Did My Confused Friend Leave Islam?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

A friend of mine used to have doubts about Islam, and during this time, he claimed to be “half-agnostic and half-Muslim.” Alhamdulillah his doubts were recently dealt with, and he has started to pray again. Did this take him out of the fold of Islam, and is it necessary for him to take the shahada again?

Answer

I pray you are well.

No, he did not leave Islam, and he does not need to do anything to enter Islam again. I don’t think it possible to be half-agnostic, either. It seems like he was confused and needed clarity, so he expressed his state with these words.
Iman is a gift, and we owe thanks to Allah for it. A beautiful way to maintain this gift is the most frequent du’a of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) “O Turner of Hearts, make my heart firm on Your Religion.” [Tirmidhi]

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

May Allah grant us absolute certainty in the realities of faith.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.