less than that, what is the original presumption?
The presumption is the absence of the disbelief that expels one from the religion, so it becomes a disbelief that does not expel one from the religion. By this, matters are regulated. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Is it simply that it is qualified with the definite article (alif and lam)?
The Shaykh : Yes, we mentioned in the chapter on the rulings of the apostate, in our discussion of *Bulugh al-Maram*, the criteria for disbelief. It would be best for you to refer to them so that you may learn. Then, if the matter is between the disbelief that expels one from the religion or disbelief less than that, what is the original presumption?
The presumption is the absence of the disbelief that expels one from the religion, so it becomes a disbelief that does not expel one from the religion. By this, matters are regulated. Yes.