What is the ruling on one who knows of a religious innovation, the evidence has been established against him, and he does not turn back? Does he fall out of the people of the Sunnah and the community?

The questioner : All right, this person who was informed by evidence and did not return and did not turn back, does he fall out of the people of the Sunnah and the community?

The Shaykh : This is not judged unless it is heard from him. If it is heard from him, it becomes clear that he is being obstinate. There is a difference between it becoming clear that he is being obstinate and it becoming clear that he holds a different opinion, not being fanatical and not following his desires. If it becomes clearly apparent that he followed his desires and turned away from the truth beside him and distanced himself from it, and this was repeated, and it was repeated from him, then at that time he is attributed to religious innovation and it is said that he is an innovator.

The questioner : All right, O Shaykh, do you see, or do you affirm, that everyone who commits a religious innovation, you see that he admits it is a religious innovation, or that he deviates from the evidence, or that he sees that this religious innovation is the truth...

The Shaykh : The answer to this question is like your answer to your answer about what comes to you from my side, from a question: Do you not believe that many people commit some of the forbidden things and admit that they are forbidden?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Why do you not speak?

The questioner : The lines were cut off, yes, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : What, yes?

The questioner : The one who commits some of the forbidden things and admits that they are forbidden.

The Shaykh : I am asking you, does this exist?

The questioner : It exists, yes, I say yes.

The Shaykh : Ah, so why?

The questioner : And why, what?

The Shaykh : Why does he say yes and commit the forbidden?

The questioner : Desire.

The Shaykh : Desire.

The questioner : ... Satan.

The Shaykh : Fine, but does he deny the prohibition?

The questioner : He does not deny it.

The Shaykh : Likewise with religious innovation, he commits the religious innovation, but at least in the depths of his heart he believes that he is contradicting [the truth]. May Allah reward you. The important thing is that there is a matter concerning the heart and another concerning the action. If a person commits a wrong action but in his heart he denies it, this is less severe than the one who commits it and does not deny that it is wrong, but rather tries to justify and legitimize the wrong he commits. So there is what is said: some evil is less than some. The one who commits a religious innovation is like the one who commits a forbidden thing. The one who commits a religious innovation may admit in the depths of his heart that it is a religious innovation, but either out of fear, or conformity, or greed for money, or so on. Likewise, the one who commits a forbidden thing; we know, for example, some of the mu'adhdhins in Sham are convinced that the adhan ends with "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allah," yet they add to it. Why? Because he is an employee. And these employees in all Islamic lands fall into violations, saying, either sincerely that they are forced, or "by Allah, we need to live," or words like that. So the matter, therefore, has details. It is necessary for the Muslim to be careful in issuing a judgment from these judgments, except after deliberation.