It should be noted that, according to Sharīʿah, merely quoting words of disbelief (kalimāt al-kufr) does not in itself make a person a disbeliever — provided the intention is only narration, explanation, or academic clarification, and not belief, approval, or mockery.
Therefore, if someone quotes words of disbelief in such a way that it is clearly understood that this is not his own belief or creed, but rather he is only saying, “This is what the disbelievers say,” or “This is their belief,” then the ruling of disbelief does not apply to him.
However, if (Allah forbid) while quoting he shows faith in those words, approval from the heart, considers them correct, or utters them in mockery of the religion, then such a person would indeed fall into disbelief.
Evidences:
From the Qur’ān:
The Qur’ān itself has quoted the words of disbelievers:
The saying of Pharaoh:
“I am your highest lord.” (Sūrah al-Nāziʿāt 79:24)
The saying of the Jews:
“The Jews say: ʿUzayr is the son of Allah.” (Sūrah al-Tawbah 9:30)
These words of disbelief were quoted in the Qur’ān, but of course the Qur’ān came to refute them.
From the Sunnah:
The Prophet ﷺ also narrated the false statements of the disbelievers and polytheists to his Ummah, so that the difference between truth and falsehood would be made clear.
From the Fuqahāʾ (jurists):
In al-Shāmiyyah (vol. 6, p. 358, Dār ʿĀlam al-Kutub), it is mentioned:
“It is stated in al-Baḥr: Whoever speaks a word of disbelief in jest or while playing, he becomes a disbeliever according to all scholars, and his inner belief is of no consideration, as explicitly stated in al-Khāniyyah.”
