Is one who is not convinced by Islam considered among the people of the Fatrah, or a disbeliever? And what is the ruling on doubting the disbelief of the people of the Fatrah? And what is the ruling on one who commits an act of shirk and is not convinced by advice, believing himself to be in the right?

Whoever does not believe that the religion of Islam is the truth is a disbeliever, because he denies the Sharia, based on the saying of Allah the Almighty: "Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam," and "And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers."

Ahl al-Fatra (people of the interval) are those whom the message did not reach, and they are of several types: some of them remained upon the natural disposition (fitra) and did not worship anyone other than Allah, like Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, so they are not ruled to be disbelievers. As for those among them who died upon disbelief, some scholars believe that they are not ruled to be in disbelief or faith, due to the message not reaching them. Some others believe that they are in Hellfire, but the preponderant opinion is that they will not be punished because the condition of establishing proof (hujjah) upon them was absent. As for one who commits an act of disbelief out of ignorance, the ruling is explained to him and the proof is established upon him. If he does not recant, he is then ruled to be a disbeliever. Ruling people as disbelievers is a task undertaken by scholars.