—such as the inherited traditions of the desert Bedouins (that is, the usages handed down from their forefathers), men who were unquestioned chiefs whose commands were obeyed. They regard those customs as the criterion by which judgment ought to be passed instead of the Book and the Sunnah—and that is sheer disbelief. Many people have entered Islam, yet they judge only by the prevailing conventions prescribed by their leaders. Once such people come to know that it is impermissible for them to rule except by what Allah has revealed but still refuse to comply—indeed, when they deem it lawful to judge contrary to Allah’s revelation—they are disbelievers (1). End quote.

Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm said: “As for the statement that the matter is ‘disbelief short of outright disbelief’ when someone refers disputes to other than Allah while believing that he is sinning and that the judgment of Allah is the truth—this applies to the occasional lapse and the like. But the one who lays down a set of laws, organizing and subjecting people to them, is guilty of disbelief even if he says, ‘We were mistaken and the ruling of the Sacred Law is more just.’ Such disbelief expels a person from the religion (2).”

Thus, may Allah have mercy on him, he distinguished between a one-off, non-recurring judgment and a comprehensive system that is taken as the point of reference for all—or for most—rulings, and he affirmed