Al-Tahawi said: "We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : We were asked in fear of what? Because it is established in their minds, whether that is correct or incorrect, that this... is only said for something disliked. Based on the good opinion that necessitates that this person who says "Praise be to Allah in all circumstances" has heard the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had two phrases of praise that he would use. When something that pleased and delighted him came to him, he would say, 'Praise be to Allah by whose grace good deeds are completed.' And when something that distressed and saddened him came to him, he would say, 'Praise be to Allah in all circumstances.'" So when we hear someone saying "Praise be to Allah in all circumstances," we are saddened, as if we ourselves have been afflicted with this disliked thing, because he does not say this unless he has been afflicted with something that saddens and distresses him. He said, "I have acted upon this for the two reasons mentioned earlier: the entry of the common people, and then the entry of the specific ones, from whom I understood that you did not like the delay, whereas I would have liked you to like the delay. So this is a speaker based on his saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:216] Hmm.
The questioner : My Shaykh, I like the delay because I want to stay with you, enjoy your company, and benefit from your knowledge.
The Shaykh : Excuse me.
The questioner : And because of my preoccupation and my commitment to things that are obligatory for me...
The Shaykh : In any case, I have known you since the day we were with Abu Malik, is that not so?
The questioner : How, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I am saying that this correction I mentioned earlier, I learned it from you since the day we were with Abu Malik?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you too, but in any case, your meeting with your brothers is also good, and your getting to know them is good...
Abu Layla: Of course, my brothers...
Another questioner: ... We seek His help and seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the badness of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no one who can mislead him, and whom He misleads, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows, we ask our Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) to allow us to complete some questions regarding the issue of... and it would be desirable if... We will complete some questions on the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir), and we will act upon the statement of Al-Tahawi in the Tahawiyyah: "We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible." The commentator of the Tahawiyyah said: "This should be qualified: We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for every sin." Is this qualification correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, we do not declare anyone a disbeliever. We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for any sin that he commits. The condition we mentioned in some detail in a previous session is that he does not consider that sin permissible in his heart. However, if he commits a sin, even if it is from the major sins, even if that sin is abandoning the prayer, as long as he acknowledges in the depths of his heart that he is a sinner before his Lord, the Exalted and Majestic, he is not declared a disbeliever for that sin, no matter what its nature is. But if he considers it permissible in his heart, just as he considered it permissible by his action, then that is the disbelief that expels one from the religion. There is no difference between one sin and another; it is not permissible to declare a Muslim a disbeliever for it except by the condition mentioned earlier, namely, as long as he does not consider it permissible in his belief. If he believes in his belief that it is a sin and that this belief must be believed in, but his desire overcame him and he acknowledges it, then I remind you on this occasion of the sin of that man who made that unjust bequest, which we cannot imagine a more unjust bequest than. He bequeathed that his son should burn him so that he might be a trial for his Lord. This is a sin beyond which there is no sin. And yet, our Lord, the Exalted and Majestic, did not hold him accountable when the man expressed, and Allah knows best what was in his heart, that he did not make that unjust bequest in denial of the power of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and in the belief of His inability to return him as a sound human being. No, rather he said, "I feared You." So Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, forgave him. Thus, if a Muslim commits a major sin and he does not consider it permissible in his heart, here comes his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 5401 And here come the hadiths of intercession that... "Take out of the Fire whoever has the weight of a mustard seed of faith in his heart." Therefore, the belief of the righteous Salaf and the people of the Sunnah and the community is truly that the one who commits a major sin is an open sinner (fasiq) who does not exit Islam by his major sin. Anyone else?
But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you
و عسى أن تكرهوى شيئا وهو خير لكمThe questioner : My Shaykh, I like the delay because I want to stay with you, enjoy your company, and benefit from your knowledge.
The Shaykh : Excuse me.
The questioner : And because of my preoccupation and my commitment to things that are obligatory for me...
The Shaykh : In any case, I have known you since the day we were with Abu Malik, is that not so?
The questioner : How, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I am saying that this correction I mentioned earlier, I learned it from you since the day we were with Abu Malik?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you too, but in any case, your meeting with your brothers is also good, and your getting to know them is good...
Abu Layla: Of course, my brothers...
Another questioner: ... We seek His help and seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the badness of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, there is no one who can mislead him, and whom He misleads, there is no one who can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger. As for what follows, we ask our Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) to allow us to complete some questions regarding the issue of... and it would be desirable if... We will complete some questions on the issue of declaring someone a disbeliever (takfir), and we will act upon the statement of Al-Tahawi in the Tahawiyyah: "We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for a sin unless he considers it permissible." The commentator of the Tahawiyyah said: "This should be qualified: We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for every sin." Is this qualification correct?
The Shaykh : Yes, we do not declare anyone a disbeliever. We do not declare any person from the people of the Qibla a disbeliever for any sin that he commits. The condition we mentioned in some detail in a previous session is that he does not consider that sin permissible in his heart. However, if he commits a sin, even if it is from the major sins, even if that sin is abandoning the prayer, as long as he acknowledges in the depths of his heart that he is a sinner before his Lord, the Exalted and Majestic, he is not declared a disbeliever for that sin, no matter what its nature is. But if he considers it permissible in his heart, just as he considered it permissible by his action, then that is the disbelief that expels one from the religion. There is no difference between one sin and another; it is not permissible to declare a Muslim a disbeliever for it except by the condition mentioned earlier, namely, as long as he does not consider it permissible in his belief. If he believes in his belief that it is a sin and that this belief must be believed in, but his desire overcame him and he acknowledges it, then I remind you on this occasion of the sin of that man who made that unjust bequest, which we cannot imagine a more unjust bequest than. He bequeathed that his son should burn him so that he might be a trial for his Lord. This is a sin beyond which there is no sin. And yet, our Lord, the Exalted and Majestic, did not hold him accountable when the man expressed, and Allah knows best what was in his heart, that he did not make that unjust bequest in denial of the power of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and in the belief of His inability to return him as a sound human being. No, rather he said, "I feared You." So Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, forgave him. Thus, if a Muslim commits a major sin and he does not consider it permissible in his heart, here comes his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):