Assalaamu alaykum. During our life, we may have uttered words of Kufr (disbelief) and may have done acts of Kufr. We may have uttered a word without realizing that it takes one out of the fold of Islam. Can we renew our faith every day by repenting to Allah and repeating the testimony of faith? I am asking these questions because, nowadays, we sings songs which contains clear-cut Kufr, and due to ignorance, we do acts which take us out of the fold of Islam. In my locality, most of us are not serious about the religion and do many acts that may amount to Kufr. So what should I do if I see someone say a word of Kufr or perform an act of Kufr? Should I declare him to be a disbeliever, or should I advice him to repeat the testimony of faith and repent to Allah as a precaution?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

There are matters that we must clarify in order to answer your question:

First, the basic principle is that the person whose Islam is established with certainty cannot be declared a Kaafir (disbeliever) except with certainty. No Muslim is declared to be out of the fold of Islam based on mere doubts, and no Muslim is required to renew his faith and repeat the testimony of faith because he suspects that he might have committed one of the invalidators of Islam. Please, refer to fatwa 323593.

Second, opening the door to Waswaas (obsessive whispers) in the matter of Kufr and Takfeer (declaring one to be a Kaafir) incurs immense evil and serious dilemmas; the basic principle is to block this door to avoid potential evils.

Third, if a Muslim commits an act of Kufr that takes the doer out of the fold of Islam while being ignorant of the relevant ruling, he is not declared a Kaafir until he is informed of the relevant religious ruling beyond the excuse of ignorance or reasonable doubt. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 343903.

Fourth, it is an obligation to give advice to the Muslim who utters words of Kufr or commits an act of Kufr and to explain the religious ruling in this regard and the need to repent to Allah and regret the sin which he committed to him. Verily, this is the most important part of forbidding evil which is required of the Muslim. It is impermissible to refrain from changing this evil if one is able to change it, on the condition that the person whom one is forbidding has actually uttered a statement or committed an act that takes the doer out of the fold of Islam.

Allah knows best.