The ignorant person is not excused from the basics of the Creed, and he is not excused if he falls into blasphemy because of his lack of care about the Religion. Had ignorance excused one from punishment, then ignorance would have been better than knowledge, and this is against the Saying of Allah the Exalted:
﴿قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ﴾
[which means] “[O Muhammad,] are the people who know equal to the people who do not know?”
However, whoever was new to Islam, or similar to him, does not blaspheme for denying the obligation of the prayer, the prohibition of wine, and the like, if he never heard that this is the Religion of Islam.
The first obligation in reference to the family is teaching them the fundamentals of the Creed so that they would not fall into blasphemy by their ignorance of it. For instance, had they believed that Allah was a white, illuminated body, and reached puberty believing in that, and then died believing it, they will dwell in Hell as a result of their corrupted convictions. Al-Fudayl Ibn ^Iyad said: “Do not be enticed by the numbers of the doomed.” Is this ignorance of the Creed the result of one’s love for his children?
Allah the Exalted Said:
﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ﴾
[which means] “I have not Created the jinn and the humans except to worship Me.” The interpretation of the verse came as, “Allah did not Create the jinn and humans except to Order them to worship Him.” After the guidance came to us, which is the Messenger, and the evidence was established against us by him, we have no excuse. The Exalted Said:
﴿وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا﴾
[which means] “We do not Punish until sending a Messenger.”