By Sh. Al-Sharif Hatim ibn ‘Arif al-‘Awni
All too often we hear loose fatwas prohibiting things based on the “imitation of non-Muslims” argument/principle without differentiating between the circumstances in which the imitation of non-Muslims is prohibited and where it is not.
What is more serious and worrying in the case of many of these fatwas is that they are written by people who are themselves guilty of some of the worst types of imitation, about which there is no room for debate or doubt!
It has been authenticated from the Prophet that he said,
‘You will most definitely follow the practices of those who came before you, hand span by hand span and arm span by arm span, to the point that if they entered into a lizard hole, you will follow them.’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, are you referring to the Jews and Christians?’ He replied, ‘Who else?’
Thus the Messenger informs us in this hadith that his ummah will gradually follow wayward nations of the past, in steps or from one state to another, and that this following will be to the last degree, even in matters that are beyond reason/rationality and are not normally appealing. This is understood from, “to the point that if they entered into a lizard’s hole, you would follow them.”
Let us then turn to some of the cases which illustrate how this group of Muslims imitate non-Muslims on matters that are prohibited without any doubt (qat’an).
1. Extremism and Fanaticism
Allah has said about the Jews and the Christians, “Say [Prophet], ‘People of the Book, do not overstep the bounds of truth in your religion and do not follow the whims of a people who went astray before you — they led many others astray and themselves strayed from the even path.’” (5:77)
قُلْ يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لَا تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا أَهْوَاءَ قَوْمٍ قَدْ ضَلُّوا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَأَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَضَلُّوا عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ
Through their extremism and fanaticism, these people resemble the Jews and the Christians.
In an authenticated report the Prophet said, “Be aware of overstepping bounds in the din, for those before you only perished because of their extremism in the religion.”
Abu Dawud reports the Companion Anas ibn Malik narrating from the Prophet, that he said, “Do not be excessive with yourselves, lest it becomes too hard for you, for a group of people went to the extremes with themselves, so Allah made it hard for them. It is their remnants who are in the monasteries and nunneries: ‘and monasticism was something they invented, We did not ordain it for them…’” (57:27) Al-Diya’ al-Maqdisi has confirmed its authenticity.
2. Disunity and Group Mentality
Allah has prohibited us from resembling the Jews and the Christians in this regard. He says, “Do not be like those who, after they have been given clear revelation, split into factions and fell into disputes: a terrible punishment awaits such people.” (3:105)
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
Then there is the famous hadith forewarning the ummah from dividing into sects, which these people (have) use(-d) as evidence to divide the ummah. Every day a sect splits into various splinter or dissecting sects, most often in the name of following the sunnah and the salaf (!!!), to the extent that the description of the [Koranic] Jews now fits us better. It is as though we are being described in this verse and not them, “There is much hostility between them: you think they are united but their hearts are divided because they are people devoid of reason.” (59:14)
بَأْسُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ شَدِيدٌ تَحْسَبُهُمْ جَمِيعًا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ شَتَّى ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
3. Resembling the Disbelievers in Fighting one Another
As the Prophet instructed his people, “Do not become disbelievers after me, striking each other’s necks.” His point was for them to not do as the disbelievers do in killing one another. Many Muslim groups then took on the resemblance of the disbelievers in this, as they are killing one another on the premise of a false takfir or vile sectarianism.
4. Glorification of Scholars
To the extent that some of the Islamists found it appropriate to comment about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, “were the office of Prophethood not sealed, Ibn Taymiyyah would have been a Prophet” or “was likely to be!” If only if the matter were confined to a great intellectual personality like Ibn Taymiyyah (despite the grave error of this), but instead it has extended to activists and popular speakers who do not have any scholarly achievements, nor are they known by their scholarship. Allah has said about the People of the Book, “They have taken their rabbis and their monks as gods besides Allah…” (9:31)
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
5. Some Claimants of Knowledge and Pseudo-Jurists/Muftis Exercising Church Type Authority or Dogmatism.
What is meant by church type authority here (kahanut) is to treat a speculative opinion or interpretation of scripture, or an analogical deduction or an inference from it as an absolute statement from Allah the Exalted; almost as though the Mufti does not judge or speak except by the authority of Allah, and in His voice. This, among other things, is what the previous nations did before us, and which caused people to distance themselves from religion and what gave rise to secularism in the West. Now, here we are following in precisely their footsteps, and already we are beginning to see some Muslims claim that our salvation lies in separating religion from all aspects of life.
6. Creating Loopholes in the Religion as the Jews did with the Sabbath
As Allah narrates in the Qur’an, “… they broke the Sabbath when their fish surfaced for them in shoals only on their Sabbath, but did not come (likewise) on any other day…” (7:163)
إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِي السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ
And as the Prophet said, “Cursed be the Jews! [Animal] fat was made unlawful for them, so they melted it and sold it.” Thus the Prophet informed of one of their many loopholes: to rename things so as to make lawful what Allah had pronounced unlawful. The Prophet also said, “People from my ummah will certainly drink alcohol, calling it by another name.”
Keeping this in mind, take a look at what these people have done: they have named sectarian violence as “jihad”, they dub their apathy of not taking up [the necessary and appropriate] means for their decision to lay an offensive in what they have called jihad as “trusting in Allah’s promise.” Similarly, neglect of any consideration of greater/wider interests and harms in enjoining good and forbidding evil is termed “leaving others without excuse [of ignorance].” They call their inordinate fervour in matters of the Shari’ah as “intensity of faith”, engaging in sectarianism as “strictly following the sunnah”, and their excesses as “unfaltering piety and unwavering righteousness.” The list can go on.
7. Fighting the Intellect (‘Aql) in the Name of Revelation (Naql)
As if the intellect (‘aql) and scripture (naql) are opposites. Allah has described the Pagan Arabs and Jews as those who “have no sense” or are “devoid of reason” (la ya’qilun). The Qur’an also mentions the admission of the people of Hell, “They will say, ‘If only we had listened, or reasoned (na’qil), we would not be with the inhabitants of the blazing fire.’” (67:10)
وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ
These people resemble them in their assaults on the intellect! Examples of this are a rejection of [the need to make] a convincing argument on grounds of submission to the text, and contradicting absolute facts in the name of adhering to transmitted knowledge (naql), when in fact they are only contradicting them due to their erroneous and flawed understanding of the received knowledge (naql).
8. Close Mindedness
Close mindedness, except in their restricted group. They do not enter into discussions or debate with other Muslims who do not hold their positions and keep away from reading or listening to other Islamic schools of thought which have a lot of good and might correct their errors. This is an un-Islamic tradition, and is amongst the oldest practices of the misguided. Allah mentions Prophet Noah’s statement about his people, “Every time I call them, so that You may forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, cover their heads with their garments, persist in their rejection, and grow more insolent and arrogant.” (71:7)
وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا اسْتِكْبَارًا
And Allah says about the disbelievers of Makkah, “The disbelievers say, ‘Do not listen to this Qur’an, but drown it in frivolous talk so that you may gain the upper hand.” (41:26)
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَسْمَعُوا لِهَذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَالْغَوْا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُونَ
At the same time, Allah reminds us of the Prophetic method towards inviting others (da’wah). He reminds us that it is built on solid foundations, amongst the most important of which is arguing with them “in the most courteous way”, as per verse, “[Prophet], call [people] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good teaching. Argue with them in the most courteous way…” (16:125)
ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
However these people have understood the statements of some of the salaf in a way that they contradict with Allah’s words in not allowing debate with the people of innovation. Moreover, they have made the additional error of giving preference to their own erroneous understandings of the statements of (some of) the salaf over the Qur’an!
This is just some of the several instances in which they imitate the disbelievers and conform to the ways of the pagans, Jews and Christians.
Yet, despite all of the above, these people are not ashamed of prohibiting what is not to be prohibited for its correspondence with non-Muslims in some of the mundane matters which are shared by all humans, simply because these matters [which they prohibit] coincide with non-Muslims. Instead they offer strong words to fellow Muslims and take up an hardline attitude towards them, considering them indecent/immoral (fasiq) if not pronouncing takfir upon them. In this, they too, resemble the Jews and Christians in magnifying something which Allah has kept small, undermining the magnitude of something Allah has made great, prohibiting that which He made lawful and making lawful that which He made unlawful.
UN.
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The original Arabic can be accessed here: http://www.al-madina.com/node/541501
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