Guidelines for Declaring the People of Innovation as Disbelievers
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His Eminence the Shaykh: I convey to you the greetings of the youth of Riyadh, and specifically the youth of al-Nasim and al-Nazim district,And the question, O Shaykh: What is the standard for declaring an innovator a disbeliever?
I say: Peace and mercy be upon you and upon them. The issue of declaring someone a disbeliever is a great and serious matter, more severe than declaring something lawful or forbidden; because declaring something lawful or forbidden does not lead to the permissibility of taking blood or wealth, whereas declaring someone a disbeliever leads to the permissibility of taking blood and wealth;Because if you say: This is a disbeliever,Its meaning is: that he is an apostate, so either he returns to Islam, or he is killed and his wealth is made lawful, so the matter is great. For this reason, it is obligatory for a person to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding himself,And that he guard his tongue from saying: So-and-so is a disbeliever, or so-and-so is one who associates partners with Allah, or the like of that,And declaring someone a disbeliever requires two conditions: The first condition: that we verify from the Book and the Sunnah that this matter is disbelief,So if we do not verify, it is not permissible at all for us to say: that it is disbelief. We must verify that it is disbelief.
The second condition: That we verify that this description for which the Shari'ah has established the ruling of disbelief has been attributed to this man, such that the proof has been established against him, and he understood it but refused and was arrogant,And he said as his predecessors said: [al-Zukhruf: 23] So if we find a man who is an innovator, whether he is from the general following masses or from those above them, but he is not a scholar qualified to derive rulings in his innovation and is calling to it, then we do not declare him a disbeliever until the proof is established against him and the matter is clarified to him. When the matter is clarified to him, then at that time we rule according to what the indication of the Book and the Sunnah requires, whether this innovation is one that entails disbelief or not. So the matter is serious.
And know that a statement may be disbelief, or an action may be disbelief, and the one who speaks or the one who acts may not be a disbeliever. Perhaps the story of the man who lost his camel in a desolate land has reached you. It was lost from him, and he was unable to find it, and his food and drink were on it. So he lay down under a tree waiting for death. Then he found the camel's rein hanging from the tree, so he took it,And out of extreme joy he said: O Allah, You are my slave and I am your Lord. This word is disbelief, but he erred out of extreme joy, so nothing was required of him. And a man is coerced into disbelief and is not considered a disbeliever, as Allah said: [al-Nahl: 106] .
So he commits disbelief, and yet the ruling of disbelief is lifted from him because of coercion and error. And the disobedient man who had destroyed himself with sins,He said to his family: If I die, burn me and scatter me in the sea. He feared the power of Allah over him that He would punish him with a punishment He does not inflict on anyone in the worlds. So his family did that to him; they burned him and scattered him. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) gathered him by His power, "Be, and it is,"And he asked him: Why did you do this?He said: O my Lord, out of fear of Your punishment. So Allah forgave him, even though the man doubted the power of Allah, and doubting the power of Allah is disbelief. But this man did not doubt the power of Allah (the Exalted) in contempt of Allah, but out of fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He would punish him, so he thought that if he did that, he would be saved.
So in any case, I advise you, O questioner! And I also advise others to be cautious in pronouncing the word of disbelief, until it becomes clear from the Book and the Sunnah that this is disbelief, and then it becomes clear that this description applies to this specific man, and then they rule according to what the Islamic Shari'ah requires. And just as it is not permissible for us to say: This is lawful and this is forbidden, except by permission from Allah,Likewise, it is not permissible for us to say: This is disbelief, or it is not disbelief, except by permission from Allah.
I say this, and I seek forgiveness from Allah the Great for myself and for you, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
I say: Peace and mercy be upon you and upon them. The issue of declaring someone a disbeliever is a great and serious matter, more severe than declaring something lawful or forbidden; because declaring something lawful or forbidden does not lead to the permissibility of taking blood or wealth, whereas declaring someone a disbeliever leads to the permissibility of taking blood and wealth;Because if you say: This is a disbeliever,Its meaning is: that he is an apostate, so either he returns to Islam, or he is killed and his wealth is made lawful, so the matter is great. For this reason, it is obligatory for a person to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) regarding himself,And that he guard his tongue from saying: So-and-so is a disbeliever, or so-and-so is one who associates partners with Allah, or the like of that,And declaring someone a disbeliever requires two conditions: The first condition: that we verify from the Book and the Sunnah that this matter is disbelief,So if we do not verify, it is not permissible at all for us to say: that it is disbelief. We must verify that it is disbelief.
The second condition: That we verify that this description for which the Shari'ah has established the ruling of disbelief has been attributed to this man, such that the proof has been established against him, and he understood it but refused and was arrogant,And he said as his predecessors said:
Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided."
إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمْ مُقْتَدُونَAnd know that a statement may be disbelief, or an action may be disbelief, and the one who speaks or the one who acts may not be a disbeliever. Perhaps the story of the man who lost his camel in a desolate land has reached you. It was lost from him, and he was unable to find it, and his food and drink were on it. So he lay down under a tree waiting for death. Then he found the camel's rein hanging from the tree, so he took it,And out of extreme joy he said: O Allah, You are my slave and I am your Lord. This word is disbelief, but he erred out of extreme joy, so nothing was required of him. And a man is coerced into disbelief and is not considered a disbeliever, as Allah said:
Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief... except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah, and for them is a great punishment;
مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْأِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْراً فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌSo he commits disbelief, and yet the ruling of disbelief is lifted from him because of coercion and error. And the disobedient man who had destroyed himself with sins,He said to his family: If I die, burn me and scatter me in the sea. He feared the power of Allah over him that He would punish him with a punishment He does not inflict on anyone in the worlds. So his family did that to him; they burned him and scattered him. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) gathered him by His power, "Be, and it is,"And he asked him: Why did you do this?He said: O my Lord, out of fear of Your punishment. So Allah forgave him, even though the man doubted the power of Allah, and doubting the power of Allah is disbelief. But this man did not doubt the power of Allah (the Exalted) in contempt of Allah, but out of fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He would punish him, so he thought that if he did that, he would be saved.
So in any case, I advise you, O questioner! And I also advise others to be cautious in pronouncing the word of disbelief, until it becomes clear from the Book and the Sunnah that this is disbelief, and then it becomes clear that this description applies to this specific man, and then they rule according to what the Islamic Shari'ah requires. And just as it is not permissible for us to say: This is lawful and this is forbidden, except by permission from Allah,Likewise, it is not permissible for us to say: This is disbelief, or it is not disbelief, except by permission from Allah.
I say this, and I seek forgiveness from Allah the Great for myself and for you, and peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.