Question (Q-109)
I have heard that a person will be classed to have left the folds of Islām if a doubt occurs in his mind about an Islamic ruling. Is this correct?
Answer
Answer with the Help of the Almighty King: The one who rejects those matters from Islamic rulings that are from ḍarūriyyāt al-dīn (necessary components of the religion) is a disbeliever. If a person merely has a thought that consists of disbelief in his mind and heart and he considers this thought to be bad when he speaks then this is not kufr (disbelief). Nevertheless one should make efforts to push away wasāwis (satanic whispers). It is good to carry out tajdīd al-īmān (renewal of faith) whenever that is possible. It is stated in Al-ʿAqīdah Al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah;
ولا يخرج العبد من الإيمان إلا بجحود ما أدخله
“A servant does not leave from faith except by denying what entered him into it.”
The Imām of Ahl Al-Sunnah, Al-Imām Aḥmad Riḍā Khān قدس الله سره العزيز defined ḍarūriyyāt al-dīn in Al-Fatāwā Al-Riḍawiyyah, Volume 29, Page 385,“Ḍarūriyyāt al-dīn: They are established from the Qur’ān or Al-Ḥadīth Al-Mutawātir or al-ijmāʿ al-qaṭʿī which are definitive in their proof and clear in their evidence in regards to which there is no room for doubt and nor is there any room for interpretation.
It is stated in Radd Al-Muḥtār, Volume 2, Page 531,
ما كان من ضروريات الدين وهو ما يعرف الخواص والعوام أنه من الدين كوجوب اعتقاد التوحيد والرسالة والصلوات الخمس وأخواتها يكفر منكره
“What is from ḍarūriyyāt al-dīn – and that is what the specific and general Muslims recognise as being from the Dīn (religion) e.g. believing in Al-Tawḥīd (the Oneness of Allah ﷻ), Al-Risālah (the Messengers), the five obligatory prayers and what is like them, the one who denies them will be classed to be a disbeliever.”
It is stated in Durr Al-Mukhtār,
والكفر لغة: الستر. وشرعا: تكذيبه – صلى الله عليه وسلم – في شيء مما جاء به من الدين ضرور
“Kufr (disbelief) linguistically means “to hide.” According to the terminology of Sharīʿah (Islamic Law), it refers to the rejecting anything that the Prophet ﷺ brought from the Dīn that is established necessarily.”
It is stated in Bahār-e-Sharīʿat, Volume 2 (Part 9) Page 456,
“If a thought that consists of disbelief comes to the heart and the person views uttering it on the mouth to be bad then this is not kufr (disbelief). Rather, it is a sign of Īmān (faith) as he only views uttering it to be bad due to Īmān (faith) in his heart.”
والله تعالى أعلم وعلمه أتم وأحكم
Allah, the Exalted, knows best and His Knowledge is Most Complete and Sublime
Written by: Shaykh Omar Khan (May Allah preserve him)
Verified by: Mufti Shamsulhuda Khan (May Allah preserve him)
