Who is the disbeliever (kafir)? Is it only someone who does not bear witness that there is no god but Allah, or does it include everyone described as having kufr (disbelief) in the hadiths, such as "the one who abandons prayer is a kafir"? And who is the evildoer (fasiq)? Is it someone who has left the religion, or does it include everyone described as having fisq (evil-doing) in the Qur'an and hadiths, such as "abusing a Muslim is fisq"? And who is the hypocrite (munafiq)? Is it someone who entered the religion out of fear, or can a Muslim be a hypocrite unknowingly despite his acts of obedience due to a sin he does not abandon? And who is the disobedient (ʿaṣī)? Is the disobedient person a hypocrite?
Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 2026
Kufr (disbelief) is of two types: major kufr which expels one from the fold of Islam, and minor kufr which does not. Similarly, fisq (disobedience) and nifaq (hypocrisy) each have a major form and a minor form. As for the disobedient person (al-'aasi): he is one who deviates from obedience to the Sharia, but he does not exit the fold of Islam as long as he does not consider the act of disobedience to be permissible. These terms may overlap, and discussing them requires knowledge and proof from the Quran and Sunnah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported
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