The Ruling on Describing Muslims as Extremists and Terrorists
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. Do the new terms used to describe Muslims, or even others, such as calling Muslims extremists, terrorists, hardliners, or fanatics, and so on, apply to the matter of the fifty-ninth question? And if someone says that Muslims are his brothers, does that make him a disbeliever from the pre-Islamic age of ignorance? Is he declared a disbeliever? And what is obligatory for him if he wants to repent?
Answer:
There may be among the Muslims those who are extremists, those who are terrorists, and those who claim to belong to Islam. Are those who are now blowing up and killing innocent lives, slaughtering people like sheep, children and boys, calling this jihad in the path of Allah, is this extremism or correct religion?
So there is extremism, no doubt about it. We do not deny that there is extremism among those who claim to belong to Islam, and there are those who follow the path of the Khawarij among those who claim to belong to Islam. It is obligatory to present matters to the Book and the Sunnah. What agrees with the Book and the Sunnah is truth; it is not extremism, and it is not rigidity. What contradicts the Book and the Sunnah is rigidity and extremism, even if its proponent claims that it is religion, that it is Islam, and that it is jihad in the path of Allah. The Khawarij previously killed the Companions and said, "We are fighting in the path of Allah." They killed the Companions and said, "We are fighting in the path of Allah," the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Is this extremism or is this truth?
So we do not say that there is no extremism at all among the Muslims, nor do we say that everyone who claims to belong to goodness and everyone who calls to Allah has extremism. It is obligatory that we take the middle path and present matters to the Book and the Sunnah, so that extremism is distinguished from uprightness. We do not accept matters in their entirety, but rather detail is necessary, and it is necessary to present matters to the Book and the Sunnah for the people of knowledge. And whoever does not know should ask the people of knowledge, and the truth will become clear to him, if Allah wills.
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. Do the new terms used to describe Muslims, or even others, such as calling Muslims extremists, terrorists, hardliners, or fanatics, and so on, apply to the matter of the fifty-ninth question? And if someone says that Muslims are his brothers, does that make him a disbeliever from the pre-Islamic age of ignorance? Is he declared a disbeliever? And what is obligatory for him if he wants to repent?
Answer:
There may be among the Muslims those who are extremists, those who are terrorists, and those who claim to belong to Islam. Are those who are now blowing up and killing innocent lives, slaughtering people like sheep, children and boys, calling this jihad in the path of Allah, is this extremism or correct religion?
So there is extremism, no doubt about it. We do not deny that there is extremism among those who claim to belong to Islam, and there are those who follow the path of the Khawarij among those who claim to belong to Islam. It is obligatory to present matters to the Book and the Sunnah. What agrees with the Book and the Sunnah is truth; it is not extremism, and it is not rigidity. What contradicts the Book and the Sunnah is rigidity and extremism, even if its proponent claims that it is religion, that it is Islam, and that it is jihad in the path of Allah. The Khawarij previously killed the Companions and said, "We are fighting in the path of Allah." They killed the Companions and said, "We are fighting in the path of Allah," the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Is this extremism or is this truth?
So we do not say that there is no extremism at all among the Muslims, nor do we say that everyone who claims to belong to goodness and everyone who calls to Allah has extremism. It is obligatory that we take the middle path and present matters to the Book and the Sunnah, so that extremism is distinguished from uprightness. We do not accept matters in their entirety, but rather detail is necessary, and it is necessary to present matters to the Book and the Sunnah for the people of knowledge. And whoever does not know should ask the people of knowledge, and the truth will become clear to him, if Allah wills.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 10/2/4 شرح مسائل الجاهلية / الشريط العاشر / جزء٢ — youtube.com (5:09)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.