Question:

According to the scholar Ibn Qayyim, is there more than being a believer and a disbeliever?

Answer:

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah writes:

قوله ولا يخلو من مات في الفترة من أن يكون كافرا أو غير كافر فإن كان كافرا فإن الله حرم الجنة على الكافرين وإن كان معذورا بأنه لم يأته رسول فكيف يؤمر باقتحام النار جوابه من وجوه أحدها  أن يقال هؤلاء لا يحكم لهم بكفر ولا إيمان فإن الكفر هو جحود ما جاء به الرسول فشرط تحققه بلوغ الرسالة  والإيمان هو تصديق الرسول فيما أخبر وطاعته فيما أمر وهذا أيضا مشروط ببلوغ الرسالة ولا يلزم من انتفاء أحدهما وجود الآخر إلا بعد قيام سببه فلما لم يكن هؤلاء في الدنيا كفارا ولا مؤمنين كان لهم في الآخرة حكم آخر غير حكم الفريقين فإن قيل فأنتم تحكمون لهم بأحكام الكفار في الدنيا من التوارث والولاية  والمناكحة قيل إنما نحكم لهم بذلك في أحكام الدنيا لا في الثواب والعقاب كما تقدم بيانه الوجه الثاني سلمنا أنهم كفار لكن انتفاء العذاب عنهم لانتفاء شرطه وهو قيام الحجة عليهم فإن الله تعالى لا يعذب إلا من قامت عليه حجته

“As for the established statement: “There is no one who died in the intermediate space except that he is an disbeliever (kafir) or not an disbeliever. So if he was an disbeliever (kafir), Allah has denied Paradise to the disbelievers, and if he was excused because no messenger came to him, how could he be ordered to be thrown into the fire?” This is how you answer them from different aspects. One is to say: ” About these, one does not speak the judgment of disbelief (kufr) nor of faith (iman), because disbelief is the denial (juhud) of what the messenger (s.) brought and the condition of its realization is that the message is delivered and faith is the confirmation of the messenger (s.) with regard to what he brought and obedience to him with regard to what he communicated,what he commanded, and that also presupposes that the message is delivered, and the absence of one does not necessarily mean the presence of the other, except after his mediation has been implemented. Thus, if those in this world (Dunya) were neither disbelievers (Kafir) nor believers (Mu’min), in the hereafter (Akhirah) they will receive a different judgement that will not correspond to the judgement of the two categories. Should we then say: “Do you apply to them in this world the judgments (Ahkam) for the disbelievers with regard to inheritance, guardianship and marriage?” So it is said: “We apply to them these judgments in this world, but make no judgment of (their) reward or (their) punishment, as was already explained before. The second aspect is that even if we agree that they are disbelievers (Kafir), their punishment is nevertheless negated, because the precondition for this is lacking, which is that the proof is presented to them, for God does not punish anyone unless the proof is presented to him.” [Ahkam Ahl Adh-Dhimmah, pages 1156 – 1157]