The middle position of Ahl As-Sunna as regards appellations and rulings
related to anathematization (Takfîr)
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace
and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, upon his Family,
his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
Allah  has
honored the nation of Muhammad  and has made it justly balanced among all nations,
Allah said:
﴿æóßóÐóáößó
ÌóÚóáúäóÇßõãú ÃõãøóÉð æóÓóØÇð áøöÊóßõæäõæÇú ÔõåóÏóÇÁ Úóáóì ÇáäøóÇÓö æóíóßõæäó
ÇáÑøóÓõæáõ Úóáóíúßõãú ÔóåöíÏÇð﴾ [ÇáÈÞÑÉ : 143].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾Thus We have made you [true Muslims - real believers of Islamic Monotheism,
true followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal
ways)], a Wassat (just) (and the best) nation, that you be witnesses
over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad ) be a witness over you.﴿ [Al-Baqara (The Cow):
143].
The blessing of Allah upon Ahl-As-Sunna Wal-Jamâ`a (People of the
Sunna and the Community) is clear in the fact that He made them justly balanced
in this nation, just unlike all the other sects.
The middle position is a characteristic of Ahl As-Sunna as
regards creed, whereas, the other sects have made for themselves rules and submitted
the legal texts to them. They support their sayings by anything
that goes with their rules and reject what contradict them. Their ways are
whether of excess or laxity. Ahl-As-Sunna
Wal-Jamâ`a are, thus, the happiest people as a result of their accordance with truth
and rightness and because of their absolute submission to the texts of the Book
and the Sunna. They reject nothing of them nor do they contradict them by
anything, but they stop where the texts stop, without aggression or
transgression by choosing as arbitrators mental rules, opinions or logic analogical
reasoning, following thus the verse:
﴿íóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ
ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇ áÇó ÊõÞóÏøöãõæÇ Èóíúäó íóÏóíö Çááåö æóÑóÓõæáöåö æóÇÊøóÞõæÇ
Çááåó Åöäøó Çááåó ÓóãöíÚñ Úóáöíãñ﴾ [ÇáÍÌÑÇÊ: 1].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾O you who believe! Do not put (yourselves) forward before Allâh and His
Messenger (), and fear
Allâh. Verily! Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.﴿
[Al-Hujurât (The Dwellings): 1].
They follow a moderate guidance and a right path;
they abide by holding the middle position without excess or negligence, which
are the two characteristics of the other sects.
Moreover, among the aspects of the middle
position of Ahl As-Sunna, the moderateness in their dealing with appellations, rulings
, the promise of Paradise –Al-Wa`d- and the warning against hell –Al-Wa`îd-.
They are a middle among the Kharijites (Al-Khawârij) who consider the one who
commits a major sin as a disbeliever and that he will abide in hell, that he is
deprived completely of faith and that he will not benefit from Ash-Shafâ`a
(the intercession of the Prophet ) and the Mutazilites (Al-Mu`tazila), who
consider the one who commits a major sin between two positions, he is not a
believer nor is he a disbeliever, he will abide in hell but the punishment that
will touch him will be less than that of the disbelievers, and the Murjites
(Al-Murji'a) who consider that a believer remains with the same faith even if
he commits sins, as his obedience is not worth if he is a disbeliever, it means
that committing major sins –for them- does not effect the faith of a believer,
he remains with a full faith, and the faith of a miscreant, that of Prophets and
that of the righteous is the same, it does not increase nor diminish.
Anathematization (Takfîr) is a legal ruling and a right of Allah
Alone
Charging someone with Kufr (disbelief) is definitely
a judgment of which strength and influence derive from the Islamic Sharia
reference. The establishment of its judgment is only based on the criterion of
the Islamic Law founded on the Noble Book, the Sunna and the understanding of the
righteous Predecessors. Charging someone with disbelief is, therefore, an
exclusive right belonging to Allah Alone; none of His servants has any part of
it.
From this basis derives the fact that Ahl-As-Sunna-Wal-Jamâ`a
do not judge according to their whims, but charge with disbelief the one whose disbelief
is established by a proof from the Book and the Sunna. They do not accuse of disbelief
a Muslim who sins as Al-Khawârij do, they do not judge a miscreant as
having no faith completely and consider that he will not abide in hell forever,
not as Al-Mu`tazila do. The Sunnis' belief however, for the one who has
committed a major sin and disobedience, is that they consider him as being a
believer according to his faith and a wicked person because of his major sin or
a believer of weak faith; therefore he is not given the absolute name (of
believer) and is not completely divested of this name (believer).
Abu `Uthmân As-Sâbuni ÑÍãå Çááå - - said: "Ahl As-Sunna believe that if
a believer sins, whether by committing many sins, be they major or minor, he is
not considered a disbeliever, and if he dies without repenting, he is under the
Will of Allah, as long as he dies with the creed of Tauhîd (Islamic
monotheism) and that he dedicates his worship sincerely to Allah. Therefore,
Allah may forgive him and make him enter Paradise in the Day of Resurrection safe
and rewarded (for his good deeds) without the torture of Hell and without being
punished for his committed sins till the Day of Resurrection, or punish him and
torture him for a certain while by the hellfire, but if He punishes him, he will not let him in
Hell forever but will take him from it and put him in the eternal abode (Paradise)".
Also, Ahl-As-Sunna Wal-Jamâ`a do not accuse of disbelief
those who differ with them only because of the disagreement in points of view,
but they believe in the seventy-two sects, which are contrary to Ahl As-Sunna Wal-Jamâ`a,
and that their judgment is the one of those who are under the threat of the
punishment with those, of this nation, who have committed major sins and
disobedience and are qualified as being Muslims in this world, and under
Allah's Will in the Hereafter; He either, by His Mercy, forgives them or, by
His Justice, punishes them and their final fate then will be Paradise. Ibn
Taymiyya said after mentioning Al-Khawârij: "If those whose deviation is
evident by texts (from the Book and the Sunna) or by consensus (of the
scholars) are not disbelievers, though Allah and His Prophet ordained us to fight against them, so how about
the different other sects who have not distinguished between what is good and
what is evil in issues in which more knowledgeable people were mistaken? It is
not permissible for any of these sects to charge another of disbelief or consider
its blood and money lawful, even though it (the sect) commits evident innovations,
so how about the sect who charges the others of disbelief if it is itself committing
innovations -Bida`- ?! Its innovation may be even more despicable.
Generally, they are all ignorant of the reality of their divergences".
Speaking about the innovators of the seventy-two sects, Ibn Taymiyya considered
them as being Muslims, and the punishment they incur is similar to that of
major sinners, this view is also that of some of the Salaf (Predecessors)
and the Imams. Ibn Taymiyya – ÑÍãå Çááå – said: "…If they are not disbelievers, then, they will
not be hypocrites, so they will be believers. It is therefore permissible to
ask Allah to forgive them and be Merciful towards them. If a believer says then:
"Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith",
he means every one who preceded him in faith among the epochs of this Nation,
even though he misinterpreted something and contradicted the Sunna or committed
a sin, he is still considered among his brethren who preceded him in faith. The
seventy-two sects are included in this generality. In fact, each sect contains
many followers who are not disbelievers, but believers who committed
aberrations and sins which make them incur the punishment, as the believers who
committed disobedience incur punishment. In addition, the Prophet considered them among his
Nation and did not qualify them as being disbelievers, he did not say: they
will abide in hellfire forever. This is a great principle which should be
respected.
The distinction between generalization and specification in charging with
disbelief
Ahl As-Sunna Wal Jamâ`a distinguish between the
generalization and the specification in the establishment of disbelief
judgment, because it would be possible that the act or speech is considered disbelief
in itself but the concerned person cannot be judged to be a disbeliever until
the proof of the Islamic Law is established on him and until he is enlightened
on all suspicions to which he may become attached to. Therefore, they do not
attest that any person of those of the same direction (of prayer: Makkah.i.e.
Muslims) that his fate is Fire, because he may not be attained by the threat of
the punishment for lack of its condition or the presence of an impediment at
the person.
They accuse of disbelief only with clear evidence from the Sharia and after
considering its causes; among them:
That the words of disbelief he utters are pronounced willingly.
That his words imply disbelief, and when they are exposed to him, he does not
deny them. That the truth is made clear for him by evident proofs. That some
elements that could be excuses for him and which change the ruling should be
absent, namely: the person should not be in a state of absentmindedness which
is due to dementia or something alike. That he is a new convert to Islam, or he
could not have religious knowledge through scholars but only through innovators
he asked and took as examples. That he has no access to Koranic and Sunna
texts, as someone raised in a far-off land. That he knows hadiths Âhâd
but he considers them invalid, or he was unable to understand, or he has
understood them but he has found something that contradict them which made him
ill interpret them or something alike among the different impediment.
The distinction between a Mujtahid (studious one) who committed a
mistake and a stubborn Mujtahid.
Ahl-As Sunna Wal Jamâ`a, also, make the difference between
the one who made the effort to reach the truth and then went wrong; a justified
mistake which is, therefore, forgiven, and the one who persists (in his
wrongness) after the truth was shown to him, to contradict arguments and texts
of the Islamic Law, disobeys the Messenger and follows another path rather than
the one of believers, thus, the qualifying “disbeliever” sticks to him.
Finally, the case of the one who disregards to look for the truth and pursues
his desire and is, then, an evil person and a sinner. Sheik Al-Islâm Ibn Taymiyya
– ÑÍãå
Çááå – said: “The Companions
of the Prophet as
well as all Imams of Muslims agree on the fact that it is not all person having
said a speech and went wrong is judged disbeliever, even though his speech is contrary
to the Sunna. In fact, to judge disbeliever all offending is contrary to the consensus
of scholars”.
He - ÑÍãå Çááå - also said to affirm the previous rule:
"With regard to the judgment of disbelief: the truth is that whoever of Muhammad's
nation, has made the effort
while aiming the truth and then after goes wrong is not judged disbeliever but on
the contrary his mistake is forgiven, and whoever of which what the Messenger
brought is revealed to him clear and disobeys the Messenger after guidance is
shown to him and follows another path rather than the one of believers is
therefore a disbeliever, and whoever pursues his desire and disregards to look
for the truth and speaks without knowledge is a disobedient and sinner, and
will be probably a wicked person, or may own good actions that will weigh more and
will get the upper hand of his bad ones".
Thus, from the set of the previous foundations of Ahl
As-Sunna Wal-Jamâ`a are revealed the happy medium and the moderation in this
sensitive matter and in other issues of belief where a lot of conceptions got
lost and are stumbled, and it is one of the advantages of Ahl As-Sunna Wal-Jamâ`a
of which Allah ÊÚÇáì preserved in these questions and guided
them to the way of the happy medium and the moderation; they show and
demonstrate the mistake of someone but they charge of disbelief none of those
of the same direction (the Qibla) because of any sin. But on the contrary, the
fraternity remains constant in spite of disobedience and sins. Ahl As-Sunna are
characterized by knowledge, equity and mercy. They know the truth which is in
conformity with the Sunna and which is devoid of innovations, they are
equitable with those who are far from Sunna even if they harm them. They are
merciful towards people and wish them guidance and righteousness, contrarily to
people of excess who charge easily people of disbelief and who are
characterized by ignorance and injustice, who charge with disbelief believers. They
are also opposed to people of excess whose errors come from their ignorance of
the meaning of faith, who, in the other hand, are in the side of negligence as
regards anathematization. They in fact, consider people who disbelieved as
believers. Among the causes of excess and negligence, the fact of not relying
on the Book and the Sunna, mixing truth with falsehood, the fact of making no
distinction between what is Sunna and what is innovation (Bid`a), following
but a guess and that which they themselves desire and the false interpretation.
Then Allah, by His Leave, guided those who believed to the truth of that
wherein they differed. And Allah guides whom He wills to a Straight Path.
Warning against charging a Muslim with disbelief
Verses and hadiths are clear in the case of preserving the
honor and the reputation of believers and Muslims as well as in protecting their
religion, and warn severely against charging a Muslim with disbelief whereas he
is innocent of such a judgment, Allah said:
﴿íóÇ ÃóíøõåóÇ
ÇáøóÐöíäó ÂãóäõæÇú ÅöÐóÇ ÖóÑóÈúÊõãú Ýöí ÓóÈöíáö Çááøåö ÝóÊóÈóíøóäõæÇú æóáÇó
ÊóÞõæáõæÇú áöãóäú ÃóáúÞóì Åöáóíúßõãõ ÇáÓøóáÇóãó áóÓúÊó ãõÄúãöäÇð ÊóÈúÊóÛõæäó
ÚóÑóÖó ÇáúÍóíóÇÉö ÇáÏøõäúíóÇ ÝóÚöäÏó Çááøåö ãóÛóÇäöãõ ßóËöíÑóÉñ ßóÐóáößó ßõäÊõã
ãøöä ÞóÈúáõ Ýóãóäøó Çááøåõ Úóáóíúßõãú ÝóÊóÈóíøóäõæÇú Åöäøó Çááøåó ßóÇäó ÈöãóÇ
ÊóÚúãóáõæäó ÎóÈöíÑÇð﴾ [ÇáäÓÇÁ : 94].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾O
you who believe! When you go (to fight) in the Cause of Allâh, verify (the
truth), and say not to anyone who greets you (by embracing Islâm): "You
are not a believer"; seeking the perishable goods of the worldly life.
There are much more profits and booties with Allâh. Even as he is now, so were
you yourselves before till Allâh conferred on you His Favours (i.e. guided you
to Islâm), therefore, be cautious in discrimination. Allâh is Ever Well-Aware
of what you do.﴿ [An-Nisâ´
(The Woman):94].
He also
said:
﴿æóÇáøóÐöíäó
íõÄúÐõæäó ÇáúãõÄúãöäöíäó æóÇáúãõÄúãöäóÇÊö ÈöÛóíúÑö ãóÇ ÇßúÊóÓóÈõæÇ ÝóÞóÏö
ÇÍúÊóãóáõæÇ ÈõåúÊóÇäÇð æóÅöËúãÇð ãøõÈöíäÇð﴾ [ÇáÃÍÒÇÈ :
58].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾And
those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear (on themselves)
the crime of slander and plain sin.﴿ [Al-Ahzâb (The Confederates): 58)].
The Prophet said:
“If somebody accuses another of wickedness or disbelief, such an accusation
will revert to him (the former) particularly if his companion (the latter) is
not so”.
The Prophet also
said: "Whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, then his sin will be as
if he killed him. If somebody curses a believer, then his sin will be as if he
murdered him".
If the fact of accusing a believer of disbelief with the sole
intention of insulting him is equivalent to killing him, then what to say about
charging him with disbelief by way of creed? Ibn Taymiyya - ÑÍãå Çááå - said: "This
is undoubtedly more serious than killing him, it is permissible to kill each
disbeliever, but not anyone that deserves killing is a disbeliever",
because charging a believer wrongfully with disbelief is finding fault with
Faith itself. It is even forbidden to think ill and speak amiss of a believer,
so how about charging him with disbelief and apostasy?!
The great danger of charging a Muslim with disbelief
It is, therefore, the duty of the Muslim to refrain from
this serious issue without being well-versed in the knowledge of the Islamic
Law because of the size of the subject. Ash-Shaukâni said:
"Know that it is not proper for a Muslim who believes
in Allah and the Last Day to charge a Muslim with disbelief save with a proof
clearer than the daylight, it is in fact reported in many authentic hadiths narrated
by a group of Companions that: "If a man says to his brother "Oh
disbeliever (Kâfir) ! then, for sure, one of them is so". It
is not also permissible for him to charge someone with disbelief by way of his
passion without sound reasoning nor by following rules which stipulate that such
person is a disbeliever if he contradicts them, since charging someone with
disbelief is a legal ruling in which the legal proof should be taken always into
consideration.
Ibn Taymiyya – ÑÍãå Çááå – said: "Charging with disbelief is a legal ruling, and it
is not correct to consider as disbeliever each person contradicting a thing
which is known by reason, and if he contradicts a thing which is known for each
reasonable person, he is not considered disbeliever unless he contradicts
something in the Sharia which is considered an act of disbelief ";
as charging a person with disbelief is a serious issue with dangerous
consequences leading to calamities and misfortunes which are generally the
following: the person who is considered disbeliever has no sanctity as regards his
blood and money, he should be also separated from his wife and none has the
right to inherit of the other, and not to perform prayer under his office or pray
over him if he dies and the prohibition of his burial in Muslims’ cemeteries, He
ÊÚÇáì said:
﴿æóáÇó ÊóÞúÝõ
ãóÇ áóíúÓó áóßó Èöåö Úöáúãñ Åöäøó ÇáÓøóãúÚó æóÇáúÈóÕóÑó æóÇáúÝõÄóÇÏó ßõáøõ ÃõæáóÜÆößó
ßóÇäó Úóäúåõ ãóÓúÄõæáÇð﴾ [ÇáÅÓÑÇÁ : 36].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾And follow not (O men i.e., say not, or do not or witness not) that of
which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing and the sight and the heart,
of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allâh).﴿ [Al-Isrâ' (The Journey by Night): 36].
So, we must avoid evil, and come closer of the good and work
to obtain it, and take the way of faith and be steadfast in adhering to it. In
this lies the happiness of the hereafter which cannot be obtained by following
one's desires and one's invented opinions and by assuming falsely what one has
not and by having wishes, but happiness is reached through sticking to the
clear revelation of Allah ,
the right guidance and the straight path. Allah said:
﴿æóßóÐóáößó
ÃóæúÍóíúäóÇ Åöáóíúßó ÑõæÍÇð ãøöäú ÃóãúÑöäóÇ ãóÇ ßõäÊó ÊóÏúÑöí ãóÇ ÇáúßöÊóÇÈõ
æóáóÇ ÇáúÅöíãóÇäõ æóáóßöä ÌóÚóáúäóÇåõ äõæÑÇð äøóåúÏöí Èöåö ãóäú äøóÔóÇÁ ãöäú
ÚöÈóÇÏöäóÇ æóÅöäøóßó áóÊóåúÏöí Åöáóì ÕöÑóÇØò ãøõÓúÊóÞöíãò﴾ [ÇáÔæÑì :
52].
The meaning of the verse:
﴾And
thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad ) Ruhan (an Inspiration, and a
Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We
have made it (this Qur'ân) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves
We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad ) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the
Straight Path (i.e. Allâh's religion of Islamic Monotheism).﴿ [Ash-Shûra (The Consultation): 52].
And Allâh ÊÚÇáì knows
best. Our final prayer is all praises and thanks are due to Allâh, the Lord of
the Worlds, peace and blessings of
Allâh be upon
our Prophet Muhammad, his family,
companions and fellow-brothers until the Day of Recompense.
Algiers: Rabî`
Al-Awwal 19th, 1426 H.
April 29th,
2005.
|
, or
that the essence of its doctrine is based on negating the Creator or refuting
the proves and prescriptions of the Sharia. So, if one knows that the reason
behind the establishment of the sect is the dissimilation of disbelief and the
refutation of the Sharia and other reasons, and this is manifested through the
sayings of their heads and what their sayings lead to, this sect does not,
then, belong to those sects. It is rather stranger to them. Consequently, the
saying about the ruling regarding the sects becomes delimited.
.
.
