Silsilat al-Iman wal-Kufr - al-Muqaddim
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- Silsilat al-Iman wal-Kufr - al-Muqaddim
Silsilat al-Iman wal-Kufr (The Series on Faith and Disbelief) is a theological work by the contemporary Egyptian scholar Muhammad Ismail al-Muqaddim that examines the Islamic principles governing faith (iman), disbelief (kufr), and excommunication (takfir). Originating as a series of spoken lectures, the work addresses foundational Sunni doctrines alongside classical and modern doctrinal deviations.
Content and Scope
The series divides the study of faith and disbelief into two complementary spheres: theological principles according to Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, and the historical trajectory of sectarian movements that broke away over these issues. It presents the conditions and requirements of the declaration of faith (la ilaha illa Allah), including knowledge, certainty, acceptance, submission, truthfulness, sincerity, and love.
A central focus of the work is the critique of opposing theological extremes regarding sinners among the Muslims:
- The Kharijites, who declared perpetrators of major sins to be apostates and consigned them to eternal damnation.
- The Mu'tazila, who placed sinners in an intermediate position (al-manzilah bayn al-manzilatayn) between belief and disbelief in this life while agreeing with the Kharijites regarding their eternal punishment in the hereafter.
- The Murji'ah, who excluded actions from the definition of faith.
The author underscores that many modern extremist and excommunicatory tendencies among contemporary Islamic movements are recurrences of historical Kharijite and Mu'tazilite doctrines under modern terminology, frequently fueled by individuals consulting religious texts directly without returning to established scholars.
Rules of Takfir and Methodological Critiques
The text distinguishes between theoretical definitions of disbelief and the practical application of specific rulings to individuals (takfir al-mu'ayyan). It emphasizes that general designations of disbelief cannot be applied to specific persons without verifying that all necessary conditions are met and that all legal impediments (mawani') are absent. Key excusing factors detailed in the work include the impediment of ignorance (al-'udhr bi-l-jahl) and plausible misinterpretation (al-ta'wil al-sa'igh).
The series warns against hastiness in excommunication due to its severe legal and social ramifications in Islamic jurisprudence, which include the annulment of marriage, cessation of inheritance and guardianship, forfeiture of Islamic burial rights, and the execution of capital sentences for apostasy by the legitimate authority.
Within this framework, the author critiques modern exclusionary doctrines, including the stance of suspension (tawaqquf) regarding the Islamic status of people. A dedicated critique is directed at the contemporary treatise Hadd al-Islam wa-Haqiqat al-Iman, rejecting its premise that valid entrance into Islam requires comprehensive fulfillment of elaborate composite criteria beyond the verbal profession of the two testimonies of faith (al-shahadatan) and general adherence to monotheism.
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