The Shaykh’s remarks on the athar of Ibn Abbas (disbelief short of disbelief) from the jurisprudential perspective.

The Shaykh : Be patient with me, I will say that I will clarify the matter further from the jurisprudential perspective, assuming that this athar does not exist at all.

The questioner : Yes, from the jurisprudential perspective.

The Shaykh : Ah, so from the jurisprudential perspective, no scholar of the Book and the Sunnah can say anything other than the statement of Ibn Abbas, yes, because as is well known, as with the people of knowledge, there are many, and very many, hadiths in which it is explicitly stated that whoever does such-and-such has committed disbelief.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Ah, and no scholar who is truly a scholar can say that whenever the word "disbelief" is mentioned in a hadith attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), let alone a hadith stopping at a Companion, that this is apostasy.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : No one can say this at all, no matter how much knowledge they possess, or conversely, no matter how much ignorance they possess. For example, the saying of the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him): No scholar can say that merely because someone said it, or because it is said that he has apostatized from his religion, because the Messenger said: And the Messenger of Allah is truthful in what he said, there is no doubt or ambiguity about that. But we return to the word of Ibn Abbas, "disbelief short of disbelief." Likewise, for example, the saying of the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him): Whoever says that this disbelief is apostasy, disbelief that is exiting the religion, then this issue does not need much research at all.

The questioner : ... May Allah preserve you, this ... which ... .

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Does this statement include...

The Shaykh : Yes, it includes it.

The questioner : ... which declares the one who abandons prayer a disbeliever?

The Shaykh : Yes, it includes it, and that is what we discussed in my treatise on the ruling of the one who abandons prayer, I think it is...

The questioner : ... general.

The Shaykh : Yes, not every word mentioned in a text in the Qur'an or the Sunnah with the word "disbelief" means apostasy. Rather, it is interpreted first according to the context and the preceding text, and then according to the other texts that relate to the issue to which the word "disbelief" was applied. The verse in which Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said "disbelief short of disbelief," you know, is His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): , and you also know that this verse was repeated in two other places with two other words: , . As Ibn Abbas said regarding the word , "The matter is not as they think; it is only disbelief short of disbelief." This is a fact, a truth, in which I do not argue with anyone except one of two people: either an ignorant person or a stubborn denier.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Well, the Imam of the Mufassirun, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, then Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : They have clarified, and the context and the preceding text in the verses also indicate that the verse was revealed regarding the Jews, those who were two groups, an upper group and a lower group, this is well known in the tafsir. So they differed and said, "We will judge by Muhammad ibn Abdullah," but in their hearts, if the judgment was in their favor, they would accept it, and if it was not in their favor, they would reject it. And they were disbelievers in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his entire message. So this verse was revealed: So whoever’s position toward a legislative ruling that is explicitly stated in the Book and the Sunnah, let alone all the rulings of the Shari'ah, is the position of the Jews regarding their judgment by the Messenger (peace be upon him), that position for which the verse was revealed regarding them, whoever’s position is their position, his ruling is their ruling.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : As for the one who says, or who says, that this ruling is the ruling of Allah and it should be applied in every time and in every place, but Allah turns to us in repentance, Allah humiliates Satan, as the sinners usually do.

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : Among them are those who abandon prayer, among them are the usurers, drinking alcohol, and so on. Allah turns to us in repentance. So this person is a believer in his heart.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : In his outward appearance, he is a disbeliever.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Because he does the deeds of disbelief and the deeds of the disbelievers.

The questioner : This is practical disbelief.

The Shaykh : This is practical disbelief. Yes, so whoever has disbelief of belief in his heart...

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : along with practical disbelief, he is the apostate from his religion. As for the one who has faith in what Allah has revealed in his heart, but he does not act upon what Allah has revealed, this is a hypocrite with practical hypocrisy.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : And on this basis, the other word in the verse is interpreted: "And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then it is they who are the hypocrites"; because the hypocrite, as is well known, as is well known to the scholars, is the one who conceals disbelief. When the term "hypocrite" is used in its general sense, the hypocrite in the general sense is the one who conceals disbelief and displays faith.

The questioner : The verse, O Shaykh, is "the fasiquun," the fasiquun, not "the hypocrites."

The Shaykh : Ah, excuse me, my tongue slipped. Yes, We also mentioned it at the beginning.

The questioner : The disbelievers, the wrongdoers, and the fasiquun.

The Shaykh : And the fasiquun. Yes, it is this. So fisq (open sinfulness) is also of two types, and zulm (wrongdoing) is also of two types, just as it was said regarding disbelief. Exactly the same is said regarding fisq and zulm.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Well, but this is what led me to the word "hypocrisy" is that we always, on occasions, mention his saying (peace be upon him) in the hadith agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim: . Well, is this hypocrisy the same hypocrisy that our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) judged its people in the Qur'an? The answer is: No. Why? Because hypocrisy is also divided into that division: verbal and heart hypocrisy, and practical hypocrisy. The one who displays Islam and conceals disbelief, his hypocrisy is of the heart. And the one who conceals Islam and then acts contrary to Islam, his hypocrisy is practical. And these are very important legal facts, so that a person does not fall into what resembles exiting the religion and joining the Khawarij, declaring a Muslim a disbeliever because of his committing a major sin. For this reason, we say that this athar of Ibn Abbas, if it did not come at all, or if it was not authentic at all, we would not lose anything.

The questioner: Allah is the Greatest!

The Shaykh : Rather, we benefit from its authenticity as the testimony of this noble Companion, who is truly the interpreter of the Qur'an. The verse, as I recall, is in al-Ma'idah.

The questioner : In al-Ma'idah. Yes.

The Shaykh : In al-Ma'idah. Here, may Allah bless you.