A brief transciption from Aboo Uthmaan’s blog
Originally By Dr. Saleh as-Saleh
Transcribed by Aboo Uthmaan [1] & [2]
Shaykh-ul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:
“Some of the people believe that the one born into Islam and does not fall into kufr is better than the one who was a disbeliever and (later on) accepted Islam, this is incorrect. The criterion is in the outcome (meaning the one who is qualified with more taqwa of Allaah regarding the outcome is better). This is because it is known that the early ones from the muhajireen and the ansaar who believed in Allaah and His Messenger (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) after they were disbelievers are better than those who were born into Islam from their children, from their offspring or other than their offspring.
The one who knew the evil and tasted it and then knew the good and tasted it, his knowledge of the good and his love of it and his knowledge of the evil and his hate for it is more perfect from the one who did not know the good and the evil, nor did he taste them as tasted by the other one (the one who was a disbeliever and accepted Islam). The one who did not know except the good, the evil may encounter him and he may not know that it is evil, he may either fall in it or he may not reject it like the one who knew it.†(Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, Vol. 10, P.300)
Transcribers Footnotes:
[1] You can listen to the recorded audio lecture of the Shaykh’s talk at: www.understand-islam.net
[2] NB: This is not a verbatim transcription