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The question

Is someone who utters the Shahada while ignorant of its meaning and implications, and of the pillars of Tawhid, considered a Muslim if he performs the apparent pillars of Islam and grew up in Dar al-Islam?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

To establish a person's Islam outwardly and treat them as a Muslim, their utterance of the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) suffices, based on the Almighty's saying: (O you who have believed, when you go forth [to fight] in the cause of Allah, investigate, and do not say to one who offers you [a greeting of] peace, "You are not a believer") An-Nisa (94), and the Hadith of Usamah ibn Zayd regarding his killing of someone who said "La ilaha illa Allah." Outward rulings are based on this. Then, the person demonstrates their submission to the rituals of Islam, such as establishing prayer and giving zakat, based on the Hadith: "I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah." Outward faith does not necessarily entail inward faith, as hypocrites were outwardly believers like Muslims. For Islam to be realized both outwardly and inwardly, the seven conditions of the word of Tawhid must be met, in knowledge and in practice, not merely by memorizing its words. What matters is the meaning and the action, not just memorization, and most common folk do not know the details of the conditions, but they affirm their meanings through action and submission to the Sharia. Judging the inner states of individuals and the reality of their faith belongs to Allah alone, not to His servants.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy