From Dabiq To Rome 32
Kufr and Takfir, Its Difference
(by Shaykh Sulayman al-‘Alwan)
on himself. And when he approached death he
WHEN YOU COME to know advised his children saying: ‘When I die, burn me
what has preceded from the
and throw my ashes into the winds at the sea. By
nullifiers [of Islam]1 which
Allah, if Allah was to gain power over me, He
render one’s deeds fruitless and makes the doer
will inflict me with a punishment that He has not
of such remain in Hell-Fire, then know that the
inflicted upon anyone before me.’ Thus they did
Muslim may say or do something that, according
so. Then Allah said to the earth to collect his
to the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of
remains, and he was made to stand. Allah said to
the Salaf of this ummah, is kufr and apostasy
him: ‘What made you do that?’ The man said:
from Islam, however, according to the people of
‘Fear of you, O my Lord.’ So he was forgiven due
knowledge there is a distinction between saying
to that.” Shaykhul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said in
that this is kufr and between takfir of a specific
his collection of fatawa
individual. Thus not everyone who does a thing
which is major kufr gets the ruling of kufr applied So this man doubted in the power of Allah and that He
upon him. The saying or action may be kufr, but would restore him if his remains were scattered. Rather, he
kufr is not generally applied upon every speaker believed that he would not be resurrected, and that is kufr
or doer [of kufr] except with conditions. Because, by the agreement of the Muslimin. However, he was
ignorant and was not aware of that. He was a believer who
it is necessary in regards to takfir to make certain
feared Allah would punish him, so he was forgiven due to
the conditions are present and that the barriers that. And those who have an interpretation from the
are uplifted. A person may be new into Islam and people of ijtihad, but is keen to follow the Messenger
not be aware that he did something that was kufr; (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) are more deserving of
so it is clarified for him. And he may reject forgiveness than the likes of that person.2
something out of a mistaken interpretation, and
so on from the barriers that prevent takfir. And he said in Masail al-Mardiniyyah (p. 71), “The
This is an enormous principle. It is reality of the matter is that the saying, indeed,
obligatory to understand it and give it the right could be disbelief; so it is said in general that
amount of attention because takfir is not a right takfir is made of whoever pronounced it, such as
that belongs to the creation, so they make takfir saying: whoever says this or that is a kafir. But,
on that which agrees with their whims. Rather, it the individual who says it is not ruled with kufr
is compulsory in this issue to return to the Book until the evidence is established upon him which
and the Sunnah upon the understanding of the he disbelieves by if he abandons it.”
Salaf as-Salih. As such, whoever Allah and His In summary, the madhhab of the people
messenger make takfir of, and the hujjah is of research and investigation is the distinction
established upon him, then he is kafir; otherwise, between takfir of the action and takfir of the
than he is not. doer. Similar to that is the matter of tabdi’ in that
In the two books of sahih ahadith, and there is a difference between tabdi’3 of a
other than them, from Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu statement or action and tabdi’ on the speaker or
‘anhu) from the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa doer. So not everyone who does something that
sallam) who said, “A man used to spend lavishly is a bid‘ah is a mubtadi’. Whoever looks into the
1
The following is the appendix found in the six edition of his 2
Majmu’ al-Fatawa, v. 3, p. 231
book At-Tibyan Sharh Nawaqid al-Islam. 3
Declaring someone a mubtadi’ (innovator).
From Dabiq To Rome 32
Kufr and Takfir, Its Difference
(by Shaykh Sulayman al-‘Alwan)
lives and biographies of the above classification and saying that not everyone
Salaf will realise the veracity who does or says something that is kufr is a kafir
of this and that this was their unless the conditions are fulfilled, with the
madhhab and path. You absence of any barriers, means, that the sabab or
notice what they were upon in regards to justice manat (reason) of kufr is not present for the
and equity and being keen to the guidance of the person who did or said something that is kufr.
creation, as Allah bestowed upon them beneficial Example: someone denies the obligation of hajj;
knowledge and righteous actions. And this is this saying is kufr due to it being a rejection of
obligatory upon all of the creations: to have the clear texts stating that hajj is without a doubt
intention to explain the truth and remove obligatory, by consensus. However, one who is
falsehood with justice and equity in order for the not aware of the text and denies a portion of the
din, all of it, to be for Allah. And all praise text (hajj here) has not fallen into kufr to begin
belongs to Allah, the Lord of creation. with as he was ignorant of the text. And from the
conditions of takfir is knowledge, likewise, from
OUR COMMENT: Firstly, what the shaykh the barriers is ignorance.
stated is correct without any doubt, and we know Another example: someone misinterprets
it is not needed for us to say that to add weight to a text which in reality is a denial of the text,
it, but it is said so it is known we agree with it which is kufr. So someone (like ibn Hajr and
and have no objections to it. Secondly, the hadith an-Nawawi) misinterpret the ayat of Allah rising
of the man who told his family to burn should above His throne away from the actual and
not be taken as a proof in order to excuse clear apparent meaning of the text. The one who
mushrikin and murtaddin. Shaykh ‘Abdul-Latif denies that Allah is above His throne is a kafir for
Al ash-Shaykh stated denying the clear text, but someone who
misinterprets the text thinking he is exalting Allah
The hadith of the man who ordered his family to burn far from His creation, is merely mistaken and his
him was a muwahhid and not from the people of shirk. valid tawil (interpretation)6 prevents the reason of
Indeed, it is established from the path of Abu Kamil from
kufr (denial of the text) for the one who denies
Hammad from Thabit from Abu Rafi’ from Abu
Hurayrah that, “He did not do any good at all except for Allah is above His throne. Therefore, it is to be
tawhid.” So that which they attempt to take as proof in known that rejection and denial is of two types:
this matter is void.4
1. Rejecting that connotes and implies
Thirdly, the one who falls into kufr by principle is belying. The one who does it is a kafir
a kafir. Shaykhul-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said, “In specifically. So this one rejects and denies
general, whoever says or does something that Allah rose above His throne or that Allah
which is kufr disbelieves by that, even if he did has hands, etc., this individual is a kafir by
not intend to become a kafir. Because no one consensus.
intends to disbelieve, except for what Allah
wills.”5 And what the scholars meant by the 2. Rejection that stems out of an
4
Minhaj at-Ta’sis wat-Taqdis, p. 218. 6
Valid tawil meaning it has some linguistic justification in the
5
As-Sarim al-Maslul, v. 3, p. 176. Arabic language.
From Dabiq To Rome 32
Kufr and Takfir, Its Difference
(by Shaykh Sulayman al-‘Alwan)
interpretation of the text. those matters that are asl ad-din, apparent
And this is also two types: matters of the din, and obscure matters of the
din. Each has its own conditions and barriers,
(a) When the interpretation with some not needing others to apply, and at
has a type of linguistic justification. So he times one falling into the category of the other
says about the hands of Allah that it and vice-versa. For a more in-depth analysis see
means “favor”. the book The Sharp Word Against the One Who Does
Not Make Takfir of the Apostate, particularly the
(b) When the interpretation has no basis endings of Nasir al-Fahd and ‘Ali al-Khudayr.7
in the language. Thus he says something
like “Floating under Our eyes” means
“under our lands”; this person is a kafir.
Therefore, with regards to scholars like ibn Hajr
and an-Nawawi, you don’t say they fell into kufr
but are excused due to their tawil; no, you say:
they have not fallen into kufr in the first place
due to their tawil. Because the only excuse for the
one who falls into kufr is ikrah.
A third example: someone is not ignorant
of the texts, does not make a valid tawil, and says
or does something that is clear major kufr, but he
was forced to say or do that which was kufr. He
is not a kafir as long as he is not pleased with it
and holds onto iman in his heart, due to His
(ta‘ala) saying, “Whoever disbelieves in Allah
after his iman, except for those who are
forced…” This is so because him being forced
indicates that he is not pleased with whatever he
said or did, but if he indicates he is pleased, even
if he is forced, then he is kafir. These are finer
details that many neglect and it is important to
make mention. As stated previously, the
foundation is whoever falls into kufr is a kafir.
Whereas today, with the spread of irja, the
misguided deviants sought to establish the
opposite: whoever falls into kufr is not a kafir
and is excused!
And just as there is a distinction between
7
kufr and takfir, there is a distinction between https://www.docdroid.net/RKQjtI9/the-sharp-word-against-th
e-one-who.pdf#page=19
