Kuffaar nd Kaafir

Islaam teaches us to foster good relations with All Peoples....


Allah(s.w.t) says in the Qur’an..Serve Allah nd join not any partners wit Him nd do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, thos in need, neighburs who are near neighbors who are strangers.. the companion by your side, the way-farer nd thos undr ur authority.. indeed Allah(s.w.t) loves not the arrogant, the vainglorious (An-Nisa’ 4: 36)....


Maintaining ties wit family members, relatives, neighburs, communities nd societies... is emphasized a great deal in Islamic teachings. It is indeed difficult to maintain nd strengthen these ties if we busy ourselves labeling othrs... Somehow ingrained in the human psyche is the belief that one human being is possibly bettr than anothr... After all.. the countless wars thrughout history.. bear testimony to this absurd notion... Of course wars take place for a number of reasns, but the desire of a nation to destroy anothr is to assert one’s ‘Superior’ standing... The assumption that one is supposedly bettr than anothr also affects individuals... We are not always conscious of our thots.. but it does happn that sometimes we think of ourselves as being a bettr Muslim than anothr person... or wen we see certain actions acceptable to non-Muslims, we think that we are better than them. But this way of thinking can be dangerous, as it may result in one assuming a higher position of piety... ""In Fact"".. it is only Allah(s.w.t) who knows who is sincere in piety.. who is considered a Muslim in His sight....



Tawheed
Islam was established wit the creation of the first man.. Prophet Adam (peace be upon him)... His main task, nd the task of the all of the Prophets nd Messengers that followed.. was to firmly instill in the minds nd the hearts of the people the concept of Tawheed.. that Allah(s.w.t) the Almighty is one nd only one..nd that He alone has power ovr All Things nd He only deserves to be worshipped. Wen we talk about worshipping Allah(s.w.t) alone.. there seems to be much misunderstanding. Worship is not only about the rituals of Salaah, Fasting, Zakaah nd Hajj. Worshipping Allah(s.w.t) is holistic nd inclusive, meaning that evry aspect of our lives nd our actions are to please Allah(s.w.t). U cannot for instance perform ur salaah regularly, but then oppress ur servant or ur employee..u cannot be paying zakaah, nd then defraud people in ur business dealings... Simply announcing our belief is Not Nor Evr Will be sufficient enuff... we hav to liv the spirit of Islaam as well...


[Say (O Muhammad) my prayer, my sacrifice, my life nd my death belong to Allah(s.w.t) He has no partner nd I am ordered to be among those who submit (Muslims). (An’am 6:162-163)


That Allah(s.w.t) is the only power did not go down well wit many rulers, as we kno from the stories of Nimrod and Pharoah among many othrs... Nimrod had the audacity to say that he gives life nd death,AstaghFirAllah.. nd Pharoah’s arrogance led to his drowning.. nd we hav been informd in the Qur’an that for him is the most severe punishment...


So We seized him ad his hosts, nd We flung them into the sea.. now behold wat was the End of thos who did wrong! Nd we made them (but) leaders inviting to the Fire.. nd on the Day of Judgment no help shall they find. (Al Qasas 28: 40-41)...

Every Prophet conveyed the message of tawheed to his people, and warned that the denial of the oneness of Allah would lead to dire consequences. Some heeded the call and others did not. Islam teaches us that for all our actions, good and bad, there are consequences. We may meet those consequences in this life or in the hereafter. This is something that a Muslim must contemplate seriously. How conscious are we really of our daily actions? How sure are we that even though we are Muslim our actions could actually constitute kufr? No one should ever feel self righteous. No one has a one way ticket to Paradise.

Naturally Allah knew who He was going to appoint as Prophets and Messengers. We also know that they were mere human beings like us. All the Prophets endured trials and tribulations, more so after Prophethood was revealed to them. But we also know from the Qur’an that the Prophets often contemplated about life and about Allah. We know that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) wondered if the stars or the moon or the sun were his Lord. It is a natural instinct in mankind to seek to know the creator, so we all have an inbuilt sense of tawheed.


Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) often retreated to the cave of Hira to contemplate, until the first revelation came to him.


In His infinite wisdom, Allah knew that he had already chosen these people to convey His message. He did not hold it against them when they contemplated and felt unsure. His mercy was still bestowed on them.


From the life of Caliph ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) we know that before he accepted Islam he used to create idols from dates, and thereafter eat them. We know that he hated Muslims and hit his sister when he found out that she had accepted Islam. Yet Allah in his infinite wisdom knew that eventually ‘Umar would change his ways and enter into Islam. When he accepted Islam he was known to be a strong and kind Muslim and a just ruler.



Kufr

It is difficult for Muslims to believe that a Muslim can actually indulge in kufr. How is this possible? One may wonder. According to Imam Nawawi kufr “occurs sometimes by a statement which constitutes kufr and sometimes by an act. nd the actions which necessitate kufr (that expel from the religion) are thos which are performed deliberately (The Book of Apostasy). Some of the acts that culd render a Muslim a disbeliever are (and these are conditioned on the person being aware of the reality of their action)...



1. To call on saints or Prophets for help or to act as intercessors.

[And invoke not besides Allâh, any that will neither profit u, nor hurt u, but if (in case) u did so,u shall certainly be one of the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers)] [10:106]


Referring to any authority other than Islam for judgment or being dissatisfied wit the decision of Islam.
[But no, by your Lord, they can hav no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad SAW) judge in all disputes between them, nd find in themselves no resistance against ur decisions, nd accept (them) with full submission.] [4:65]


Slaughtering in the name of a Prophet or a pious man (saint).
[Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).] [108:2]


Circumambulation of graves as an act of worship. It is to be performed for Allah alone in the Holy Ka'bah.
[Then let them complete the prescribed duties (Manâsik of Hajj) for them, and perform their vows, and circumambulate the Ancient House (the Ka'bah at Makkah).] [22:29]


Depending on or putting trust in other than Allah. How many of us do this at times?
[And Mûsa (Moses) said: "O my people! If u have believed in Allâh, then put ur trust in Him if u are Muslims (those who submit to Allâh's Will).] [10:84]


These are just some acts that culd turn a Muslim into a Disbeliever... However, not everyone who commits an act of kufr is considered a kafir, nd these are the excuses...



1. Someone lives in a place where there is no scholar who can establish the evidence, remove misconceptions nd offer guidance.

2. Someone who is a new Muslim. That person is excused until he knows about the issues involved.

3. If there are misconceptions related to the situation, that person is excused until these are removed.

4. The un-agreed upon acts of which there are many.


Kufr and declaring someone a kafir are serious issues nd are not to be uttered lightly.... As individuals let us focus on strengthening our acts of faith nd drawing nearer to Allah(s.w.t) as Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)) taught us. nd remembr if a person claims someone to be a kaffir nd it turns out to be untrue, thos words fall back on the one who said them at first. Definitely something to think about....