Posted Apr 22, 2010 by Aboo Thaabit with 4 Comments
There is a very big phenomenon amongst Muslims today and it is even more so amongst the youth of the muslims, and this is the disease of takfeer, meaning that you call your fellow muslim a kafir without any legitimate reason.
Now this problem has been around since the time of the companions and it usually starts amongst the ignorant, those who lack knowledge and label muslim leaders Kuffar. This is the first and biggest fitnah that ever happened in Islaam.
These individuals rebelled against the muslim leader ‘Uthmaan and called him a Kafir and killed him, as they killed ‘Ali after him. The problem these people have is that they usually are youth and lack knowledge and they look around in the world and see how muslims suffer and then focus their rage upon muslim leaders.
Now no one is saying that muslim leaders are sin-free but as muslims we obey our rulers and follow them as long as they do not commit blatant kufr. The sahaba prayed behind leaders who drank alcohol and even people who committed bid’a!
Despite all the punishment Imaam Ahmad went through and how he knew these people who were punishing him where lying about the Qur’aan saying that it was created! Even then he never told people to rebel against the rulers, if he wanted to he could have, he was Imaam Ahmad after all, people loved him, but he knew the Sunnah of the Prophet very well.
Now this disease has become so wide spread that not even muslim scholars are safe, the very same scholars who are praised by Allah and His Messenger are now refered to as scholars for dollars or other such silly titles.
Have these people not studied the seerah of the Prophet how the Prophet dealt with the Kuffar in the treaty of Hudaybiyah? How ‘Umar got upset but was calmed down by the Prophet himself?
As an ignorant person you might be looking at the near future when you get angry and upset and want action, yet the scholar has a wider broader vision. The Prophet agreed to the unfair terms of the Mushrikeen why? Because he knew that in the long run it would benefit the muslims, but people who might be impatient do not see this.
We are all upset at the state of the Ummah and become passionate and rightfully so, but it is upon muslims to refer their affairs back to Allah and His Messenger (ie the scholars of Islaam).
Fear Allah people, and study your religion. Do not be hot-headed and call people kuffar left right and centre, watch your tongue when you speak about scholars.
If you wrongfully call your brother in Islaam kaafir and it is not true, you yourself become a kaafir and end up in the hell fire.
May Allaah reward you brother for this beneficial post. This phenomenon is more common with so-called ‘practising’ Muslims who get carried away with things beyond their reach and grasp. This is a bit of generalisation but in my culture, it is extremely common to see that whenever a Muslim starts learning about Islam and starts practising his acts of worship and leaves off the live of sinful dunyaa, he gets engrossed into the realm of takfeer, left and right.
It’s a cancer, may Allaah save the Ummah from spreading it.
Barakallahu feek. I also want to submit this excellent article by Ustadh Abu Eesa Niamatullah which is relevant: http://alternativeentertainment.wordpress.com/2007/11/09/the-defining-characteristic-of-ahl%E2%80%99l-sunnah-wa%E2%80%99l-jama%E2%80%98ah-during-fitnah/
Subhannallah, this is much needed at this time. So many people talk about different scholars from right to left. At times, it confuses you on who to seek knowledge from. At the time of Prophet (saw), they took the word kaafir and munafiq very seriously. Unfortunately, now a days it is very easy on the tongue not knowing how serious it is to call someone that especially when they are not. May Allah (Swt) protect us from this fitnah.
Ameen! This is quite scary actually because some people may not realise they are doing this.
The flesh of the scholars are poison! SubhanAllah!
We all need to make dua’a for our leaders not takfeer and rebel against them subhanAllah! Because Wallaahi they have soo much reponsibility and will be held responsible on Yawmul-Qiyamah about their subjects, can you imagine?! So they all need our dua’as and may Allaah guide us all to His straight path and keep us steadfast ameen!