Question:

We hear and read the expression ‘freedom of thought,’ and it is a call to freedom of belief; what are your comments regarding this?

Response:

Our comment on this is that anyone who declares it permissible for a person to have freedom of belief, that he is free to believe whatever religion he wishes is a disbeliever.  Everyone who believes that it is permissible for someone to follow a religion other than the religion of Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) is a disbeliever in Allaah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, who must repent, and if he does so, (all well and good) but if not, then he must be executed.

Religions are not ideas, they are revelation from Allaah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, which He sends down to His Messengers in order that His worshippers follow it.  This word, I mean the word concept, by which it is intended religion, should be removed from the vocabularies of Islamic books, because it leads to this false meaning.  That is, it is said about Islam that it is a concept; and that An-Nasraniyyah is a concept and that Judaism is a concept; and by An-Nasraniyyah, I mean what its followers call Al-Maseehiyah (Christianity).  This leads to the idea that all types of Legislation are simply earthly ideas or concepts which are embraced by those people who wish to do so.  Whereas the fact is that the Heavenly Religions are Heavenly Religions from Allaah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful which mankind must believe to be Revelation from Allaah, by which His creatures worship Him, and it is not permissible to describe them as ideas.

In short, whoever believed that it is permissible for a person to follow any religion he wishes, and that he is free in what he follows, then such person is a disbeliever in Allaah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, because Allaah, the Most High says:

“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him.” (Aal’ Imran 3:85)

And He says:

“Truly, the religion with Allaah is Islam” (Aal’ Imran 3:19)

So, it is not permissible for anyone to believe that a religion other than Islam is permissible, that it is allowed for a person to worship by it.  In fact, if he believes this, then the scholars have declared that he is a disbeliever, who is outside the pale of Islam.

Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen

Fatawa Arkan-ul-Islam vol 1

pg-291-92 (Q110)