Thread: Takfir

Originally Posted by Ümit

hmm...that is pretty clear. In that case I am confused too...So as far as I could understand that If someone knows about Islaam and he reject it (or part of it) he is kafir...and has no imaan...not even a mustard grain...

Here's the hadeeth I was talking about:

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/1705...ill-enter-hell

What makes one a Muslim? To be Muslim one is only required to pledge allegiance to the oneness of God and the truth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)'s prophetic mission. There was no other requirement whatsoever. This is why Muslims have long believed that the Kalima (proclaiming oneness of God and prophethood of Muhammad) is the basis of the Islamic faith.
The question of who would be counted as a Muslim came up during the first census in the State of Medina. Prophet Muhammad asked that anyone who claimed to be Muslim be counted as one. Their profession of Islam was all he required to be considered a part of the Muslim community. There was no religious test devised to test a claimant’s ‘Muslimness.’ Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) knew well that there were hypocrites living in Medina, some of whom were even conspiring against him. Prophet Muhammad knew that they did not even consider him a true prophet. Yet, not only did he never forbid them from identifying with the Muslims, he allowed them open access to his Mosque. Rather than forbid them from praying and punishing them for ‘posing as Muslim,’ he in fact prayed with them, and for them.

There are other traditions that shed more light on this issue. Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said:

Whoever says, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’, faces our Qibla (Mecca) during the prayers, prays like us and eats our slaughtered animal, then he is a Muslim, and has got the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have.(Bukhari)

In another detailed narration, Prophet Muhammad defined both Islam and the tenets of faith:

One day while Allah’s Apostle was sitting with the people, a man came to him walking and said, “O Allah’s Apostle. What is Belief?” The Prophet said, “Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection.” The man asked, “O Allah’s Apostle What is Islam?” The Prophet replied, “Islam is to worship Allah and not worship anything besides Him, to offer prayers perfectly, to pay the obligatory alms i.e. Zakat and to fast the month of Ramadan.”(Bukhari)

The well-known five pillars of Islam, and the six articles of faith, are based on this and other similar traditions. The sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spell out how he defined a Muslim. He did not denounce self-identifying Muslims as non-Muslim. Such rejection and exclusion was the hallmark of his opponents. He repeatedly cautioned that judging someone’s truth or sincerity to their claim of Islam was a prerogative of God alone. Once, the famous general Khalid bin Waleed suggested to the Prophet that there were many people who outwardly professed Islam while there was no faith in their heart. Prophet Muhammad responded firmly:

I have not been commanded to pierce through the hearts of people, nor to split their bellies (to look what is inside them) (Muslim)

There is another famous incident of a Muslim killing a non-Muslim during a battle, despite the man having recited the Kalima. When Prophet Muhammad found out, he was furious. The Muslim soldier said:

“O Messenger of Allah, that man read the Kalima merely to protect himself from our sword.”

Prophet Muhammad reprimanded him:

“Did you open his heart and look inside it?”

Even our own prophet (peace be upon him) was not granted the authority to judge someone’s ‘Muslimness.’ God commanded in the Quran:

The Arabs of the desert say, ‘We believe.’ Say, “You have not believed yet; but rather say, ‘We have accepted Islam,’ for the true belief has not yet entered into your hearts.” [ Quran 49:14]

This verse speaks of those Bedouins whom God Himself attests were completely faithless, yet were allowed to identify as Muslim. This prohibition of excommunication or Takfir is emphasized in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, who equated such exclusion to murder.

How then did this culture of social boycotts and excommunication (Takfir) spread in the Muslim world? Why do many Muslim groups promote exclusion and prejudice? Why do even so-called Islamic scholars judge the faith of other Muslim communities in such a nonchalant way? Do these clerics believe they are a higher authority than Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? There are two ways these Muslims try to dismiss other Muslims as infidel. The first is by discarding Prophet Muhammad’s definitions and inventing others of their own. The second is by misrepresenting the beliefs of other Muslims and forcing them out of the Prophet’s definition.

Takfir is so dangerous that it can actually make one a non-Muslim as it is evident from authentic hadiths below:

When a man calls his brother an unbeliever, it returns (at least) to one of them.

Reference:: Sahih Muslim 60 a
In-book reference: Book 1, Hadith 121
USC-MSA web (English) reference: Book 1, Hadith 116

And in another wording in the Two Sahihs and others:

Whoever accuses someone of disbelief, or of being an enemy of Allah, while he is not like that, it will return back to him.

Irony is that above quoted hadiths are in very first chapter of Sahih Muslim but Muslims will not take time to read the hadiths which our true scholars worked so hard to preserve for us with the mercy and blessings of Allah Subahanahu Wa Taala. They will choose to follow their so called scholars who are only promoting hate to divide the Muslim. If you see such a scholar, please run away from them and follow those who promote the unity of Muslims and don't pull the legs of Muslims who differ with them in their interpretation/understanding of the religion. We can have difference of opinion which can be resolved if one truly holds to Quran and its teachings. However, if one pushes to follow a madhab regardless then be sure that we are heading into a never ending debate and someone will call someone Kaffir to protect their madhab or sect.

That's the right summary to the best of my knowledge of Quran & hadith and Allah knows the best.

Below is another link which provides more evidence for the prohibition of takfir.

https://www.reddit.com/r/islam/comme...ion_of_takfir/

Below is a video ( Duration 10:34) which gives high level explanation of Takfir with some good examples:



Another clip (duration 22:00)



We indeed live in a time of great trials and may Allah save us from falling into anything which is disliked by Allah! Ameen!
The best we can do is educate ourselves by studying Quran and hadith. We should call people to good, that is, to follow what is Sunnah and Quran and point out if there is anything wrong which they do or believe in. If they accept and follow Quran and Sunnah then it is good for them, if they refuse then we have done our part and let Allah be judge for what they are doing.

Assalam o Alaikum wa rahamtullahi wa baraktuh.


You are right, it is our duty to convey the message of Quran and Sunnah without forcing. I think the best way before conveying, is ask Allah secretly to guide the people we convey. it would be very helpful. Nothing is impossible to Him. It is always easy for Allah. Everything belongs to Him...
Allah o Akbar

Ameen to your duas.

JazakAllah khair

السلام عليكم

This Is Our Aqīdah

This Is Our Aqīdah السلام عليكم This Is Our 'Aqīdah An adaptation of an English translation of 'Hādhā 'Aqīdatuna' ('This is Our Creed') by Shaykh Abū Muhammad Al-Maqdisī...

Originally Posted by HabibUrrehman

@Ahmed
What is the definition of hypocrite?
Are the better than Kafir or worse?
We’re there any hypocrites at the time of prophet Peace be upon him?
Did prophet (peace be upon him) called anyone kafir?

There's 2 types of hypocryts. 1 is the Muslim hypocryt and they are basically all the nominal Muslims (Muslims just by name) who don't practice Islam or they practice very little of it

The other type is the non Muslim who pretends to be a Muslim. This type of hypocryt is obviously kafir and is the worst type of kafir as Allah says they are going to be in the bottom of the fire.

No the Prophet (saw) never done takfir on hypocryts but he knew who they were and the reason he never done takfir on them is, he'd have to kill them then and this could set a bad example as the kuffar could think that Muslims kill their own kind

I don't do takfir brother but if a person is trying to deceive other Muslims and make them go astray by pretending he is Muslim then I will share my suspicions to make them aware, but unless I'm 100 percent sure of someone's kufr I never do takfir.

About the shia, I already said that we don't do blanket takfir.... Only if we come to know for certainly that a certain shia holds kufr beliefs such as Quran is corrupted etc then we can do takfir on him but otherwise not, because all shias do not have those beliefs

Originally Posted by Ahmed.

There's 2 types of hypocryts. 1 is the Muslim hypocryt and they are basically all the nominal Muslims (Muslims just by name) who don't practice Islam or they practice very little of it

The other type is the non Muslim who pretends to be a Muslim. This type of hypocryt is obviously kafir and is the worst type of kafir as Allah says they are going to be in the bottom of the fire.

What is the source? Did you just made it up to promote your narrative?

Anyways in Islamic terms Hypocrisy means making an outward display of Islam whilst inwardly concealing kufr. That's why hypocrisy is more dangerous than kufr (disbelief) and the punishment for it is more severe, because it is kufr mixed with Islam and its harmful effects are greater. Hence Allah will put the hypocrites in the lowest level of Hell, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depth (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them [Quran 4:145]

Now you and I have no way to tell who is a hypocrite because who have no way to look into the hearts of people But Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was told who are the hypocrites by Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala directly. So he has all the evidence to call them Kafir but he did not. It is because Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a mercy to man kind. Hypocrites in his time would pray in the same mosque and will take part in all activities because they way there is always a chance to reform them and make them good believers. If we call them Kaffir and socially boycott them then there is no way to call them to good.

Originally Posted by Ahmed.

No the Prophet (saw) never done takfir on hypocryts but he knew who they were and the reason he never done takfir on them is, he'd have to kill them then and this could set a bad example as the kuffar could think that Muslims kill their own kind

Follow his example then. By calling those who say they are Muslim Kaffir we are setting a bad example.

I also want to make this clear that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not do so because situation demanded him to keep hypocrites with him because Muslims were a minority. Muslims never needed hypocrites to spread Islam or man power to spread Islam. What Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has done is to show that the biggest mission of our life is to spread Islam. If a person says Kalima then that person inshallah will go to heaven one day even if he/she has not practiced Islam in its true spirit. The examples of this are seen in the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

There is famous incident of a Muslim killing a non-Muslim during a battle, despite the man having recited the Kalima. When Prophet Muhammad found out, he was furious. The Muslim soldier said:

“O Messenger of Allah, that man read the Kalima merely to protect himself from our sword.”

Prophet Muhammad reprimanded him:

“Did you open his heart and look inside it?”

We also see the example of this at the time of conquest of Makkah. Abu Sufyan (ra), his son Amir Muawiya (ra) and his wife Hind (ra) accepted Islam. Now this was the hardest pill for many Muslims to swallow because all their battles were against the pagans of Arabs which were lead Abu Sufyan (ra). He clearly accepted Islam when there was no other option left for him. If Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted, he would have killed him but he forgave them all. Many of them accepted Islam only to save themselves but no one ever in the history called them kafir but instead we say razi Allahu aanhum because now they became companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Yazid who was grandson of Abu Sufyan later killed Imam Hussain (ra), but again we don't call them kaffir even when they killed thousands of companions of Prophet (peace be upon him). What we do? We leave the matter of judgement in the hands of Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala. Trust be that's the safest approach.

As long as anyone calls him/herself a Muslim whether Shia or Ahmadi, we should not call them Kaffir. That's my understanding of Islam after reading the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and after reading Muslims history.

Regarding Fundamental beliefs of Islam I agree that if someone rejects the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) then they commit Kufir. All Muslims know and believe this, so if someone still does that then let it remain between that person and Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala. We can only engage with these people in a peaceful way to convince them through Quran and Sunnah. If they reform then that's good for them. If they don't, then they know what Quran has told us about these people. We don't control their decision and we don't push them to accept our narrative by socially boycotting them.

I agree that if someone associate anyone with Allah then that's shirk and we should all try to avoid it. If someone in Muslims does this (many Berelvies who are Hanafi and shias do this) then again all we can do is show them how that's shirk and hopefully if there is any good left in them they will listen and change.

Regarding abusing Aisha (ra) and companions of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it is a great sin but I don't think anyone will be outside the fold of Islam for this reason. There is no proof of this from Quran and Sunnah. In fact many companions abused each other and many fought against each other and killed each other. So if we make that a rule then many companions will be outside the fold of Islam (naozubillah). I am sorry to say that I have to use these as example but perhaps this will help you to see why this rule has no basis.

Regarding Quran, it is fundamental belief of Muslims to believe in all books. We also know that it is Allah who has taken the responsibility to preserve Quran. When you say Shias read different Quran, it is false and in fact you are saying that Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala has failed to preserve Quran (Naouzubillah). Go to any shia mosque and you will find there Quran is exactly the same as ours. Now the scholars who make this issue actually take very weak hadiths from shia books and say that there hadiths say that verses in Quran are lost. Ask any shia scholar and they will tell you that these hadith narration are weak and accepted as weak by all shias. On the contrary we have sahih hadith which say that there are some verses in Quran which are lost ( if a layman reads those hadiths). These are sahih hadiths in Bukhari and Muslim, so who is question Quran? Shia or Sunni? In fact none is questioning the authenticity of Quran. Shia and Sunni read and believe in same Quran. Understand these basic differences and work to bridge the gaps to unite the ummah instead of dividing them. Our #1 problem is blindly following madhabs. A sunni scholar goes to sunni madrassa and they brain wash them to tell the things about shias which are not the facts. Same is true for shias. Their hate for each other increases. No one is willing to sit together and listen to each other and see if there is any basis for these differences. In reality there is no basis and most of the issues can be resolved if we show tolerance and give respect to each other. We have lot more in common, biggest thing is that they believe in Allah as we do and they believe in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as we do. Yes there are many bad things which shias do such as muta marriage, matam-e-husain etc. but we also have to see how many bad things Sunnis are doing and have invented into the religion. Anyways my point is that it is better to focus on what's common to bring ummah together.

Originally Posted by Ahmed.

I don't do takfir brother but if a person is trying to deceive other Muslims and make them go astray by pretending he is Muslim then I will share my suspicions to make them aware, but unless I'm 100 percent sure of someone's kufr I never do takfir. About the shia, I already said that we don't do blanket takfir.... Only if we come to know for certainly that a certain shia holds kufr beliefs such as Quran is corrupted etc then we can do takfir on him but otherwise not, because all shias do not have those beliefs

Its good to know that you don't do Takfir. That's the right Allah Subhanahu Wa Taala did not even gave to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Remember there is no compulsion in religion. Our job is just to convey the message.

السلام عليكم

Kufr of The One Who Insults Ummul-Mu'minīn 'A'isha Siddīqah ( رضي الله عنها)


Allāh forbids you from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever, if you are believers. [Sūrah An-Nūr: 17]

Imām al-Qurtubī said, in his Tafsīr of the āyah "Allāh forbids you from it [slander] and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever, if you are believers." [al-Nūr 24:17]":
"This is concerning ‘Aa’ishah . . . because of the hurt and offence that the Messenger of Allāh (Peace & Blessings of Allāh be upon Him) felt with regard to his honour and his family. This is kufr on the part of the one who does it."

"...the scholars of Sunni Islām are all agreed that whoever condemns ‘Aa’ishah for that of which Allāh has stated she is innocent is a kāfir, because he has rejected Allāh’s statement of her innocence in Sūrat al-Nūr..."

Imām al-Nawawī, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: "‘Aa’ishah’s innocence of that of which she was accused is stated definitively in the Qur’ān. If anyone doubts that (may Allāh protect us from such a thing), he becomes a kāfir and an apostate, by the consensus of the Muslims."

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allāh have mercy on him, said: "The ummah is agreed that whoever slanders her is a kāfir."

Abū Bakr ibn al-‘Arabī said: "Because the people who slandered ‘Aa’ishah accused a pure and innocent person of immorality, then Allah exonerated her. So everyone who accuses her of that of which Allāh has stated she is innocent is rejecting what Allāh says, and everyone who rejects what Allāh says is a kāfir. This is the opinion of Mālik, and the matter is very clear to those who have insight."

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/954/...eased-with-her


Rejecting a verse of the Qur'ān is kufr

https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/23...e-in-the-quran

And Allāh Knows Best

السلام علیکم