Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Avoiding Kufr (blasphemy)/ Riddah (apostasy)

Kufr is any saying, deed or belief that denies, disrespects or makes fun of God, the Prophets, the Angels, the Quran or the Islamic religion. Deny means to say or believe anything that contradicts what our beloved prophet Muhammad taught. Committing Kufr causes one to be a non-Muslim (kaafir), even if one was previously a Muslim. Kufr after being Muslim is called riddah (apostasy).

Important basic beliefs and what denies them

Every Muslim must believe that Allah's existence does not have a beginning and that everything else has a beginning.

Allah said in the Quran that He created everything, and Prophet Muhammad (may Allah raise his rank) said that "Allah existed and there was nothing else".
  • Saying or believing that any of Allah's attributes has a beginning, is kufr, because this would mean that He is part creator and part brought into existence.
  • Saying or believing that Allah is in a place or location is kufr, because place has a beginning, and therefore everything in it must also have a beginning. Allah existed before place and He still exists without it. Moreover, Allah said that the Jews committed kufr by their worship of the gold calf, pointing out that it is a body.
  • Saying or believing that God is united with His creation, or physically enters created things, such as the sky or a body is kufr.
  • It is kufr to say or believe that Allah changes, because changes are series of events and all events have a beginning.
  • Important note: we neither say that Allah is in place nor say that He is outside place. We say that He exists without a place.
  • Important note: Allah is not attributed with change, because all change has a beginning. Rather, we believe that Allah's attributes are without a beginning or an end.
  • Important note: Although created things become existent and annihilated in sequence, Allah's act of creating them is not sequential. Rather, we believe that Allah's attributes are without a beginning or an end.
  • Important note: To understand that one cannot know the reality of Allah attributes is to understand the Islamic belief in Allah; one must not think about the self of Allah, but rather think about created things instead.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah does not resemble His creation.

Allah said in the Quran that He does not resemble anything.
  • Saying of believing something that contradicts this belief is kufr, such as believing that Allah is in a place, or that He has a shape or travels distances. This is because being in a place is the attribute of created things, and because place itself is a creation, so Allah does not need it.
  • To say that "Allah is like so and so" is kufr, because this is drawing a resemblance.
  • Important rule: Allah is different from anything you imagine in your mind.
  • Important rule: Allah is not attributed with a where or a how.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah is attributed with self sufficiency.

  • Saying or believing that Allah needs something is kufr.
  • Saying or believing God has a partner is kufr; having a partner means needing agreement.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah is attributed with onenness, i.e. He does not have a partner or a part or an equal.

  • Saying or believing that Allah has a rival, child, part or a partner is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that Allah has a mother or a wife is kufr.
  • Calling Allah "father" is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that anything other than Allah deserves worship is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that Allah has limbs or bodyparts such an ear or an eye is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that anyone or anything has a similarity to Allah or His attributes is kufr.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah has the power to create anything.

  • To say or believe that anything other than Allah can create is kufr.
  • To say or believe that Allah does not have the ability to do something is kufr.
  • Believing that anyone other than God has the power to create, such as believing that humans create their own actions is kufr.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah is attributed with a Will, that everything is predestined and that there is a wisdom in all of Allah's actions.

  • To say or believe that Allah does something unwise or unjust is kufr.
  • It is kufr to say or believe that Allah's will changes.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah knows, hears and sees everything. They must also believe that His Knowledge, Hearing and Seeing is not like ours; it has nothing to do with instruments, such as an ear or an eye or a brain. They are eternal attributes of Allah that do not have a beginning or an end.

  • To say or believe that Allah does not know something is kufr.
  • To believe that Allah sees with an eye or hears with an ear is kufr, because Allah is One, without a partner or a part.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah is attributed with life, but that His life does not have a beginning or an end, and does not resemble our life.

  • To believe or say that Allah's life is in a body or soul is kufr, because this is the life of created things.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah has the attribute of speech (Kalaam), and that His speech is not like ours; it is not sound, letters or language; it does not depend on traveling through a medium such as air; it does not resonate in our ear; it has no beginning and no end; it is not sequential.

  • Important rule: The (the revealed book of the Quran) refers to Allah’s attribute of speech, just as the utterance of Allah’s name “Allah” refers to Allah. In Arabic the word "Quran" refers to both Allah's attribute of speech and the book.
  • Everything that has a beginning needs a Creator, because it was brought into existence.

Every Muslim must believe that Allah's attributes are attributes of absolute perfection.

  • Saying or believing that Allah has attributes of imperfection: flaws, weaknesses, boundaries, needs or limits (such as body, location, size, shape, or distance.) is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that Allah changes is kufr. Changing or developing implies a need to do so. In addition, something that changes becomes more or less perfect, and Allah is attributed with complete perfection.
  • Believing it is possible for God to have a child is kufr; having a child is a created attribute indicating need, physical existence, multiplication, etc. Such a belief also denies the Creator’s absolute ownership of all created things.

Every Muslim must believe that prophets are examples of human perfection and are models for us to follow.

  • Saying or believing that it is possible for prophets (even before prophethood) to lie, cheat or betray, or to be cowards, stupid, mean, ill mannered, unattractive or to have an illness that makes an onlooker feel disgusted is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that it is possible for prophets (even before prophethood) to commit kufr, large sins, or small sins that show meanness is kufr.
  • Saying or believing that it is possible for prophets (even before prophethood) to be mean, such as contemplating adultery or fornication is kufr. This is insulting a prophet.

Other examples of kufr sayings and beliefs

  • If someone says that there is a Prophet after the Prophet Muhammad, this is kufr.
  • It is kufr to say it is acceptable for someone to follow a religion other than Islam.
  • It is kufr to believe that any prophet, such as Jesus or Moses taught the beliefs of another religion than Islam. All prophets taught the beliefs of Islam.
  • Cussing, insulting or making fun of God, a prophet, a revealed book, the Islamic religion or any of its rules is kufr. Neither ignorance, nor anger is an excuse in this.

Deeds that are Kufr

Any deed or action that denies, disrespects or makes fun of God, the Prophets, the Angels, the Quran or the Islamic religion is Kufr, such as:
  • Throwing the Quran, or the written name of God, in the trash; this is an insult.
  • Wearing a cross believing it is all right to do so. This is Kufr because the cross is the sign of another religion, and God only accepts Islam.
  • Prostrating (kneeling on the ground placing his forehead on the ground) to the sun or fire, or another object. If someone does a prostration to a human to worship him, then he has committed Kufr. If it is not done to worship him, however, then it is not Kufr, but it is forbidden.
  • Committing a sin, such as adultery, stealing or leaving an obligatory prayer is not kufr unless one believes it is OK to do so.

Important rules regarding Kufr

  • It is important to know and not to confuse an actual belief with a thought that crosses one's mind. Satan (the Devil) can bring thoughts to our mind, which are Kufr. If this should happen we need to reject the thought in our heart and fight to get rid of it. As long as we fight it and do not believe it, we are Muslim. However, if someone believes soemthing that is Kufr he becomes a kaafir. Satan often tries to bring such thoughts to Muslims.
  • It is very important when mentioning kufr stated by someone else to mention that it was that person who made the statement, either directly before or after you mention the statement. If someone repeats kufr, or writes kufr without relating it to those who said it, it causes him to leave Islam, whether he believes the Kufr or not.
  • If someone was talking about statements that Christians make in order to show how ignorant they are, and he was mentioning the following statement, he needs to say, "Christians say that Jesus is the son of God." If the speaker does not use something like the phrase, "Christians say," either before or after the rest of the statement, in order to relate it to someone else, then the speaker has left Islam, even if he does not believe the statement.
  • To help someone commit kufr is kufr.
  • To be happy with someone's kufr is kufr.

Some of the effects caused by committing riddah

If a Muslim committed apostasy, then his fasting would be interrupted if he was fasting, the meat of his slaughter forbidden to eat, his marriage contract void and any attempt at worship invalid. All his previous goods deeds have been lost, even if he returns to Islam later. He must return to Islam immediately.

How to return to Islam after committing riddah

If someone commits kufr, he is required to immediately say "I firmly believe that no one and nothing deserves to be worshipped except God, and Muhammad is His Prophet and Messenger," with the intent in his heart to become Muslim and to leave anything that contradicts that belief, loud enough to hear himself, with the intent in his heart to become Muslim, leave that kufr and never repeat it again. This is how one returns to Islam (becomes Muslim again). One is required to feel sorry for having committed kufr.

When saying kufr does not cause one to leave Islam

There are 3 occasions under which if someone says kufr he does not leave Islam:
  1. If someone has a slip of the tongue, i.e. he is trying to say something that is not kufr, but by a slip of the tongue, he says something else that is kufr, he does not leave Islam.
  2. If someone is not sane or is not conscious of what he is saying, and he commits kufr, he does not leave Islam.
  3. If someone is directly and immediately threatened with loss of life, limb or the like unless he says something kufr. For example, if someone was threatened with being killed if he did not curse God, he has the option to refuse, be killed and die martyr, or curse God, on the condition that he hates this before he does it, while he is doing it, and after he did it.

Ignorance is NOT an excuse in kufr pertaining to the attributes of Allah or the attributes of the prophets, or the fact that Islam is the only correct religion. However, if someone was new to Islam, or lived far away from Islamic scholars, then he does not fall out of Islam if he thinks something forbidden to be permitted or vice versa, such as adultery.