Assalaamu alaykum. If someone commits Kufr (disbelief) by saying that something that is wrong is the right thing or by stating that something is permissible when it is impermissible, then for his repentance to be accepted, does he have to correct this statement in front of whomever he had said it to?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Speaking about Allaah without knowledge is one of the greatest grave, major sins. Allaah says (what means): {Say: My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allaah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allaah that which you do not know.} [Quran 7:33]

It is an obligation on the one who issued a fatwa without knowledge or who stated that something is permissible when it is impermissible, or vice versa, to repent to Allaah. Among the requirements of perfect repentance is that he should try to correct his mistake by clarifying it to those to whom he issued the fatwa.

As regards considering such a person a Kaafir (disbeliever) because of what is mentioned, then the doer is not considered a Kaafir (he does not go out of the fold of Islam), even if he did not correct his mistake to those whom he issued the fatwa to. Rather, he goes out of the fold of Islam if he believes in the prohibition of what is lawful or in the lawfulness of what is prohibited in Islam.

You should know that accusing someone of committing Kufr is a serious matter and that the principle in regard to a particular person is that he does not go out of the fold of Islam except after having fulfilled the conditions of considering him a non-Muslim while there are no impediments to declaring him as such.

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah commented on the verse (which reads): {They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allaah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.} [Quran 9:31]; saying:

 “Whoever obeys someone in a sharee'ah that Allaah did not legislate like making what is forbidden lawful or prohibiting what is lawful, or making something recommended or obligatory, while it is not so, then he gets part of this dispraise [that is mentioned in the verse], in the same manner that the one who legislates [who orders or prohibits] gets this dispraise. However, each one of them may be forgiven, so the dispraise is not confirmed because its condition is not fulfilled, or due to the existence of an impediment which prevents it, even though what requires the dispraise exists. The dispraise falls on the one to whom the truth is made clear and who did not follow it or did not endeavor to know it; so it was not clear to him, or that he resented seeking the truth because of following personal inclination or laziness and so forth.”

For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 8106.

Allaah knows best.