| The one who is in a Dar is from its people and he gets the same ruling as its people, until the opposite is proven. And this is from Aslu Deen. |
In the name of Allah, most Gracious and most Merciful
Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon Messenger of Allah.
We know that believing in the kufr of the Kafir is not a theoretical matter that has nothing to do with the practical reality, but this creed has to be applied in the life with words and deeds. It is not enough if a person believes in the kufr of a person who worships others beside Allah, without applying this creed into actions by making takfeer on everybody who worships others beside Allah, and making Baraa from this person with words and deeds.
There are many people who believe that it is kufr to worship others beside Allah, but they don’t apply this creed. And they don’t apply this creed in the ruling of people.
The dawah of the Anbiyya, alayhim salam, actually was not a theoretical one, rather it was a practical and realistic dawah. The kafir doesn’t enter Islam solely by acknowledging that Islam is Haqq and shirk is bateel, but he has to believe in Tawheed and make Baraa from shirk, with his heart, his words and his deeds. And only the theoretically creed that all religions other than Islam are void and invalid it is not enough for him to enter Islam. Rather, it is imperative that he makes takfeer on all those who do not take Islam as their Deen from his people and from all the other people. And that he doesn’t befriend them or take them as brothers. But that he only befriends and takes as brothers those who are on Islam. With this, Islam is distinguished from kufr. And that he applies the Aqeedah of al Walaa wa’l Baraa.
People are divided into two groups, believers (Mu’min) and infidels (Kafir).
| Allah ta’ala says: “And We had certainly sent to Thamud their brother Salih, [saying], “Worship Allah,” and at once they were two parties conflicting.” (Naml 27/45) |
| Allah ta’ala says: “It is He Who has created you; and of you are some that are Unbelievers, and some that are Believers: and Allah sees well all that ye do.” (at-Taghabun 64/2) |
| Therefore the kuffar of the Quraysh said to Rasulullah (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam): “O Muhammad, we have send for you, that nobody will think we are to blame. By Allah, we do not know any man among the Arabs who has brought to his people what you have brought to your people. You have slandered our forefathers, criticized our deen, insulted our reason, slandered our gods and caused division.” (Sira Ibn Hisham, Tafsir Ibn Kathir 17/93) |
Islam can not be established in the reality of life except through the practical application of the principle of differentiation and al Baraa from shirk and its people. And this can only be achieved takfeering the kuffar and making Baraa from them and from what they worship beside Allah.
Kufr bi-t Taghut is not only rejecting the ma’bud (the one who is worshipped), but it is rejecting the ma’bud (the one who is worshipped), rejecting the ibadah to him (the worshippin) and rejecting those who worship him.
The Muslims agree on the the practical application of the doctrine making takfeer on the kuffar. And they also agree on the principle that everybody who does not establish the Aslu Deen is a kafir. We must establish this Aqeeda in action as our Prophet, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam and all the Prophets, alayhim salam, and their followers did. They lived among the unbelievers, as it is our situation today. They faced unbelieving people (nations), as we face them today. And our Lord has ordered us to follow them.
One of the greatest examples in them is how they implemented their Aqeeda in reality, because our reality is not different from their reality.
| Allah ta’ala says: Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people: “Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you (we make takfeer on you), and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone,” — except the saying of Ibrahim to his father: “Verily, I will ask forgiveness for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah.” “Our Lord! In You we put our trust, and to You we turn in repentance, and to You is the final Return.” (al Mumtahina 60/4) |
The Aqeeda of the prophets on their kuffar people is not difficult to know for those who want to imitate them and follow them. All the prophets believed in the kufr of their people, generally and individually. They disavowed all of them and did not make a difference between them.
They did not exclude anybody, except those who they knew that they were on their Deen, believing in Allah alone and disbelieving in their people and what they worshipped beside Allah. And Rasulullah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam and Prophets, alayhim salam, did not know the truth about each one of them. There is no requirement to know every individual to believe in his kufr. The ruling of he group in general is applied to all individuals, except those who distant themselves from the religion of their people.
Ibrahim, Khalil al-Rahman, alayhi salam, disavowed his father, his people, and their fathers, who followed them on their error (deviation, misguidance). He disavowed all of them and what they worshipped and he didn’t make an exception. And he didn’t befriend with anyone from them, except those who followed him on his Deen.
| Allah ta’ala says: And when Ibrahim said to his father Azar, “Do you take idols as deities? Indeed, I see you and your people to be in obvious error (misguidance).” (A’nam 6/74) |
| And Allah ta’ala says: “He (Ibrahim) said, “You were certainly, you and your fathers, in obvious error.” (al Anbiyya 21/54) |
And though Ibrahim Him knew his father’s condition, did he know all his people individually? And did he know the situation of all the people in Iraq and Palestine and those whom he met on his way to Mecca? And did Allah prohibit him from saying to these people what he said to them? Did he know all the fathers of his people so he may disavow them? And did he disavow them generally and all together while he did not disavow them individually and every single person, expect those whose kufr he knew?
It can’t be said that Ibrahim, alayhi salam, knew the status of his people and those who were before them through a revelation from Allah. Because if this matter was known only by the revelation of Allah, Allah would not have imposed on us what He has imposed on His Messengers. And if the case of Ibrahim, alayhi salam, would have been a special case only concerning Ibrahim, alayhi salam, Allah, azza wa jal, would have declared this special condition to the Muslims so that they do not follow it.
Allah made the Baraa of Ibrahim from his father and his people and from what they worshipped beside Allah a good example for us until the Day of Resurrection.
| Allah ta’ala says: And when Our messengers came to Ibrahim with the good tidings, they said, “Indeed, we will destroy the people of that Loot’s city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers.” [Ibrahim] said, “Indeed, within it is Loot.” They said, “We are more knowing of who is within it. We will surely save him and his family, except his wife. She is to be of those who remain behind.” (Ankabut 29/31-32) |
Here is another example of Ibrahim, alayhi sallam, and his judgment on people whom he didn’t know. Because he, alayhi salam, said:
| “Indeed, within it is Loot”, |
as Loot, alayhi salam, was the only believer in this city he knew of. This clearly shows, that he regarded all the other people in the city of Loot’s city as kuffar, although he certainly didn’t know each and every single inhabitant of this city.
Likewise, our Messenger, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, believed in the kufr of his people and all the tribes of the Arabs, Persians, Romans, Abyssinia, Copts, and other kuffar of that time. He believed in their kufr, generally and individually. And he didn’t except anyone of them, only those who entered with him into the Deen of Islam.
He believed in the kufr of the individual as he believed in the kufr of his people, even if kufr didn’t appear in one of them. He considered every individual Arab from all the tribes as kuffar without seeing them worshiping idols, until someone of them announced his Islam. They are like someone who has been seen committing kufr. And he, salliAllahu alayhu wa sallam, dealt with the kuffar all his life like this. This is established in his biography and sunnah. Just like all the prophets disavowed their kuffar people and did not exclude anyone but the ones who accepted Islam.
And the Messenger of Allah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, used to judge according to the appearance of people, whether he knew the individual’s agreement to the truth and certainty or not. He didn’t know about every man of his people that he really worshiped idols.
The pilgrims came from the Arab tribes in the Hajj seasons to the Ukkaz market. Delegations would come to him to Madinah or travel to the countries of the kuffar. He did not know from the kufr of each one of them, but he believed in their kufr from the beginning, before he tested them. There is no objection that one of them who is in such a situation could be a true Muslim, but the Messenger of Allah, salli Allahu alayhi wa sallam, does not know about him. This was mentioned a lot in his Seerah and the biography of his companions. There is no problem at all. He did not stop (tawakkuf) out of fear that he would takfeer a Muslim whom he did not know.
The Prophets of Allah didn’t differentiate between those who showed kufr and those who didn’t show kufr from the kuffar nations. All of them acted on Aslu Deen. Whoever wants to distinguish between the takfeer of this and the takfeer of that needs an evidence.
| Allah ta’ala says: And when Musa returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said, “How wretched is that by which you have replaced me after [my departure]. Were you impatient over the matter of your Lord?” And he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by [the hair of] his head, pulling him toward him. [Haroon] said, “O son of my mother, indeed the people oppressed me and were about to kill me, so let not the enemies rejoice over me and do not place me among the wrongdoing people.” (A’raf 7/150) |
Here the statement of Haroon, alayhi salam:
| “do not place me among the wrongdoing people” |
proves that the ruling of an individual in an group takes the ruling of this group. Haroon, alayhi salam, distanced himself from this group and asked his brother Musa, alayhi salam, not to judge him according to this group.
Rasulullah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, did not believe in the Islam of anyone from the Arabs until his Islam was established, no matter if he personally knew the kufr of someone or did not know his kufr. No matter if it was a child or an adult. He did not rule on the Islam of any of them before his conversion to Islam. He did not stop ruling the individual among them until he was sure whether he was a Muslim.
| It is reported on the authority of Qatada that one among the delegates of the ‘Abdul-Qais tribe narrated this tradition to him. Sa’id said that Qatada had mentioned the name of Abu Nadra on the authority of Abu Sa’id Khudri, radhiAllahu anhu, who narrated this tradition:That people from the tribe of ‘Abdul-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and said: Messenger of Allah, we belong to the tribe of Rabi’a and there live between you and us the kuffar of the Mudhar tribe and we find it impossible to come to you except in the sacred months; direct us to a deed which we must communicate to those who have been left behind us and by doing which we may enter Heaven. (Sahih Muslim 18) |
This was the Deen the Messenger of Allah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, and the Companions were on. And what was the Deen in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, must be our Deen today, and what was kufr in his time – may God bless him and grant him peace – must be kufr today, because Allah’s Deen does not change with the passing of time.
No one can deny the existence of Muwahhidun among the kuffar whom the Prophet, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, did not know.
| Allah ta’ala says: They are the ones who disbelieved and obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram while the offering was prevented from reaching its place of sacrifice. And if not for believing men and believing women whom you did not know – that you might trample them and there would befall you because of them dishonor without [your] knowledge – [you would have been permitted to enter Makkah]. [This was so] that Allah might admit to His mercy whom He willed. If they had been apart [from them], We would have punished those who disbelieved among them with painful punishment. (Fath 48/25) |
There are those who believed before the Prophet, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, knew their faith. Then after a period of time he knew about it, even if it was a day or an hour. He, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, did not believe in their conversion to Islam before his knowledge. And since he has not given the ruling of Islam to anyone until he knows his Islam, this means that he judges them as kuffar.
| Imran b. Husain reported that the tribe of Thaqif was the ally of Banu ‘Uqail. Thaqif took two persons from amongst the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) as prisoners. The Companions of Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) took one person from Banu Uqail as prisoner, and captured al-‘Adbi (the she-camel of the Holy Prophet) along with him. Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) came to him and he was tied with ropes.He said:Muhammad. He came near him and said: What is the matter with you? Thereupon he (the prisoner) said: Why have you taken me as prisoner and why have you caught hold of one proceeding the pilgrims (the she-camel as she carried the Prophet on her back and walked ahead of the multitude)? He (the Prophet) said: (Yours is a great fault). I (my men) have caught hold of you for the crime of your allies, Banu Thaqif. He (the Prophet) then turned away. He again called him and said: Muhammad, Muhammad, and since Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was very compassionate, and tenderhearted, he returned to him, and said: What is the matter with you? He said: I am a Muslim, whereupon he (the Prophet) said: Had you said this when you had been the master of yourself, you would have gained every success. He then turned away. He (the prisoner) called him again saying: Muhammad, Muhammad. He came to him and said: What is the matter with you? He said: I am hungry, feed me, and I am thirsty, so provide me with drink. He (the Prophet) said: That is (to satisfy) your wish. He was then ransomed for two persons (who had been taken prisoner by Thaqif).” (Sahih Muslim 1641) |
Here is an individual, who is not known, but his tribe is known. He was treated as a kafir by the Sahaba, radhiAllahu anhum, and by the Messenger of Allah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, because he was a member of a kafir tribe; until he had declared his conversion to Islam. And if he would have announced his Islam before he has fallen into the hands of the Muslims, they would have dealt with him accordingly.
| Narrated Aisha, radhiAllahu anha: Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “An army will invade the Ka`ba and when the invaders reach al-Baida’, all the ground will sink and swallow the whole army.” I said, “O Allah’s Messenger! How will they sink into the ground while amongst them will be their marketeers (the people who worked in business and not invaders) and the people not belonging to them?” The Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) replied, “All of those people will sink but they will be resurrected and judged according to their intentions.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2118) |
The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that a huge army will invade the Sacred House of Allah. When they reach an open desert area, Allah will make the earth swallow them up. The Mother of the Believers Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him about the ones who came for buying and selling, without any evil intention to invade the Ka‘bah, and the people who followed them, but did not belong to them or know their evil plan. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) informed her that the earth would swallow them up because they were in their company. Which clearly shows, that the ruling of an individual from a group is the same ruling as the ruling of this group itself. Later, they will be resurrected and judged according to their intentions, and everyone will be dealt with according to one’s good or evil intentions.
| Narrated Ibn Umar, radhiAllahu anhumma: Bani An-Nadir and Bani Quraiza fought (against the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) violating their peace treaty), so the Prophet exiled Bani An-Nadir and allowed Bani Quraiza to remain at their places (in Medina) taking nothing from them till they fought against the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) again). He then killed their men and distributed their women, children and property among the Muslims, but some of them came to the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and he granted them safety, and they embraced Islam. He exiled all the Jews from Medina. They were the Jews of Bani Qainuqa, the tribe of Abdullah bin Salam and the Jews of Bani Haritha and all the other Jews of Medina. (Sahih al-Bukhari 4028) |
| Narrated Aisha, radhiAllahu anha: Sa’d was wounded on the day of Khandaq (i.e. Trench) when a man from Quraish, called Hibban bin Al-Araqa hit him (with an arrow). The man was Hibban bin Qais from (the tribe of) Bani Mais bin Amir bin Lu’ai who shot an arrow at Sa’d’s medial arm vein (or main artery of the arm). The Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) pitched a tent (for Sa’d) in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) to visit.When the Prophet returned from the (battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench) and laid down his arms and took a bath Jibril came to him while he was shaking the dust off his head, and said, “You have laid down the arms? By Allah, I have not laid them down. Go out to them (to attack them).”The Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Where?” Jibril pointed towards Bani Quraiza. So Allah’s Messenger (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) went to them (i.e. Banu Quraiza) (i.e. besieged them). They then surrendered to the Prophet’s judgment but he directed them to Sa’d to give his verdict concerning them. Sa’d said, “I give my judgment that their warriors should be killed, their women and children should be taken as captives, and their properties distributed.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4122) |
| Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: The people of (Banu) Quraiza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa’d bin Muadh. So the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) sent for Sa’d, and the latter came (riding) a donkey and when he approached the Mosque, the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said to the Ansar, “Get up for your chief or for the best among you.”Then the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said (to Sa’d).” These (i.e. Banu Quraiza) have agreed to accept your verdict.” Sa’d said, “Kill their (men) warriors and take their offspring as captives.” On that the Prophet (salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “You have judged according to Allah’s Judgment,” or said, “according to the King’s judgment.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4121) |
The Messenger of Allah, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, killed all the fighters of Banu Qurayza and he did not ask about every man among them: Did he break the covenant or not?
And the companions since they converted to Islam, they believe in the kufr of every single one of the mushrikeen -even if they have not shown shirk- until they prove their Islam. They believed in the kufr of the children from the mushrikeen who are not responsible, as do they believed in the kufr of their parents. They did not differentiate between the takfeer of one individual of the kuffar, whose kufr was proven and another individual of the kuffar whose kufr wasn’t proven.
| The story of at Tufayl ibn Amr ad Dawsi is an excellent example for their stand against the kuffar, people as well as individual.At-Tufayl ibn Amr was the chief of the Daws tribe in preQuranic times and a distinguished Arab notable known for his manly virtues and good works. He fed the hungry, comforted those in distress and granted asylum to refugees. He was also keenly interested in literature and was himself a sharp and sensitive poet capable of expressing the most delicate emotions.Tufayl left the hearths of his village in Tihama in the south of the Arabian peninsula and set out for Makkah. The struggle between the noble Prophet, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam, and the disbelieving Quraysh was already at its height.The disbelieving Quraysh resisted his message with every weapon, and attempted to keep people away from it by all the means at their disposal.Tufayl found himself entering this battle without any preparation or warning. He did not come to Makkah to get involved in it. Indeed he was not aware of the struggle that was taking place. Let Tufayl himself take up the story from this point:I approached Makkah. As soon as the Quraysh leaders saw me, they came up to me and gave me a most hearty welcome and accommodated me in a grand house. Their leaders and notables then gathered and said:”O Tufayl, you have come to our town. This man who claims that he is a Prophet has ruined our authority and shattered our community. We are afraid that he would succeed in undermining you and your authority among your people just as he has done with us. Don’t speak to the man. On no account listen to anything he has to say. He has the speech of a wizard, causing division between father and son, between brother and brother and between husband and wife.”They went on telling me the most fantastic stories and scared me by recounting tales of his incredible deeds. I made up my mind then not to approach this man, or speak to him or listen to anything he had to say.The following morning I went to the Sacred Mosque to make tawaf around the Kabah as an act of worship to the idols that we made pilgrimage to and glorified. I inserted a piece of cotton in my ears out of fear that something of the speech of Muhammad would reach my hearing. As soon as I entered the Mosque, I saw him standing near the Kabah. He was praying in a fashion which was different from our prayer. His whole manner of worship was different. The scene captivated me. His worship made me tremble and I felt drawn to him, despite myself, until I was quite close to him.Not withstanding the precaution I had taken, Allah willed that some of what he was saying should reach my hearing and I heard a speech that was so beautiful that I said to myself, “What are you doing, Tufayl? You are a perceptive poet. You can distinguish between the good and the bad in poetry. What prevents you from listening to what this man is saying? If what comes from him is good, accept it, and if it is bad, reject it.”I remained there until the Prophet left for his home. I followed him as he entered his house, and I entered also and said, “O Muhammad, your people have said certain things to me about you. By Allah, they kept on frightening me away from your message so that I even blocked my ears to keep out your words. Despite this, Allah caused me to hear something of it and I found it good. So tell me more about your mission.”The Prophet, peace be upon him, did and recited to me Surah Al-Ikhlaas and Surah Al-Falaq. I swear by Allah, I had never heard such beautiful words before. Neither was a more noble or just mission ever described to me. Thereupon, I stretched out my hand to him in allegiance and testified that there is no god worthy of being worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. This is how I entered Islam.I stayed on for some time in Makkah learning the teachings of Islam memorizing parts of the Quran. When I decided to return to my people, I said, “O Rasulullah. I am a man who is obeyed in his tribe. I am going back to them and I shall invite them to Islam . . .”When I returned to my people, my father, who was quite old then, came up to me and I said, “O Father, let me relate my news to you. I am no longer from you and you are not of me.””Why so, my son?” he asked.”I have accepted Islam and now follow the religion of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,” I replied.”My son,” he said, “your religion is my religion.””Go and wash yourself and cleanse your clothes,” I said. “Then come that I may teach you what I have learnt.”This the old man did and I explained Islam to him and he became a Muslim.”Then came my wife and I said, “Let me relate my news to you. I am no longer of you and you are not of me.””Good heavens! Why so?” she exclaimed.”Islam has separated us,” I explained. “I have become a Muslim and follow the religion of Muhammad.””Your religion is my religion,” she replied.’Then go and purify yourself, not with the water of Dhu Shara, the idol of the Daws, but with pure water from the mountain. “”Good gracious! Do you fear anything from Dhu Shara?””Damn Dhu Shari. I told you, go and wash there, far away from people. I guarantee you that this dumb stone won’t do a thing to you.”She went and washed and I explained Islam to her and she became a Muslim. I then invited the Daws as a whole to become Muslims. They were all slow in responding, except Abu Hurayrah. He was the quickest to respond to the invitation of Islam.The next time I went to Makkah, Abu Hurayrah was with me.”What have you left behind?’ the Prophet asked me.”Hearts with veils over them obscuring the Truth, and firm disbelief. Sin and disobedience have won over the Daws.”The Prophet thereupon stood up, made wudu and prayed with his hands raised to the heavens. Abu Hurayrah remarked, “When I saw the Prophet like this, I was afraid that he was praying against my people and that they would be destroyed.”But the Prophet, upon whom be peace, prayed, “O Lord, guide the Daws, guide the Daws, guide the Daws.” Then he turned to me and said:”Go back to your people, treat them gently and invite them to Islam.”I stayed in the land of the Daws inviting them to Islam -until some of them accepted my call- until after the hijrah of the Prophet to Madinah and after the battle of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq had taken place. Then I went to the Prophet, salliAllahu alayhi wa sallam. With me were eighty families who had become Muslims and who were strong in their faith. The Prophet was pleased with us and he gave us a portion of the booty after the battle of Khaybar. We said to him, “O Rasulullah, make us the right wing of your army in every battle and make our efforts acceptable.” (From Siyar A’lam Nubala 344-345) |
In his words:
| “O Rasulullah. I am a man who is obeyed in his tribe. I am going back to them and I shall invite them to Islam …” |
is clear evidence, that he made takfeer on his people, because he intended to invite them to Islam, which means, he judged them as kuffar. And a Muslim doesn’t need to be invited to Islam.
And in his, radhiAllahu anhu, words:
| “O Father, let me relate my news to you. I am no longer from you and you are not of me.” |
is clear evidence, that he made takfeer -individually- on his father. He disavows his father, which is the physical action of al Baraa from shirk and its people.
And in his words:
| “until some of them accepted my call.” |
is clear evidence, that he didn’t except anybody, except those whose Islam was proven. He judged everybody who responded to his dawah by accepting it with Islam, and those who didn’t accept his dawah, he judged with the ruling of their people, which is kufr.
And in the story from Salman al Farisi, radhiAllahu anhu, it is even more obvious that the individuals are judged according to their people.
| It was narrated that Abd-Allah ibn Abbas, radhiAllahu anhu, said: Salman al-Farisi told me his story from his own lips. He said:I was a Persian man, one of the people of Isbahaan, from a village thereof called Jayy. My father was the chieftain of his village, and I was the dearest of Allah’s creation to him. He loved me so much that he kept me in his house near the fire, as girls are kept in. I strove hard in the Magian religion until I became the keeper of the fire, which I tended and did not let go out for a moment.My father had a huge garden, and he was busy one day with some construction work, so he said: “O my son, I am too busy with this building today, go and check my garden,” and he told me some of the things he wanted done. I went out, heading towards his garden, and I passed by one of the Christian churches, where I could hear their voices as they were praying.I did not know anything about the people because my father had kept me in his house. When I passed by and heard their voices, I entered upon them to see what they were doing. When I saw them, I was impressed with their prayer and I was attracted to their way. I said: By Allah, this is better than the religion that we follow. By Allah, I did not leave them until the sun set, and I forgot about my father’s garden and did not go there. I said to them: Where did this religion originate? They said: In Syria.Then I went back to my father, who had sent people out to look for me, and I had distracted him from all his work. When I came to him, he said: O my son, where were you? Did I not ask you to do what I asked? I said: O my father, I passed by some people who were praying in a church of theirs, and I was impressed with what I saw of their religion. By Allah, I stayed with them until the sun set.He said: O my son, there is nothing good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better than that. I said: No, by Allah, it is better than our religion. He was afraid for me, and he put fetters on my legs and kept me in his house.I sent word to the Christians saying: If any Christian merchants come to you from Syria, tell me about them. He said: Some Christian merchants came to them from Syria, and they told me about them. I said to them: When they have completed their business and want to go back to their own country, tell me about that. So when they wanted to go back to their own country, they told me about that, and I threw off the irons from my legs and went out with them, until I came to Syria. When I reached Syria, I said: Who is the best person in this religion? They said: The bishop in the church. So I went to him and said: I like this religion, and I would like to stay with you and serve you in your church and learn from you and pray with you. He said: Come in.So I went in with him, but he was a bad man. He would command them and exhort them to give charity, but he kept a great deal of it for himself and did not give it to the poor; he had amassed seven chests of gold and silver. I hated him deeply when I saw what he was doing, then he died and the Christians gathered to bury him. I said to them: This was a bad man; he commanded you and exhorted you to give charity, but when you brought it to him he kept it for himself and did not give any of it to the poor. They said: How do you know that? Show us where his treasure is. So I showed them where it was and they brought out seven chests filled with gold and silver. When they saw that they said: By Allah, we will never bury him; then they crucified him and pelted him with stones.Then they brought another man and appointed him in his place. Salman said: I have never seen a man who does not offer the five daily prayers who was better than him; he shunned this world and sought the Hereafter and no one strive harder than him night and day. I loved him as I had never loved anyone before, and I stayed with him for a while. Then when he was about to die, I said: O So and so, I was with you and I loved you as I had never loved anyone before, and now the decree of Allah has come to you as you see; to whom do you advise me to go? What do you command me to do? He said: O my son, by Allah, I do not know of anyone today who follows what I followed. The people are doomed; they have changed and abandoned most of what they used to follow, except for a man in Mosul. He is So and so, and he follows what I used to follow, so go and join him.When he died and was buried, I went to the man in Mosul. I said to him: O So and so, So and so advised me when he died to come to you, and he told me that you follow the same as he followed. He said to me: Stay with me. So I stayed with him, and I found him to be a good man who followed the same as his companion had followed. But soon he died.When he was dying I said to him: O So and so, So and so advised me to come to you and told me to join you, but now there has come to you from Allah what you see. To whom do you advise me to go? What do you command me to do? He said: O my son, by Allah I do not know of anyone who follows what we used to follow except a man in Nasayyibeen. He is So and so; go to him.When he died and was buried, I went to the man in Nasayyibeen. I came to him and told him my story and what my companion had told me to do. He said: Stay with me. So I stayed with him and I found him to be a follower of the same way as his two companions, and I stayed with a good man. By Allah, soon death came upon him, and when he was dying I said to him: O So and so, So and so advised me to go to So and so; then So and so advised me to come to you. To whom do you advise me to go and what do you command me to do? He said: O my son, by Allah we do not know of anyone left who follows our way and to whom I can tell you to go, except a man in ‘Ammooriyyah. He follows something like what we follow. If you wish, go to him, for he follows our way.When he died and was buried, I went to the man in ‘Ammooriyyah and told him my story. He said: Stay with me. So I stayed with a man who was following the same way as his companions. I earned wealth until I had cows and sheep, then the decree of Allah came to him. When he was dying I said to him: O So and so, I was with So and so, and So and so told me to go to So and so; then So and so told me to go to So and so; then So and so told me to come to you. To whom do you advise me to go and what do you command me to do? He said: O my son, by Allah, I do not know of anyone who follows our way to whom I can advise you to go. But there has come the time of a Prophet, who will be sent with the religion of Ibrahim. He will appear in the land of the Arabs and will migrate to a land between two harrahs (lave fields; land with black rocks), between which there are palm trees. He will have characteristics that will not be hidden. He will eat of what is given as a gift but he will not eat of what is given as charity. Between his shoulder blades is the Seal of Prophethood. If you can go to that land then do so.Then he died and was buried, and I stayed in ‘Ammooriyyah as long as Allah willed I should stay, then some merchants of Kalb passed by me and I said to them: Will you take me to the land of the Arabs and I will give you these cows and sheep of mine? They said: Yes. So I gave them the cows and sheep, and they took me there, but when they brought me to Waadi al-Qura they wronged me and sold me as a slave to a Jewish man. When I was with him I saw the palm trees, and I hoped that this was the land that my companion had described to me, but I was not sure. Whilst I was with him, a cousin of his from Banu Qurayzah came to him from Madeenah, and he sold me to him, and he took me to Madeenah. By Allah, as soon as I saw it, I recognized it from the description given to me by my companion.I stayed there, and Allah sent His Messenger, who stayed in Makkah as long as he stayed, and I did not hear anything about him because I was so busy with the work of a slave. Then he migrated to Madeenah, and by Allah, I was at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master, doing some work on it, and my master was sitting there. Then a cousin of his came and stood beside him, and said: May Allah kill Banu Qaylah! By Allah, right now they are gathering in Quba’ to welcome a man who has come from Makkah today, and they say that he is a Prophet.When I heard that, I began to shiver so much that I thought I would fall on top of my master. I came down from the tree and started saying to that cousin of his: What are you saying, what are you saying? My master got angry and he struck me with his fist and said: What has it got to do with you? Go back to your work! I said: Nothing; I just wanted to make sure of what he was saying. I had something that I had collected, and when evening came, I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he was in Quba’, and I entered upon him and said to him: I have heard that you are a righteous man and that you have companions who are strangers and are in need. This is something that I have to give in charity, and I see that you are more in need of it than anyone else. I brought it near to him and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to his companions: “Eat,” but he refrained from eating. I said to myself: This is one. Then I went away and collected some more.The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) moved to Madeenah, then I came to him and said: I see that you do not eat (food given in) charity; this is a gift with which I wish to honour you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ate some of it and told his companions to eat too. I said to myself: This is two.Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he was in Baqee’ al-Gharqad, where he had attended the funeral of one of his companions and he was wearing two shawls and was sitting among his companions. I greeted him with salaam then I moved behind him, trying to look at his back to see the Seal that my companion had described to me. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw me going behind him, he realized that I was trying to find confirmation of something that had been described to me, so he let his rida’ drop from his back, and I saw the Seal and recognized it. Then I embraced him, kissing (the Seal) and weeping, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: “Turn around.” So I turned around and I told him my story as I have told it to you, O Ibn ‘Abbas.The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted his companions to hear that. Then Salman was kept busy with the work of a slave, until he had missed attending Badr and Uhud with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: “Draw up a contract of manumission, O Salman.” So I draw up a contract of manumission with my master in return for three hundred palm trees which I would plant for him, and forty uqiyahs.The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to his companions: “Help your brother.” So they helped me with the palm trees, one man gave thirty small trees and another gave twenty, and another gave fifteen, and another gave ten, i.e., each man gave according to what he had, until they had collected three hundred small trees for me. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me: “Go, O Salmaan, and dig the holes where they are to be planted. When you have finished, come to me and I will plant them with my own hand.”So I dug the holes for them, and my companions helped me, then when I had finished, I came to him and told him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out with me and we started to bring the trees close and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) planted them with his own hand. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Salman, not one single tree among them died. So I had paid off the trees but there still remained the money.A piece of gold the size of an egg was brought to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from one of his campaigns. He said: “What happened to the Persian who had a contract of manumission?” I was summoned to him and he said: “Take this and pay off what you owe, O Salman.” I said: How could this pay off everything I owe, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “Take it, and Allah will help you to pay off what you owe.” So I took it and weighed it for them, and by the One in Whose hand is the soul of Salman, it was forty uqiyahs, so I paid them their dues and I was set free. I was present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at al-Khandaq, and after that I did not miss any major event with him. Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (5/441). The scholars of hadeeth said: Its isnaad is hasan. |
Consider what the bishops said and look at the strangeness of those who were on the true religion. And consider carefully their knowledge about the millions of people who lived at this time, even though a lot of this people were claiming, that they were on Christianity.
All of them told Salman, radhiAllahu anhu:
| “O my son, by Allah we do not know of anyone left who follows our way and to whom I can tell you to go, except one man in so and so.” |
None of them knew every individual on the earth, none of them has witnessed every person on earth committing kufr or shirk, but despite this, and despite that their people ascribed themselves to Christianity, they said that they don’t know anyone who follows their way. And they didn’t make an exception, except for the very person they knew that he followed their way.
Whoever knows the true religion at any time at place for him it is not difficult to know the religion his people are on.
| Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar, radhiAllahu anhumma: Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail went to Sham, inquiring about a true religion to follow. He met a Jewish religious scholar and asked him about their religion. He said, “I intend to embrace your religion, so tell me some thing about it.” The Jew said, “You will not embrace our religion unless you receive your share of Allah’s Anger.” Zaid said, “‘I do not run except from Allah’s Anger, and I will never bear a bit of it if I have the power to avoid it. Can you tell me of some other religion?” He said, “I do not know any other religion except the Hanif.” Zaid enquired, “What is Hanif?” He said, “Hanif is the religion of (the prophet) Ibrahim who was neither a Jew nor a Christian, and he used to worship None but Allah (Alone).”Then Zaid went out and met a Christian religious scholar and told him the same as before. The Christian said, “You will not embrace our religion unless you get a share of Allah’s Curse.” Zaid replied, “I do not run except from Allah’s Curse, and I will never bear any of Allah’s Curse and His Anger if I have the power to avoid them. Will you tell me of some other religion?” He replied, “I do not know any other religion except Hanif.” Zaid enquired, “What is Hanif?” He replied, Hanif is the religion of (the prophet) Ibrahim who was neither a Jew nor a Christian and he used to worship None but Allah (Alone).”When Zaid heard their statement about (the religion of) Ibrahim, he left that place, and when he came out, he raised both his hands and said, “O Allah! I make You my witness that I am on the religion of Ibrahim.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3827) |
And here is Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, when Allah ta’ala guided him to the Deen of Ibrahim, alayhi salam, the situation of his people wasn’t unclear to him. Quit the opposite, he was certain, that his people were not on the Millah of Ibrahim, although they were ascribing themselves to the Deen of Ibrahim, alayhi salam. And they honored the Bayt al Haram, and they performed the Hajj and the gave charity.
| Narrated Asma bint Abi Bakr: I saw Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail standing with his back against the Ka’ba and saying, “O people of Quraish! By Allah, none amongst you is on the Deen of Ibrahim except me.” (Sahih al Bukhari 3828) |
When he -may Allah have mercy on him- learned the truth about the Deen of Ibrahim, he also knew that his people were on nothing, but they had left Islam and Tawheed and were on shirk and worshipping others beside Allah. And despite Zayd ibn Amr didn’t know every member from the Quraish personally, he said that he is the only person who is on the Deen of Ibrahim, alayhi salam. This means that he made takfeer on each and every member of the Quraish, without knowing and seeing the shirk of each individual.
This is the Aqeeda of the Messengers and their followers in regard to takfeer of the kuffar. They believed in the kufr of the individual from the kuffar as well as they believed the kufr of his people. They believed in the kufr of the child as well as they believed the kufr of his parents.
They did not differentiate between the takfeer of the individual of the kuffar from whom they knew his kufr and those whom they did not know his kufr or Islam, nor did they differentiate between the takfeer of young and old.