إدريس عبدالله
_1 _January _2016هـ الموافق 1-01-2016م, 10:35 PM
All praises are due to Allah the Lord of creation, May peace and blessings be upon His messenger, his household and all his companions.
An ambiguity was stirred up concerning the presence of the Prophet’s graveyard in his mosque and indeed, scholars have made appreciable efforts in refuting it and their views in this regard are well known. The views of these scholars contributed in refuting this ambiguity and bringing it to an end except that there is need to remind people of the explanations because of the ambiguity being stirred up lately over it through programs in the media. Before stating the views of scholars in refuting the ambiguity, there is need to point out that this issue is not among the reasons to declare members of the community as disbelievers as could be perceived by some people. Rather, declaring people as disbelievers is built on the creed of the khawaarij which is to make sins that do not render the sinner a disbeliever as sins which nullify Islam. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyya-may Allah have mercy on him- said: “but as for the khawarij, their greatest religion is to depart from the community of Muslims and to declare their blood and property permissible” (majmoo Alfatawa: 13/209). He also said: (the Khawarij are the first to declare the Muslims as disbelievers, they declare people disbelievers just by committing sin, and they also declare whoever go against them in their innovations as disbelievers, and render his blood and property permissible. This is the condition of the innovators; they innovate things in the religion and declare whoever goes against them as disbelievers. As for the Ahlu-Sunnah, they follow the teachings of the Quran and traditions of the Prophet, and they obey Allah and His messenger, so they follow the truth and they are merciful to all people) (majmoo Alfatawa: 3/279). He also said: (so, these people the basis of their misguidance is their believe that the leaders of guidance and the Muslim community have deviated from justice and that they are misguided and this is the approach of those who have deviated from the sunnah such as the Rafidha and their likes. Then, they consider what they see as injustice to be disbelief, then they give innovated rulings on that) (majmoo Alfatawa (28/497).
The condition of one who considers this issues as basis for declaring members of the community as disbelievers is like the condition of one who develops a creed and then begin to look for proofs to justify it as is the case with people of innovation, they develop a creed then they try to find proofs to justify it even if the proof does not justify it. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyya made an important statement in explaining the separation of the Khawarij from the community of Muslims: (they have two popular traits which made them separate from the Muslims and their leaders. One of it is their deviation from the sunnah and they have made what is not sunnah a sunnah or what is not good to be good… the second difference between the Khawarij and the people of innovation: they declare people disbelieve because of sins and this leads to their making the blood and property of Muslims permissible and that the homeland of Islam is that that of war while their own homeland is that of peace. So also is the claim of majority of the Rafidha, Almu’tazilla, Al-Jahmiyya, and an extremist group among those affiliate themselves to people of hadith and fiqh and their philosophers. This is the origin of innovations as established by the tradition of the Prophet and the consensus of the pious predecessors and that is making pardon a sin and making a sin disbelieve.
Thus, a Muslim needs to be cautious of these two evil fundamentals and what emanates from them of hatred for Muslims and cursing them, and making their blood and property permissible. These two fundamentals are contrary to the teachings of Ahlu Sunnah. So, whoever contradicts the Sunnah in what it legislates is an innovator and has deviated from the Sunnah, and whoever declare the Muslims as disbelievers because of what he sees as a sin whether religiously or not, and treats them like disbelievers has separated from the community of Muslims.
An ambiguity was stirred up concerning the presence of the Prophet’s graveyard in his mosque and indeed, scholars have made appreciable efforts in refuting it and their views in this regard are well known. The views of these scholars contributed in refuting this ambiguity and bringing it to an end except that there is need to remind people of the explanations because of the ambiguity being stirred up lately over it through programs in the media. Before stating the views of scholars in refuting the ambiguity, there is need to point out that this issue is not among the reasons to declare members of the community as disbelievers as could be perceived by some people. Rather, declaring people as disbelievers is built on the creed of the khawaarij which is to make sins that do not render the sinner a disbeliever as sins which nullify Islam. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyya-may Allah have mercy on him- said: “but as for the khawarij, their greatest religion is to depart from the community of Muslims and to declare their blood and property permissible” (majmoo Alfatawa: 13/209). He also said: (the Khawarij are the first to declare the Muslims as disbelievers, they declare people disbelievers just by committing sin, and they also declare whoever go against them in their innovations as disbelievers, and render his blood and property permissible. This is the condition of the innovators; they innovate things in the religion and declare whoever goes against them as disbelievers. As for the Ahlu-Sunnah, they follow the teachings of the Quran and traditions of the Prophet, and they obey Allah and His messenger, so they follow the truth and they are merciful to all people) (majmoo Alfatawa: 3/279). He also said: (so, these people the basis of their misguidance is their believe that the leaders of guidance and the Muslim community have deviated from justice and that they are misguided and this is the approach of those who have deviated from the sunnah such as the Rafidha and their likes. Then, they consider what they see as injustice to be disbelief, then they give innovated rulings on that) (majmoo Alfatawa (28/497).
The condition of one who considers this issues as basis for declaring members of the community as disbelievers is like the condition of one who develops a creed and then begin to look for proofs to justify it as is the case with people of innovation, they develop a creed then they try to find proofs to justify it even if the proof does not justify it. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyya made an important statement in explaining the separation of the Khawarij from the community of Muslims: (they have two popular traits which made them separate from the Muslims and their leaders. One of it is their deviation from the sunnah and they have made what is not sunnah a sunnah or what is not good to be good… the second difference between the Khawarij and the people of innovation: they declare people disbelieve because of sins and this leads to their making the blood and property of Muslims permissible and that the homeland of Islam is that that of war while their own homeland is that of peace. So also is the claim of majority of the Rafidha, Almu’tazilla, Al-Jahmiyya, and an extremist group among those affiliate themselves to people of hadith and fiqh and their philosophers. This is the origin of innovations as established by the tradition of the Prophet and the consensus of the pious predecessors and that is making pardon a sin and making a sin disbelieve.
Thus, a Muslim needs to be cautious of these two evil fundamentals and what emanates from them of hatred for Muslims and cursing them, and making their blood and property permissible. These two fundamentals are contrary to the teachings of Ahlu Sunnah. So, whoever contradicts the Sunnah in what it legislates is an innovator and has deviated from the Sunnah, and whoever declare the Muslims as disbelievers because of what he sees as a sin whether religiously or not, and treats them like disbelievers has separated from the community of Muslims.