And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and all his Companions: He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Chapter on the prohibition of saying to a Muslim, 'O disbeliever'"
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Chapter on the prohibition of saying to a Muslim, 'O disbeliever':
It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Riyad as-Salihin 1732 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And it was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:Sahih Muslim 61 Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the prohibition of saying to a Muslim, 'O disbeliever'": The ruling on the Muslim and the disbeliever belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The One who rules that someone is a disbeliever is Allah, and the One who rules that someone is a Muslim is Allah. Just as the One who makes things lawful and forbidden is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is not for us to make lawful what Allah has forbidden, nor to forbid what Allah has made lawful, nor to declare as disbelievers those who are not disbelievers in the ruling of Allah, nor to say that this person is a Muslim when he is not a Muslim in the sight of Allah.
The issue of declaring someone a disbeliever is a very serious matter, for it has opened the doors to great evil for the Muslim community. The first to adopt this vile trait—namely, declaring Muslims to be disbelievers—were the Khawarij, an early sect that declared sinners disbelievers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us:, and that they pray, give charity, and recite the Qur'an. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even informed us: "that the Companions would consider one of their own prayers insignificant compared to the prayers of these people". But, seeking refuge in Allah, they declared Muslims to be disbelievers and made lawful their blood, their wealth, and their women. We ask Allah for safety. This thought still exists to this day, for there is a misguided, innovative, and vile faction that declares as disbelievers those whom Allah and His Messenger have not declared disbelievers, according to their own desires. They say, "This one is a disbeliever, this one is an innovator, this one is an open sinner," and the like of that.
And what happened from these Khawarij who deviated from Islam? They gathered with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and they agreed with him to fight the people of Sham. They agreed on this, and great wars and much bloodshed occurred between them. Then 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made a truce with the people of Sham, and they reconciled to spare the blood of Muslims. The Khawarij said to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib: "You are a disbeliever, why did you make a truce with them? You have disbelieved just as they disbelieved." So they rebelled against him and fought him, but the outcome, praise be to Allah, was in his favor. He killed them a killing like that of 'Ad and Iram and destroyed them. But this vile methodology still exists among the Muslims. They make lawful the blood of Muslims, despite its sanctity, and their wealth, despite its sanctity, and their women, despite the sanctity of their honor. They say, for example: "Whoever commits zina is a disbeliever, whoever steals is a disbeliever, whoever drinks intoxicants is a disbeliever. Every sin from the major sins is, in their view, disbelief, seeking refuge in Allah, and it takes one out of the religion". Those who declare Muslims to be disbelievers are undoubtedly the disbelievers themselves, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:. It is necessary: if it is as he said, and the person is a disbeliever, then he is a disbeliever; otherwise, the one who said it is the disbeliever, seeking refuge in Allah. For this reason, a person must keep his tongue and his heart pure from declaring Muslims to be disbelievers. He should not speak and say, "This one is a disbeliever," nor should he believe in his heart that this one is a disbeliever merely out of his own desire.
The ruling of declaring someone a disbeliever is not for Zayd or 'Amr, but it belongs to Allah and His Messenger. Whoever Allah and His Messenger have declared a disbeliever is a disbeliever, even if we say he is a Muslim. And whoever Allah and His Messenger have not declared a disbeliever is a Muslim, even if anyone says he is a disbeliever.
Therefore, we say to the one who says to a Muslim, "O disbeliever," or "O enemy of Allah": if the person addressed is as he said, then he is a disbeliever and an enemy of Allah. But if he is not, then the one who said it is the disbeliever and the enemy of Allah, seeking refuge in Allah. Accordingly, this statement is one of the major sins if the person about whom it was said does not deserve it.
For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) was definitive in prohibiting this, meaning: prohibiting saying to a Muslim, "O disbeliever," or "O enemy of Allah." We ask Allah the Exalted to protect our hearts and our tongues from what harms us and angers Him. Indeed, He is capable of all things.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Chapter on the prohibition of saying to a Muslim, 'O disbeliever':
It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When a person calls his brother (in Islam) a disbeliever, one of them will certainly deserve the title. If the addressee is so as he has asserted, the disbelief of the man is confirmed, but if it is untrue, then it will revert to him.
إذا قال الرجل لأخيه: يا كافر، فقد باء بها أحدهما، فإن كان كما قال، وإلا رجعت عليهAnd it was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
he who labeled anyone with unbelief or called him the enemy of Allah, and he was in fact not so, it rebounded on him.
من دعا رجلاً بالكفر، أو قال: عدو الله، وليس كذلك إلا حار عليهThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the prohibition of saying to a Muslim, 'O disbeliever'": The ruling on the Muslim and the disbeliever belongs to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). The One who rules that someone is a disbeliever is Allah, and the One who rules that someone is a Muslim is Allah. Just as the One who makes things lawful and forbidden is Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is not for us to make lawful what Allah has forbidden, nor to forbid what Allah has made lawful, nor to declare as disbelievers those who are not disbelievers in the ruling of Allah, nor to say that this person is a Muslim when he is not a Muslim in the sight of Allah.
The issue of declaring someone a disbeliever is a very serious matter, for it has opened the doors to great evil for the Muslim community. The first to adopt this vile trait—namely, declaring Muslims to be disbelievers—were the Khawarij, an early sect that declared sinners disbelievers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us:
That they will deviate from Islam just as an arrow passes through a target, and that they will recite the Qur'an, but it will not go beyond their throats.
أنهم يمرقون من الإسلام كما يمرق السهم من الرمية ، وأنهم يقرأون القرآن لا يتجاوز حناجرهمAnd what happened from these Khawarij who deviated from Islam? They gathered with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who was the fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and they agreed with him to fight the people of Sham. They agreed on this, and great wars and much bloodshed occurred between them. Then 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) made a truce with the people of Sham, and they reconciled to spare the blood of Muslims. The Khawarij said to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib: "You are a disbeliever, why did you make a truce with them? You have disbelieved just as they disbelieved." So they rebelled against him and fought him, but the outcome, praise be to Allah, was in his favor. He killed them a killing like that of 'Ad and Iram and destroyed them. But this vile methodology still exists among the Muslims. They make lawful the blood of Muslims, despite its sanctity, and their wealth, despite its sanctity, and their women, despite the sanctity of their honor. They say, for example: "Whoever commits zina is a disbeliever, whoever steals is a disbeliever, whoever drinks intoxicants is a disbeliever. Every sin from the major sins is, in their view, disbelief, seeking refuge in Allah, and it takes one out of the religion". Those who declare Muslims to be disbelievers are undoubtedly the disbelievers themselves, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He informed that if a man says to his brother, "O disbeliever," then one of the two has assumed it.
أخبر أن الرجل إذا قال لأخيه يا كافر فإنه يبوء بها أحدهماThe ruling of declaring someone a disbeliever is not for Zayd or 'Amr, but it belongs to Allah and His Messenger. Whoever Allah and His Messenger have declared a disbeliever is a disbeliever, even if we say he is a Muslim. And whoever Allah and His Messenger have not declared a disbeliever is a Muslim, even if anyone says he is a disbeliever.
Therefore, we say to the one who says to a Muslim, "O disbeliever," or "O enemy of Allah": if the person addressed is as he said, then he is a disbeliever and an enemy of Allah. But if he is not, then the one who said it is the disbeliever and the enemy of Allah, seeking refuge in Allah. Accordingly, this statement is one of the major sins if the person about whom it was said does not deserve it.
For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) was definitive in prohibiting this, meaning: prohibiting saying to a Muslim, "O disbeliever," or "O enemy of Allah." We ask Allah the Exalted to protect our hearts and our tongues from what harms us and angers Him. Indeed, He is capable of all things.