Detailed understanding on matters of Takfeer !

I asked the Imām of Usūl & ‘Aqīdah, Shaykh al-‘Allāmah Hassān Husayn as-Sōmālī (حفظه الله) the following questions:

Firstly, I wish that one day I may study under the shaykh, and only Allāh knows how much I love him for the sake of Allāh, and how much I persistently look into his books on a daily basis. As for the books the shaykh mentioned to me, I am currently translating them into English.

As for what relates to the shaykh’s answer, I have accepted his advice, and I have even read his books upon my shaykh and those present in our classes, and we have benefited alot, except that there are a few questions from what I’ve read throughout all his works. 

1 — I didn’t ask about when it’s permissible for a layman to make takfīr, but I rather asked when it’s obligatory upon him to make takfīr, so that we know when he would be considered blameworthy for abandoning takfīr, and for that reason, I gave the example of claiming the Qur’ān is created (writing the following):
“The noble shaykh mentioned that the issue of claiming the Qur’ān is created is from kufr ta’wīl which leads towards denying the verses of Allāh, may He be blessed and exalted. And this means that an individual may be excused due to ta’wīl, which is the apparent explanations of the Imāms and the official position in the madhab of Ahmad in considering the blind-followers as fussāq as al-Majd cited.

Therefore, it’s not obligatory for a layman to make takfīr upon the one who claims the Qur’ān is created, since he has ta’wīl to begin with and it’s impermissible to make takfīr upon him.

The Awakening...

The first of the ranks of the journey of servitude (‘ubudiyah) is awakening, which is alarming and stirring up of the heart from the sleep of heedlessness. By Allah, how priceless is that revitalizing alarm! How valuable and indispensable for the journey! Whoever experiences it, by Allah, he has indeed experienced the breeze of success. Without experiencing it, everyone is lost in heedlessness. His hearing is asleep while his eyes appear awake. It is this blessed alarm that wakes one up and makes him a seeker of Allah.

The seeker now rolls up his sleeves and musters up his courage to set out on the journey to Allah, station by station. Perhaps it is this rising up from sleep that is mentioned in the following Qur’anic verse:
“Say: I exhort you only to one thing, that you rise up for Allah’s sake in twos and singly, then ponder; there is no madness in your fellow citizen (Muhammad); he is only a warner to you before a severe chastisement.”[as-Saba’: 46] 

The first realization that illuminates the seeker upon this awakening is the immensity of gifts of Allah upon him. The Believer’s heart glances at the gifts and Bounties of Allah and is overwhelmed by his own sense of inability to even count them, let alone thank Allah for them all. 

The second realization is the realization of the inadequacy of his gratitude and worship to Allah.

Let us REALIZE !!!

Do we really want to change the state of the Ummah? Are we serious about improving the condition we are in? Let's be frank and not tip toe around issues. Let's tell it like it is and not beat around the bush. Let's be honest with ourselves and not make up lame excuses.

"Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." [13:11]

"That is because Allah would not change a favor which He had bestowed upon a people until they change what is within themselves." [8:53]

So what have we done to change our condition? Watered down our religion and tried to explain away that which doesn't seem to suit us? Sadly, that is where we find a great many today. We seem to miss the point completely. We do not want to admit that we are in this horrible state because we have chosen to put our religion second to everything else. Our priorities are completely messed up.

What do we need to do?

First and foremost, we need to realize that everything rests in the Hands of Allah. He and He alone can help us, thus we need to turn to Him and implore Him to rectify our affairs. At the same time, we must know that in order to have our prayers answered, we need to do our part.

Da'wah in history...

People have entered Islam willingly, the historical presence of non-Muslim minorities living among Muslims is evidence of tolerance in Islam.

Islam spread in the most populated Muslim countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and within Africa through contact between the natives and Muslim travellers and merchants, who brought with them not only goods, but also Islamic values such as straight dealing, honesty and generosity.

The impact of Muslims upon these communities was tremendous. In Singapore, near the port where the Arab traders used to land, the residents say that the natives used to prefer to buy from Muslim merchants because they expected good treatment and fair prices.

As was the case in most of the areas to which Islam spread, peaceful and voluntary reversion was far more important than conquest and force in spreading the faith in Southeast Asia. Almost everywhere in the islands of the region, trading contacts paved the way for reversion. Muslim merchants and sailors introduced local peoples to the ideas and rituals of the new faith and impressed on them how much of the known world had already been reverted. The first areas to be won to Islam in the last decades of the 13th century were several small port centres on the northern coast of Sumatra. From these ports, the religion spread in the following centuries across the Strait of Malacca to Malaya.

It is unfair to compare the spread of Islam in Asia and Africa with the spread of Islam in the West, and blame Muslims for not effectively promoting their religion in the West. Unlike the modern western world, the Asian and Africans history was free from hostility and enmity against Muslims, and therefore, their reversion to Islam was natural and easy.

Crucial role of the Heart !

The Prophet Muhammad (saws) informed us in a very famous Hadith commonly quoted with reference to what is lawful and what is unlawful, about the important role of the heart. He (saws) said: ““What is lawful is clear and what is forbidden is clear, and in between them there are some matters that are doubtful, which most people do not know – if they are lawful or forbidden. Thus, whoever avoids what is doubtful, safeguards his religion and honor, but one who engages in what is doubtful, falls in what is forbidden. The example of this is like the shepherd who grazes his herd in the vicinity of an exclusively reserved pasture but it is always apprehensive that some of his animals might get into the pasture. Every king has a reserved pasture and the reserved pasture of Allah is what He has forbidden. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body, if it is reformed, the whole body becomes good, but if it gets spoilt, the whole body gets spoilt as well; indeed it is the heart.”.” [Al-Bukhari]

He (saws) said this after explaining that the lawful matters are clear and that the forbidden ones are clear, and that between them are obscure matters, not known to many people. However, what protects a person from the forbidden matters and ensures that he remains in lawful ones is knowledge; but beyond knowledge, it is the state of the heart. If the heart is good, then it makes use of the knowledge and it avoids what is prohibited. If the heart is corrupted, then the knowledge is of no benefit to it and it will indulge in what is prohibited.

The Prophet (saws) during the last (and only) pilgrimage, informed his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and it was an instruction to the entire Muslim nation to come, that people are not favored based on their race or color, but rather, based on piety and on how much they are Allah fearing. After that, he (saws) clarified that the place of piety is in one’s heart.

Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-10

Insha’Allah we’ll continue where we left off two or three weeks ago since the last lesson from this series. The last thing that we were talking about was the misconception some people try to use when it comes to matters of Shirk and they try to use the argument that there’s a difference or that when we go to somebody and ask them to ask Allah..so particularly if we go to a graveyard and ask someone who’s in that grave to ask Allah to ask something for us, that this is a matter of shirk that it’s actually allowed to do. Some will go a little bit further and say that it’s not allowed, it’s something that’s an innovation, but it wouldn’t remove someone from Islam.

So, we talked about this last week, and how this is a misconception, and how it actually is in contradiction to the consensus, and we mentioned a number of people who mentioned consensus on this matter, from the Imams of the Najdi da’wah and those before them. Likewise, we talked about the evidences for this from the Qur’an, and the logical arguments against this idea. So, we’re almost done the first misconception.

The next part we’ll talk about for this, is some questions to ask people who say these types of things. Someone might look at this topic and say why are we talking about these matters, nobody does this and this is something that was done a long time ago. The reality of the matter is, is that it isn’t just something that was done a long time ago, it still goes on today. It still goes on in this country, it still goes on this city, it goes on, on some of the masajid in this city here, it goes on the U of A, it goes on a number of people call to this filth.

So, the idea that it doesn’t need to be talked about is completely wrong because it is being spread, and Allahul musta’an, it’ being spread more and more and people aren’t really aware of it, so this is the reason we talk about it still, so don’t think that it’s a matter that’s pointless to talk about. So, first we’ll talk about some questions we’ll ask to these people in order to show them what they’re calling to is something that’s false.