Ibn Taymiyyah on Disbelief: Does an act of infidelity always necessitate Absolute Unbelief, Kufr Al-Akbar?

Ibn Taymiyyah writes in his book Majmu’ Al-Fatawa:

Excommunication (takfeer) is part of Allah’s threat (but not a promise), for even if a person denies something said by the Messenger he might be a man who is new to the teachings of Islam, or perhaps he lived in a
country far away or something else like that; this person does not become an unbeliever because of what he rejected until the proof is established upon him. Perhaps he has not heard the scriptural text, or he has heard of them but he has not firmly understood them, or they have been presented to him in a contradictory manner requiring an explanation, even though he is mistaken. I always mention the tradition in the two authentic books in which the man said: When I die, then burn me, cremate me and scatter my ashes into the sea, for indeed if Allah is able to punish me with a punishment unlike that received by anyone else among the worlds, He would surely do so. Allah asked him why he did that and he said:

خَشْيَتُك

I feared You.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 37, Number 6637]

So Allah forgave him. This man doubted the ability of Allah to resurrect him when he was turned to dust; rather, he believed Allah could not resurrect him and this is unbelief by the consensus of the Muslims but he was ignorant. He did not know that and he was a believer who feared that Allah would punish Him and so Allah forgave him for that.

Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

قال ابن تيمية وَالتَّكْفِيرُ هُوَ مِنْ الْوَعِيد فَإِنَّهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ تَكْذِيبًا لِمَا قَالَهُ الرَّسُولُ لَكِنْ قَدْ يَكُونُ الرَّجُلُ حَدِيثَ عَهْدٍ بِإِسْلَامِ أَوْ نَشَأَ بِبَادِيَةِ بَعِيدَةٍ وَمِثْلُ هَذَا لَا يَكْفُرُ بِجَحْدِ مَا يَجْحَدُهُ حَتَّى تَقُومَ عَلَيْهِ الْحُجَّةُ وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الرَّجُلُ لَا يَسْمَعُ تِلْكَ النُّصُوصَ أَوْ سَمِعَهَا وَلَمْ تَثْبُتْ عِنْدَهُ أَوْ عَارَضَهَا عِنْدَهُ مُعَارِضٌ آخَرُ أَوْجَبَ تَأْوِيلَهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ مُخْطِئًا وَكُنْت دَائِمًا أَذْكُرُ الْحَدِيثَ الَّذِي فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ فِي الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي قَالَ إذَا أَنَا مُتُّ فَأَحْرِقُونِي ثُمَّ اسْحَقُونِي ثُمَّ ذروني فِي الْيَمِّ فَوَاَللَّهِ لَئِنْ قَدَرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ لَيُعَذِّبَنِي عَذَابًا مَا عَذَّبَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ الْعَالَمِينَ فَفَعَلُوا بِهِ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مَا حَمَلَك عَلَى مَا فَعَلْت قَالَ خَشْيَتُك فَغَفَرَ لَهُ فَهَذَا رَجُلٌ شَكَّ فِي قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ وَفِي إعَادَتِهِ إذَا ذُرِّيَ بَلْ اعْتَقَدَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُعَادُ وَهَذَا كُفْرٌ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لَكِنْ كَانَ جَاهِلًا لَا يَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ وَكَانَ مُؤْمِنًا يَخَافُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُعَاقِبَهُ فَغَفَرَ لَهُ بِذَلِكَ

مجموع فتاوى ابن تيمية العقيدة كتاب مجمل اعتقاد السلف