All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
Conveying disbelief is a serious matter that must be carefully considered. This is because conveying disbelief can create doubt and mislead those who are weak in their faith and knowledge. One must also consider the impact of conveying such disbelief on the listener or reader. The one who conveys disbelief must deny it and believe in its falsehood. If they believe what they are saying and conveying, then they themselves become a disbeliever, and the rulings for apostates will apply to them. Insulting the religion is forbidden and the person who does so is considered an apostate. Whoever hears such a statement should advise the person who made it in the hope that they will repent and return to Islam. If they do not repent, their case should be referred to a judge for punishment.
Imam al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: "Whoever conveys the Shahada (testimony of faith) by saying, 'I heard so-and-so say: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,' does not become a Muslim without dispute, because he is merely conveying what he heard. Similarly, a Muslim does not become a disbeliever by conveying the words of a disbeliever."
Likewise, a person does not become a disbeliever if they mistakenly utter a word of disbelief. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant when he repents to Him than any of you would be if he had lost his mount in a desert wilderness with his food and drink on it, and he had despaired of it. Then he came to a tree and lay down in its shade, having despaired of his mount. Then, while he was in that state, behold, it was standing by him. So he took hold of its reins and said, out of great joy, 'O Allah, You are my servant and I am your Lord.' He erred due to excessive joy." {Reported by Muslim}.
It should be known that whoever conveys a word of disbelief from another without a need to convey it, and without any reason to recount it, while knowing that it is disbelief, then it is feared that what Imam Ibn Nujaym, may Allah have mercy upon him, said will apply to them: 'In conclusion, whoever speaks a word of disbelief jokingly or playfully is considered a disbeliever by consensus, and no consideration is given to their belief, as Qadi Khan clearly stated in his fatwas. Moreover, whoever speaks it mistakenly or under compulsion is not considered a disbeliever by consensus and whoever speaks it knowingly and intentionally is considered a disbeliever by consensus.'
In conclusion, whoever utters a word of disbelief by mistake, under compulsion, or by merely conveying it, while denying it and not believing in it, is not considered a disbeliever, and the rulings of apostasy do not apply to them. It is not permissible to convey disbelief except for a necessary reason, such as testifying against its doer, warning against it, refuting disbelief, or responding to doubts. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
