Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Framework of Apostasy - Takfeer!!!


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By Brother Abu Waleed (HafidhUllah)

Introduction 
Understanding the Islamic Aqeedah is essential for every Muslim. To be aware about all its topics, from the beginning to the end according to al Salaf al Saalih is very important. Not to have a short or partial understanding of a particular topic of Aqeedah e.g. the topic of Imaan or Asmaa’ wal Sifaat. It is not good just to study a little bit here and there; you need to study it deeply. It is unreasonable that you never study anything Islamic from childhood and then you suddenly think that you can understand all about Aqeedah later.

You must study from the childhood, especially those who decide to study Aqaa'id from books without proper foundations, without scholarly understanding and foundations or without to consult the Ulemaa’.

What is known from Islam by necessity is that the Deen of Islam is based on Wahi; it is not a matter that people can just say they found the Wahi because the Wahi is only the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is not only about what was revealed in 23 years in the Qur'an and the sayings, actions and consent of the Messenger (saw). You must know the circumstances that it was revealed in. Moreover the prophet (saw) said that his Sunnah is not enough, you must also follow the Sunnah of the companions.


It has become well known among Ahl al ilm that lying and distortion and interpretation are the attribute of the deviant sects, the philosophers and of the rationalists. That is because they are ahl al Bid’ah, their job is to spread their Bid’ah and because they have to defend their stance. They end up having to lie or fabricate Ahadith, or to interpret falsely anything they can to justify their Bid’ah.

The sciences of the Shari’ah – you will conclude that Usul Ud-Deen is the foundations of the Deen of Islam and is the most precious foundation of all sciences and the cornerstone for all these foundations no doubt will be the science of Tawheed. Because we have a principle which says that the nobility of a science is related to what the science contains. Therefore Ilm Ul Tawheed is the most noble science of Ilm ul Deen and its knowledge and its pillars conditions and negations are one of the most noble like the sciences of Usul ul Fiqh to Al-Fiqh. For this reason we find from the papers which have been collected about Usul Ul Deen by Al-Imam Abu Hanifah, that he called it Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar – The biggest Fiqh. From this angle we understand that this is Tawheed and anything less than that as well.

This has two ways to follow to reach Tawheed:
(i) We need to know the way which leads us to Ilm Ul-Tawheed which is the Shari’ah and what it contains from commands and prohibitions.
(ii) To know what are the consequences if we follow this way i.e. where the submission will lead me.


NB. If we need to classify Ilm ul Tawheed we need a mechanism. The first is that the Shari’ah leads us there. Secondly we need to know what in it will lead us there. Ilm ul Tawheed will let you know the consequences of our actions. The consequences need to be known if you study Ilm ul Tawheed. The best people to know this are the Anbiyyah, that will lead us to the Shari’ah and all the commands of Allah (swt).

We need to study the implications of Tawheed in this life and in the hereafter. But we studied this before so now we need to study what makes you Kaafir.


Can People become Kafir Apostates ?
The First Question is do people become Kafir without to know and where is the evidence for this. The answer is yes, even the kufr Allah (swt)  could test us with and shake us from time to time.

O Allah (swt) make this city Aamina (peaceful regarding Mecca) and save me and my children from worshipping the idols…’ [Ibraheem: 35] 


Ibn Taymiyah said regarding this who can consider himself safe after this verse?

It is narrated by Abu Hurairah that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) described a person can become Kafir without to know: 

a man will wake up in the morning a believer and go sleep a disbeliever; or he may go to sleep as a believer and awake disbeliever. He will sell his Deen by any offer of the dunya.’ 

(Saheeh Muslim, book of Eemaan, chapter 51 hadeeth no.118)

If the Nabi cannot guarantee from becoming Mushrik how can any one of us save ourselves from falling down in the Shirk. Even Ibraheem and his son could be tested.

‘…Even if you are so keen to invite them to Islam most of the people will not become believers…’ [12:103]

That is whatever precautions we take we are not safe. Hadith says that the heart of the believer is in the hands of Allah (swt) he could sleep Muslim and wake Kaafir.

‘…most of the believers in Allah (swt) are Mushrik…’ [12:106]

If Ibraheem feels that no obedience is going to help him if he becomes Mushrik, and he is right to so fear (i.e. all his deeds may be vanished). This is shown is the ayah;

‘…Allah (swt) does not forgive Shirk but he may forgive anything less than that…’ [4:48]

Therefore it’s obligatory to know the way to lead to kufr and shirk to not fall down in the Deen. Proof that a person may become Kaafir without to know 9: 65 66 told us about a group of people who became Kaafir without to know.

‘..If you ask them they will say that we were only joking – are you mocking Allah (swt)’s Deen, you become Kaafir after you believe…’
[9: 65-66]

‘…And most of the people who believe will become Mushrik…’ [12: 106]

Hadith in Sahih Muslim Vol 1 p110 Abu Hurairah ;
– the Messenger Muhammad (saw) (saw) described the person could become Kaafir without to know. 

‘Start to do all the good deeds there will be many tests like the darkest night – A man will wake up in the morning a believer and go night-time Kaafir or he may go in the night-time Muslim and awake Kaafir.

– He will sell his Deen by any offer of the Dunya. ’ [This hadith has many other versions]

NB. Even is he goes in the night or the day he is subject to become Kaafir unless he does what Allah (swt) asks. He may facilitate the Shirk, the obedience will be tested by ma’aasie. Sayyidina Yusuf was offered something in private. Some of us could sell his Deen by joke. Someone might say ‘I do not know what I would do without you’ instead of saying alhamdulillah. Or by saying that someone is the richest of all people when Allah (swt) is Al-Ghani – all rich and sufficient. These terminologies have hidden shirk.

Another hadith – Bukhari, Abu Saeed Al-Khidri (ra) & from Ali (ra) No 6352, Vol 6 p2540, that the Messenger Muhammad (saw) (saw) said :
‘Will come out of this Ummah those to whom you will look down in comparison to their own prayers and your recitation to their own recitation and your deeds to their deeds, they will say the best of the sayings of the people of the Earth they will recite the Qur’an very softly and kindly but it will never reach their own throats they think that it will be reward for them but it will testify against them they will come out of the Deen like the arrows from the bow and they will never return to the Deen they are the most evil creations, the most hated creations to Allah (swt).’


In other words they thought they were Muslims but they in fact went out of the Deen without to know.

Question: If someone can become Kaafir without to know we need to know what Kufr is. People say that it is to deny, to come out etc…but put simply it is what negates the Deen or Imaan.


The framework of apostasy is dealing with taking someone from the camp of Islam into the camp of kufr declaring him kafir This is removing someone from the camp of Islam and placing them in the camp of Kufr, as a matter of Iba’adah (worship) to Allah (swt), as Takfeer is the right of Allah (swt) but as Muslims we are obliged to stand to protect this right of Allah (swt).

This is done when someone commits an action which necessitates his removal from the camp of Iman.

As Muslims, our behaviour towards and Muslims is never the same. The two camps deserve differential treatments. As we shall see later... 


In order to understand this framework we need to understand the following topics:

  1. What is At Takfeer
  2. The Consequences of not making Takfeer
  3. Who are the people who do not make Takfeer
  4. Who are the People who do make Takfeer
  5. What is Imaan
  6. How we judge someones Imaan
  7. What is Al irja ? and what is the belief of the Murjiah

The Shubuhat of the Murjiah the problem of not declaring Takfeer on kufr amali and making it  a condition that one must believe what he is doing is kufr akbar
The doubts and refutation of those that cause the doubts i,e how is kufr manifested only via tongue and or must have belief.


The preventions of at Takfeer and its preventions:

What is At Takfeer? 
First of all, what is Takfeer?
Taking someone outside the camp of Islam and into the camp of kufr is a very dangerous action and because it is so dangerous we have to make sure that we verify who we are taking out of the fold of Islam and make ithbaat ul hujjah (to verify what the person did or said).

When we talk about Hujjah it means to verify what someone said or did. There is a distinction between ithbaat ul hujjah and Qiyaam ul Hujjah.

Qiyaam ul Hujjah is to explain to a person his situation. We do not need to explain to a person if he has committed shirk or Kufr Akbar. We assess whether he did do it i.e. Shirk Akbar or didn’t do it and consequently we either declare Takfeer upon him or We do not.

A person’s situation in this life may be different to his situation in the Akhira. Many people are in the situation where the name of Muhammad (saw) did not reach them, or they were unable to understand the message, or they did not have access to an alim etc. However, in this life we assess their situation and declare whether they are Muslim or Kafir. 

What is the Evidence that it is allowed to make Takfeer in an Individual? 

To answer this We must refer to the verse,
 “There will be among you people Apostates among the deen.” [5:54]

The individual who changes his Deen needs to be killed.

Muhammad (saw) bin Abdul Wahhab (ra) said in a letter he wrote, “Whoever offers a ritual act to anyone is a kaafir, and whoever claims he can’t be called a kaafir will be saying Abu jahal can’t be called kaafir.”

We make Takfeer on Abu Jahal and Abu Lahab because they offered ritual acts to other than Allah (swt).

Ibn Taymiyyah (rh) made Takfeer on a man during his time called Ibn Fayrouz. You do not need to be mujtahid or alim to make Takfeer otherwise you will not be able to make Takfeer on the one who says Allah (swt) has a son.

There is something called Takfeer al ijtihaadi and Takfeer annas. Takfeer al ijtihaadi is where someone will apply Takfeer on a certain individual and may exhaust effort with the possibility of a difference of opinion. Whereas Takfeer annas is where the kafir has been specified by divine text e.g. jews and Christians.

If you know the ahkaam of Takfeer you can make Takfeer, if you know the Ahkaam of Salat you can pray salat, if you know the ahkaam of Nikah then you can conduct a Nikah. However, it is a serious and dangerous issue to make Takfeer on a man, it will necessitate his wife to not be halal for him, he will not be able to inherit, his blood and wealth will not have sanctity, his children will not belong to him etc.

Things known in Islam by necessity will be different from things not known in Islam by necessity. Things which are known in Islam by necessity are clear cut (qati) in terms of evidence i.e. Qur’an and Hadith like for example to attribute a son to Allah (swt) or to rule by Kufr. There is a distinction between issues known by necessity and things not known by necessity when it comes to applying the Takfeer.


- Takfeer is to identify and call the Kafir “Kafir”.
- That Kafir could be Kafir Asslie.
- Could be Murtad.
- Takfeer can be general (nawa’) or specific (Mu’ayyan).
- Takfeer is two types, Takfeer Al Nass such that if you did not make it or differ with it, you are Kafir yourself.
- Takfeer Al Ijtihadi is where there is no specific text about a person and it is Ijtihad, there could be difference of opinion and no one will be dispraised because of their conviction.
- There is something else called Takfeer of Hawaa, which is haram and dispraised.

Takfeer Hawaa is if you make Takfeer on someone out of hatred or grudge, or for something that is not kufr Akbar, or without to verify properly his reality etc.
There are different types of kufr and shirk, some shirk you don’t need any Ilm to know that it is Shirk Akbar because you know from the Fitrah. 


Is there such a thing as Takfeer? 

- What do you call Sharon if he is not Kafir?
- A person is either Muslim or he is Kafir, there is nothing in between except Nifaq.
- The kufr of Fir’awn has no excuse, You must declare fir’awn Kafir even if his name was ahmed.

Zaid sees ubaid worshipping the cross, either:
(i) He believes he has an excuse (e.g. insanity/duress) and so he calls him Muslim.
(ii) He doesn’t know what to do so he doesn’t say anything until he can verify.
(iii) He has no excuse and so he believes he is Kafir and so he calls him Kafir.
(iv) Or he had no excuse and he believes he is Kafir but he calls him Muslim anyway!

Allah (swt) says, “speak the haq”.
Prophet says, “the mu’min does not lie.”

If you have conviction in your heart that someone is Kafir, you must call them Kafir.
- otherwise it is either a lie or;
 
- Or taqiyyah.
- Or Nifaq.
- And the mu’min is neither a liar nor shi’a nor Munafiq.
- The mu’min has Talazum.

Even the most Fasiq secular person will make Takfeer on Salman Rushdie.

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