Udhr bil Jahl !!!

He (the questioner) says: "When the Qurāysh committed Shirk, it was of no benefit to ascribe themselves to Ibrahim (AS) as they were still considered disbelievers, and the same applied in regards to the Christians. It was (and is) of no benefit that they ascribe themselves to Isa (AS), as Allah still declared them as disbelievers, but some people say that Allah forgave this nation; the errors and forgetfulness they committed, and because of this, every person who falls into Shirk because of ignorance or because of a doubt is not from the people whom Takfīr has been made upon. What is your opinion in regards to this?"

This is against the consensus. This nation has been forgiven for errors, and forgetfulness, but not in the case where there is consensus that you cannot be forgiven, and amongst from the cases from which you can't be forgiven is Shirk (Polytheism), and the case of Tawhīd (Oneness of God), and other cases which a man enters Islam, and the cases of major Shirk, and major Kufr (Disbelief), in which a man, through these, leaves Islam. In these cases, there are no excuses for ignorance, forgetfulness, or other than that. He gets a ruling based according to the act he committed, and amongst the topics is something that has appeared in recent times, which is the case of excuses due to ignorance. He who falls into major Shirk is he excused or not?

Amongst the Salaf (early generation of Islam), there is consensus regarding this issue. He who falls into Shirk  is described as a polytheist, and we have explained this many times, that he who falls into Shirk gets the description of it, so we declare him as a Mushrik (Polytheist) in this life and execute the ruling of this world upon him. He will not inherit, and no one will inherit from him. We don't pray Salat al-Janāzah (the funeral prayer), and all of the other rules regarding a Mushrik, but his situation in the next life, if the message of Islam, and monotheism didn't reach this person, is between him, and, Allah, whether he enters paradise, or the fire, so we are not obliged to talk about this case, but we judge him as he died on disbelief, as we have seen him, or knew that he was a Kāfir (disbeliever), Mushrik, or that Allah judged him as going to the hell fire, or that the Prophet (SAW) declared him as going to the hellfire, and we don't talk about it anymore beyond this, and because of that, Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned the difference of opinion regarding Ahlu-Fitrah, because most of the excuses of ignorance is regarding Ahlu-Fitrah. Who is Ahlu-Fitrah? They are those who never met the former Prophets, and the message of the last Prophet (SAW) didn't reach them, so the message didn't reach them, and they fell into Shirk, and they directed their worship to other than Allah. Are they Muslims or not? Ibn Al Qayyim said, "It is the consensus that he is a Mushrik, and if you find them, we don't pray Salāh (the funeral prayer) on them, and we do not give him a Kafin (burial clothes), they don't inherit, and no one inherits from them."

Ahlu-Fitrah are those who have the most right to be excused due to ignorance, so what about those who live in a time, with Muslims, and they have access to knowledge, and similar? That's why some of them have become arrogant, and stubborn, and they keep themselves to the Dāwah of Shaykh, from Sūfīs and others. There is no doubt that a person like this is not excused, so the rule is, whoever falls into major Shirk, he is a Mushrik, and it is the same if he is aware or not, arrogant or not, but Ibn Taymiyyah said, "One cannot imagine that a disbeliever can perform Kufr with his own will, or that he is arrogant, and who knows that he is upon Kufr, and that it is Kufr, and he therefore performs it with his own will." He (Ibn Taymiyyah) said, "People like that do not exist." So everyone who falls into Shirk, wants something good from it. He desires that which is with Allah. Allah told us about these Mushrikīn when He said, "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position." [39:3]

So what do they desire? They desire that which was with Allah, but they went back on what their intellect said, and they destroyed their religion.

Sheikh Ahmad Ibn Umar Al Hāzimī (فك الله اسره)