What is the opinion of your Eminence on excusing persons for their ignorance, particularly creedal issues?
Question:
"What is the opinion of your Eminence on excusing persons for their ignorance, particularly creedal issues? Please, advise. May Allah reward you best!"
Answer:
"`Aqidah (creed) is the most important thing and the greatest obligation. Its essence is to believe in Allah, His angels, Books, Messengers, the Last Day, and Predestination; good or bad. You should also believe that Allah (Glorified be He) is the Only Worthy of worship and testify that there is no God but Allah: the believer must testify that there is no true deity but Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and that Muhammad is the Messenger and Last Prophet whom Allah sent to both Jinn and humans. All such matters are a must, because such are the backbone of `Aqidah. Thus, this is obligatory on all; men and women. This is the basis and the foundation of religion. It is also obligatory to believe in what Allah and His Messenger told regarding the Last Day, Paradise, Hellfire, Reckoning, punishment and reward, spreading the records of deeds, taking one's record either with one's right or left hand, weighing deeds, and other than that of what is stated in the Qur'anic Ayahs and Prophetic Hadiths.
Ignorance of such matters is not to be excused. Rather, such a person is obliged to learn these matters. There is no place for pretending unawareness of these matters while living within a Muslim community where the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him) reach such a person. He is a reluctant, neglectful, and indifferent. Thus, there is no excuse for such a person. Allah (Glorified be He) says:
{Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle - nay, they are even farther astray from the Path (i.e. even worse than cattle).} [Surah Al-Furqan 25:44]
Allah (Glorified be He) says,
{And surely, We have created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.} [Surah Al-A'raf 7:179]
In addition, Allah (Exalted be He) says in the case of such persons:
{...surely they took the Shayâtîn (devils) as Auliyâ’ (protectors and helpers) instead of Allâh, and think that they are guided.} [Surah Al-A'raf 7:30]
There are more similar great Ayahs wherein Allah (Glorified be He) does not excuse the wrongdoers due to their ignorance, turning away, and heedlessness. As for those living far away from Muslims i.e. in the outskirts of such countries wherein there are no Muslims and where the Qur'an and the Sunnah have not reached them, they are excused. If dying in this condition, then their ruling is the same as that of Ahl al-Fatrah (the people living in the interval between two Prophets) who will be tested at the Last Day: Those among them who will respond and obey the order will enter Paradise while those who will disobey will enter Hellfire. As for the issues that sometimes may be unknown to some people such as some rulings of Salah, Zakah, or Hajj, the ignorant person can be excused in such cases due to ignorance.
There is no harm in that, because such rulings are not known to many people due to the fact that not all people can comprehend such matters.
Thus, the matter of the latter case is easier. Yet, it is obligatory for every believer to learn and understand his religion and ask scholars as Allah (Glorified be He) says:
{So ask the people of the Scripture, if you do not know.} [Surah An-Nahl 16:43]
It is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to some people who gave Fatwa without knowledge: "Would not they have asked when they wanted to know anything. Verily, the cure of ignorance is questioning i.e. those who know." [Narrated by Abu Dawud, Book on purification, no. 284] He (peace be upon him) also says, "If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Book on knowledge, no. 69; and Muslim, Book on Zakah, no. 1719.] Thus, it is obligatory upon all Muslims, men and women, to comprehend matters of religion and inquire about what they cannot understand by themselves. They should not be satisfied with ignorance and should not turn away heedlessly; because they are created to worship and obey Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). The only means to that is knowledge. It cannot be attained through heedlessness and turning away. On the contrary, seeking knowledge is indispensable and obligatory upon the ignorant person to ask the people of knowledge in order for him to learn.
Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez bin 'Abdullah bin Baaz
Source: www.alifta.net - Fatwas of Ibn Baz, Volume 9, Ignorance as a legal excuse in creedal issues. Nur ‘Ala Al-Darb, Tape no. 9.
"What is the opinion of your Eminence on excusing persons for their ignorance, particularly creedal issues? Please, advise. May Allah reward you best!"
Answer:
"`Aqidah (creed) is the most important thing and the greatest obligation. Its essence is to believe in Allah, His angels, Books, Messengers, the Last Day, and Predestination; good or bad. You should also believe that Allah (Glorified be He) is the Only Worthy of worship and testify that there is no God but Allah: the believer must testify that there is no true deity but Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and that Muhammad is the Messenger and Last Prophet whom Allah sent to both Jinn and humans. All such matters are a must, because such are the backbone of `Aqidah. Thus, this is obligatory on all; men and women. This is the basis and the foundation of religion. It is also obligatory to believe in what Allah and His Messenger told regarding the Last Day, Paradise, Hellfire, Reckoning, punishment and reward, spreading the records of deeds, taking one's record either with one's right or left hand, weighing deeds, and other than that of what is stated in the Qur'anic Ayahs and Prophetic Hadiths.
Ignorance of such matters is not to be excused. Rather, such a person is obliged to learn these matters. There is no place for pretending unawareness of these matters while living within a Muslim community where the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace be upon him) reach such a person. He is a reluctant, neglectful, and indifferent. Thus, there is no excuse for such a person. Allah (Glorified be He) says:
{Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are only like cattle - nay, they are even farther astray from the Path (i.e. even worse than cattle).} [Surah Al-Furqan 25:44]
Allah (Glorified be He) says,
{And surely, We have created many of the jinn and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.} [Surah Al-A'raf 7:179]
In addition, Allah (Exalted be He) says in the case of such persons:
{...surely they took the Shayâtîn (devils) as Auliyâ’ (protectors and helpers) instead of Allâh, and think that they are guided.} [Surah Al-A'raf 7:30]
There are more similar great Ayahs wherein Allah (Glorified be He) does not excuse the wrongdoers due to their ignorance, turning away, and heedlessness. As for those living far away from Muslims i.e. in the outskirts of such countries wherein there are no Muslims and where the Qur'an and the Sunnah have not reached them, they are excused. If dying in this condition, then their ruling is the same as that of Ahl al-Fatrah (the people living in the interval between two Prophets) who will be tested at the Last Day: Those among them who will respond and obey the order will enter Paradise while those who will disobey will enter Hellfire. As for the issues that sometimes may be unknown to some people such as some rulings of Salah, Zakah, or Hajj, the ignorant person can be excused in such cases due to ignorance.
There is no harm in that, because such rulings are not known to many people due to the fact that not all people can comprehend such matters.
Thus, the matter of the latter case is easier. Yet, it is obligatory for every believer to learn and understand his religion and ask scholars as Allah (Glorified be He) says:
{So ask the people of the Scripture, if you do not know.} [Surah An-Nahl 16:43]
It is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to some people who gave Fatwa without knowledge: "Would not they have asked when they wanted to know anything. Verily, the cure of ignorance is questioning i.e. those who know." [Narrated by Abu Dawud, Book on purification, no. 284] He (peace be upon him) also says, "If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Book on knowledge, no. 69; and Muslim, Book on Zakah, no. 1719.] Thus, it is obligatory upon all Muslims, men and women, to comprehend matters of religion and inquire about what they cannot understand by themselves. They should not be satisfied with ignorance and should not turn away heedlessly; because they are created to worship and obey Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). The only means to that is knowledge. It cannot be attained through heedlessness and turning away. On the contrary, seeking knowledge is indispensable and obligatory upon the ignorant person to ask the people of knowledge in order for him to learn.
Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez bin 'Abdullah bin Baaz
Source: www.alifta.net - Fatwas of Ibn Baz, Volume 9, Ignorance as a legal excuse in creedal issues. Nur ‘Ala Al-Darb, Tape no. 9.