the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them:

“Everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant.”

This is how they explained His words, Most High:

“Allah only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then repent soon afterwards.”

Likewise, He says:

“When those who believe in Our revelations come to you, say, ‘Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself: whoever among you does evil in ignorance, then repents afterwards and mends his ways—He is indeed All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’”

For this reason, the state of committing evil deeds is called jāhiliyyah (ignorance), for it is accompanied by a condition characteristic of jāhiliyyah.

Abū al-ʿĀliyah said:

“I asked the Companions of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about this verse: ‘Allah only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and then repent soon afterwards.’ They said: ‘Everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant, and whoever repents shortly before death has indeed repented soon afterwards.’”

Qatādah said:

“The Companions of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, unanimously agreed that everyone who disobeys his Lord does so in ignorance, whether deliberately or not. Everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant.”

The Successors and those after them said the same.

Mujāhid said:

“Anyone who commits a sin, whether old or young, does so in ignorance.”

He also said:

“Whoever disobeys his Lord is ignorant until he abandons his disobedience.”

He further said:

“It means applying the term ‘ignorance’ to deliberate action.”

Mujāhid also said:

“Whoever does evil mistakenly or commits a sin deliberately is ignorant until he abandons it.”

These reports were narrated by Ibn