Islamic Creed — Shirk and Deviation in Human Life
Section 5: The Meaning of Jahiliyyah (Ignorance), Fisq (Sinfulness), Dalal (Misguidance) and Riddah (Apostasy), Their Classes and Rulings
English translation of the Arabic original. The Arabic text remains authoritative.
- Jahiliyyah is the condition of ignorance about Islam and the laws of the religion, boasting with lineage, pride, tyranny and so on, upon which the Arabs were before the advent of Islam.25 This is in reference to ignorance, which is the absence of knowledge or refusal to follow knowledge. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: ‘Whoever does not know the truth is afflicted with simple ignorance, if his opinion is contrary to the truth, then he is afflicted with complicated ignorance. If he utters other than the truth despite knowing the truth or being ignorant thereof, he is also ignorant. If this is clear, then mankind before the advent of the Messenger of Allah was in Jahiliyyah with reference to ignorance. That upon which they were of utterances and deeds was invented for them by ignorant people and was practiced by ignorant people. Also, whatever contradicts that which the Messengers came with, such as Judaism and Christianity, are part of Jahiliyyah. This pre-Islamic Jahiliyyah was an all-encompassing ignorance. However, after the advent of the Messenger ag, ignorance could be in a town and not another as it is in the countries of the disbelievers, or it could occur to one person and not the other, such as a person before accepting Islam is in Jahiliyyah even though he may live in the Islamic state. But for it to engulf an entire generation of mankind, there is no such Jahiliyyah after the advent of Muhammad. There shall not cease to be a group of his Ummah upon the truth until the Hour is established. However, limited Jahiliyyah could occur in some Muslim countries or in many Muslims as the Prophet A has said'. ‘There are four traits in my Ummah (i.e. amongst some of my followers) which are part of Jahiliyyah...,26 25 An-Nihayah of Ibn Athir 26 Reported by Muslim He Sg also said to Abu Dharr: ‘You have Jahiliyyah (i.e. traits thereof) ‘Ammah (General Ignorance): This is that which occurred before the advent of the Messenger Muhammad It ended with his advent. (ii) Jahiliyyatul Khassah (Restricted Ignorance): This is restricted to some states, or cities or persons. This still or continues to exist. Consequently, the error of those who generalize Jahiliyyah in these modem times saying: Jahiliyyah of this century, ’ or 'Jahiliyyah of the twentieth century,' and such other statements, becomes apparent. The correct thing to say is: ‘Jahiliyyah of some of the people of this century, ' or ‘most o f the people of this century. ’ As for generalization, this is invalid and not permissible because the generalized Jahiliyyah ceased with the advent of the Prophet.
- Fisq: Linguistically, Fisq means exiting. Its meaning in the technical usage of the Shari'ah is to exit from obedience to Allah. It encompasses total exit; and so, a Kafir can be called a Fasiq (sinner), and partial exit, such that a Muslim who commits a Major sin can be called a Fasiq (sinner). Fisq is of two classes: Fisq that removes one from the fold of Islam and thus a Kafir (disbeliever) is called a Fasiq (sinner). Allah mentioned IblTs (Satan) and said: “He Fasaqa (disobeyed the Command of His Lord). ” (Qur’an 18: 50) His disobedience was disbelief. Allah - the Most High - also said: “As for those who are Fasiqun (disbelievers and disobedient to Allah) their abode will be the Fire. ” (Qur’an 32: 20) Allah’s Statement here implies (Iblis’s) disbelief. This is indicated in His saying: “...Every time they wish to get away therefrom, they will be put back thereto, and it will be said to them: ‘Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny. ” (Qur’an 32: 20) Also, the one who commits a Major sin from amongst the Muslims can be called a Fasiq (sinner), while his sinning has not taken him out of the fold of Islam. Allah - the Most High - said: “/!«</ r/io.ve h>/io accuse chaste women, and produce not four witnesses, flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever, they indeed are the Fasiqun (liars, rebellious, disobedient to Allah). ” (Qur’an 24: 4) Also, Allah - the Most High - said: A. “...So whoever intends to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) therein (by assuming Ihram), then he should not have sexual intercourse with his wife nor commit Fisq (sin), nor dispute unjustly during the
- Dalai, dalal means deviation from the straight path. It is the opposite of Hidayah (guidance). Allah - the Most High - said: “Whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray to his own loss...” (Qur’an 17: IS) Dalai is used to refer to several meanings: a. Sometimes it is used to refer to Kufr (disbelief)- Allah - the Most High - said: “And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed (dalal) far The scholars say the meaning of Fisq here (i.e. in this verse) is sin.29 29 Kitab al-Iman by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah. b. Sometimes it is used to refer to Shirk (polytheism). Allah - the Most High - said:..And whoever sets up partner in worship with Allah has strayed (dalal) far c. Sometimes it is used to refer to contradictions, which are lesser (in gravity) to Kufr (disbelief) as it is frequently said: Firaqud-dallah (misguided sects). d. Sometimes it is used to refer to error. An example is the statement of Musa “I did it then, when I was one of the Dallin (ignorant as regards my Lord and His Message). ” (Qur’an 26: 20) e. Sometimes it is used to refer to forgetfulness. Allah - the Most High - said:..So that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her... ” f. Sometimes it is used to refer to missing or absence. An example is the statement Dallatul-Ibl (Missing camel)30
- Riddah (Apostasy), Its Categories and Rulings: Linguistically, Riddah means to return. Allah - the Most High - said: 30 Al-Mufradat by ar-Ragib, pg. 297-298. '...And turn not back (in flight)...” (Qur’an 5: 21) Meaning, do not return. In the technical usage of the Shari'ah means Kufr (disbelief) after Islam (belief). Allah - the Most High - said: “...And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever. ” (Qur’an 2: 217) Categories of Riddah: Apostasy occurs by the commitment of one of the invalidators of Islam. The invalidators of Islam are numerous but all are of four categories. These are: (i) Apostasy through speech: Such as abusing Allah - the Most High, or His Messenger or His angels, or any of His Messengers, or claiming to have knowledge of the unseen, or laying claim to Prophethood, or believing one who claims so, or invoking others beside Allah, or seeking assistance from others besides Allah in things which none but Allah has ability over and seeking refuge with other than Allah in such things. (ii) Apostasy through action: Such as prostration to an idol, tree, stone or grave, and sacrificing to them, throwing the Qur’an into a filthy place, performing magic, learning and teaching it (magic), and ruling with other than what Allah has revealed believing that such is permissible. (iii) Apostasy through doctrine: Such as believing that Allah has a partner, or that adultery and alcohol are lawful, or that bread is unlawful, or that the prescribed prayers are not compulsory, and such other things, upon which there is clear consensus (of which ignorance cannot be claimed) as to their lawfulness or unlawfulness or obligation. (iv) Apostasy through doubt: By doubting any of what has preceded, such as doubting the unlawfulness of shirk, or of adultery or alcohol, or the lawfulness of bread, or one doubts the Message of the Prophet or the Message of any other Prophet, or his truthfulness, or has doubts about the religion of Islam, or doubts its suitability for these times. (v) Apostasy through abandonment: Such as one who abandons the prescribed prayers deliberately due to the statement of the Prophet ‘Between a slave and disbelief and polytheism is the abandonment of...and other evidences about the disbelief of one who abandons Salat. Rulings Applicable to It (Apostasy) After It Has Been Established
- The apostate is asked to repent therefrom, if he returns to Islam during a period of three days, it is accepted of him and he is left alone.
- If he refuses to repent, it becomes obligatory that he be killed because of the statement of the Prophet ‘Whoever changes his religion, kill him.’32 31 Reported by Muslim 32 Reported by al-Bukhar! and Abu Dawud r a
- He is prevented from disposing of his wealth during the period when he is been asked to repent. If he returns to Islam, he gets his wealth otherwise it becomes booty for the Islamic state treasury. It has also been opined that from the time he apostatizes, it (his wealth) is directed to the benefit of the Muslims.
- Severance of inheritance between him and his relatives; so he neither inherits them nor do they inherit him.
- If he dies or is killed in the state of apostasy, he should not be washed, nor should the funeral prayer be said upon him, nor should he be buried in the Muslims’ graveyard. Rather, he should be buried in the cemetery of the disbelievers or elsewhere other than the graveyard of the Muslims. Tawhid or Decrease It This consists of the following sections: Section 1: Laying claim to knowledge of the hidden by reading palms, teacups, stars and so on; Section 2: Magic, divination and fortune telling; Section 3: Presenting sacrifices, vows and gifts to shrines and graves, and Section 4: Venerating memorial statues and monuments; Section 5: Mocking at the religion and demeaning its symbols; Section 6: Ruling by other that what Allah has revealed; Section 7: Laying claim to the right to make laws: the right to proclaim as lawful and unlawful; Section 8: Affiliation to heretic philosophies and Jahiliyyah groups; Section 9: Materialistic view of life; Section 10: Amulets and incantation and; Section 11: Swearing by other than Allah, seeking closeness and assistance with others besides Allah.
- Source pages
- 7
- Source work
- Aqidat al-Tawhid? Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdullah al-Fawzan
- Source
- Aqidat al-Tawhid — Arabic book supplied to the site
- Arabic original
- Read the Arabic section
English text aligned with the corresponding Arabic sections extracted from the user-provided Word source. The Arabic original remains authoritative.