The People with Respect to the Nawaaqid [of Islaam] are of Three Types, Two
Extremities and One Middle Course
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The first extremity: those who exaggerate in Takfeer declaring
disbelief upon the people, making takfeer of them without any narration [proof
of evidence found in the kitaab or sunnah] or understanding or knowledge. And
this is the ideology of the Khawaarij those who appeared during the time of the
Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa salam] and during the time of the rightly guided
predecessors and also during the time of the latter generations. Declaring the
Muslimeen as disbelievers excessively exaggerating in disbelief. So everyone who
opposes them are considered to them as disbelievers and they make the spilling
of their blood permissible. So the Khawaarij have two fundamental principles.


The first fundamental principle: Declaring disbelief upon the people.


The second fundamental principle: The revolting against the Wulaatul
Umoor [those who are in charge of the affairs]of the Muslimeen and the
renouncement of obedience to the [wulaatul umoor]. And the reason for this is
their taking the text that indicates the kufr or the shirk upon it's apparent
meaning without gathering between it and between the other texts [which indicate
that there is kufru akbar and kufru asghar and shirk akbar and shirk asghar].


Verily Al-Kufr is divided into two categories:

Kufrul Akbar
[major disbelief] and Kufrul Asghar [minor disbelief].

And Ash-Shirk is
divided into two categories:

Shirkul Akbar [major shirk] and Shirkul
Asghar [minor shirk].

The Shirk [Al-Akbar] and Kufr [Al-Akbar] takes a
person out of the fold of Islaam and nullifies one's Islaam. And Shirk and
Kufrul Asghar: does not take one out of Islaam but both of them diminish the
Islaam and the Imaan [of a person].

So they, [meaning the Khawaarij] do
not make any distinction between this and that, and they do not have [within
their ideology] Kufrul Asghar nor Shirkul Asghar. Indeed Al-Kufr and Ash-Shirk
is to be considered only one thing with them and it is that which expels a
person from the religion. And they take the text [understand it]on its apparent
meaning and abandon the other texts which explains these affairs [clearly] and
it is further divided into two categories. The lack of their understanding and
the deficiency of their knowledge of religion and their inability of seeking
knowledge so that they declare the people as disbelievers exaggerating with
respect to Takfeer without understanding nor utilizing any narrations and
implementing the text in other than their rightful places. And that is because
they possess no understanding except merely mentioning [the texts] reciting the
expression and not understanding the meaning then they implement it upon the
people.

So these are the Khawaarij, and unfortunately they have a legacy
now from those who declare the people as disbelievers exaggerating in Takfeer,
making permissible the blood [of the muslims], utilizing as evidence that these
are indeed disbelievers so they have heirs now from our youths and from our
ignorant folks and from our literate people.

The second extremity: The
Murji'ah are those who say that Imaan is in the heart and actions do not enter
into it and some of them say: "and statements do not enter into it [Al-Imaan]
and that Imaan is only in the heart and as for actions, they do not enter into
it." So no matter whatever action he does, he does not enter into kufr, and they
say: "Imaan is not harmed by sins nor is kufr benefitted by obedience and this
is their ideology." and they take the texts that indicate the [Al-Wa'd] promise
of Allaah's maghfirah [forgiveness] and rahmah [mercy] and they do not gather
between the texts which indicate the [Al-Wa'eed] [the threat]which comprises of
the warning from kufr and shirk and sins and transgressions so they take the
text which indicate [Al-Wa'd] [the promise of forgiveness and mercy] and rely
completely upon Ar-Rajaa [hope] only. So the Khawaarij are those who take the
texts which indicate [Al-Wa'eed] [the threat] and they abandon those texts which
indicate [Al-Wa'd] [the promise of Allaah's forgiveness and mercy] and
[Ar-Rahmah] [mercy] and [Ar-Rajaa] [hope] so they betake themselves to fearing
and they exert themselves in fear. So they rule upon the people with takfeer
and make the spilling of their blood and the taking of their wealth permissible
with this corrupt madhhab.

The third viewpoint is Ahlus Sunnah and they
are Wast [they take the middle course]: Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah and they are
the middle course between the two extremes, [meaning the] Madhhabul Murji'ah and
Madhhabul Khawaarij. And they gather between the two texts [the text of Wa'd
(promise of forgiveness and mercy) and Wa'eed (threat of punishment)] and they
say: "indeed the kufr that is indicated in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah is divided
into two categories, kufru akbar [major kufr] and kufru asghar [minor kufr] and
shirk akbar [major shirk] and shirk asghar [minor shirk].

So Shirk Akbar
and And Kufru Akbar takes a person out of the millah [deen] and Shirk Asghar and
Kufr Asghar does not take one out of the millah [deen] contrary to the Khawaarij
but both of them [i.e. Kufru Asghar and Shirk Asghar] diminish Al-Imaan which
is in opposition to the Murjiah [because they believe that Imaan does not
increase or decrease], so they are in an extremely contradictory position. And
Ahlus Sunnati wal Jamaa'ah-and for Allaah is the praise-are upon the Wast
[middle course] they gather between the texts of Wa'eed and the text of Wa'd and
they gather between Al-Khauf [fear] and Rajaa [hope] and they do not restrict
themselves to hope alone as the Murji'ah do nor do they restrict themsleves to
the Khauf [fear] alone as the Khawaarij do. So the one who worships Allaah upon
fear only then he is Khaarijee and whoever worships Allaah upon hope alone then
he is Murji'ee and whoever worships Allaah upon Hubb [reverencial love] alone is
a Soofee and whoever worships Allaah upon Khauf [fear] and Rajaa [reverencial
hope] and Hubb [reverencial love] and Raghbah [reverencial desire] and Rahbah
[reverencial fear] then he is Muwahhid Sunnee [one who has established Tawheed
and the Sunnah] and this is the explanation of this great matter in detail.


Duroos Fee Sharhi Nawaaqidul Islaam pg.22-25