Takfir (A Hukm From The Shari’ah Of Allah)
Takfir is the act of declaring a person to be a disbeliever. It is to give the Hukm (ruling) of Kufr (disbelief) upon an individual or individuals.
Allah revealed in the Qur’an the Takfir that Ibrahim and his followers made upon the Kuffar. They made their stand clear by informing them that they were a people who followed a different religion and way, associating partners with Allah, that they would be disowned and regarded as such with animosity and enmity whilst they remained upon their disbelief.
Allah says,
Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrâhim (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: “Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allâh, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever, until you believe in Allâh Alone,” (Surah Al-Mumtahinah: 4)
Allah also revealed the surah in the Qur’an in which He commanded Muhammad to make Takfir upon the disbelievers. To address this group of people in a specific manner saying “O you who disbelieve”, meaning you are Kuffar. The messenger of Allah was commanded in this surah to make a complete disavowal from the deeds of the disbelievers and from their religion completely, and this includes every disbeliever. This is because the disbelievers are a people who do not follow the commands of Allah and His legislation in His worship, whereas the messenger and his followers worship Allah according to what He has legislated. This is why the statement of Islam is “there is no object worthy of being worshipped except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” This means that there is no true object of worship except Allah and there is no path to Him (i.e. way of worshipping Him) other than that which the messenger came with. The disbelieving idolaters worship other than Allah, with acts of worship that Allah has not allowed. And thus did Allah reveal this surah in which His messenger was commanded to make takfir, to address this group of human beings with the hukm (ruling) of kufr (disbelief) that was most fitting for them. This was the hukm and this is takfir (the act of declaring disbelief upon an individual or individuals).
Allah instructed His messenger,
Say, “O disbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship.
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” (Surah Al-Kafirun)
Allah gave the example of two men, one of whom Allah gave two gardens of grapes, surrounded with palm trees and cultivated with crops throughout. All of the trees and plants were abundantly fruitful, providing readily accessible, good quality produce. There were rivers flowing through them here and there. The owner of the two gardens said to his companion while he was disputing with him and boasting to him and showing off, that he had more wealth.
Allah said,
And put forward to them the example of two men:unto one of them We had given two gardens of grapes, and We had surrounded both with date palms; and had put between them green crops (cultivated fields).
Each of these two gardens brought forth its produce, and failed not in the least therein, and We caused a river to gush forth in the midst of both.
And he had wealth (property or fruit), and he said to his companion in the course of discussion: “I am greater then you in wealth and have a mightier entourage (servants, attendants and children).” (Al-Kahf: 32-34)
Then he went into his garden in a state of disbelief, rebellion, arrogance and denial of the hereafter. He was allowing himself to be deceived because of the plants, fruits and trees that he saw, and the rivers flowing through the different parts of his gardens. He thought that it could never come to an end or cease to be destroyed.
Allah said,
And he went into his garden while having been unjust to himself. He said: “I do not think that this will ever perish.” (Surah Al-Kahf: 35)
This was his first act of kufr, believing that what he possessed would never perish. This was because of his lack of understanding and the weakness of his faith in Allah, and because he was captivated with this world and its adornments, and because he disbelieved in the Hereafter. So he said:
“And I do not think the Hour will ever come…” (Surah Al-Kahf: 36)
meaning, will ever happen. This was his second act of kufr, which was the doubting of the Hour.
And he said,
and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, I surely shall find better than this when I return to Him. (Surah Al-Kahf: 36)
meaning, ‘if there is a Hereafter and a return to Allah, then I will have a better share than this with my Lord, for if it were not that I am dear to Him, He would not have given me all this.’ And this was his third act of kufr which was doubting of the Resurrection. This man committed kufr from a number of angles: 1 – He believed that what he possessed would never perish, come to an end, cease or be destroyed. 2 – He doubted in the coming of the Hour, that it would occur. 3 – He doubted in the day of Resurrection, that he would be returned to Allah.
Allah said,
His companion said to him during his discussion: “Do you disbelieve in Him Who created you out of dust, then out of Nutfah, then fashioned you into a man?” (Surah Al-Kahf: 37)
Allah tells us how the rich man’s believing companion replied to him, warning and rebuking him for his disbelief in Allah and allowing himself to be deceived. He pointed out the seriousness of his rejection of his Lord Who created and formed man out of dust – that is, referring to Adam – then made his offspring from despised liquid. What we take from this Ayah is that the believing man clearly said to the rich man, “you disbelieve!” This believing man gave the hukm (ruling) of kufr (disbelief) upon the rich man, and Allah praised this believing man by quoting what he said to him in the Qur’an and then mentioning his belief as a true muslim.
So the believer said:
But as for my part, (I believe) that He is Allah, my lord, (Surah Al-Kahf: 38)
meaning, ‘I do not say what you say; rather I acknowledge the Oneness and Lordship of Allah,’
and none shall I associate as partner with my Lord. (Surah Al-Kahf: 38)
meaning, He is Allah, the One Who is to be worshipped Alone, with no partner or associate.
It is a very clear situation which Allah revealed in the Qur’an. One man who knows what kufr is, informing the other man that he committed disbelief in Allah, that he is a kafir. He addressed him in a manner that he deserved.
Within the books of Fiqh we find the chapter of the Murtad (Apostate). The Fuqaha detailed how a Muslim becomes a Kafir and the process by which the hukm (ruling) is applied on an individual.
Therefore we see within the Ayat of the Qur’an quoted above and the classical works of Fiqh that Takfir is from Islam and is a ruling from the Shari’ah of Allah.
When performing Takfir the ‘Ulema stressed the importance of putting it in the right place, meaning, to make Takfir on the people that deserve it. They stated that from the dangers of Takfir is incorrectly applying the hukm (ruling) on a Muslim, which is what the Khawarij did. They made a big mistake, they did not use the limit of Allah which is the Kitab and Sunnah and thus made Takfir according to their desires. And also is the mistake of not applying this hukm (ruling) of Takfir on the Kuffar, which is what the Murji’ah did. They said that they have no right to judge people! If they knew the hukm then they will know that it is from Allah. If Allah labels someone as a Kafir and we say we do not want to, we must fear the consequences of refusing the judgement of Allah. Rejecting the Hukm (ruling) of Allah is Kufr. All of the problems related to Takfir stem from ignorance of the hukm (ruling), whether it is not knowing that the hukm exists or not knowing how to apply the hukm correctly. The Ahkam (rulings) regarding this act of worship which are from Allah need to be accepted and applied the right way, according to the Kitab and the Sunnah.
It is absolutely prohibited to perform Takfir upon the Muslim.
Narrated Thabit bin Ad-Dahhak:
The Prophet said, “Whoever swears by a religion other than Islam (i.e. if he swears by saying that he is a non-Muslim in case he is telling a lie), then he is as he says if his oath is false and whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with the same thing in the (Hell) fire, and cursing a believer is like murdering him, and whoever accuses a believer of disbelief, then it is as if he had killed him.” (Al-Bukhari)
Narrated Abu Dharr:
That he heard the Prophet saying, “If somebody accuses another of Fusuq (by calling him ‘Fasiq’ i.e. a wicked person) or accuses him of Kufr, such an accusation will revert to him (i.e. the accuser) if his companion (the accused) is innocent.” (Al-Bukhari)
The Khawarij wanted to please Allah but they incorrectly put the hukm of Takfir upon the Muslims, regarding them as people who had left the fold of Islam. This was a terrible mistake they made by denying the Muslims the rights they had as Muslims due to labelling them as Kuffar, and so putting their own selves in a terrible situation with Allah.
Likewise it is also absolutely prohibited to label and treat the Kafir as a Muslim.
Allah says,
Shall We then treat the Muslims like the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers)?
What is the matter with you? How judge you?
Or have you a Book wherein you learn,
That you shall therein have all that you choose?
Or have you oaths from Us, lasting until the day of Judgement, that yours will be what you judge?
Ask them, which of them will stand as surety for that! (Surah Al-Qalam: 35-40)
In the above Ayat Allah rebukes those people who are making the Muslimeen like the Kuffar and who make the the Kuffar as Muslimeen and respectively treating them as such. He severely censures the people who do not make a difference between the two groups. Allah surely does not treat them the same! It is not only a grave mistake to label a Muslim as a Kafir as many of the Muslimeen are aware of but it is also a grave mistake to label a Kafir as a Muslim. Allah revealed one Book and in it He clearly distinguishes the believers from the disbelievers. Allah does not like anyone to treat the two parties alike and He gives the hukm that they are not the same. If Allah gives the hukm that someone is a Kafir or that an individual who commits a certain act is a Kafir then we must accept this. The Muslim is not one who closes his eyes and ears to the words of Allah and His Messenger at any cost and He surely does not do it at the price of wanting to treat a Kafir as a Muslim or vice versa. We do not want to be people who put ourselves in danger with Allah by rejecting His revelation (which contain commands and prohibitions, the rejecting of which is Kufr). We mention again that Takfir is a hukm from the Shari’ah of Allah and we worship Allah by obeying His commands which include distinguishing the believers from the disbelievers and giving each their rights respectively which we can only do should we follow the Kitab and Sunnah. The Khawarij labelled the Muslimeen as Kuffar and treated them as such. Other people also through their bidat (innovation), following their desires like the Khawarij, labelled the Kuffar as Muslimeen. This is the mistake they both fell into. They both placed the hukm in the wrong place, i.e. on the wrong people.
So in light of the fact that there exist people who label the Muslim as a Kafir, and those who do not label the Kafir as a Kafir but rather as a Muslim, and so they mistakenly treat the Muslimeen as the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers) which means that they are treating the Mujrimun as the Muslimeen. This is all due to not precisely knowing the ahkam (laws) of Allah, not knowing who the Muslims are, not knowing who the Mujrimun are, not knowing the characteristics and way of the Mushrikeen so they end up incorrectly applying the ahkam (rulings) and not making the hukm according to the Kitab and the Sunnah.
Allah neglected nothing from His book, and just as Allah revealed the clear signs that testify and direct to the path of guidance and those acts which make one a Muslim, we must know for certain that He also made apparent and clear the path of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers) and the acts they commit so that the believers are aware of the path of the Mujrimun.
Allah says,
And thus do We explain the Ayat in detail, that the way of the Mujrimun, may become manifest. (Surah Al-An’am: 55)
So Allah has made the path of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers) clear. To know the path of the Mushrikeen, their characteristics, and the hukm upon them, we have to go through the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This way we will understand the Law of Allah and avoid the mistakes of labelling a Muslim as a Kafir and a Kafir as a Muslim. We seek Allah’s guidance and help from making such mistakes.
