Question:
If we see a Muslim man doing major Shirk, but he’s ignorant of this action being that he is new to the religion of Islaam or grew up in the nomadic region so the proof was not established upon him. What do we say? Do we expel him from the religion of Islaam and pronounce him to be a Mushrik and treat him as a Kaafir before we establish the proof upon him or do we give him excuse of ignorance?
Answer:
The Mushrik is a Mushrik. If he does what necessitates the ruling of Shirk being applied to him, he is ruled with it. And if he does Shirk it is ruled upon him with it, and his end result is to Allaah. But for us is what is apparent from his actions and statements. People are not held to account except for what is apparent. The hearts are not inspected as in the Hadith of ‘Usaamah and as ‘Umar may Allaah be pleased with him said.
So whoever outwardly shows good we judge him according to what is apparent, and his end result of his affairs is with Allaah. If he is excused, if it as such that the proof did not reach him, that is something else, as for whoever dies upon Shirk, it is ruled upon him according to what he died upon.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Source: https://sh-yahia.net/show_sound_12176.html
Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillaah ‘Omar bin Yahyaa Al-‘Akawi