Additional clarification from the brother Khalid al-'Anbari regarding the Murji'ah, their school of thought, and the transmission of the words of the scholars on that matter, along with the accusations of some of the old misguided sects
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Khalid al-'Anbari: Then, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah divided the sects of the Murji'ah into three categories. Some of them say that faith is merely what is in the heart, and some say it is merely the speech of the tongue. This is not known for anyone before the Karramiyyah, the well-known sect.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Khalid al-'Anbari: And there is a third opinion of the Murji'ah, and they are the Murji'ah of the jurists, for they say it is the affirmation of the heart and the speech of the tongue. And the majority of the Murji'ah, as we have learned from your eminence, hold that it does not increase or decrease, nor does it become partial, nor do its people differ in degree in it, but rather the faith of all is equal. As for the Salafis, the people of hadith and the Sunnah, they say that it is belief, speech, and action, that it increases and decreases, becomes partial, and its people differ in degree in it. They make exceptions in faith and consider it a root and a branch. And as I add to your kind words a kind word from Ibn Abi al-'Izz in his commentary on the al-Tahawi Creed, he says, in what he says: "The condemned irja' that he condemned".
The Shaykh : Excuse me, how does he say it?
Khalid al-'Anbari: He says: "The condemned irja' leads to the manifestation of open sinfulness and sins, by the servant saying, 'I am a believer, a Muslim, truly, with complete faith and Islam, and I am among the awliya (close friends of Allah), so I do not care about the sins that occur from me.' And in this meaning, the Murji'ah said, 'No sin harms one who has faith if he commits it.'" And this is definitely false, as Ibn Abi al-'Izz says. Also, there is another opinion from the Hafiz of the Maghreb, Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Barr, that supports what your eminence said. He says: "This is my opinion—meaning the opinion that the one who abandons prayer is not a disbeliever—he says: This is an opinion that a group of the Imams who say that faith is speech and action have held, and the Murji'ah also held it, except that the Murji'ah say that the affirming believer is complete in faith. And we have mentioned the disagreement of the Imams of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the one who abandons prayer. As for the people of innovation, the Murji'ah said that the one who abandons prayer is a believer complete in faith if he is affirming, not denying, and not arrogant." The words of the Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) end. However, your eminence, this lie is not new; rather, it is an old lie, for the Qadi, the scholar, Abu al-Fadl al-Sakaski mentioned in his book al-Burhan fi 'Aqaid Ahl al-Adyan: "That a group of the people of innovation called the Mansuriyyah accuse the people of the Sunnah of being Murji'ah because of their saying", meaning the saying of the people of the Sunnah: "That the one who abandons prayer, if he is not denying its obligation, is a Muslim according to the correct opinion of the madhhab", meaning the madhhab of Imam Ahmad: "And they say this leads to the fact that faith, in their view, is speech without action." And Shaykh al-Sakaski defended the people of the Sunnah and refuted this accusation in the aforementioned book. Your eminence,
The Shaykh : Excuse me.
The Shaykh : Yes.
Khalid al-'Anbari: And there is a third opinion of the Murji'ah, and they are the Murji'ah of the jurists, for they say it is the affirmation of the heart and the speech of the tongue. And the majority of the Murji'ah, as we have learned from your eminence, hold that it does not increase or decrease, nor does it become partial, nor do its people differ in degree in it, but rather the faith of all is equal. As for the Salafis, the people of hadith and the Sunnah, they say that it is belief, speech, and action, that it increases and decreases, becomes partial, and its people differ in degree in it. They make exceptions in faith and consider it a root and a branch. And as I add to your kind words a kind word from Ibn Abi al-'Izz in his commentary on the al-Tahawi Creed, he says, in what he says: "The condemned irja' that he condemned".
The Shaykh : Excuse me, how does he say it?
Khalid al-'Anbari: He says: "The condemned irja' leads to the manifestation of open sinfulness and sins, by the servant saying, 'I am a believer, a Muslim, truly, with complete faith and Islam, and I am among the awliya (close friends of Allah), so I do not care about the sins that occur from me.' And in this meaning, the Murji'ah said, 'No sin harms one who has faith if he commits it.'" And this is definitely false, as Ibn Abi al-'Izz says. Also, there is another opinion from the Hafiz of the Maghreb, Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Barr, that supports what your eminence said. He says: "This is my opinion—meaning the opinion that the one who abandons prayer is not a disbeliever—he says: This is an opinion that a group of the Imams who say that faith is speech and action have held, and the Murji'ah also held it, except that the Murji'ah say that the affirming believer is complete in faith. And we have mentioned the disagreement of the Imams of the people of the Sunnah and the community regarding the one who abandons prayer. As for the people of innovation, the Murji'ah said that the one who abandons prayer is a believer complete in faith if he is affirming, not denying, and not arrogant." The words of the Hafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) end. However, your eminence, this lie is not new; rather, it is an old lie, for the Qadi, the scholar, Abu al-Fadl al-Sakaski mentioned in his book al-Burhan fi 'Aqaid Ahl al-Adyan: "That a group of the people of innovation called the Mansuriyyah accuse the people of the Sunnah of being Murji'ah because of their saying", meaning the saying of the people of the Sunnah: "That the one who abandons prayer, if he is not denying its obligation, is a Muslim according to the correct opinion of the madhhab", meaning the madhhab of Imam Ahmad: "And they say this leads to the fact that faith, in their view, is speech without action." And Shaykh al-Sakaski defended the people of the Sunnah and refuted this accusation in the aforementioned book. Your eminence,
The Shaykh : Excuse me.