among them are some who lay claim to scholarship who have gone to excess in declaring Muslims unbelievers because they neglect to perform deeds they are required to do, despite the soundness of their creed—unlike the disbelievers, who do not pray as a matter of religion and conviction. Allah says:

“Should We then treat those who submit as We treat the criminals? What is the matter with you? How do you judge?” [al-Qalam 35–36]

In view of the foregoing, I would have wished Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, not to have overlooked mentioning this authentic hadith as an explicit proof for those who oppose declaring such a person an unbeliever, and to have answered it, if he had an answer. In this way, he would have done justice to the inquiry and to both parties, without bias toward one side.

Yet, I must point out that he devoted a separate chapter to “Adjudicating between the Two Parties and the Decisive Judgment between the Two Groups.” This assists the researcher in properly understanding the texts of both sides. In it, he admirably established a matter agreed upon by the scholars: not every instance of disbelief into which a Muslim falls expels him from the religion. It is useful, therefore, to present the reader with passages or summaries of his words that indicate his intended point, and then to follow them with the necessary comments that accord with this authentic hadith and support the preponderant view.

He, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that disbelief is of two types: practical disbelief, and disbelief of denial and conviction.

He also stated that practical disbelief is divided into that which contradicts faith and that which does not. Thus, prostrating to an idol, treating the Quran contemptuously, killing a prophet, and reviling him all contradict faith.

As for ruling by other than what Allah has revealed and abandoning the prayer, these are certainly forms of practical disbelief.

(I say: At times, this may constitute disbelief of conviction, if it is accompanied by something indicating the corruption of one’s creed—for example, mocking the prayer and those who pray, or preferring to be killed rather than pray when the ruler summons him to it, as will be mentioned. Bear this in mind, for it is important. He then said:)