Takfir Is Justified At Times

While we fiercely oppose unjustified Takfir, not all Takfir – تكفير – is unjustified.

Sometimes Takfir is justified and required… it’s not a taboo in itself… only if its mis-applied by ignorant Takfiris.

There are hundreds of masaail associated with imaan and kufr, which are all linked to Takfir, like: marriage, inheritance, funerals, etc.

Every fiqh book has chapters on Riddah.

If the kufr is known – then everyone can do Takfir.

If the kufr is not known, or its complicated, then it should be left to the judges and people who know about it.

1- Imam Nawawi , who is a Shafi’ii, said:
وأن من لم يكفر من دان بغير الإسلام كالنصارى أو شك في تكفيرهم أو صحح مذهبهم فهو كافر وإن أظهر مع ذلك الإسلام واعتقده
“And the one who does not declare kafir the ones who profess a deen (religion) other than Islam, such as the Christians, or doubts in the takfeer (declaring kafir) of such people, or authenticates [or praises] their religion, he is a kafir even if he displays Islam alongside this [belief] or [claims and shows he] believes in it.”
[“Rawdah al-Talibin”, 3/444].

2- Imam al-Bahuti Hanbali explained the reason for this:
وقال البهوتي في “كشاف القناع”: “فهُوَ كَافِرٌ؛ لِأَنَّهُ مُكَذِّبٌ لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الإِسْلامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ}”.
“He becomes Kafir, because he denied the saying of God: “And whoever seeks another religion than Islam, it will not be accepted from them and they will be among the losers in the hereafter.” [Qur’an 3:85].

3- And al-Qadhy Iyadh al-Maliki said the same thing:
قال القاضي عياض في كتابه” الشفا”: “وَلِهَذَا نُكفِّر من لم يُكَفِّر مَنْ دَانَ بِغَيْرِ مِلَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنَ الْمِلَلِ.. أَوْ وَقَفَ فِيهِمْ، أَوْ شَكَّ، أَوْ صَحَّحَ مَذْهَبَهُمْ.. وَإِنْ أَظْهَرَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ الْإِسْلَامَ وَاعْتَقَدَهُ وَاعْتَقَدَ إِبْطَالَ كُلِّ مَذْهَبٍ سِوَاهُ.. فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ بِإِظْهَارِهِ مَا أَظْهَرَ مِنْ خِلَافِ ذَلِكَ”.
ثم بين السبب بقوله: “لِقِيَامِ النَّصِّ وَالْإِجْمَاعِ عَلَى كُفْرِهِمْ، فَمَنْ وَقَفَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ النَّصَّ”.
وقد نقل القاضي عياض في كتابه ” الشفا” الإجماع على: ” كُفْرِ مَنْ لَمْ يُكَفِّرْ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّصَارَى وَالْيَهُودِ، وَكُلَّ مَنْ فَارَقَ دِينَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، أَوْ وَقَفَ فِي تَكْفِيرِهِمْ، أَوْ شَكّ”.
—————————–

These are not some Takfiris or Daishi’s…. these are classical Sunni scholars.

While we run away from unjustified Takfiris who say everything is kufr, we should not go to the other extreme of saying everything is imaan.

And “kafir” is a description, its not a swear-word.

We Muslims also commit kufr (disbelief) … every Muslim commits kufr … kufr in what?

Kufr in Taghoot:
فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا
“So whoever disbelieves in false deities (Taghoot) and believes in God, then, surely, he held fast to the most firm handhold. It is not breakable.” [Qur’an 2:256].

We are disbelievers in Taghoot, and believers in God.

There is no compulsion in religion, but the lines should not be blurred.

Allaahu A’alam