Grave Words and Their Answer: “We Will Stay Without the Shari‘a”, “We Do Not Accept Fatwas”

Question

In a village there are two parties, both Muslims of the Hanafi school. If a man of one party, relying on his majority, wealth and self-will, says, “We shall remain without the Shari‘a,” and another on the same basis says, “We do not accept fatwas,” and yet another says, “We have already eaten ten forbidden pigs; we shall eat one more” — what needs to be ascertained is: what is the ruling of the Sacred Law on these statements of the three persons mentioned? Will these people go out of Islam?

Answer

These sentences were uttered out of ignorance and self-will; had they known the ruling of the Sacred Law and had control over themselves, it would never have come to this. If the ruling of the Sacred Law is now announced to those who said this, there is a fear that ignorance and self-will may flare up again and even more dangerous words may escape their tongues.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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