The essence of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah
Takfir (excommunication)
Takfir is the judgment that a responsible person is an unbeliever.
This applies whether it is original disbelief, like that of a Jew or a Christian,
or if a Muslim apostatizes from Islam
by committing an act that nullifies faith.
And takfir is Allah's right alone.
It has nothing to do with personal inclination, desire, or whim.
It only occurs when its conditions are met and its impediments are absent,
such as coercion, error, ignorance, or misinterpretation.
And Ahl al-Sunnah are moderate in takfir, between the Khawarij,
who excommunicate for every sin,
without regard for conditions and impediments,
and the Murji'ah, who judge an action as disbelief
but do not excommunicate the specific doer,
unless they openly deny it and deem it permissible.
For them, there is no disbelief of refusal and arrogance,
nor disbelief of mockery.
It is sufficient for them that one utters the two testimonies of faith,
for them to become a Muslim,
even if the actions and words of the heart are absent,
even if all types of deeds are absent.
So Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah do not excommunicate for every sin.
They only excommunicate for the sin for which the texts state it is disbelief,
such as abandoning prayer absolutely,
and ruling by other than what Allah has revealed,
and reviling the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and reviling his religion,
and so forth.
And they do not excommunicate a specific individual
unless the conditions for their excommunication are met and the impediments are absent.
And they do not limit this to denial and deeming permissible,
because disbelief, according to Ahl al-Sunnah, occurs through numerous matters.
Among them is belief,
such as believing that Allah has a peer and partner in His Lordship, Divinity, or Names and Attributes.
And among them is deeming the forbidden as permissible.
So deeming sins permissible is disbelief in itself, even if the one who deems it permissible does not commit them.
And deeming permissible is not a condition for disbelief
except in sins that are less than disbelief and polytheism.
As for actions that are disbelief and polytheism,
such as prostrating to an idol or reviling the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
the permissibility of performing them is not a prerequisite for deeming their doer an unbeliever.
Rather, they are described as such merely by performing them, even if they do not deem it permissible.
As long as the conditions have been met and the impediments have been absent.
And disbelief occurs through the tongue, such as reviling Allah and His Messenger,
praising polytheism, reviling prophets and angels, and mocking the divine law.
And disbelief occurs through action, such as one who fights prophets,
aids disbelievers against Muslims, or insults the Qur'an,
and slaughters or prostrates to other than Allah, or legislates apart from Allah.
The essence of the concepts of Ahl al-Sunnah