Wa Alaykum al-Salam
Shukran, for your question.
Sadly, a person has discarded the interpretation of Abdullah ibn Abbas with such haste. How can one boldly state that he, ibn Abbas, is wrong after the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) prayed for him, saying, “O Allah, give him understanding in the religion and teach him the interpretation of the Qur’an” (Musnad Ahmad)? Due to this, ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) became known in this ummah as “the interpreter of the Quran.”
Ibn Abbas’s interpretation of the verse, “And he who does not judge according to what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers” (Qur’an, 5:47) was the view adopted by the pious predecessors. He (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed the revelation of this verse and was thus able to provide a first-hand account of its meaning.
He said: “It is not disbelief which they are heading towards.” In another narration, he said: “[it is] a kind of disbelief which does not remove one from the faith” and “[it is] a disbelief other than absolute disbelief, an oppression other than absolute oppression and an inequity other than absolute iniquity” (Ta’dhim qadr al-Salah). The early scholars never challenged this interpretation of the verse, and it was only much later that some commentators on the Qur’an misinterpreted the verse to suit their political agendas.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of scholars who all hold the view that the disbelief mentioned in verse does not remove one from the fold of Islam:
1. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
2. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari
3. Ibn Abd al-Barr
3. Imam al-Qurtubi
4. Ibn al-Jawzi
5. Ibn Taymiyyah
Habib Ali al-Jifri has dedicated much of his time to correcting these incorrect understandings that have crept into society and serve as an impetus for killing and acts of terror. He launched the Sanad Network initiative, which contains well-researched articles on these topics, to address these challenges. This verse was discussed in the first issue. See here for more details: http://sanad.network/downloads/sanad-Deviance_Isssue_01_En.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3zl_O4S4Z0dtt1FrjTpSf9NfOiO53XAX6-8AZDNY68SoHNiHgdCz_bilY
And Allah knows best.
