Question and Answer

QUESTION AND ANSWER to explain the issue of shirk in general. The method of the Messenger of God  was that whenever he delivered a reformative address, he would ask: What is the matter with people that they do such and such things? (Rasa’il Ibn Hazm, Vol. 1, p. 383) 7. If a person drinks alcohol, the reformer’s task is not to declare him a drunkard and issue a ruling for punishment. The reformer’s task is only to advise with complete goodwill and continue advising. Similarly, if a person appears involved in shirk, the reformer should explain matters in a well-wishing manner. The reformer has no right to publicly and definitively declare someone a polytheist or issue rulings against him. All such acts fall under excess, and Islam strictly forbids excess. 8. In this matter, those who are Muslims by birth and those who became Muslims by choice have the same ruling: both are to be approached with a sincere focus on purifying their souls. However, no one will be declared an unbeliever or sinful with certainty. The method of the Prophet was to concentrate entirely on reviving the spirit of religion. External actions are always the result of the inner spirit. It never happens that the inner spirit is automatically produced by external actions.