This excerpt is taken from the book of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
Be cautious in issuing a fatwa of disbelief:
In this issue, the trust is in Sayyiduna Imam Malik and others, and the practice of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما. In any matter, if half of the Muslims hold one opinion, then its status will be like other disputed issues. If someone's personal opinion is declared as religion and those who oppose it are considered punishable, and they are declared disbelievers, then this is against the consensus of the Muslims.
Now, in the mentioned issue, if someone opposes the Messenger of Allah and issues a fatwa of disbelief against others, then the truth is that the one who opposes the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, the consensus of the Companions, and the scholars of the Ummah is actually a disbeliever. We do not declare any Muslim a disbeliever due to error in this or other issues, but if, hypothetically, the one who errs is declared a disbeliever, then the one who opposes the Book and Sunnah, the consensus of the Companions, and the consensus of the scholars of the Ummah is more deserving of disbelief than the one who follows the Book, Sunnah, the noble Companions, the righteous predecessors of the Ummah, and the great Imams. The noble Imams themselves have explained the difference between commanding and forbidding under the supervision of the Noble Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم and in other issues.
