Refuting Takfiri Extremists who Brand Muslim Rulers and Scholars as Tyrants (Tawaghit) and Thereby Declaring Them Kaafir

By Sheikh Dr Shawki Ibrahim Allam Translated from Arabic by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 15 June 2022 Is The Ruler Who Does Not Rule By What Allah Almighty Has Revealed A Kaafir? Main Points 1. Whoever characterizes Muslim rulers, Ulama, and others as tyrants and gates of sedition does so incorrectly, as the Islamic Sharia does not contain what they claim. 2. Taghut is used to describe any situation in which the servant goes beyond his bounds in terms of following, worshipping, or obeying. 3. Whoever does not judge according to Allah Almighty's revelation is subject to two situations. 4. Not everyone who is followed or obeyed is a despicable tyrant unless following or obeying him is a gateway to disobeying God and His Messenger (peace be upon him) ------- Question: Some extremists declare leaders of Muslim states and governments, as well as kings, princes, and sheikhs, to be Kaafir, alleging that they are tyrants and spread sedition. So, what's the Islamic take on it? The answer: Whoever characterizes Muslim rulers, Ulama, and others as tyrants and gates of sedition does so incorrectly, as the Islamic Sharia does not contain what they claim. Such a person goes to great lengths to demonize Muslim kings and Ulama. This mind-set is one of the entry points for evil and corruption, which Allah Almighty is well aware of. Not everyone who is followed or obeyed is a despicable tyrant unless following or obeying him is a gateway to disobeying Allah and His Messenger, and obedience to the ruler and the Aalim [religious scholar] is obedience to Allah and His Messenger as revealed in the Holy Quran and the Prophet's purified Sunnah. There are a few things to consider before responding to these tyrants’ branding of those who oppose them as "the heads of the tyrants": First, Tawaghit is the singular of Tâghût, which is derived from the three-letter Arabic verbal root of T-G-Y, which means ‘going beyond the limit in disobedience’. Ibn Manzoor said in “Lisan ul-Arab” (9/15 verbal root Taghya, 8/444, verbal root: Tawgh - T. Dar Sadir - Beirut), ‘Tâghût can also refer to something that is worshipped other than Allah Almighty. Tâghût is called the mastermind behind all falsehood. Tâghût is also used to refer to idols and Satan.’ As for its idiomatic meaning, it is not far from its linguistic meaning. Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari says in his commentary of the Quran “Jami’ al-Bayan” (5/419, printed in al-Risala Foundation): “The correct view of Taghut, in my opinion, is that everyone who transgresses against Allah Almighty is Taghut, and everything that is worshipped other than Him is Taghut, whether the worshipper is forced to do so or chooses to do so, and whether the worshipped is a human being, Satan, idol, or anything else.” Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Taghut is used to describe any situation in which the servant goes beyond his bounds in terms of following, worshipping, or obeying. So the Taghut of each community is someone who seeks judgment instead of what Allah and His Messenger have ruled, or those whom they worship other than Allah; or those whom they follow without proof from Allah; or those whom they obey without knowing if it is in accordance with Allah's Judgment. So these are the Tawagheet of the world; if you think about them and consider the conditions of the people around them, you'll notice that the majority of them have turned away from worshipping Allah Alone and toward worshipping the Taghut; away from seeking judgment from Allah and His Messenger and toward seeking judgment from the Taghut; away from obeying Him and following His Messenger and toward obeying and following the Taghut.” [I’lām Al-Muwaqqi’īn An Rabbil Aalamin 1/40, published by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah] Second, generalizing the inclusion of leaders and Ulama among tyrants is one of the gates of sedition, as is fabricating lies about the Islamic Sharia, and exaggerating the evil thinking about Muslim rulers and scholars to the extent of declaring them Kaafir, all of which are gates of evil and corruption that Allah Almighty is All-Knowing of. Third, it is established that Allah Almighty alone is the True Judge and the Lord of creation and command. “Beware, for Him is the creation and the command” (The Quran, 7:54) and “And Allah gives the command – there is none that can postpone His command…” (13:41). Therefore ruling by what Allah Almighty has revealed is compulsory as is making the Messenger [peace be upon him] the arbitrator and judge, as well as accepting and adhering to his commands. Allah Almighty says: “But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.” (4:65) These extremists are to be refuted by the passage that is frequently cited by legal theorists [of Islamic Jurisprudence, or scholars of the Usul] when discussing the concept of the Law-giver [al-hakim], which is one of the pillars of Islamic Law (al-Hukm al-Shari'), namely, that ‘the Hakim is none other than Allah’ (see ‘al-Tahlweeh ala al-Tawdeeh’, 2/44, published by Sabeeh). This means that ‘only Allah has the authority to give judgment’ (see: “Ghayat al-Wusul Sharh Labb al-Usul”, p.7, published by al-Halabi). These two lines denote that the Ruler is the divine Sharia and not the human mind (see: “Minhaj al-Wusul Lil Baidawi”, p.13, published by Sabeeh) Then whoever does not judge according to Allah Almighty's revelation is subject to two situations: The first situation is that he disbelieves Allah's divine judgment, despises it, believes it has no right to be applied and describes it in a disparaging, hostile, and hateful manner. The second situation is that he believes and acknowledges the validity of what Allah Almighty has revealed, but he is hesitant to put it into practice due to desire, lust, suspicion, inability to implement, or Tawil [i.e. the act of determining one of the many meanings attached to a word] in the texts...etc. There is no doubt that the ruling of the first situation varies from that of the second. The first is major disbelief [Kufr-e-Akbar] that leads to expulsion from Islam, while the second is disobedience and minor disbelief [Kufr-e-Asghar] that does not lead to expulsion from Islam. Scholars have cited some cases of the ruler who makes decisions based on criteria other than those revealed by Allah, in which he is said to have engaged in minor disbelief yet remains within the fold of Islam. One of these cases is disregarding the judgment of Allah in some of his issues due to a personal whim while believing that this judgment or law of Allah Almighty has guidance and absolute goodness. Imam Qurtubi says in his commentary “Al-Jami’ Li Ahkam il-Quran” (6/191, published by Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah): “If someone judges [something] based on what he has rather than what Allah has revealed, it is a whim and disobedience, which is a sin for which forgiveness may be sought, according to Sunni Theology”. Najashi [Negus] is one of the clear examples that Islamic scholars have noted in this regard. He was the Ethiopian king. He converted to Islam without his people and was unable to learn, let alone apply, the Sharia. No one, however, questions the authenticity of his Islam. [See: “Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah” by Ibn Taymiyyah (5/112-113, published by Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University). Third, not every rule based on man-made law or custom is incompatible with the Law of Allah Almighty. Instead, it should be handed to the Shari'a, such that whatever is in the agreement is accepted, and if it isn't, it must be adjusted to become in accordance with the Shari'a, and whatever it is silent on is due to the public interest (Maslaha). It's worth noting that Tahkim al-Shara' (i.e. judging by what Sharia has commanded) has a broader definition than Tahkim al-Madhab Al-Makhsus (i.e. judging by what comes from a certain school of Islamic Jurisprudence (Madhab) or personal Ijtihad. The laws in force may refer to particular Ijtihad or a specific Madhab, but they all fall under the broad notion of Sharia, which includes the general doctrines [Madaahib] of Mujtahidin and their sayings, even if they contradict what those who advocate for Tahkim al-Sharia believe and practise. Allama Ibn Hazm said, “Everything that the Mujtahids deduced from the Shari’a is counted, even if its evidence is hidden from the common people. And whoever denies that generally attributes the imams to error and that they legislate what God did not authorize. This is a misguidance of the one who says so from the right path. The truth is that had they not seen evidence in that, they would not have legislated” (Imam Sha’arani, Al-Mizan Al-Kubra, 1/116, printed in Alam Al-Kutub) Fourth, not everyone who is followed or obeyed is a despicable tyrant, unless following or obeying him is a gateway to disobeying God and His Messenger, and obedience to the ruler and the Aalim [religious scholar] is obedience to God and His Messenger as revealed in the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's purified Sunnah. “O, believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you ˹truly˺ believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution.” (4:59) It is narrated by Abu Huraira that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me." (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) Taking into consideration the foregoing description in response to the central question, it has become clear that not everyone who is followed or obeyed is a despicable tyrant unless following or obeying him is a gateway to disobeying God and His Messenger, and obedience to the ruler and the Aalim [religious scholar] is obedience to God and His Messenger as revealed in the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's purified Sunnah. Whoever characterizes Muslim rulers, Ulama, and others as tyrants and gates of sedition does so incorrectly, as the Islamic Sharia does not contain what they claim. Such a person goes to great lengths to demonize Muslim kings, rulers and Ulama. This mind-set is one of the entry points for evil and corruption, which Allah Almighty is well aware of. Allah Knows The Best. Arabic Article: الرد على من يقوم بتكفير الحكام والعلماء بدعوى أنهم طواغيت URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/takfiri-extremists-rulers-scholars-tawaghit-kaafir/d/127252 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism