al-Takfir wa-Dawabituhu - al-Saqqar
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al-Takfir wa-Dawabituhu (Excommunication and Its Regulations) is a theological treatise by the contemporary scholar Munqidh al-Saqqar that examines the rules, boundaries, and impediments concerning the declaration of apostasy and unbelief (takfir) in Islamic law .
Background and Purpose
Al-Saqqar notes that theological deviation through illegitimate excommunication first emerged with the early Kharijites, such as Dhu al-Khuwaysirah and the rebels of al-Nahrawan, whose defining characteristic was declaring Muslims to be disbelievers over matters they deemed sins . In the mid-twentieth century, this phenomenon re-emerged from oppressive prisons, initially targeting rulers who did not implement Islamic law, then spreading to state employees, and ultimately leading some extremist groups to pronounce whole Muslim societies as apostates . Al-Saqqar authored the work to refute these revived tendencies, demonstrate scholarly principles derived from the Quran and the Sunnah, and provide doctrinal guidance for Muslim youth .
Definitions and Textual Warnings
The book opens with linguistic and terminological definitions of disbelief (kufr) and apostasy (riddah) . Linguistically, kufr signifies covering and concealment (al-satr wa-al-taghtiyah) . In legal terms, it entails the denial (juhud) or rejection of core tenets of Islam, with citations from classical authorities including Ibn Hazm, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Taqi al-Din al-Subki, Ibn Taymiyyah, and al-Baqillani . Riddah specifically denotes reverting from Islam to unbelief through words, beliefs, doubts, or actions .
Al-Saqqar details scriptural warnings against declaring Muslims unbelievers, highlighting hadiths that describe unjustified excommunication as rebounding upon the accuser or equating it with murder . He underscores that takfir is strictly a divine legal ruling (hukm shar'i) belonging exclusively to God and His Messenger, meaning that rational deduction, personal desires, or reciprocal grievance cannot serve as grounds for excommunication .
Causes of Extremism and Misinterpretation
The treatise identifies several interrelated causes for the spread of takfir in classical and modern times:
- Widespread ignorance of legal nuances and the inability to distinguish between major disbelief (kufr akbar) that expels one from the faith and minor disbelief (kufr asghar) .
- Following sectarian desires and utilizing excommunication as an instrument of retribution against ideological opponents .
- Excessive emotional reaction by zealous youth when witnessing public transgressions or insults to religion, leading them to isolate themselves and declare entire societies outside Islam .
- The absence of qualified scholars, which allows unqualified individuals to issue dangerous religious rulings .
- Reactionary extremism arising in response to laxity (tafrit), such as those who refrain from identifying clear scriptural unbelief .
Al-Saqqar addresses problematic interpretations of prophetic traditions that describe major sins (such as fighting another Muslim or wailing over the dead) with terms of kufr or the negation of faith, explaining how scholars reconcile these passages by interpreting them as minor sins or the negation of perfect faith rather than total apostasy .
Core Regulations and Impediments
The book outlines fundamental principles established by Sunni orthodoxy regarding the application of takfir:
- Distinction between general rulings and specific individuals: A statement or deed may be described in general terms as disbelief (al-takfir al-mutlaq), but this does not automatically entail the excommunication of a specific perpetrator (takfir al-mu'ayyan) until all prerequisites are fulfilled and all impediments removed .
- Judging by outward professions: Rulings in this world are applied according to outward declarations of Islam (al-hukm bi-al-zahir), while inner intentions and hidden states are left to God .
- Rejecting necessary implications (lazim al-qawl): An individual is not charged with disbelief based on deductions or logical conclusions derived from their statements if they do not explicitly adopt those conclusions themselves .
- Impediments to excommunication: Excuses that prevent pronouncing takfir on a specific Muslim include ignorance (al-jahl), inadvertent mistakes where intent is absent (al-khata'), coercion (al-ikrah), and flawed religious interpretation (al-ta'wil) .
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