Some Ramifications of Takfeer and Tafseeq without proof – By Imam Abdul Aziz Bin Baz

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allāh, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Imam, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

وما أحسن ما قاله العلامة: ابن القيم رحمه الله في قصيدته الكافية الشافية:

إن البدار برد شيء لم تحط… علما به سبب إلى الحرمان

وأعظم من ذلك وأخطر، الإقدام على التكفير أو التفسيق بغير حجة يعتمد عليها، من كتاب الله أو سنة رسوله ﷺ، ولا شك أن هذا من الجرأة على الله وعلى دينه، ومن القول عليه بغير علم، وهو خلاف طريقة أهل العلم والإيمان من السلف الصالح رضي الله عنهم وجعلنا من أتباعهم بإحسان، وقد صح عن رسول الله ﷺ أنه قال: من قال لأخيه: يا كافر، فقد باء بها أحدهما وقال ﷺ: من دعا رجلا بالكفر، أو قال: يا عدو الله، وليس كذلك إلا حار عليه أي: رجع عليه ما قال وهذا وعيد شديد يوجب الحذر من التكفير والتفسيق، إلا عن علم وبصيرة، كما أن ذلك وما ورد في معناه يوجب الحذر من ورطات اللسان، والحرص على حفظه إلا من الخير.

And how excellent is what Al-Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, stated in his poem Al-Kāfiyah ash-Shāfiyah: “Indeed, hastening to reject something about which you do not have knowledge of is a cause of  deprivation”.

And more serious and dangerous than this is is to embark upon Takfeer (declaring someone a disbeliever) or Tafseeq (declaring someone sinful) without a proof to rely upon from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him. There is no doubt that indeed this is a form of boldness toward Allah and His religion, and speaking about Him without knowledge.

It is in opposition to the path of the people of knowledge and Iman among the pious predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them. May Allāh make us among those who follow them exactly in faith. It has been authentically reported from Allāh’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, that he said: “Whoever says to his brother, ‘O disbeliever,’ then it returns upon one of them”. He, peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him, said: “Whoever calls a man a disbeliever, or says, ‘O enemy of Allah,’ while he is not so, it returns back upon him”.

This is a severe warning that obligates caution in declaring others disbelievers or sinners except based on knowledge and clear-sightedness. Also this and (others) with similar meanings makes it incumbent upon one to be cautious of the predicaments of the tongue and to strive to guard it, except in uttering good. [paraphrased] [1] [end of quote]

NB: Tabdee (declaring someone a Mubtadi) is more serious than Tafseeq (declaring someone a sinner).

Abul Wafaa Ibn Aqeel Al-Faqee said, our Shaikh Abul Fadl Al-Hamdaani said:

“The innovators (in) Islam and the fabricators of Hadith are worse than the Mulhidun, because the Mulhidun aim to corrupt Islam from the outside, while these (people) want to corrupt it from within. They (i.e. the innovators and the fabricators of hadith) are similar to the people of a country who try to corrupt its state of affairs and the heretics are similar to those who lay a siege from the outside; so the ones from within (i.e. the innovators and fabricators of hadeeth) open the fortress. Therefore, they are more harmful to Islam than those who do not (attribute) themselves to it outwardly”. [2]

I ask Allah to bless the beloved Mancunian brother who shared Imam Ibn Baz’s clarification in a private WhatsApp Group.

[1] https://binbaz.org.sa/articles/29/الادلة-النقلية-والحسية-على-امكان-الصعود-الى-الكواكب

[2] Reported by Ibnul Jawzi, may Allah have mercy upon him, in Al-Mawdoo’aat 1/44