10-11-2004, 09:29 PM
SOURCE - www.bakkah.net
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan
Source: Things that Nullify One's Islam (p.41-46) [1]
[ In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful... ]
The sixth one: Whoever mocks anything from
the Religion of the Messenger or Allah's
reward or punishment has disbelieved. [2]
The sixth kind of apostasy is mockery of what Allah sent down or of
anything that the Messenger came with, even things from the Sunnahs
(of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) or recommended things
like siwaak, trimming the moustache, removing armpit hair, or trimming
the nails. If a person makes mockery of any of these things he becomes
a disbeliever. The evidence for this is found in the Statement of
Allah the Most High:
"And if you were to ask them, they would say: 'Surely we were
only jesting and playing.' Say: 'Was it Allah, His Verses,
or His Messenger you were mocking? Make no mistake,
verily you have disbelieved after your belief.' " [3]
So then the one who mocks anything that the Messenger came with, be it
obligatory or recommended, he is an apostate from the Religion of
Islam. So then what do you think about the one who says, "Growing the
beard, trimming the moustache, removing armpit hair, washing the
knuckles, these are insignificant things!" This is exactly what is
meant by mockery of the Religion of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
When they say this thing, and if they know (it is from the Religion),
then they have apostated, since this is belittling what the Messenger
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came with. It is obligatory to have
great reverence for the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) and to respect it.
Even if a person falls into some kind of opposition (to the Sunnah)
due to his desires, then surely he still must respect the way of the
Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), respect his Sunnahs, and
respect the narrations. He must not say, "These are insignificant
things."
The proof is the Statement of Allah the Most High:
"Say: 'Was it Allah, His Verses, or His Messenger
you were mocking? Make no mistake, verily
you have disbelieved after your belief.' " [4]
The event that led to the revelation of this Verse was what happened
with a group of people who were with the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) during the Battle of Tabook. They were Muslims.
During a gathering they began to say, "We have not seen the likes
these reciters of ours, the most untruthful tongues, the greediest
stomachs, the most cowardly in the face of the enemy…" They were
referring to the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
and his Companions.
Amongst them was a young man from the Companions who became enraged at
this speech and went to convey what this group was saying to the
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). He found that the
revelation had preceded him (in informing the Messenger).
So then the group came apologizing once they heard that the Messenger
had become aware of what happened in their gathering. One of them was
hanging on to the front harness of the Prophet's she-camel while he
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was riding it, saying, "O Messenger of
Allah! We were just talking loosely to help pass the time during the
journey! We did not intend mockery, rather we only intended to joke."
The Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) would not even look at
him, he only recited upon him this Verse:
"And if you were to ask them, they would say: 'Surely we were
only jesting and playing.' Say: 'Was it Allah, His Verses,
or His Messenger you were mocking? Make no mistake,
verily you have disbelieved after your belief.' " [3]
Notice His Statement, "Verily you have disbelieved after your belief."
This proves that before they had uttered words (of mockery) they were
Muslims, and that when they uttered them they apostated from Islam,
even though they were saying that it was a joke. This is because the
affairs of the Religion are not to be played with, so Allah had
declared them to be disbelievers after their faith. We ask Allah for
safety. [4]
This is also proof that whoever insults Allah, His Messenger, His
Book, anything from the Quran, or anything from the Sunnah of the
Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) apostates from Islam, even
if he was joking. [5]
Where are those who say that he does not apostate unless he intends it
in his heart? They say, "If a person insulted Allah, the Messenger, or
the Quran, we do not pass a judgement upon based merely on his
utterance or his action." Where do they get these statements and these
specifications from? Allah has judged them with apostasy while they
were saying:
"We were jesting and playing." [3]
They were believers in Allah and His Messenger, people of tawheed,
however, once they uttered those words, Allah said:
"Verily you have disbelieved after your belief." [3]
And He did not say, "If you had truly believed that." We ask Allah for
safety.
So it is obligatory that things are put in their proper places and
that we do not add things, take them away, or specify the texts from
our own selves. Allah did not ask about what they believed, nor did He
mention that they believed (what they said), rather He ruled on them
with apostasy after having faith:
"Verily you have disbelieved after your belief." [3]
He based this (ruling) on a statement. He based this (ruling) on
mockery, and He did not specify it with these specifications. If a
person speaks with a word of disbelief without being forced into it,
then he is judged with apostasy. However, if he was forced [6], then
he has not apostated in this case.
This article was taken from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
FOOTNOTES
[1] From the TROID publication: Things that Nullify One's Islam by
Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abdil-Wahhaab, explained by Shaykh
Saalih al-Fawzaan. Click here for information about ordering the book.
[2] The words in the box are from Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn
'Abdil-Wahhaab, and what follows is Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan's
explanation.
[3] A translation of the meaning of Soorah at-Tawbah (9):65-66
[4] Shaykh Saalih was asked about the least amount of mockery that
would cause a person to be considered an apostate. He replied, "There
is no least amount. A small amount is too much, and the refuge is with
Allah. Anything that is considered mockery or ridicule is disbelief.
Even as they (the scholars) say: A gesture with one's lip, hand, or
eye can be considered mockery, even if he has not spoken." Refer to
Question #27 in Appendix I: Questions and Answers (of the published
version).
[5] Refer to Question #30 in Appendix I: Questions and Answers (of the
published version).
[6] Shaykh Saalih states, "The ruling on coercion differs depending on
the situation. Something could be considered coercion in one affair
and not coercion in another. So it differs depending on the case.
However, the coercion that is a valid excuse is that which there was
no escape from, there was no way for the person to escape from being
killed, beaten or threatened other than saying what was requested from
him, like saying a statement of disbelief for example." Refer to
Question #18 in Appendix I: Questions and Answers (of the published
version).
TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING
If someone mocks something from the Sunnah of the Messenger, just to
make his friends laugh, has he disbelieved? What is the proof for your
answer?
How must a Muslim speak about the Sunnah of the Messenger (sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam) and what kind of regard must he have for his Religion?