Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (14/445)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

this community and others besides it. Many among communities other than this one were Muslims. Allah, the Exalted, says: “The prophets who submitted to Allah judged by it for the Jews …” [al-Mā’idah 5:44]. Jacob said to his sons: “My sons! Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except in a state of submission to Him.” [al-Baqarah 2:132] Allah says of Abraham: “He was upright, a Muslim.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:67] And Bilqīs said: “Indeed, I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of all worlds.” [al-Naml 27:44]

Thus, this general sense of Islam includes everyone who submits to Allah, the Exalted, outwardly and inwardly, in every religious community. After the mission of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, however, Islam came to have only one specific meaning: submission to Allah according solely to the law of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

But the author stipulated, saying, “while legally accountable.” This comprises two conditions: adulthood and soundness of mind. If a person is not of sound mind, then his statements carry no legal weight, because he is insane. If an insane person were to say, “Allah is the third of three,” or, “Allah is two,” or, “Allah does not exist,” or anything similar that would render a sane person a disbeliever, he does not become a disbeliever, because he is insane.

There is a difference between losing one’s mind through insanity and losing it for some other reason. Thus, if he loses his mind because of an illness other than insanity, such as a delirious condition; or loses his mind due to an accident and begins speaking incoherently; or loses his mind through old age and begins speaking incoherently; or loses his mind after consuming an intoxicant without knowing what it was; or loses his mind after consuming an intoxicant for an excusable reason—such as one who drinks it to dislodge a morsel by which he is choking, rather than one who drinks it to quench his thirst—or, according to the stronger view, after consuming an intoxicant without an excuse, then he does not become a disbeliever because he has lost his mind.

An adult is the opposite of a minor. If a minor apostatizes, then the apparent meaning

هذه الأمة ومن غيرها، فإن غير هذه الأمة فيهم مسلمون كثير، قال تعالى: ﴿يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا﴾ … ﴾ [المائدة: ٤٤]، وقال يعقوب لبنيه: ﴿يَابَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٣٢]، وقال عن إبراهيم: ﴿كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا﴾ [آل عمران: ٦٧]، وقالت بَلقيس: ﴿إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ [النمل: ٤٤]، فهذا الإسلام العام يشمل كل من أسلم لله تعالى، بأن استسلم له ظاهراً وباطناً في كل ملة. أما بعد بعثة الرسول ﵊ فكان الإسلام لا يتناول إلا معنى خاصاً، وهو الاستسلام لله بشريعة النبي ﷺ فقط. لكن اشترط المؤلف فقال: «وهو مكلف» وهذا يتضمن شرطين: البلوغ، والعقل، فإن كان غير عاقل فلا حكم لقوله؛ لأنه مجنون، والمجنون لو قال: إن الله ثالث ثلاثة، أو إن الله اثنان، أو إن الله ليس بموجود، أو ما أشبه ذلك مما يكفر به العاقل فإنه لا يكفر؛ لأنه مجنون. وفرق بين أن يكون فقد عقله بالجنون، أو بغير ذلك، فلو فقد عقله بآفة غير الجنون كالبرسام مثلاً، أو فقد عقله بحادث وصار يهذي، أو فقد عقله بكِبَر وصار يهذي، أو فقد عقله بشرب مسكر غير عالم به، أو فقد عقله بشرب مسكر معذوراً به، كمن شربه لدفع لقمة غَصَّ بها، لا كمن شربه لدفع عطش، أو ـ على القول الراجح ـ بشرب مسكر غير معذور به فإنه لا يكفر لفقدان العقل. والبالغ ضد الصغير، فإنه إذا ارتد وهو صغير، فإن ظاهر