The tendency to issue fatwās declaring people *kāfir* (unbelievers) has been growing at such an alarming rate in our country that one might begin to wonder whether anyone will be left to count as a Muslim. It must be emphasised that declaring anyone and everyone a kāfir at the slightest opportunity is a grave source of *fitnah* (discord) and a heinous offence. Historically, it was the extremist and heretical Khārijites who first began declaring the noble Companions kāfir en masse, and they even killed many of them on that basis.
A Muslim may sometimes perform actions or make statements that outwardly appear to constitute disbelief or give rise to suspicions of disbelief. That does not, however, justify immediately issuing a fatwā declaring that person a kāfir. Performing an act of disbelief or uttering words of disbelief is not the same as declaring a particular individual an unbeliever. The distinction is between an act and a personal classification.
It should be noted that a person should not be characterised by a particular act or statement merely because they have committed that act or made that statement, unless it reflects their established disposition or is a natural expression of their actual convictions. Many actions occur incidentally or under varying circumstances in human life. It is therefore inappropriate to define a person by such an act alone.
The Qurʾān describes those who do not judge according to what Allah has revealed as disbelievers. Yet our muftīs do not issue fatwās declaring all such people kāfir. Similarly, the Ḥadīth describes deliberately abandoning prayer as an act of disbelief, but we do not all issue fatwās declaring everyone who deliberately neglects prayer to be a kāfir. Likewise, certain ḥadīths describe the use of amulets as an act associated with shirk, yet we do not issue fatwās declaring everyone who uses an amulet to be a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah).
The reason is as follows.
**First**, statements and actions of this kind may admit multiple interpretations or involve some form of doubt. It is important to note that no one should be declared a kāfir on the basis of a statement or action that is ambiguous, open to alternative interpretations, or relates to an issue over which reputable scholars have differed.
As long as a person professes Islam, it is wholly inappropriate to declare them a kāfir on account of a sin, a doubtful act or statement, or a belief over which there is legitimate scholarly disagreement, unless they have clearly and unequivocally engaged in an act of disbelief.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Three things are part of the foundation of faith: (1) refraining from unlawfully violating the life, property, and honour of a person who declares *Lā ilāha illā Allāh*; (2) not declaring such a person a disbeliever on account of a sin; and (3) not expelling them from Islam on account of an action.”
*(Abū Dāwūd)*
According to the jurists, even when there are numerous grounds that might appear to justify declaring someone a kāfir, if a single plausible ground exists on which such a declaration would not be justified, the muftī should adopt that interpretation and maintain a favourable opinion of the Muslim concerned. (Fatḥ al-Qadīr, al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq, Radd al-Muḥtār, and other works.)
The underlying principle of this juristic position is that a person who professes faith should not ordinarily be presumed to knowingly engage in disbelief. If a statement or action appears outwardly to constitute disbelief but can be given an Islamically acceptable interpretation, that interpretation should be adopted—even if it is a remote possibility—and the person should continue to be regarded as a believer.
Furthermore, even if a person who professes faith engages in manifest disbelief, before declaring that individual a kāfir, it is necessary to determine whether they have any valid excuse or explanation. If the person cites ignorance, fear, or another recognised excuse, that explanation should be taken into consideration.
Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (raḥimahullāh) states:
“If a believer engages in an act or makes a statement that, according to the Qurʾān and Sunnah, is classified as disbelief or shirk, the act or statement itself may certainly be described as such. However, before personally declaring that individual a kāfir or mushrik, it must be determined whether they have an excuse, such as ignorance, a particular interpretation, misunderstanding, or something similar.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ issued a stern warning against declaring a fellow Muslim a kāfir. He said:
“When a person calls his brother a kāfir, the designation will apply to one of the two. If the person addressed is indeed a kāfir, there is no problem. But if he is not, the accusation will return upon the one who made it.”
*(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)*
In another ḥadīth, he said:
“Whoever accuses a believer of disbelief is, in effect, like one who has killed him.”
*(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)*
**Second**, issuing such fatwās eliminates the possibility of reforming sinful Muslims and, at the same time, creates the potential for fratricidal conflict. This weakens the Muslim community.
We know that many hypocrites in Madinah were, in reality, disbelievers, and that on various occasions they made hostile remarks about Islam, the Muslims, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not declare them kāfir and expel them from the Muslim community. Instead, he allowed them to remain within the community, giving them opportunities for reform.
*From Uṣūl al-Īmān, Volume 2 (forthcoming), abridged.*