Question:
Salaam alaekun warahmatullah wabarakatuhu.
Some Muslims believe democracy as Kufru but disapprove calling Democrats kuffar.
Are they correct?
Answer:
Wa alaikumus salaam wa rahmatu llaah wa barakaatuh
They are explicitly wrong!
It should be known with certainty that democracy and democratic elections are shirk. This is because democracy involves neglecting the Sharee’ah of Allah; making legislation the sole right of the people. And democratic elections involves nominating a person who will stand as rival with Allah in legislation.
Moreover, we have made it known that, as regard shirk Akbar, there is no excuse for ignorance. Whoever commits shirk Akbar takes the name of shirk, i.e. he is a Mushrik with immediate effect. The only excuse is الإكراه (coercion), which Allah ﷻ mentioned in Suuratu Nahl. This is the only category of people the Qur’an has given excuse from amongst those who commit Kufr or shirk.
Shaykhul Islam, Ibn Taimiyyah رحمه الله said:
ولهذا كان التكلّم بالكفر من غير إكراه كفراً في نفس الأمر، عند الجماعة، وأئمة الفقهاء، حتى المرجئة خلافا للجهمية ومن اتبعهم».
شرح الأصفهانية (668)، الصارم المسلول (3/ 976)
“That is why speaking statement of Kufr without coercion is Kufr with immediate effect according to the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah and the Scholars of Fiqh, and even the Murji’ah, contrary to the Jahmiyyah and those who followed them.”
Sharh al-Isfahaniyyah (668), as-Saarim al-Masluul (3/976)
Shaykhul Islam, Imaam Da’wah an-Najdiyyah, al-Mujaddid, Muhammad bn AbdilWahhaab said in his book, (Kashfu Shubuhaat):
(كشف الشبهات): «أن الإنسان يكفر بكلمة يخرجها من لسانه، وقد يقولها وهو جاهل فلا يعذر بالجهل، وقد يقولها وهو يظن أنها تقربه إلى الله تعالى كما ظن المشركون».
“A person becomes Kaafir due to a statement he utters with his tongue; although, he might have uttered it out of ignorance, but he is not given excuse for his ignorance. He might also say it thinking that such would bring him closer to Allah, the Exalted just as the idol worshippers [of Makkah] thought.”
His grandson, AbdurRahman bn Hasan – may Allah have mercy on all of them – said:
«والعلماء رحمهم الله تعالى سلكوا منهج الاستقامة ، وذكروا باب الردة ، ولم يقل أحد منهم إنه إذا قال كفراً أو فعل كفراً وهو لا يعلم أنه يضاد الشهادتين : أنه لا يكفر بجهله، وقد بيّن الله في كتابه أن بعض المشركين جهال مقلّدون ، فلم يرفع عنهم عقاب الله بجهلهم.» [الدرر:١١/ ٤٧٨-٤٧٩]
“The scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, followed the path of steadfastness, they mentioned the chapter of apostasy, and none of them said: if [a person] utters Kufr or performs Kufr not knowing that it contradicts the Shahaadatain (the two testimony), that he doesn’t become a Kaafir due to his ignorance. And Allah has explained in His Book that some idol worshippers were ignorant blind-followers yet, the punishment of Allah wasn’t lifted off them because of their ignorance.” [ad-Durar as-Sanniyyah]
Secondly, whoever acknowledges that democracy is Kufr but refrains from making Takfeer of the democrats, he is one of the two:
[1] Those who do not know the reality of democracy but see that democracy is bad involving squandering of money and the likes; thus they say it is Kufr, meaning that it is bad, it’s sinful. This category of people need explanation and clarification.
[2] Those who do not make takfeer of Kuffaar and Mushrikuun with the Shub’ha that they proclaim the shahaaadah and performs Salaat; or the Shub’ha that they didn’t make the Kufr permissible on their tongues or in their hearts. This category are Kuffaar; their kufr is worse than that of the Jahmiyyah.
Al-Imaam Muhammad bn AbdilWahhaab رحمه الله تعالى said:
«إن هؤلاء الطواغيت الذين يعتقد الناس فيهم وجوب الطاعة من دون الله كلهم كفار مرتدون عن الإسلام، كيف لا وهم يحلّون ما حرّم الله، ويحرّمون ما أحلّ الله، ويسعون في الأرض فساداً بقولهم وفعلهم وتأييدهم، ومن جادل عنهم، أو أنكر على من كفّرهم، أو زعم أن فعلهم هذا لو كان باطلاً لا ينقلهم إلى الكفر، فأقل أحوال هذا المجادل أنه فاسق، لأنه لا يصح دين الإسلام إلا بالبراءة من هؤلاء وتكفيرهم …» [الرسائل الشخصية: ص: 188]
“The Tawagheet, whom the people consider obligatory to obey besides Allah, are all Kuffaar, who have apostatised from Islam. Why not? They permit what Allah forbids, and forbid what Allah permits, and they make mischief on earth by their utterance, deeds and support. Whoever argues in support of them, or opposes those who make takfeer upon them, or holds that even if their action is evil, it doesn’t take them to Kufr; the least situation of this arguer is that he is sinful, that is because the religion of Islam is invalid without boycotting the Tawagheet and making Takfeer of them.”
In accordance with the statement of the Shaykh, we see that those who accept democracy and/or the participants in democratic elections must be informed; we must make clear to them the reality of democracy and democratic elections before making Takfeer of them or calling them idol worshippers. Yes, this is imperative, because majority of them are ignorant of the reality; majority of them did not intend the shirk action or believe rather, they intend to appoint people who will cater for their livelihood. Majority do not know the reality of democracy.
It is pertinent to differentiate between:
* being ignorant of the reality; and
* being ignorant of the hukm (ruling).
These two are not the same. A person can perform a Kufr action while he is oblivious of the reality, in this case, explaining is necessary, rather it is obligatory before making Takfeer. After explanation, if he insists and proceeds, he becomes a Mushrik whether he understood the evidence or he did not.
However, if a person performs a Kufr action, and he is conscious of the reality, but ignorant of the ruling on such action, this person is not excused, ((except for one who is forced while his heart is secure in faith.)) [an-Nahl: 106]
For instance, a person walking on the road and a flyer falls from him. A Muslim sees the fallen flyer and alarmed the person that a flyer has fallen from him. Another Muslim sees the fallen flyer clearly that it is a Christianic flyer. Now, the earlier has aided the Christian in his Kufr and shirk (in the ordinary sense) but, he is ignorant….
Ignorant of what?
He is ignorant of the reality. He doesn’t know the flyer is Christianic, not that he is ignorant of the ruling on helping a person propagate kufr.
If he says, “I know, but I alerted him out of righteousness, civility, kindness”, he is a Kaafir. But, if he says, “I only saw a flyer dropping and I didn’t know it’s content, then he has not committed any Kufr in essence.
Thus, majority of the people do not understand the reality of democracy and democratic elections, hence it is obligatory to explain.
This doesn’t justify the misguidance of the Madkhalis for in their own religion, a person remains a Muslim no matter the amount of shirk he commits as long as he doesn’t renounce Islam upon his tongue. Besides, in their religion, leaders and scholars can never apostatise. The Madkhaliyyuun precisely are idol worshippers. Their kufr is crystal clear due to several reasons one of which is their belief in Taaghuut, and their affirming of the Islam of idol worshippers. Apart from democracy, they do not make takfeer of “Muslims” who attend church service. In fact, making Takfeer is a crime in the religion of the Madaakhilah.
Whoever the evidence has reached but refuses to make takfeer of the democratic rulers, such is a Mushrik, a believer in Taaghuut.
In a nutshell, I implore the Muslims to be sincere in their religion,
فَتَبَيَّنُواْ وَلَا تَقُولُواْ لِمَنۡ أَلۡقَىٰٓ إِلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمَ لَسۡتَ مُؤۡمِنًا
((…Investigate; and do not say to one who gives you [a greeting of] peace “You are not a believer,”)) [4:94]
كَذَٲلِكَ ڪُنتُم مِّن قَبۡلُ فَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓاْ ۚ
You [yourselves] were like that before; then Allah conferred His favor upon you, so investigate. [4:94]
Kudos to the poet who wrote:
ﻭﺭﻏﻢ ﻣﺎ ﻗﻠﺖ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺘﺤﺬﻳﺮ ***** ﻻ ﻳﻨﺒﻐﻲ ﺍﻟﻮﻗﻮﻑ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﻜﻔﻴﺮ
Despite what I said of warnings;
It is forbidden to withdraw from takfeer.
ﺇﺫﺍ ﺑﺪﺍ ﺍﻟﻜﻔﺮ ﺟﻠﻴﺎ ﻭﻇﻬﺮ ***** ﻣﻦ ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﻔﺮ ﻛﺎﻓﺮﺍ ﻓﻘﺪ ﻛﻔﺮ
When the Kufr becomes glaring and vivid;
Who doesn’t make takfeer of a Kaafir becomes a Kaafir.
وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين
~ Ustaadh Abu Ubaidah Ayinla
06/May/2020
Islam Is Sunnah 