The scholars disagreed on declaring a specific individual a disbeliever who commits acts of disbelief, such as circumambulating graves. Does each group deny the other?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, the scholars disagreed on declaring a man a disbeliever who commits acts of disbelief.
The Shaykh : In.
The questioner : The scholars disagreed on declaring a specific man a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : Declaring a disbeliever.
The questioner : Declaring a specific man a disbeliever who commits acts of disbelief; some are strict and some are lenient. Some say: If you see a man circumambulating a grave, ask about his intention, why is he circumambulating? And some say: By merely seeing the man, it is disbelief, especially if he knows this matter. What is your opinion in this? Does some deny the other?
The Shaykh : I say: Perhaps you understand that in the Muslim community there are two extremist groups:
The Khawarij and the Murji'ah.
So the Khawarij say: Faith does not benefit with disobedience, and they declare every doer of a major sin a disbeliever.
And the Murji'ah say: Disobedience does not harm with faith, and they make every doer of a sin a believer with complete faith. And so in your time now, there are those whom the Murji'ah attracted, and they expanded in leniency in judging people, and among them are those who took the tendency of the Khawarij and began to declare disbelievers for every sin.
And it is obligatory to restrict declaring disbelievers to what came in the Book and the Sunnah, because the ruling of declaring disbelievers is among the rulings that are received from Allah.
So just as it is not permissible for us to say: This is obligatory and this is forbidden, except with evidence, it is not permissible to say: This is disbelief and this is faith, except with evidence.
Then, if we say: This is disbelief and this is faith, we do not rule that every doer of it is a disbeliever, because he may be excused; the truth may be confused upon him; he may be compelled and committed this out of dire necessity. So we are patient until we clarify the state of this person.
So if his state is clarified and the man has knowledge but he transgressed in what results in disbelief, we declare him a disbeliever.
The questioner : Does some deny the other?
The Shaykh : It is known that the extremist from this and this is denied, and it is said: Fear Allah regarding Allah's servants, do not declare a disbeliever whom Allah the Exalted and Majestic has not declared a disbeliever, and do not make a Murji'ah whom Allah has not made a Murji'ah. This Book and Sunnah, we walk upon it.
The Shaykh : In.
The questioner : The scholars disagreed on declaring a specific man a disbeliever.
The Shaykh : Declaring a disbeliever.
The questioner : Declaring a specific man a disbeliever who commits acts of disbelief; some are strict and some are lenient. Some say: If you see a man circumambulating a grave, ask about his intention, why is he circumambulating? And some say: By merely seeing the man, it is disbelief, especially if he knows this matter. What is your opinion in this? Does some deny the other?
The Shaykh : I say: Perhaps you understand that in the Muslim community there are two extremist groups:
The Khawarij and the Murji'ah.
So the Khawarij say: Faith does not benefit with disobedience, and they declare every doer of a major sin a disbeliever.
And the Murji'ah say: Disobedience does not harm with faith, and they make every doer of a sin a believer with complete faith. And so in your time now, there are those whom the Murji'ah attracted, and they expanded in leniency in judging people, and among them are those who took the tendency of the Khawarij and began to declare disbelievers for every sin.
And it is obligatory to restrict declaring disbelievers to what came in the Book and the Sunnah, because the ruling of declaring disbelievers is among the rulings that are received from Allah.
So just as it is not permissible for us to say: This is obligatory and this is forbidden, except with evidence, it is not permissible to say: This is disbelief and this is faith, except with evidence.
Then, if we say: This is disbelief and this is faith, we do not rule that every doer of it is a disbeliever, because he may be excused; the truth may be confused upon him; he may be compelled and committed this out of dire necessity. So we are patient until we clarify the state of this person.
So if his state is clarified and the man has knowledge but he transgressed in what results in disbelief, we declare him a disbeliever.
The questioner : Does some deny the other?
The Shaykh : It is known that the extremist from this and this is denied, and it is said: Fear Allah regarding Allah's servants, do not declare a disbeliever whom Allah the Exalted and Majestic has not declared a disbeliever, and do not make a Murji'ah whom Allah has not made a Murji'ah. This Book and Sunnah, we walk upon it.