Question
May Allah be good to you. He (the questioner) said—may Allah pardon you and may He be good to you, our esteemed Shaykh—regarding the issue of the excuse of ignorance, we have people here who worship graves and seek rescue from them—is this an excuse for them?
Answer
It is not an excuse. The one who circumambulates graves, worships graves, and calls upon them besides Allah is not excused while living among Muslims after the revelation of the Qur’an.
Allah the Exalted says: “And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).” [Al-Isra: 15], and the Messenger ﷺ has already been sent.
Allah the Exalted also says: “This Qur’an has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach.” [Al-An’am: 19], and whoever the Qur’an has reached, the proof has been established against them.
Rather, the one who is excused due to ignorance is someone regarding subtle, hidden matters that someone like them would genuinely not know.
As for clear matters concerning which Allah revealed the Qur’an, a person is not excused for associating partners with Allah, worshipping graves, and failing to ask about what was unclear to them.
If a person wants to buy a car or a house, they ask and consult experts, yet regarding their religion, they do not ask!
This core matter—for which Allah sent His Prophet ﷺ—leaves no room for excuse today while the Qur’an is being recited.
The fact that someone refuses to listen to the Qur’an, acts blindly and deafly, claims they have not heard the Qur’an, and turns away advisors who call to monotheism while saying “I am excused”—such a person is not excused.
The only ones excused are those facing subtle, hidden matters that someone of their background would typically not know.