Date : 16-08-2018

Question :

What is the ruling of Sharia on accusing Muslims of disbelief and killing them for that?


The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.



Islam is the religion which Allah, The Almighty, has chosen for all humanity. As the last of the heavenly religions, it was sent down to complete good character. Moreover, it highly values man`s nature and dignity and aims to achieve the higher objectives of Sharia (Islamic law); amongst which is preserving life, and this is why it prohibited all forms of aggression against it (life): accusing of disbelief(Takfir), killing, cursing or harming. The Prophet (PBUH) warned against Takfirasit divides the Muslim nation and weakens it. It also leads to mass killings and destruction. He (PBUH) said, "…...And whoever accuses a believer of Kufr (disbelief), then it is as if he killed him."{Related by Bukhari}. He (PBUH) also said, "If a man says to his Muslim brother, 'O kafir!' it is true about one of them." {Related by Bukhari}. He (PBUH) has emphasized his warning againstTakfir and Tafseeq (Accusing a person of violating Sharia law), so he (PBUH) said, "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."{Related by Bukhari}. This warning shows that the Prophet (PBUH) was hugely concerned for his nation, and it confirms the significance of man`s life and dignity in the sight of Allah. Islam has ruled that a Muslim`s blood, wealth and honor are inviolable and considers whoever utters the two declarations of faith(Shahadatan) as a Muslim. Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "Whoever prays like us and faces our Qibla and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim and is under Allah's and His Apostle's protection. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in His protection."{Related by Bukhari}.



Scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jama'ah have unanimously agreed that ruling a Muslim to be a disbeliever is prohibited since this renders his blood, wealth and honor violable although, in the sight of Allah, they aren`t. This also leads to corruption and spreading corruption in the earth.



Our scholars have also warned against levelling accusations of disbelief to one another and said that having the audacity to rule a Muslim to be a disbeliever is forbidden, because this entails underestimating Sharia, legitimizing the spilling of blood and wreaking havoc in the land. In fact, accusing others of disbelief isn`t a matter that a person does or acts upon based on his own personal reasoning. It is a matter for judicial ruling that must be issued by an eligible person who is qualified to do so.Al-Millibari (May Allah have mercy on him) said, "A Mufti must be careful with regards to ruling a Muslim to be a disbeliever since most of the ordinary people don`t actually intend to commit disbelief."{Fateh Al-Mo`ein, 1/573}.



Our scholars have also pointed out that differences of opinion are integral part of human nature. This difference must be addressed only through dialogue and ways that are best and most gracious. Al-Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) said, "The mistake of sparing the life of a thousand disbelievers is less significant in the sight of Allah than that of killing one Muslim."{Al-Ekhtisad Fi Al-E`tikhad, 1/135}.



Today, Takfiries (Excommunicators) spill blood and violate the sanctity of Muslims life. They follow the footsteps of the Khawarij (Muslim outlaws) who excommunicated the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) and the righteous people of this nation and legitimized spilling their blood.



We ask Allah to protect Jordan and Muslim countries from trials and temptations. And Allah knows best.