What is the authenticity of the hadith: "Indeed, among what I fear for you is a man who recites the Qur'an, until when his splendor is seen upon him, and his garment is Islam, he is overcome, as Allah wills, then he sheds it and casts it behind his back, and he sets upon his neighbor with the sword and accuses him of polytheism"? And is the one accused or the accuser more deserving of the charge of polytheism?

One must be extremely cautious about declaring a Muslim to be an infidel (kafir). One of the reasons for concern regarding Muslims is when one of them accuses his brother of disbelief. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "If any man says to his brother, 'O disbeliever,' then it will apply to one of them. If it is as he said, then it is so; otherwise, it will return to him." This warning applies to someone who groundlessly declares a Muslim to be an infidel. However, if the accused is truly deserving of the accusation, there is no blame on the accuser. Nevertheless, it is not permissible to declare a Muslim an infidel until the legal proof (hujjah shar’iyyah) is established against him and all impediments (mawani’) are removed. While a person may be excused due to ignorance or misinterpretation, the act itself may be described as disbelief (kufr) or polytheism (shirk). Therefore, it is necessary to clarify that the act violates the law of Allah so that people may be warned against it.