All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Abundant blessings are the fruits of piety and God-consciousness.

Allaah says, “O you who believe (in Mûsa (Moses) (i.e. Jews) and ‘Iesa (Jesus) (i.e. Christians))! Fear Allaah, and believe in His Messenger (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight), and He will forgive you. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Hadeed 57:28)

Brethren in faith! Those who are sincerely concerned with the current situation of the Muslims would agree that the Ummah is faced with great crises and hardships. There is however a calamity with which the Ummah has been afflicted throughout its history. It is a painful calamity from which the Ummah has been suffering for a long time. The calamity is a situation where some members of the Ummah declared others as ‘infidels’.

Dear brethren! Reckless declaration of others as disbelievers is a great evil and huge danger. It has caused the Ummah many woes and horrible consequences. Whoever has the least piety or knowledge will never hasten to wade into it. It is tendency that should frighten the hearts and disgust the minds.

Ash-Shawkaanee RA said, “Here, tears should be shed and Islaam and Muslims should be mourned for what religious bigotry has caused whereby some Muslims accuse one another of disbelief, not in the light of the Qur’aan or Sunnah and with no valid evidence. This problem emerged when religious bigotry becomes well-established among the Muslims and Satan was able to cause disunity among them, it is then that he taught them to force on another views that are as useless as a dust or mirage in a lowland. What a great catastrophe is this the like of which has never afflicted the Muslims before!” He then said, “Evidences regarding the obligation of protecting a Muslim’s honour and respecting him imply that he should never be attacked as regards his religion, would declaring him of having gone out of the fold of Islaam to disbelief not be regarded as prohibition with a greater reason? This is an unequalled crime. Where does this man who declares his brother an infidel stand regarding the Prophet’s saying, ‘the Muslim is a brother of his fellow Muslim; he should neither wrong him nor surrender him [to enemy]’? and his saying, ‘insulting a Muslim is a sinful act and killing him is an act id disbelief’? and his saying, ‘indeed, your blood, properties and honours are inviolable’?”

Brethren in faith! There are many texts from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah that warn against this unfortunate tendency.

Allaah says, “O you who believe! When you go (to fight) in the Cause of Allaah, verify (the truth), and say not to anyone who greets you (by embracing Islaam): “You are not a believer”; seeking the perishable goods of the worldly life.” (An-Nisaa 4:94)

Allaah’s Messenger said, ‘Whoever accuses another man with disbelief or tells him, ‘O you enemy of Allaah’ and he is not as he has said, that accusation will rebound on the accuser.” He also said, “Whoever accuses a believer with disbelief, it is as if he has killed him.”

It is therefore on this clean and clear path that all his companions matched. Ahmad reported on the authority of Aboo Sufyaan who said “I asked Jaabir [ibn Abdillaah] while he was staying in Makkah: ‘Did you use to regard any Muslim a polytheist?’ He was frightened when he heard that and he said, ‘May Allaah forbid!’ And a man asked him, ‘Did you use to regard any Muslim a disbeliever?’ He replied, ‘No.'”

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah RA said, “Know that the issue of declaring others as disbelievers or sinners is one of the issues upon which the promises of reward and punishment in the Hereafter are based. It is also the basis for renunciation, execution, and immunity and so on in this world. This is because Allaah makes Paradise the abode of the believers and made it forbidden for the disbelievers. This general rule applies to all times and places.”

Ibn Al-Wazeer RA said, “There is a huge difference between declaring the Muslim factions and the majority of the Muslim scholars as disbelievers and thereby enhance the ranks of the enemy, and between counting them among the Muslims and thereby help the cause of Islaam by their multitude. It is therefore, not permissible to cause disunity among the Muslims by declaring some members of the Ummah as disbelievers with weak evidences that contradict other stronger evidences that encourage unity and protection of lives. The Khawaarij were given the severest punishments and strongly condemned because they declared sinful Muslims as disbelievers. Let no one among those who declare others as disbelievers beware lest they meet the same fate as that of the Khawaarij.”

Shaykh Abdullaah bin Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhaab said, “It is incumbent on whoever is sincere with himself not to wade into this issue without knowledge and evidence from Allaah. He should beware of regarding a person as non-Muslim based on his mere understanding and opinion because doing so is one of the greatest matters of religion.”

Ash-Shawkaanee said, “Know that declaring that a person is no longer a Muslim and that he has become a disbeliever is a matter that no Muslim who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should embark on without an evidence that is as clear as the sun in the midday. This is because it is authentically reported on the authority of a group of the companions that the Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Whoever tells his brother: ‘O you disbeliever’, either of them is actually a disbeliever.'” In another narration, the Messenger of Allaah said, ‘Whoever accuses another man with disbelief or tells him, ‘O you enemy of Allaah’ and he is not as he has said, that accusation will rebound to accuser.'” He also said, “Whoever accuses a believer with disbelief, it is as if he has killed him.”

Ibn Daqeeq al-‘Eed said, “This is a great threat against anyone who wrongly accuse any Muslim with disbelief.” He further said, “And this is a great trouble in which some scholars have fallen. When they disagreed on matters of Islaamic belief they declared one another as disbelievers.”

Fellow Muslims! Declaring someone as a disbeliever is an Islaamic decision. The disbeliever is someone who disbelieves in Allaah and His Messenger. Making that decision is therefore not the prerogative of any man. Only Allaah knows those who disbelieve in Him. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “That is why the scholars who follow the Sunnah do not regard their opponents as disbelievers even if the opponents regard them as such. This is because declaring a person a disbeliever is an Islaamic decision. Therefore, no man has the right to punish his opponent with a similar accusation, as you cannot hit back at a person who lied against you by lying against him in return, because lying is forbidden. Declaring a person as a disbeliever is also an exclusive right of Allaah and none should be declared as a disbeliever except him that Allaah declares as such. The Khawaarij, whom the Prophet ordered to be fought were fought by ‘Alee bin Abee Taalib and other Muslim leaders among the companions and their followers. The evidences and consensus of the Ummah established the erroneous way of the Khawaarij but none of the Muslim leaders regarded them as disbelievers. They only fought them because of their transgression. Therefore, none of these differing groups who could not recognise the truth in many issues should declare another as disbelievers or violate their lives and properties. For, these are issues in which even more knowledgeable scholars make mistakes.”

Ibn Taymiyyah further said, “Imaam Ahmad used to pray behind members of Jahmiyyah group who called to their erroneous beliefs and ruthlessly tormented those who disagreed with them. Imaam Ahmad never regarded them as disbelievers. Rather, he regarded them as believers, recognised their leadership and supplicated for them. He regarded praying behind them and going to battles in their company as lawful. He was also of the view that people should not revolt against them. He and other eminent scholars refuted the false statement that was tantamount to great disbelief, which these leaders ignorantly innovated. Imaam Ahmad refuted this view and exerted all his efforts to persuade them into abandoning this erroneous view. He therefore, combined between obeying Allaah and His Messenger by proclaiming the Sunnah, refuting the innovations of the erroneous people and protecting the rights of the Muslims and their leaders even if they were ignorant, innovators and sinners.”

Fellow Muslims! We must therefore know in the light of the above that the matter of belief and disbelief is in the heart and that none but Allaah alone knows it. Allaah says, “Whoever disbelieved in Allaah after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith; but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allaah, and theirs will be a great torment.” (An-Nahl 16:106)

The disbeliever is the one whose heart is comfortable with disbelief. Therefore, there is no consideration for erroneous belief especially if the person who holds it is under the influence of ignorance and if he does not deny the path of the people of Islaam. There is no consideration for a statement of disbelief if its utterer does not meant to renounce Islaam. There is no consideration for a statement of disbelief which a Muslim utters though he does not intend its meaning. These views and beliefs must be strongly refuted and condemned and regarded as forbidden in Islaam. But in no way should it be regarded as a clear-cut evidence of its sayer’s renunciation of Islaam.

Dear brethren! The issue of declaring others as disbelievers has misled many people. Muslims should therefore beware of this undesirable tendency. We must also exert all efforts to unite our ranks. Discord causes nothing but narrow-mindedness, self-righteousness and scorning of others. It also weakens the call to the way of Allaah and minimizes the benefits of knowledge. And this is exactly the goal of the enemy. Allaah says,

“O you who believe! When you go (to fight) in the Cause of Allaah, verify (the truth), and say not to anyone who greets you (by embracing Islaam): “You are not a believer”; seeking the perishable goods of the worldly life. There are much more profits and booties with Allaah. Even as he is now, so were you yourselves before till Allaah conferred on you His Favors (i.e. guided you to Islaam), therefore, be cautious in discrimination. Allaah is Ever Well-Aware of what you do.” (An-Nisaa 4:94)

Fellow Muslims! Having made it clear that declaring others as disbelievers is fatally dangerous, this does not, in any way, amount to tolerating acts of apostasy on the path of any person whose renunciation of Islaam has been proved beyond any iota of doubt. The purpose is this sermon is only to underline the gravity of this horrible tendency and to warn the Muslims from wading into it. Some scholar said, “If you die without saying anything against Pharaoh, Allaah will not blame you for that on the Day of Resurrection.”

Dear brethren! Declaring somebody as an infidel has conditions and hindrances explained by the scholars. The person who is to be declared a disbeliever might be ignorant of the evidences that should have let him know the truth; he might even be aware of the evidences but does not believe in their authenticity or might not understand their implications; he might have some ambiguities for which Allaah may forgive him. So, any Muslim who strives to know the truth but errs, Allaah will forgive him his error, whatever that error may be. This is the confirmed view of the companion of the Prophet and the majority of the scholars of Islaam. They would declare a deed as an act of disbelief but they would not declare the person who performed the deed as a disbeliever, for declaring him as such demanded that he should not have had any acceptable excuse.

Brethren in Islaam! Fear Allaah and be dutiful to Him. Guard your tongues and do not let the Satan deceive you. Unite your ranks on the truth and, “Help you one another in righteousness and piety; but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment.” (Al-Maaidah 5:2)