By Sheikh Hussein ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Ash-Sheikh – 17 Thul Qa’dah 1435

His Eminence Sheikh Hussein ibn Abdul-Aziz Al Ash-Sheikh, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday Khutbah entitled, “A Warning against Accusations of Disbelief”, in which he talked about the importance of unity and peace among Muslims, warning against dissension and division. He also warned against accusing Muslims of disbelief, showing the danger that this poses to Muslims at large.

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask Him for forgiveness and guidance. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. He whom Allah guides, none can misguide, and he whom Allah sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.

“O You who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allah)].” (Al ‘Imran: 102)‎

“O Humankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa’ (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” (An-Nisa’: 1)

“O You who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell-fire and will be admitted to Paradise).” (Al-Ahzab: 70-71)

O Muslims!
Muslims are surrounded by serious trials and are facing various tests from which they cannot be saved except by seeking the protection of Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, turning to Him in sincere repentance, and returning to His straight path. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:

“… And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).” (At-Talaq: 2)

There is no escape from trials and tribulations except by showing obedience to Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, and to His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in all matters. It is only by doing so that Allah may deliver Muslims from afflictions and trials and ward off evils and enmities away from them. It is for this reason that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Worship in times of tumult is like immigrating to me” (Reported by Muslim).

Brothers in Islam!
Under the current circumstances in which the Muslim Ummah lives, the need is even more compelling to adhere to the greatest fundamental of Islam, namely, the obligation of gathering around the truth, helping one another in goodness, and uniting to attain everything beneficial in this world and in the hereafter. Allah, Might and Glory be to Him, says:

“And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves …” (Al ‘Imran: 103)

Each Muslim society is in great need of fitting the description that Islam recommends for us, as shown by the hadith in which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, describes the believers as follows:

“In their mutual kindness, compassion, and sympathy, the believers are like one body. When one of the limbs aches, the whole body responds to it with sleeplessness and fever.”

We need to do so in response to the words of Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, Who says:

“The believers, men and women, are Auliya’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma‘ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden) …” (At-Tawbah: 71)

One thing that stands in fundamental contradiction with the objectives and teachings of Islam is the disunity that exists among Muslims, which creates differences and opposing attitudes among them, thus turning them away from the straight path which Allah commands them to follow: “And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it …” (Al-An’am: 153)

Disunity brings about suffering and destruction, discord causes humiliation and shame, and conflicts lead to nothing but failure and loss. Therefore, Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:

“And obey Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and do not dispute (with one another) lest you lose courage and your strength departs, and be patient. Surely, Allah is with those who are As-Sabirun (the patient).” (Al-Anfal: 46)

No Muslim society will ever be safe when division exists amongst its members. The believers will not be delivered from evil when they are disunited, nor will they attain honour and glory when they disregard harmony and brotherhood of faith, which Allah commands us to observe. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:

“Verily, those who divide their religion and break up into sects (all kinds of religious sects), you (O Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him)) have no concern in them in the least …” (Al-An‘am: 159)

Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Keep with the Jama‘ah (the main body of Muslims) and beware of disunity, for indeed Satan closely accompanies the solitary individual, and he is further away from two. Therefore, whoever among you desires the middle and best place in Paradise should stick to the jama‘ah” (Classified by Al-Hakim as sahih (authenticated), and Adh-Dhahabi agreed with him).

O Youth of the Ummah!
You are the backbone of the Ummah and the leaders of the future, so beware of following any path that leads to disunity, dissension, and destruction. Stick to the Sunnah and the jama‘ah and avoid deviation and discord. Imam Ash-Shatibi said, “If they (i.e. members of Muslim community) introduce innovations in religion, they will argue among themselves, and then they will quarrel, divide, and break up into sects.” Shaikh-al-Islam, Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, also said, “Whatever goes against the teachings of Islam and the Qur’an, whether related to lineage, homeland, race, doctrine, or sect, is a remnant of jahilayyah (the days of ignorance before Islam).”

Know, O Muslim youth, that there is a disastrous practice which has deluded many writers, sent many minds astray, and left large numbers of Muslims victims to trials and tribulations, and which has always been one of the main reasons behind deviation and misguidance within the Muslim Ummah. This is the practice of carelessly accusing fellow Muslims, who face the qiblah in their prayers, of disbelief. It is the practice of rushing into charging with disbelief other Muslims, who testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If anyone says to his (Muslim) brother, ‘You disbeliever!’, one of them must deserve the name. Either the man is as he said or the claim will return to him [i.e. the accuser himself]” (Agreed upon). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Accusing a believer of disbelief is like killing him” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).

Using the strongest words of admonition, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, warned his Ummah against rushing into accusations of disbelief without having conclusive evidence beyond any shadow of doubt and without satisfying all the restrictions specified by the Qur’an and the criteria set by the Prophet in this respect. This is what the leading religious scholars settled on. One eminent scholar said, “The mistake of letting a thousand disbelievers live in this world is far less serious than that of shedding a drop of the blood of one single Muslim.”

O Muslim youth!
Your parents are the best to offer you sincere advice and the most loving to you of all the people. They give precedence to your own good over theirs and sacrifice themselves for your sake, so be dutiful to them and do your best to show obedience to them. Be kind to them, obey their orders, benefit from their wisdom, and act upon their advice, for they are the sincerest ones in giving you advice and counsel. Therefore, do not distance yourselves from them or hide anything from them, be it a major or a minor matter, for this has led to so many serious consequences for the Muslim youth which no one can tell but Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him. This is the guidance which will lead you to Paradise and make you attain the good pleasure of Allah, the Most Gracious, and which is corroborated and supported by the texts of the Shari‘ah.

O Youth of Islam!
You are the pillar that holds up the Muslim Ummah, next to Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him. Do not give the opportunity to the enemies of Muslims, who have always aspired to inflict harm on the Ummah through its youth, with the aim of distorting the religion of Islam. Protect yourselves by fearing Allah, Might and Glory be to Him. Use logic, listen to reason and wisdom, and be cautious, merciful, kind, and lenient. Show the merits of Islam to the whole world. Call to Allah through highlighting the great qualities and manners of Islam and demonstrating its encompassing mercy and endless virtues.

O Religious scholars, preachers, intellectuals, and thinkers! Fear Allah with regard to yourselves and with regard to the Muslim youth. It is your duty to guide the youth to that which will benefit them in this life and in the hereafter. Beware of anything that may ultimately engage them in dangerous consequences or plunge them into an unknown abyss, whether it involves ideas that threaten the fundamentals of the religion or fatwas that do not observe the principle of bringing benefit and warding off evil, in accordance with the criteria and restrictions set by Islamic Law. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“A man may utter a word which pleases Allah without realizing the full extent of its outcome, and because of it, Allah raises him in degree. And a man may utter a word that causes the displeasure of Allah to which he attaches no importance, and because if it, he falls down in Hellfire for seventy years.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

According to Muslim scholars, considering the consequential outcomes of any statement, act, and behaviour is one of the major principles of Islam, especially in times of trials and hostilities. Many fatwas relating to the current conditions of the Ummah have not received due research and consideration, and thus have led to hard trials and thrown Muslims into severe turmoil, especially when issued by individuals. Therefore, one must practice a great deal of deliberateness, sagacity, accuracy, and judiciousness when issuing fatwas, especially in times when the Ummah is fully impassioned and when feelings are faring up in Muslims’ hearts.

O Muslim Ummah!
Honour the rights of Islamic brotherhood and avoid inflicting harm on Muslims, be it slight or big, for that is a very serious matter in the sight of Allah. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “O People! Your blood, your property, and your honour are as sacred and inviolable as is the sanctity of this day of yours, in this town of yours, in this month of yours.” This has ever since become an indisputable principle – a matter that is necessarily known to be part of the religion.

O Muslim Ummah!
Fear Allah regarding this brotherhood of faith, for the teachings of the Noble Qur’an and the lessons taught by the merciful Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are keen to forbid anything that may tarnish such brotherhood or sever its bonds, so much so that keeping brotherly ties has become one of the most important purposes and objectives of Islam in this world. One of the definitive rules of the Sunnah is the following: “None of you will be a true believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

Fellow Muslims!
Security brings about a happy life, in which one enjoys peace of mind and stability. Reminding people of this, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever among you wakes up (in the morning) free from physical illness, secure in his household, and having enough food for his day, is as if he possessed the whole world.” Members of any Muslim society must therefore join hands to ward off the dangers and threats that surround their society. They need to stand side by side to attain the means through which Allah averts dangers and evils and brings about safety, security, and happiness to people.

“… Help one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety), but do not help one another in sin and transgression …” (Al-Ma’idah: 2)

I have said this, and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself and for you. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.