When a Muslim is judged to be a disbeliever
Fatwa No: 8106

Question

When is a Muslim judged to be Kaafir (disbeliever)?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

A Muslim is not judged to be Kaafir as long as he neither says nor does anything that indicates major Kufr (disbelief) which results in apostasy according to the Quran and the Sunnah or the consensus of the scholars. The following are some examples of these matters:  insulting Allaah The Almighty or His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , denying indisputably established rulings of Islam which are known to every Muslim, prostrating to an idol, supplicating to the deceased and seeking their aid in times of distress, allying with non-Muslims and supporting them against Muslims, believing that this world has an infinite beginning, believing that Allaah The Almighty is incarnated in His creation, doubting or denying the resurrection and other issues that are mentioned by the scholars of Fiqh (jurisprudence) in the chapters on apostasy.

A Muslim is not to be judged to be a Kaafir unless all the prerequisites of Kufr are fulfilled and all the impediments are not present.  Among these prerequisites are: attaining the age of puberty, sanity, freedom of choice and knowledge with no excuse for ignorance in matters where ignorance is considered an excuse, or quoting evidence  that is not adducible in the issue where disbelief has occurred.

Allaah Knows best.

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