A Question on Disavowing the Polytheists and Believing in Their Disbelief
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Question:
I recently heard that whoever does not declare a disbeliever to be a disbeliever, or doubts his disbelief, is himself a disbeliever. Similarly, I heard that whoever doubts the disbelief of one who abandons prayer or mocks any of the limits of Allah is a disbeliever. Is this correct?
Answer:
The evidences from the Book and the Sunnah indicate that it is obligatory to disavow the polytheists and to believe in their disbelief and misguidance, once the believer knows this and their disbelief and misguidance become clear to him.
As Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said in His great Book:[Az-Zukhruf 43:26] EXCEPT HE WHO CREATED ME, FOR HE WILL GUIDE ME AND HE MADE IT A WORD THAT REMAINS IN HIS DESCENDANTS, PERHAPS THEY WILL RETURN [Surah al-Zukhruf: 26-28], meaning perhaps they will return to it in declaring the polytheists disbelievers and disavowing them, and believing that Allah is their true deity .
And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He) : [Surah al-Mumtahanah: 4]. This is the religion of Ibrahim and the way of Ibrahim and all the prophets: disavowal of those who worship other than Allah, and holding that they are disbelievers and misguided until they believe in Allah alone (Glorified and Exalted is He) .
Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to disavow the worship of other than Allah, and to believe in their disbelief and misguidance until they believe in Allah alone (Glorified and Exalted is He), just as Allah related about Ibrahim and all the prophets. And so is His saying (Mighty and Majestic): [Surah al-Baqarah: 256].
Disbelief in the taghut means disavowing the worship of other than Allah and believing in its invalidity. It means that it is obligatory for every person of legal capacity to worship Allah alone, to believe in Him, and to believe that Allah alone is the one worthy of worship. And that what people worship besides Allah, whether idols, trees, stones, jinn, angels, or anything else, is worshipped falsely.
Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Hajj: 62]. So when a believer knows that so-and-so worships other than Allah, it is obligatory for him to disavow him and believe in the invalidity of what he is upon, and to declare him a disbeliever on account of that, if he is among those to whom the proof has reached, meaning if he is among the Muslims, or if it is known that the proof has reached him. As Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-An'am: 19], and He said the Exalted: [Surah Ibrahim: 52].
So Allah revealed the Qur'an to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and made it a message to the people. Whoever the Qur'an or the Sunnah reaches and he does not turn back from his disbelief and misguidance, it is obligatory to believe in the invalidity of what he is upon and his disbelief.
And from this authentic hadith, which is his saying (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him):Sahih Muslim 153 It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
So he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) clarified that every person, when what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent with reaches him, and then he dies without believing in it, he becomes one of the people of the Fire; meaning he becomes a disbeliever from the people of the Fire; because he did not respond to what reached him from the Messenger of Allah.
And this is the meaning of His saying the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:19], and His saying the Exalted: [Ibrahim 14:52].
In Sahih Muslim, from Tariq ibn Ashim (may Allah have mercy on him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:Sahih Muslim 23a, and in another wording: Sahih Muslim 23a So he linked the prohibition of blood and wealth to his saying: There is no god but Allah, and his tawhid (the oneness of Allah) for Allah, and his disbelief in the taghut, so his wealth and blood are not made inviolable until he makes Allah one, and until he disbelieves in the taghut—meaning he disbelieves in what is worshipped other than Allah—because the taghut is what is worshipped other than Allah, and the meaning of the noble verse is: [Surah al-Baqarah: 256].
And the one who knows the disbeliever and the falsehood he is upon, and then does not declare him a disbeliever or doubts his disbelief, means that he is denying Allah and His Messenger, and not believing in what Allah has ruled regarding their disbelief, like the Jews and the Christians. They are disbelievers by the explicit text of the Qur'an and the explicit text of the Sunnah. So it is obligatory for the Muslims of legal capacity to believe in their disbelief and misguidance. And whoever does not declare them disbelievers or doubts their disbelief becomes like them; because he is denying Allah and His Messenger and doubting what Allah and His Messenger informed about. And so is the one who doubts the Hereafter, doubting whether there is Paradise or not, or whether there is Hellfire or not, or whether there is a resurrection or not, and whether Allah will resurrect the dead. He has no faith and certainty. So this person is a disbeliever until he believes in the resurrection and the rising, and in Paradise and Hellfire, and that Allah prepared Paradise for the righteous and prepared Hellfire for the disbelievers. So it is necessary to believe in this by the consensus of the Muslims.
And likewise, whoever doubts that Allah is worthy of worship becomes a disbeliever in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) ; because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says: [Surah Luqman: 30], and He says (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Surah al-Isra: 23], and He said (the Exalted): [Surah al-Fatihah: 5], and He said: [Surah al-Bayyinah: 5]. And the verses on this are many.
And so is the one who doubts the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and says: I do not know whether Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah or not? Meaning he has doubt. So his ruling is the ruling of one who denies the message or lies about it. He is a disbeliever until he believes with certainty that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
And so are the messengers whom Allah mentioned, like Hud, Nuh, Salih, Musa, and Isa. Whoever doubts their messagehood or lies about them is a disbeliever. And so is the one who mocks the religion or insults the religion; he is a disbeliever. As Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Tawbah: 65].
And the one who insults the religion and insults the Messenger is like the mocker, or worse and more disbelieving.
As for the one who abandons prayer but does not deny its obligation, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars regarding him:
1 - Some of them declared him a disbeliever, and this is the correct view; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam), and his saying: .
2 - And others from the people of knowledge said: He is not declared a disbeliever on account of that; because he did not deny its obligation. Rather, he is a sinner and a disbeliever with a disbelief less than major disbelief, and a shirk less than major shirk, but he does not become a disbeliever with major shirk. This was said by a group of the people of knowledge.
And the one who doubts the disbelief of this person does not become a disbeliever; because it is a matter of ijtihad among the people of knowledge. So whoever sees, by the evidences of the Shari'ah, that he is a disbeliever, it is obligatory for him to declare him a disbeliever. And whoever doubts that, and the evidences do not become clear to him, and he sees that he does not become a disbeliever with major shirk but with minor shirk, then he is excused in his ijtihad, and he does not become a disbeliever on account of that.
As for the one who denies its obligation and says: Prayer is not obligatory, then he is a disbeliever according to all of them. And the one who doubts his disbelief is a disbeliever, we seek refuge in Allah. And so is the one who says: Zakah is not obligatory, meaning he denies its obligation, or fasting Ramadan, denying its obligation. Then he is declared a disbeliever on account of that; because he is denying Allah and His Messenger, and denying the consensus of the Muslims, so he becomes a disbeliever.
And the one who doubts his disbelief is a disbeliever after the evidence is clarified to him and the matter is made clear to him. He becomes a disbeliever on account of that because he lied to Allah and His Messenger, and lied to the consensus of the Muslims.
And these are great matters in which the student of knowledge must be cautious and not be hasty; so that he may be upon clarity and insight. And so is the general public; they must be cautious in that, and not proceed to anything until they ask the people of knowledge, and until they look into it carefully; because these are great matters, matters of takfir, and not light matters.
So it is obligatory for the students of knowledge and the people of knowledge to clarify the ruling to the people with the evidences of the Shari'ah. And it is obligatory for the one who is confused by something not to be hasty, and to look into the evidences, and to ask the people of knowledge until he is upon insight and clarity in that. And Allah is the One who grants success.
I recently heard that whoever does not declare a disbeliever to be a disbeliever, or doubts his disbelief, is himself a disbeliever. Similarly, I heard that whoever doubts the disbelief of one who abandons prayer or mocks any of the limits of Allah is a disbeliever. Is this correct?
Answer:
The evidences from the Book and the Sunnah indicate that it is obligatory to disavow the polytheists and to believe in their disbelief and misguidance, once the believer knows this and their disbelief and misguidance become clear to him.
As Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said in His great Book:
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham said to his father and his people, "Indeed, I am disassociated from that which you worship
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِي بَرَاءٌ مِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He) :
There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone
قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنْكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاءُ أَبَدًا حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُTherefore, it is obligatory for the Muslim to disavow the worship of other than Allah, and to believe in their disbelief and misguidance until they believe in Allah alone (Glorified and Exalted is He), just as Allah related about Ibrahim and all the prophets. And so is His saying (Mighty and Majestic):
So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا انْفِصَامَ لَهَاDisbelief in the taghut means disavowing the worship of other than Allah and believing in its invalidity. It means that it is obligatory for every person of legal capacity to worship Allah alone, to believe in Him, and to believe that Allah alone is the one worthy of worship. And that what people worship besides Allah, whether idols, trees, stones, jinn, angels, or anything else, is worshipped falsely.
Allah the Exalted said:
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُAnd this Qur'an was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches.
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنْذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَنْ بَلَغَThis [Qur'an] is notification for the people that they may be warned thereby
هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوا بِهِSo Allah revealed the Qur'an to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and made it a message to the people. Whoever the Qur'an or the Sunnah reaches and he does not turn back from his disbelief and misguidance, it is obligatory to believe in the invalidity of what he is upon and his disbelief.
And from this authentic hadith, which is his saying (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him):
By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire.
والذي نفسي بيده لا يسمع بي أحد من هذه الأمة يهودي ولا نصراني ثم يموت ولم يؤمن بما أرسلت به إلا كان من أهل النارSo he (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) clarified that every person, when what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent with reaches him, and then he dies without believing in it, he becomes one of the people of the Fire; meaning he becomes a disbeliever from the people of the Fire; because he did not respond to what reached him from the Messenger of Allah.
And this is the meaning of His saying the Exalted:
And this Qur'an was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches.
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنْذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَنْ بَلَغَThis [Qur'an] is notification for the people that they may be warned thereby
هَذَا بَلَاغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنْذَرُوا بِهِIn Sahih Muslim, from Tariq ibn Ashim (may Allah have mercy on him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said:
He who professed that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood became inviolable, an their affairs rest with Allah.
من قال لا إله إلا الله وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله حرم ماله ودمه وحسابه على اللهHe who professed that there is no god but Allah and made a denial of everything which the people worship beside Allah, his property and blood became inviolable
من وحد الله وكفر بما يعبد من دون الله حرم ماله ودمهSo whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَى لَا انْفِصَامَ لَهَاAnd the one who knows the disbeliever and the falsehood he is upon, and then does not declare him a disbeliever or doubts his disbelief, means that he is denying Allah and His Messenger, and not believing in what Allah has ruled regarding their disbelief, like the Jews and the Christians. They are disbelievers by the explicit text of the Qur'an and the explicit text of the Sunnah. So it is obligatory for the Muslims of legal capacity to believe in their disbelief and misguidance. And whoever does not declare them disbelievers or doubts their disbelief becomes like them; because he is denying Allah and His Messenger and doubting what Allah and His Messenger informed about. And so is the one who doubts the Hereafter, doubting whether there is Paradise or not, or whether there is Hellfire or not, or whether there is a resurrection or not, and whether Allah will resurrect the dead. He has no faith and certainty. So this person is a disbeliever until he believes in the resurrection and the rising, and in Paradise and Hellfire, and that Allah prepared Paradise for the righteous and prepared Hellfire for the disbelievers. So it is necessary to believe in this by the consensus of the Muslims.
And likewise, whoever doubts that Allah is worthy of worship becomes a disbeliever in Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) ; because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says:
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that what they call upon other than Him is falsehood
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُAnd your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَAnd so is the one who doubts the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and says: I do not know whether Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah or not? Meaning he has doubt. So his ruling is the ruling of one who denies the message or lies about it. He is a disbeliever until he believes with certainty that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
And so are the messengers whom Allah mentioned, like Hud, Nuh, Salih, Musa, and Isa. Whoever doubts their messagehood or lies about them is a disbeliever. And so is the one who mocks the religion or insults the religion; he is a disbeliever. As Allah the Exalted said:
(65) And if you ask them, they will surely say, "We were only conversing and playing." Say, "Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?" (66) Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.
قُلْ أَبِاللَّهِ وَآيَاتِهِ وَرَسُولِهِ كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِئُونَ لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُمْ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْAnd the one who insults the religion and insults the Messenger is like the mocker, or worse and more disbelieving.
As for the one who abandons prayer but does not deny its obligation, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars regarding him:
1 - Some of them declared him a disbeliever, and this is the correct view; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة، فمن تركها فقد كفرBetween a man and disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah) is the abandonment of prayer.
بين الرجل وبين الكفر والشرك ترك الصلاة2 - And others from the people of knowledge said: He is not declared a disbeliever on account of that; because he did not deny its obligation. Rather, he is a sinner and a disbeliever with a disbelief less than major disbelief, and a shirk less than major shirk, but he does not become a disbeliever with major shirk. This was said by a group of the people of knowledge.
And the one who doubts the disbelief of this person does not become a disbeliever; because it is a matter of ijtihad among the people of knowledge. So whoever sees, by the evidences of the Shari'ah, that he is a disbeliever, it is obligatory for him to declare him a disbeliever. And whoever doubts that, and the evidences do not become clear to him, and he sees that he does not become a disbeliever with major shirk but with minor shirk, then he is excused in his ijtihad, and he does not become a disbeliever on account of that.
As for the one who denies its obligation and says: Prayer is not obligatory, then he is a disbeliever according to all of them. And the one who doubts his disbelief is a disbeliever, we seek refuge in Allah. And so is the one who says: Zakah is not obligatory, meaning he denies its obligation, or fasting Ramadan, denying its obligation. Then he is declared a disbeliever on account of that; because he is denying Allah and His Messenger, and denying the consensus of the Muslims, so he becomes a disbeliever.
And the one who doubts his disbelief is a disbeliever after the evidence is clarified to him and the matter is made clear to him. He becomes a disbeliever on account of that because he lied to Allah and His Messenger, and lied to the consensus of the Muslims.
And these are great matters in which the student of knowledge must be cautious and not be hasty; so that he may be upon clarity and insight. And so is the general public; they must be cautious in that, and not proceed to anything until they ask the people of knowledge, and until they look into it carefully; because these are great matters, matters of takfir, and not light matters.
So it is obligatory for the students of knowledge and the people of knowledge to clarify the ruling to the people with the evidences of the Shari'ah. And it is obligatory for the one who is confused by something not to be hasty, and to look into the evidences, and to ask the people of knowledge until he is upon insight and clarity in that. And Allah is the One who grants success.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.