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Declaring Apostasy (Takfir) on Muslims

by Ustadh Luqman al-Andalusi

Part IPart IIPart III | Part IV

248106907_3b2b02276f_bKafir (Arabic: كافر kāfir; plural كفّار kuffār) is a term used in an Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as “unbeliever” or “disbeliever” or sometimes “infidel.” The term refers to a person who rejects God or who hides, denies, or “covers” the truth.

The Protection of being under the Banner of ‘La Ilaha Illa’Allah, Muhammadur Rasul Allah’

[1] Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “Who are the most excellent among the Muslims?” He said, “One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure.” [Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]

[2] It is narrated on the authority of Abu Malik: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “He who testified that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood become inviolable, and their affairs rest with Allah.” [Sahih Muslim]

[3] Shaykh Abdullahi ibn Fodio said, “Among one of the signs of those that follow the Sunnah are having compassion for the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ by striving to ensure their welfare and repelling harm from them…” [Signs of those who follow the Sunnah]

[4] Shaykh Uthman ibn Fodio said, “The judgment of one’s faith is built upon the outward in this world in accordance with the Book [Qur’an], the Sunnah and the Consensus [ijma] of the Scholars. Allah says, “Do not say to those who give you the greetings of peace: ‘You are not a believer.” [Ihyas’ Sunnah wa Ikhmadul’ Bida‘]

[5] “And among the doctrines of the Ahl as-Sunna is that none of the people of the Qibla (direction of the Kaba in Mecca) can be called a Kafir.” [Sharh An-Nasafi]

[6] It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “O Mu’adh ibn Jabal! No one witnesses that there is no God except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah truthfully from his heart except that Allah has made him unlawful for the Fire.” Mu`adh said: “O Messenger of Allah, shall I not tell the people so that they will be glad?” He replied: “If you do, they will rely on it [and leave everything else].” [Sahih Muslim, Imam Ahmad, Al-Bayhaqi] Imam Muslim in his explanation of the above hadith says, “Mu’adh narrated it at the time of his death to avoid sinning [by keeping it to himself].”

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar  in his explanation said, “the hadith of “Allah forbids the Fire from touching him” are even more explicit than those of “Allah will enter him into Paradise” in establishing that the one who declares the oneness of Allah is saved even if he does not heed the orders and the prohibitions.  [Fath Al-Bari]

[7] Abu Darda [ra] reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever says there is no God but Allah enters Paradise even if he commits adultery and even if he steals [i.e. even if he commits great sins].” [An-Nasa’i, At-Tabarani]

Verbal Testimony is Sufficient; it is Not to be Questioned Even if There is Doubt Concerning the Person

[8] Usama ibn Zayd [ra] said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent us on an expedtion and we made a surprise attack at dawn on al-Huruqat in the lands of Juwayna. I caught up with a man, and he said, “There is no god but Allah,” and I ran him through. I later had afterthoughts, and mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ who said, “He said ‘There is no god but Allah,’ and you killed him?” and I replied, “O Messenger of Allah, he only said it out of fear of the weapon.” He said, “Why didn’t you split him open to see if his heart really said it or not?”—and he kept repeating this till I wished I had not become a Muslim before that day. [Sahih Muslim]

Imam an-Nawawi said “One must attest to the well known principle of Fiqh and legal methodology that rulings are based upon outward evidence, while Allah is responsible for the inward.” [Sharh Sahih Muslim]

[9] The great scholar of `aqeedah, Shaykh Muhammad As-Sanusi  said, “Verily a human is well aware of his own soul, no one other than himself will be asked about it. As for others, a person’s share is only ignorance of the condition of the souls of others and he can never be certain concerning them with regard to their inward state. The exception to this was only when the Lawgiver testified concerning someone with something, and then the person was judged by that. For only Allah and His Messenger knows best.” He then said, “There is no way for us to have an evil opinion of the faith of anyone of the Muslims, whether he be among the common or not. This is because the place of knowledge is the heart. The only exception is when there manifest upon the tongue of a person that which gives evidence of what he conceals of his corrupt beliefs. Then in that case it is obligatory to be kind towards him by teaching him and assisting him as much as possible.” [Al-Wusta]

[10] Abd as-Salaam ibn Ibrahim al-Laqani said, “The iman which is sufficient in this world is verbal attestation [al-iqraar] only. For whoever makes the verbal attestation, then the judgment of Islam applies to him in this world and no one can judge him as a disbeliever except if there is connected to him some condition which gives evidence of his disbelief; like prostrating to idols for example.” [Itihaf al-Murid Bi Jawharat’ Tawhid]

Major Sins Don’t Take One Out of Islam

[11] ‘Abdullah ibn Masud [ra] said: When the words “It is those who believe and confuse not their Belief with Zulm [wrong]…” were revealed, the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were distressed  and asked, “Who among us has not wronged himself?” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is not as you think; rather it is shirk. Have you not heard what Luqman said to his son when exhorting him: ‘O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm [wrong] indeed’ [Qur’an, 31:13]?” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Imam An-Nawawi  said: “This hadith contains a wealth of knowledge, such as the fact that sins, even if major, do not constitute kufr.” [Sharh Sahih Muslim]

[12] Imam Al-Bukhari  is known to have held this belief as he said in Kitabul‘ Iman in his Sahih, “Sins are the matter of ignorance [jahiliyyah], but the sinner who commits them does not become an unbeliever [kafir] except in the case of shirk, because the Prophet ﷺ said “You are a man in whom there is some jahiliyyah” and Allah says: “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him [in worship], but He forgives except that [anything else] to whom He wills.” [Qur’an, 4:48]

Even if One Committed Major Sins, We Have the Messenger of Allah

[14] Abu Hurayrah [ra] inquired from the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, who will be the most fortunate of people to receive your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?”

The Prophet ﷺ replied: “O Abu Hurayra, I knew, because of your love of what I say, that no one other than you would ask me of this hadith. The most fortunate of people to receive my intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who said: La ilaha illa Allah purely and sincerely from the heart.” [Sahih Bukhari]

[15] Ibn Abi Shaiba,Imam Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Hakim narrate on the authority of Abi bin Ka’ab [ra] that the Prophet ﷺ said, “On the day of Reckoning, I will be the Leader, Spokesperson and Intercessor of the Prophets and I do not say this with any pride.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

[16] Abdullah ibn Umar [ra] narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “My Intercession is for those in my Ummah, who have committed major sins.” [Sunan Ibn Majah]

[17] Abdullah bin Umar [ra] reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Almighty Allah gave me the choice of either intercession or taking half my Ummah into Jannat. I took intercession for it is that which will be of more use and more needed. Do you think that my intercession is for those who are pure Muslims? No, but my intercession is for those sinners that are covered in sin and wrong.”  [Musnad of Imam Ahmad, Sunan ibn Majah]

The main proofs for the permissibility of the intercession of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are the following verses of the Quran, “Who should intercede with him, except by his permission?” and “there is no intercessor save after His permission,” and “they will have no power of intercession, save him who has made a covenant with his Lord.” [This all pertains to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ] But this is not the subject of the topic at hand.

How One Handles the Accusation of Kufr

[18] `Ubayd Allah ibn `Umar [ra], from Nafi`  who reported that a man said to Ibn `Umar: “I have a neighbor who bears witness against me that I commit shirk.” He replied: “Say: ‘La Ilaha illa Allah,’ you will make him a liar.”

[19] Sawwar ibn Shabib al-A`raji  also reported that he was sitting in Ibn Umar’s house when a man came and said: “O Ibn Umar! There are groups of people bearing witness against us and attributing to us kufr and shirk.” Ibn Umar replied: “Woe to you! Did you not say: ‘La Ilaha Ill Allah’?!” Whereupon the entire household began to say La ilaha illa Allah until the house was shaking.

[20] Al-Miqdad  said, I asked, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, suppose I and one of the idolaters battled and he cut off my hand, then I was positioned to strike him and he said ‘La iaha illa Allah!’ Do I kill him or spare him?” He said: “Spare him.” I said: “Even if he cut off my hand?” He said: “Even so.” I asked him again two or three times whereupon he said: “If you kill him after he says La ilaha ill Allah then you are like him before he said it, and he is like you before you killed him.” [Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i, Imam Shafi`i in his Musnad, and Al-Bayhaqi in the Shu`ab]

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34 Comments

  • SubhanAllah, the last section on handling accusations of kufr was intense, just thinking of the Companions and Successors being accused of disbelief. Lā ilāha illa Allāh…

  • Salaam, I really appreciate the style as well as substance of this post. May Allah reward you. La ilaha ill-Allah!

  • There is something critical that needs to be addressed–that is, the reality of Muslims commiting kufr (hence, the person becomes a non-Muslim (kaafir)). Granted, we judge a person by what is apparent. If the person calls himself a Muslim, we deem himself such–UNLESS he manifests he disbelief in speech or action. Regarding his blasphemous beliefs he conceals in his heart, they are known unto Allah. Simply saying the Kaleemah Shahadah is not enough to be a Muslim–he has to believe in it (that is, accept its truth AND understand it correctly). For instance, the Farrakhanis CLAIM to be Muslim, but they say that Allah is the Asiatic Blackman. The Ahmadiyyah CLAIM to be Muslim, but they say Ghulam, the Damned, Ahmad is a new Prophet. The apologists/modernists CLAIM to be Muslim but say that those who reject Prophet Muhammad are going to Paradise. You have others who claim that there are other creators along with Allah, or claim Allah is ignorant, or claim that Allah is an object, or a light, or in some other way(s) similar to the creations. These are beliefs of kufr (disbelief).

    The scholars wrote extensively on the subject of apostasy, so that people would be warned about it. At-Tahawi in his `Aqidah mentions in many places different types of kufr (such as, resembling Allah to the humans, rejecting the commonly known and well-established aspects of the Deen, denying the Qadar, ascribing to Allah bodily characteristics, denying Allah’s Attributes or resembling Allah’s Attributes to the creations, etc.). Nowadays many Muslims are oblivious to the matters of apostasy, and as a result place themselves in jeopardy of falling into kufr unknowingly.

    Another point: we don’t call MUSLIMS kaafirs–but if a person PRETENDS to be a Muslim, or he sincerely thinks he is a Muslim, but he has a kufri belief (he has manifested), or does a kufri action, or saying, then that person has to be deemed kaafir. One does not have to go to a scholar to ask whether or not Louis Farrakhan is a kaafir–it is enough to apply the rule of what the scholars have said about the one who holds such a belief, that he is kaafir, such as, the saying of At-Tahawi mentioned above, or what Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said about the one who claims Allah is a body. Imam Ahmad said such a person is a disbeliever. Given that we live in a time of mass media/internet that openly promotes all sorts of kufri ideas AND prevailing ignorance among the Muslims in matters of `Aqidah, it is of the essence that Muslim educators inform the Muslim public about the matters of apostasy.

    • Assalamo alaykum. Nice article Alhamdulillah.

      Southern Sunni:
      While I agree with most of what you say here, I disagree with this: “then that person has to be deemed kaafir”. This is a very dangerous thought and will only divide the Ummah further if everyone who calls himself a Muslim and assumes he is knowledgeable of the deen, starts calling takfir on somebody else based on one or two actions. Rather our job is to point out to the brother/sister that the act they are indulging in may be kufr and may take them out of Islam and advise them. Our job is to advise the person and not to call takfir upon him/her – let’s leave that to the scholars.

      wasalam.

      • Mohammaed,

        It must be clear in every Muslim’s mind that there is a distinction between Islam and kufr. If a person holds a kufr belief, then he is a kaafir. If his kufr is concealed in his heart, we don’t know about it–Allah knows about it. On the other hand, if a person says an EXPLICIT statement of kufr, like he claimed Allah was unjust, or he cursed the Prophet, or he even jokingly claimed he is a Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, etc., then he has commited kufr, and we judge him as a kaafir. Similarly, if the person commited an act of kufr, such as, knowingly throwing the Qur’an in the trash or prostrating to an idol, then, likewise, we cannot hesitate on the kufr of such a person.

        Also, it is not a requirement that the person commit a specific number of “kufrs” to become a kaafir. A single blasphemy renders a person a kaafir, as the Prophet said:

        “The slave may utter A WORD that he deems harmless that is the cause of him falling 70 years into Hell.” (That is the bottom of Hell–and only disbelievers reach that level.)

        Sadly there are many people confused on this matter of apostasy–and many of the leaders are not clarifying this essential topic of Islam. It is obvious that with all the different groups that are claiming to be Muslim–and they have different `aqidahs–it cannot possibly be the case that all these different groups are truly worshipping Allah. The person who worships something other than Allah, whether it be a human being, a body of light, an extraterrestial object, something he thinks dwells with his heart, or something he imagines in his mind are all mushriks, who worship something other than Allah. Again, we can’t hesitate about the kufr of such beliefs.

        I did mention to you a man named Louis Farrakhan. He claims to be a Muslim. He says that Allah came to America in the form of a man in 1930. He also says that the Asiatic Blackman is the God of the universe. I don’t need to seek a fatwa regarding this man to know he is a kaafir. It is enough that he has likened Allah to the creation and that tashbeeh (resembling Allah to the created) is kufr. Labeling such a person as a “kaafir” is not weakening and dividing the Ummah–for the anthropomorphists are not part of the Ummah in the first place. Labeling kufr as “kufr” is part of PROTECTING fellow Muslims from thinking that such repulsive beliefs are Islamically acceptable. Also it helps non-Muslims who may be seeking the Truth about Islam to see the distinction between the genuine and authentic creed of the Muslims and that of pseudo-islamic sects.

        I do understand the controversial nature of this subject. I think that some leaders do not want to tackle this topic because it will expose them–or at least those whom they associate with–as being kaafirs by the standards of traditional Islamic scholarship. Lastly, let me say that this isn’t a subject that the `Ulamaa ignored. Imam Ar-Ramli and Badrud-Deen Ar-Rasheed wrote extensively on this matter–and others, including An-Nawawi, who explicitly listed various kufr beliefs. Certainly after one learns this subject, it opens one’s eyes to the level of confusion and misguidance that is prevalent in America and throughout much of the Muslim world.

        • As salamu alaikum Southern Sunni,

          MashaAllah you are quite intent on keeping the Muslims from kufr/becoming kaafirs. May Allah keep us all save from the hellfire.

          It would be great if you could identify yourself. I am quite sure that you used to post on various websites using another name (if not, please forgive my assumption). Some individuals may be able to link your accusations to the alleged speaker. It is rather reckless to malign indviduals (directly and indirectly) behind an anonymous internet name.

          Your brother in Islam,
          Jeremiah

        • Assalamo alaykum Southern Sunni. We are on the same page on the core aspects, but where we differ is the applicability of calling takfir to anyone and everyone who calls himself/herself a Muslim. Obviously the scenarios that you have listed above are extreme and obvious. What I was talking about is when Muslims without proper knowledge start calling other Muslims kaafir on flimsy grounds, and that is a dangerous trend. I have seen people call takfir on people (even more knowledgeable and students of knowledge/scholars) who don’t follow their own ‘madhab’ in their narrow-mindedness and lack of knowledge. This is what I am warning against. May Allah guide us to always follow the deen of Islam and die in the deen of Islam. Amen.

          Wasalam.

    • I agree with you 100%. Dont understand some schollars, who always take apolegetic stands rather than being stern.

      I believe the abondonment of salah is the most undenyble act that rules one to be an outright Kaafir. You for one will be aware of the hadith ‘ difference between a muslim and a kafor and shirk is the abondanmont of salah.’ if this is accurate, then imagine the state we are all in. majority of the worlds ‘muslims’ do not perform salah at all. where do they stand?

  • salam
    jazhakallah khair

    so why would there be a difference then between a kafir and a fasiq can anyone explain that to me please?

    • Sabirah a kaafir is a non-Muslim (e.g., agnostic, atheist, Buddhist, Jew, Christian, Zorastrian, Hindu, satanist, etc.). A faasiq is one who commits major sins that are less than kufr (e.g, drinking alcohol, selling pork, murder, insulting the Muslim parents, etc.)

      Regarding kufr (disbelief), the scholars mentioned there are three general categories:

      1. Ta`teel: that is, denying the Attributes of Allah that He is necessarily attributed with, such as, Oneness, Eternality, Power, Will, Knowledge, Transcendence (Absolute Freedom from Need).

      2. Tashbeeh: that is resembling Allah to the creations, such as, believing Allah is a human, a light, a celestial body, or that Allah is an object or that Allah has a shape, size, dimensions, etc. Allah ABSOLUTELY does not resemble the creations.

      3. Takdheeb: that is, belying or rejecting what is commonly known in Islam, such as, deeming the daily prayers not obligatory, or deeming permissible what is known to be forbidden, such as, homosexuality, or deeming forbidden what is known to be permissible, such as, eating (properly slaughtered) meat.

      It is important to note that merely doing a sin, such as, drinking alcoohol is not disbelief (kufr)–however, to DEEM THE SIN PERMISSIBLE is kufr (even if one did not do the act himself), because it entails belying the Religion. And it should be evident that a person cannot be a Muslim if he rejects what the Religion teaches.

      Lastly, there are the Munaafiqs (Hypocrites)–these are people who CLAIM to be Muslim, but they reject Islam in their hearts. These people, too, are disbelievers. Sometimes, people use the term hypocrite to refer to a genuine Muslim who does not do the good/refrain from the evil that he orders others to do–such a person is not a kaafir for doing so (and it is good that he orders right and forbids the wrong).

  • As salaamu alaikum
    It would have been nice if in your article you addressed the issue of labeling Muslim governments as being kuffar, since this is quite common in Western Muslim circles. Also, it would have been nice to see you address many of the shubuhaat of current preachers like Anwar Al Awlaki who (both in the past and presently) openly promote the minhaaj of takfeer while those Imams who have taken the stage with him on several occassions are mysteriously quite in refuting his vile beleifs. Jazak Allah khairan

  • Assalamu Alaikum brothers and sisters,,

    I only have one thought: Why do Muslims keep occuping themselves judging the iman of others while ignoring their hearts??? The heart brohters and sisters is the steer wheel!!!!

    may Allah purify our hearts and fill them with light. Amen.

    • Heba,

      These are not mutually exclusive propositions–we can do both: order the good and forbid the evil AND work on improving ourselves. The issue is that the spread of kufr in the GUISE of Islam is rife, at least here in North America. You have prominent individuals and groups who are spreading kufr ideas while claiming to represent Islam. There was one person who came to my city and said kufr statements, such as, calling Prophet Isma`eel a bastard (a`udhu billah). The people who shared the stage with him said nothing. Other prominent people are claiming that those who are open kaafirs (i.e., they do not claim Islam for themselves) cannot be judged as kaafirs–because we don’t know what what state the person will die upon. Of course we don’t the person’s future state, but we judge him according to his current condition. The issue is simple as this: how many Muslims have studied the subject of apostasy and how many are familiar with the various examples of apostasy listed in the traditional books of scholarship. When one learns this information, he (or she) sees the world in a radically different manner.

  • SubhanAllah..

    Thank You for the info 🙂 May Allaah sustain the faith in all of the muslim’s heart, La ilaha illa Allaah, Muhammadur rasulullaah. And may we be kept far away from anything that would make us kufr by His side. Nauzubillah..

    Assalaamu’alaikum..

  • As Salamu alaykum,

    @ Quran, what is not proper about it,

    Firstly I say this with no pride, Alhumdulilah i have Ijaaza and Sanad back to the Messenger of Allah {sallallahu alayhi wa sallam} I try my hardest to do what I can, so please overlook anything confusing I may have related, but i am not relating these hadith and Athaar without Ilm, may Allah make us all study hard, Ameen!

  • Thank you very much for this article, Ustadh Luqman al-Andalusi.

    I thought I’d mention the Amman Message of 2004. In the declaration, the following schools of thought were recognized as legitimate Islamic schools:
    1.Sunni Hanafi
    2. Sunni Hanbali
    3. Sunni Maliki
    4. Sunni Shafi’i
    5. Shia Ja`fari
    6. Shia Zaidiyyah
    7. Ibadi
    8. Zahiri
    *Sufi and true Salafi thought were also recognized in the message.

    The message also forbids takfir (denunciation as shirk) of any of the abovementioned groups.

    In the Jeddah OIC Conference of 2005, 500 Islamic ullemah unanimously endorsed the message. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had said “My Ummah will not agree upon an error” (Ibn Majah, Sunan, Kitab al-Fitan, Hadith no.4085).

    I hope more people are made aware of the wonderful consensus on who is a Muslim. Let the cracks in the ulema begin a process of repair.

  • Salaam aleikoem wr wb,

    There’s only a difference in kufr i3tiqadi and kufr Djahili, but its still kufr.
    Some people do not know that they commit kufr of have kufr ideas or speeches. When you advise them, some go back to the Quran and Sunnah and accept the truth and some people that believe that the kufr they’re doing or saying is the truth and do not go back to the Quran or the Sunnah as the source. Like those that say that the Quran is not complete. Or like the ones that say that there is another prophet after Mohammad, pbuh. Those kufr are apparent. We are not going to say that those are Muslims. We can see that Abu bakr rh fought those that didn’t want to pay zakat, because of the fact they didnt recodnize and neclected to pay the Zakat. The also where written down as the harb a ridda. And Allah knows best.

    But calling people a kaffir without sufficient proof is a great sin, we all agree. But we all know that a unbeliever in God is a kaffir. Insja Allah he will be guided and be one of the Muslims.

    There are those that are naming people kuffar, because of thye fact that they make grave sins. This is not the manhadj of Allah. All people make sins we are not saints, but to believe that those sins are good and not evil is kufr.
    Allah knows best.
    Abu Adam

  • Abbas,

    What you are saying can clearly lead to confusion. The Sunnis–those who follow the four prevailing madhhabs–are the Islamic orthodoxy. Every other group, in the least, is astray. That should be made clear and unambiguous for people. Regarding the Shi`ah the general position of Ahlus-Sunnah is that they are deviants (but not kuffaar); however, the leaders of the Shi`ah hold outhright kufri beliefs, such as, claiming that their so-called hidden imam knows literally everything. Also, it is a standard belief amongst their leaders to deny the Qadar of Allah, which is also kufr. Nonetheless, when we deal with the Shi`ah laity, we can assume that he is unaware of those kufri beliefs espoused by their leaders.

    Also, Sufism (Tasawwuf) is a standard branch of Sunni Islamic science, just as Fiqh and `Aqidah are standard branches of Islamic science. The Sufis are not an Islamic “sect.” Imam An-Nawawi, for instance, was a Shafi`i jurist AND a sufi. On the other hand, you do have (pseudo) sufis who advocate kufr beliefs, such as, the perennialists/those who deny salvitic exclusivity via Islam. You have other pseudo-sufis who claim Allah is a giant illumination, or that one can literally unite with Allah, or that Allah is literally everything. These beliefs are blasphemous by the standard positions of Sunni scholarship. Likewise, when one says “Salafi” nowadys, it more often than not refers to the literalists and “corporealists” who believe Allah is a giant object with organs and appendages. Again, the orthodox Islamic position is to deem such beliefs kufr. Of course, someone may associate with those who call themselves “Salafis” or the (pseudo) sufis while he is unaware that these people hold such kufri convictions. What we need to be careful of is not to label a person a kaafir via guilt by association, but at the same time, those who say or do acts explicit acts of kufr must be deemed as kaafir. I mentioned the case of Louis Farrakhan as one clear example. We all must know there is a distinct line between Imaan and kufr—and to seek to be educated on this topic thoroughly given the level of confusion and misguidance that is pervasive nowadays.

  • @ Southern Sunni : What is your obsession with this issue :

    1) I agree about Louis Farakhan = They do not believe in the Hereafter, they do not believe in the Raising up from the graves, many of their issues are Kufr {This is obvious, we have known since the inception of that movement, so they cannot be used as an example ya Akhee,

    2) Qadiyani’s = Any sect , no matter who, if they believe there was a Prophet and Messenger after the messengership of Rasul Allah {sAw} then they are deemed justly as Kaafirs, of course Akhee,

    3) Allah says that the Deen is perfect, right in the Qur’an, and so we accept that, any addition that goes against these key elements , we agree, but the question , you Takfeer but have you ever given Dawah to them, have to their Temple, to express your feeling, the protection of the computer screen is the biggest that has come upon the Ummah, In 1969 the first e-mail was sent, now in 2009 , 80 Billion e-mails were sent, I say this bcuz if you spread that view amongst a few , than many be influenced,

    4) Remember the ruling, 1) remote Area 2) Common Man dont know nothing, goes to work Akhee , goes home, watches sports center a movie, etc.
    {How even though they should be studying, but they will not be responsible until those who are obsessed with the issue such as yourself, please forgive me, are You are talking, without knowing and I can tell, and I have studied the Tahawi text, the Ashari texts, the Matruidi text, the Ahadith, and the Quran, Muhammad as-Sanusi agrees with this, Imam Dardir agrees with this, so Akhee, I love you for the sake of Allah, but you must submit to them, we will not submit to that confused mentality, its real like that!

  • Southern Sunni, please note that 15% of Muslims does not belong to any of the 4 Sunni sects. Numerous Muslims countries like Iran, Azerbaijan and Bahrain are majority Shia countries. To call them all kafirs is not just a sin, it is unneccessarily divisive.

    At a time when Muslims need set our differences aside, we must not let trivial differences create chasms within our umma. All of us are, most importantly, Muslim.

  • This is an important issue. I beleive that it is important to know that taking all in context of Quran and sunnah, making takfir is very dangerous. Although we should not be confused in what constitutes disbelief.

    we have to take all sahih hadeeth and Quran in context to form a judgment. The article above implies that whoever testifies the shahadah is a muslim. This is very much agreed upon.

    The real issue is the defintion of ‘major sins’ in the context of taking one out of Islam ie Kaafir.
    It should be noted that we have to adhere to the aqeedah of the sahabah.

    •`Abdullaah bin Shaqeeq Al-`Aqeelee Tabi`ee (Tabi`ee: a successor to the companions of the Prophet ] said: “The Companions of the Prophet did not consider the abandonment of any good deed to be disbelief except the abandonment of the Prayer.” [Tirmidhee, Haakim]

    I believe anyone who does not perform the 5 times salah is an outright Kaafir. This is based on authentic knowledge.

    This is where i stand. A person is rendered a kaafir when :
    – neglecting of salah.
    – shirk.

    However, i believe that making takfir is important. we need to distinguish those who are muslim and those who are kaafir ( by the literal meaninf of these words) .

    • Assalaamu alaikum my reply is to the last message posted here…
      Brother Rez if according to your statements the Muslims become kuffar because they don’t pray then I am sorry to say, you are making takfir on 90-95% of the Muslims.

      Even if you believe in total abondenment of the salah you can not make takfir on the Muslims as they constitute a vast percentage.

      I also think that the vast majority of sunni scholars do not make takfir on Muslims who don’t pray or abondon the prayer totally…And Allah knows best

  • Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

    This is for those who on this page are unaware, to first make it clear that just as the prayer of the Prophet is a hukm from the shari’ah of Allah, like the fasting of the month of Ramadan, and the zakat on ones wealth, etc … so is takfir a hukm from the shari’ah of Allah. Just as you are not allowed to call a muslim a kafir… You are not allowed to call a christian a muslim. Why we are not allowed to call a muslim a kafir is because it is rejecting the hukm of Allah. We are here to worship Allah and within this is the obligation to listen and obey Allah. When Allah says someone who does the deeds of the muslim without doing anything which nullifies their islam is a muslim we obey Allah and treat the person as muslim. If we don’t do that, I.e. listen to Allah and take that person as muslim it becomes kufr because we are rejecting the hukm of Allah. Rejection of the hukm Allah = kufr of the hukm of Allah. I.e. YOU become a kafir for rejecting the hukm of Allah. LIKEWISE… A… VERY… IMPORTANT…LIKEWISE… If there is a man who prays and fasts and says he is muslim but he curses the Prophet or practices magic or anything which Allah says is something which nullifies his islam and Allah says he is a kafir for that then that man is a kafir and if you don’t accept that then that is kufr which you have made kufr, rejection of the hukm of Allah. You become a kafir for rejecting the hukm of Allah. And One last thing, if anyone believes that someone can be a muslim while doing kufr at the same time for which they have no excuse for doing, then you don’t know what islam is. EXAMPLE… If I say I am muslim and pray and fast etc but say that issa is the son of Allah and you think I am still muslim then you do not know what islam is!!! There is detail to this topic so I hope to add further to what I have said so that the above is not misunderstood. Please wait for a further post inshallah. And I will make it clear inshallah.

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