The Benefit of Distinguishing Between Belief-Based Disbelief and Practical Disbelief

The Shaykh : However, there is a matter related to the topic of declaring someone a disbeliever. The implications of the Book and the Sunnah are divided into two categories, or even more. The rulings derived from the Book and the Sunnah revolve around four types: either from the Book, or from the Sunnah, or from independent legal reasoning, or from scholarly consensus, or we say scholarly consensus and then analogical reasoning. If a person denies a ruling that is well-known in Islam, and its ruling is that it is among the necessities, there are matters in which scholars differ. Undoubtedly, when we say that scholars differ on some issues, we do not mean that the truth in this disagreement is apparent; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . However, this disagreement provides room and breadth in the matter, especially regarding the topic of declaring someone a disbeliever. If the issue is one of scholarly disagreement and a Muslim adopts a position that we consider to be an error, contrary to the implication of the Book and the Sunnah, we do not rush to declare him a disbeliever. So when do we declare someone a disbeliever? When a Muslim denies what is known from the religion by necessity.