Likewise, declaring a believer to be a disbeliever is an act of disbelief, as the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘If a man says to his brother, “O disbeliever,” then one of th

This approach was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions after him. They did not declare individuals disbelievers in cases of misinterpretation, and there are numerous examples to illustrate this. 3⃣. الخطأ والنسيان Mistake and forgetfulness are considered preventatives of takfir. Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: «ثمَّ الْإِنْسَان قد يبلغ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يعرف الحق في المسائل الخبرية الاعتقادية وَفِي الْمَسَائِل العملية الاقتصادية والله سُبْحَانَهُ قد تجاوز لِهَذِهِ الأمة عَنِ الْخَطَأَ وَالنِّسْيَان بقوله تَعَالَى: ﴿ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ﴾ [البقرة:٢٨٦]» "A person may reach a point where they are unaware of the truth regarding doctrinal matters of belief or practical rulings of religion. Allāh, glorified and exalted be He, has pardoned this nation for errors and forgetfulness, as indicated in His statement: ‘Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake’ [Al-Baqarah: 286]." [Al-Istiqāmah (1/26)] Additionally, the Prophet ﷺ said: ((إِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ تَجَاوَزَ عَنْ أُمَّنِي الْخَطَاً، وَالنَّسْيَانَ، وَمَا اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْهِ)) "Indeed, Allāh has pardoned for my Ummah errors, forgetfulness, and what they are coerced to do." [Narrated by Ibn Mājah, 2043, and authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih Ibn Majah] In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said: ((اللَّهُ أَشَدُّ فَرَحًا بِنَوْبَةِ عَبْدِهِ حِينَ يَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَحَدِكُمْ كَانَ عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ بِأَرْضِ فَلَاةٍ، فَانْفَلَتَتْ مِنْهُ، وَعَلَيْهَا طَعَامُهُ وَشَرَابُهُ، فَأَبِسَ مِنْهَا، فَأَتَي شَجَرَةً فَاضْطَجَعَ فِي ظِلُّهَا قَدْ أَيسَ مِنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ، فَبَيْنَا هُوَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا هُوَ بِهَا قَائِمَةٌ عِنْدَهُ، فَأَخَذَ بِخِطَامِهَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ عَبْدِي، وَأَنَا رَبُّكَ أَخْطَأَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْفَرَحِ)). "Allāh is more pleased with the repentance of His servant when he repents to Him than one of you who was on his camel in a desolate desert and it ran away from him, carrying his food and drink. He despaired of finding it and came to a tree to lie down in its shade, having lost all hope of retrieving it. While in that state, suddenly he finds it standing before him. He takes hold of its reins and, overcome with joy, exclaims: 'O Allāh, You are my servant, and I am Your Lord,' making a mistake out of extreme happiness." [Narrated by Muslim, 2747, on the authority of Anas ibn Malik. Al-Bukhari also narrated it, 6309, without mentioning the full story]. 4⃣. الإكراه Coercion is one of the preventatives of takfir. If a person utters or performs an act of disbelief under duress, they are not considered a disbeliever, provided the condition of coercion is met. This is agreed upon by scholars, and the evidence for this is the saying of Allah, the Most High: ﴿مَن كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَنِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَنُ بِالْإِيمَنِ وَلَكِن مِّن شَرَحَ بالكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾ "Whoever disbelieves in Allāh after his belief, except for one who is coerced while his heart is at rest with faith, but whoever opens his heart to disbelief—upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment." [An-Nahl: 106]. A beautiful summary of this topic is found in the words of Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm, who outlined and cited the consensus on this issue. He said: