Classifying People and Its Criterion
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
This questioner asks and says: Recently, some have emerged who prevent the classification of people absolutely, on the grounds that everyone is a Muslim. What is your honorable opinion, and what is the criterion in this matter?
Answer:
This is not an absolute rule. The one who opposes may be a disbeliever and not a Muslim, or he may be misguided and an open sinner, or he may be a sinner. People differ; among them are disbelievers, among them are hypocrites, among them are open sinners, among them are sinners, and among them are believers, the obedient, and the upright. It is necessary to assign people their proper ranks. The sinner is not to be given the rank of the obedient, nor is the obedient to be given the rank of the sinner.
Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Al-Jathiyah 45:21] And He the Exalted said: "Shall We treat the Muslims as the criminals?" [As-Saffat 37:154]? [Sad 38:28]? It is Allah who is the One who distinguished between these and those by the deeds they perform and the beliefs they hold.
As you heard in the hadith, this ummah (the Muslim community) will split into seventy-three sects. Each sect has a methodology and a path that differs from the path of the second, except for those who remain firm upon the Book and the Sunnah, for their path is one and they do not differ. This is clear. As for the one who says there is no distinction between people, no differentiation between people, and no classification of people, this is a wrong statement and misguidance.
It is Allah who distinguished between them. The Book and the Sunnah mentioned the disbelievers, mentioned the hypocrites, mentioned the believers, and mentioned the sinners and the open sinners. Allah classified the people. Do we oppose what Allah has revealed in His Book? So[At-Taghabun 64:2]. We say: No, there is no differentiation among humanity. This is hostility toward Allah and His Messenger. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
This questioner asks and says: Recently, some have emerged who prevent the classification of people absolutely, on the grounds that everyone is a Muslim. What is your honorable opinion, and what is the criterion in this matter?
Answer:
This is not an absolute rule. The one who opposes may be a disbeliever and not a Muslim, or he may be misguided and an open sinner, or he may be a sinner. People differ; among them are disbelievers, among them are hypocrites, among them are open sinners, among them are sinners, and among them are believers, the obedient, and the upright. It is necessary to assign people their proper ranks. The sinner is not to be given the rank of the obedient, nor is the obedient to be given the rank of the sinner.
Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:
Or do those who commit evils think We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - [make them] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge.
أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَوَاءً مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَWhat is [wrong] with you? How do you make judgement?
مَا لَكُمْ كَيْفَ تَحْكُمُونَOr should we treat those who believe and do righteous deeds like corrupters in the land? Or should We treat those who fear Allah like the wicked?
أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَالْمُفْسِدِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَمْ نَجْعَلُ الْمُتَّقِينَ كَالْفُجَّارِAs you heard in the hadith, this ummah (the Muslim community) will split into seventy-three sects. Each sect has a methodology and a path that differs from the path of the second, except for those who remain firm upon the Book and the Sunnah, for their path is one and they do not differ. This is clear. As for the one who says there is no distinction between people, no differentiation between people, and no classification of people, this is a wrong statement and misguidance.
It is Allah who distinguished between them. The Book and the Sunnah mentioned the disbelievers, mentioned the hypocrites, mentioned the believers, and mentioned the sinners and the open sinners. Allah classified the people. Do we oppose what Allah has revealed in His Book? So
It is He who created you, and among you is the disbeliever, and among you is the believer
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ فَمِنكُمْ كَافِرٌ وَمِنكُم مُّؤْمِنٌThe presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-46-معالم من منهج أهل السنة والجماعة|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (57:56)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.