Qadiyyat al-Takfir bayn Ahl al-Sunna wa Firaq al-Dalal fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safir Press
Qadiyyat al-Takfir bayn Ahl al-Sunna wa Firaq al-Dalal fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna (The Issue of Excommunication Between Sunni Orthodoxy and Deviant Sects in Light of the Quran and Sunna) is a theological treatise on the principles, boundaries, and impediments of excommunication (takfir) in Islamic theology, written by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Ali bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE).
Background and Composition
The treatise was initially drafted in 1409 AH and completed on 24 Dhu al-Hijjah 1416 AH (1996 CE). The author intended the work as a concise guide clarifying the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'ah regarding the gravity of declaring other Muslims to be outside the fold of Islam, setting out the parameters for theological judgments and responding to divergent sectarian perspectives. It was also incorporated as the twelfth treatise in al-Qahtani's multi-volume thematic collection of theological monographs, Aqidat al-Muslim fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunna.
Structure and Contents
The treatise is organized into an introduction and three main parts (abwab), subdivided into chapters (fusul):
- Part One: Principles, Regulations, and Impediments of Takfir (Usul wa-dawabit wa-mawani' fi al-takfir): Contains six chapters addressing the prohibition of rebellion against legitimate Muslim rulers and the obligation of obeying them in good deeds ( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا الله وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ , "O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you" [al-Nisa: 59]); the core theological principles of takfir; the rules governing its application; the impediments (mawani') that prevent declaring a specific individual an unbeliever; the grave dangers of unjustified excommunication; and definitions of foundational terminology.
- Part Two: The Doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'ah on Takfir (Madhhab Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a fi qadiyyat al-takfir): Divided into two chapters detailing the established Sunni positions and authoritative textual proofs, followed by an analysis of the categories of disbelief (kufr) and the most critical acts that nullify faith.
- Part Three: Sectarian Views on Excommunicating the People of the Qibla and Their Critique (Madhahib al-nas fi takfir ahl al-qibla wa-munaqashatuha): Divided into two chapters examining the historical doctrines of deviant groups regarding the status of Muslims who commit major sins—such as the various factions of the Kharijites (including the Muhakkima, Azariqa, Najdat, Bayhasiyya, Ajarida, Tha'aliba, Ibadis, and Sufriyya)—and refuting their arguments using evidence from the Quran and the Sunna.
Reception and Publication
The work was reviewed and commended by the Saudi jurist Salih bin Fawzan al-Fawzan in a foreword dated 7 Jumada al-Akhirah 1417 AH, in which he praised it as a timely and comprehensive exposition addressing widespread theological confusion stirred by instigators of civil discord. A second edition of the standalone treatise was published in 1417 AH (1996/1997 CE) and distributed by Mu'assasat al-Juraysi in Riyadh.
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