Are Christians excused by reason of ignorance or for distorting the image of Islam, or do they fall under the ruling of disbelievers, and is only he who has not received the message at all excused by reason of ignorance?

The argument is established against a non-Muslim if the call to Islam reaches them in a clear and understandable manner. However, we cannot definitively rule on the excuse or the establishment of the argument for all people and specific individuals. Among them are those against whom the argument is certainly established, some who are excused, and some whose case is debatable, yet all of them are judged as disbelievers in this world.

Al-Ghazali divided the state of non-Muslims in the hereafter into three categories: 1. A category whom the name of Muhammad (peace be upon him) never reached at all: These are excused. 2. A category whom his name, description, and miracles reached, such as those neighboring Islamic lands and interacting with Muslims: These are infidels and atheists. 3. A category whom only his name reached, and they received false and distorted information about him: These are similar to the first excused category.

The people of the Fatrah (interval period between prophets) are saved because the call did not reach them. However, the more prevalent opinion is that whoever among them was a monotheist is among the saved, and whoever was a polytheist will be tested in the plains of resurrection.