Rejecting the Violent Takfir That Is Wrongfully Carried Out in The Name of God's Sovereignty

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 19 September 2023 Modern Muslims and Rulers Who Believe In the Laws of God But Do Not Implement Them Are Not Apostates Main Points 1. Many Ulama have vehemently resisted Takfir, contending that one cannot be excommunicated until they reject the requirements of the Religion [Zaruriyaat-e-Deen]. 2. The Takfir culture in the Indian Subcontinent among Ahle-Hadithis, Deobandis, Wahabis, and Sunni-Sufi Barelvis remains mostly nonviolent, with only minor incidents. 3. However, since 9/11, violent Takfir practiced by radical ideologues has become deeply entrenched in the Arab world, with less impact on the non-Arab world. 4. A person who believes in the revealed law of Allah but acts against it is considered a non-practicing believer, not a Kaafir, according to verse 5:44 widely interpreted by mainstream Ulama and scholars. 5. Radical ideologues label disobedient Muslims as apostates, using violence as a means of entry into evil. Orthodox Muslim scholars differentiate between faith and acts, not labelling those who believe in the divine commandments but do not apply them. ------- My Ummah would split into numerous sects, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) predicted, and this has already happened as a bitter truth. All Muslim sects have a common discussion topic: Takfir. Excommunicating someone from the Islamic community on the basis of "definite proofs" is known as Takfir. Many Ulama have vehemently resisted Takfir, contending that one cannot be excommunicated until they reject the requirements of the Religion [Zaruriyaat-E-Deen]. However, they also assert that it is legitimate to exclude someone from the fold of Islam if there are "definite proofs" of this or if they have blatantly rejected the requirements of the Religion. The Ahle-Hadithis, Deobandis, Wahabis, and Sunni-Sufi Barelvis are primarily the sects that spring to mind when the word "Takfir" is used on the Indian subcontinent. Even though they have been debating a number of contentious subjects with one another for many years, the Takfir culture, despite years of disagreement, has remained mostly nonviolent, with only a few rare instances of minor violence. These incidents, occasionally reported through FIRs and concluded by settlement agreements, are not regarded as violent crimes like suicide bombings or assaults on gatherings of people or on mosques or places of worship. However, since the advent of radical and extremist forces that could be referred to as terrorist ideologues, particularly after 9/11, the violent Takfir has become deeply entrenched in the Arab world, but it no longer has as much of an impact on the non-Arab world. You could give examples of Isis, Al-Qaeda, Tahreek-E-Taliban, And Boko Haram when describing the radical groups that practise violent Takfir. One of the central ideas of their violent Takfir revolves around the subject of God’s Sovereignty (Hakimiyyah). They contend that implementing the sovereignty of God is an article of faith and that Muslims who, for any reason, fail to uphold the laws of God in their states are “apostates”. They refer to these Muslims as "Tawagheet" and believe it is legitimate to kill them after expelling them from the fold of Islam. As a result, they are eager to justify the killing of Muslims, regardless of whether it occurs while they are gathered in public areas, worshipping in mosques, or visiting a shrine. This is the violent Takfir that we must refute in this essay. It was historically associated with the Kharijites and is still embraced by their supporters today. It is an unfair and overly straightforward method of labelling a fellow Muslim as an apostate. All Muslims and rulers who do not implement the laws of God are labelled as apostates in the training manual "Muqarrar fi al-Tawhid" used by the so-called “Islamic State”, who then believe it is legitimate to execute them. They frequently cited two verses from the Quran—5:44 and 4:65—in their writings, whether they appeared in "Dabiq," "Rumiya," or the propaganda publication “Voice of Hind”—to support their ideology, which expressly holds that individuals who follow laws other than those that Allah gave are Kaafir or unbelievers. These two Quranic verses are as follows: “And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers.” (5:44) “But no, by the oath of your Lord, they will not be believers until they appoint you a judge for the disputes between them – and then whatever you have decided, they should not find opposition to it within their hearts, and they must accept it wholeheartedly”. (4:65) We must emphasise how the mainstream Muslims have interpreted these verses of the Quran differently in order to counter this violent Takfir and demonstrate why modern Muslims living in democratic or secular nations are not "infidels" or Kaafir. The doctrine of the majority of Muslim Ulama, Imams and academics throughout history, including the revered companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), is in stark opposition to those who engage in violent Takfir in the name of God's Sovereignty. Muslim scholars went through a number of statements and instructions in order to understand Quranic verse (5:44). The most well-known and largely accepted interpretation of verse 5:44 is that "whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, denying its divinity, faith, and truthfulness is indeed a Kaafir." The Muslim who regards this verse as infallible truth, a divine revelation, and a command from God but fails to implement it for any reason is not a Kaafir. In his commentary book on the Quran “Al-Tafsir al-Kabir”, Imam Fakhruddin Razi writes: “Ikrimah said, the ruling of Takfir, as mentioned in the divine statement “whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed is a Kaafir”, applies to the one who denies the truth of the revealed law of Allah in his heart and by his tongue. As for the person who believes in the truth of the revealed law of Allah in his heart and acknowledges by his tongue that it is the revealed law of Allah, however he acts against it, he will be regarded as the believer of what Allah revealed, but he will be known simply as a non-practicing believer in this case, and therefore he will not be considered a Kaafir according to this verse”. After quoting this statement, Imam Razi said, “This is the correct answer”. (Imam Razi, Al-Tafsir al-Kabir, 5:44) A similar answer has been given by Imam Ghazali in “Al-Mustasfa” and by Imam Abu Muhammad b. Atiyya al-Andalusi in “Al-Muharrir al-Wajiz”. Sheikh Usama Al-Azhari writes, “Having studied the explanations of mainstream jurists, we come to know that Ibn Masud, Ibn Abbas, Barra bin ‘Aazib, Huzaifa bin al-Yaman, Ibrahim al-Nakh’I, Al-Sudai, Al-Dahhak, Abu Salih, Abu Mujlaz, Ikrimah, Qatadah, ‘Aamir, Al-Sha’abi, ‘Ataa, Taaus and then Imam Tabari in “Jami’ al-Bayan”, Imam Ghazali in “Al-Mustasfa”, Ibn Atiyya in “Al-Muharrir al-Wajiz”, Imam Razi in “Mafatih al-Ghaib”, Qurtubi, Ibn Jazi in “Al-Tashil”, Abu Hayyan in “Al-Bahr al-Muheet”, Ibn Kathir in “Tafsir al-Quran al-Azeem”, Aalusi in “Ruh al-Ma’ani”, Tahir bin ‘Aashur in “Al-Tahrir w al-Tanwir” and Sheikh Sha’arawi in his Tafsir - all such Islamic scholars unanimously agree with the same commentary of the verse 5:44 as mentioned above with reference to Imam Razi’s Al-Tafsir al-Kabir).” (Al-Haqq Al-Mubin Fi al-Radd Ala Man Tala’ab bi Al-Deen, Arabic, p.23) In response to a query on the same topic, Sheikh Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Allam writes, “Those who do not judge in accordance with Allah Almighty's revelation are vulnerable to two things: First, he rejects Allah's divine judgment, hates it, thinks it has no right to be implemented, and portrays it in a derogatory, hostile, and nasty way. The second scenario is when he accepts that what Allah Almighty has revealed is true and that he believes it, but he is hesitant to put it into practise out of lust, desire, mistrust, an inability to carry it out, or because he has engaged in Tawil [which is the process of determining one of the many meanings that a word in the texts may have] among other reasons. “Clearly, the ruling in the first case differs from the ruling in the second. The first is major disbelief [Kufr-e-Akbar] that leads to expulsion from Islam, while the second is disobedience and minor disbelief [Kufr-e-Asghar] that does not lead to expulsion from Islam. Scholars have given instances of the ruler making decisions based on standards other than those that Allah has revealed, in which he is considered to have engaged in small unbelief yet has managed to stay within the boundaries of Islam. One example of this is failing to implement the judgment or Law of Allah in some of his affairs out of whim while believing that this law or judgment of Allah Almighty has guidance and absolute goodness.” Imam Qurtubi says in his commentary “Al-Jami’ Li Ahkam il-Quran” (6/191, published by Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah): “If someone judges [something] based on what he has rather than what Allah has revealed, it is a whim and disobedience, which is a sin for which forgiveness may be sought, according to Sunni Theology”. Dr. Shawki further elaborates saying: “One of the glaring examples cited by Islamic scholars in this regard is Najashi [Negus]. He was the king of Ethiopia. He converted to Islam without his people and was unable to learn, let alone apply, the Sharia. But nobody challenges the veracity of his Islam”. [See: “Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah” by Ibn Taymiyyah (5/112-113, published by Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University). “Third, not all laws or customs created by humans are in conflict with the Law of Allah Almighty. Instead, it should be submitted to the Shari'a so that everything is said in the agreement is acceptable; if it is not, it must be changed to be in line with the Shari'a, and anything that is left out is due to the public interest (Maslaha). “It is worth mentioning that Tahkim al-Shara' (i.e., judging by what Sharia has commanded) has a broader definition than Tahkim al-Madhab Al-Makhsus (i.e., judging by what comes from a certain school of Islamic Jurisprudence (Madhab) or personal Ijtihad. The laws in force may refer to particular Ijtihad or a specific Madhab, but they all fall under the broad notion of Sharia, which includes the general doctrines [Madaahib] of Mujtahidin and their sayings, even if they contradict what those who advocate for Tahkim al-Sharia believe and practise. “Allama Ibn Hazm said, “Everything that the Mujtahids deduced from the Shari’a is counted, even if its evidence is hidden from the common people. And whoever denies that generally attributes the imams to error and that they legislate what God did not authorize. This is a misguidance of the one who says so from the right path. The truth is that had they not seen evidence in that, they would not have legislated” (Imam Sha’arani, Al-Mizan Al-Kubra, 1/116, printed in Alam Al-Kutub) “Fourthly, not every person who is obeyed or followed is a despicable tyrant, unless doing so opens the door to disobeying God and His Messenger; in that case, obeying the ruler and the Aalim [religious scholar] is obedience to God and His Messenger as revealed in the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's purified Sunnah. “O, believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution.” (4:59) It is narrated by Abu Huraira that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me." (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) [Sheikh Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Allam, Refuting Takfiri Extremists who Brand Muslim Rulers and Scholars as Tyrants (Tawaghit) and Thereby Declaring Them Kaafir, Trans from Arabic by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi] Since the radical ideologues do not distinguish between faith and deed, they label everyone who disobeys the laws of God as an apostate. They use violence, including suicide bombs and assaults in public places, adopting this violent Takfir. This mentality is one of the entry points for evil and corruption, which Allah Almighty is fully aware of. Contrarily, orthodox Muslim scholars distinguish between faith and acts and do not declare any Muslims who accept the divine commandments and laws as infallible truths but do not put them into effect for any reason to be apostates. Allah Knows the Best. … A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar), with a Sufi-Sunni background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. He has also done B. A (Hons.) in Arabic, M.A. in Arabic and M.A. in English from JMI, New Delhi. He is Interested in Islamic Sciences; Theology, Jurisprudence, Tafsir, Hadith and Islamic mysticism (Tasawwuf). URL: https://newageislam.com/debating-islam/violent-takfir-wrongfully-god-sovereignty/d/130709 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism