Islam, Takfir, and Politics

With the infallible imams, but the last of them is absent and non-existent. Thus, the absence of that reference has had a positive impact on the issue of human freedom in understanding the religious text, and a negative impact on the fluidity of ideas, due to the lack of a priestly centrality other than the centrality of individual persuasion.

From here, the issue of takfir (excommunication) emerged, linked to non-sacred human choices, and from here, the expansion of takfir by the scholars of kalam (Islamic theology), particularly those who opposed them like Ibn Taymiyyah and Al-Ghazali. The issue of takfir remains a political, nationalistic face, primarily aimed at the unity of the nation and preventing anyone from scattering its ranks. For example, in the writings of the people, the ruling on someone who denies prayer is: he should be repentant, otherwise, he is to be killed as an act of disbelief, along with other rulings where the political aspect (preserving the unity of the nation) manifests more than the religious one.

There is no doubt that takfir as a methodology exists and cannot be denied. This is evident in those who have declared takfir on those who claim the primacy of the Quran and vice versa. When reviewing the ancient books of Quranic sciences, we find, for instance, that Al-Suyuti conveys from the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah that the Quran was revealed in meaning and formulated by the Prophet in his language. Here, the Quran is not only unaltered but also deficient in conveying the divine meaning due to the inadequacy of language itself to carry it, and this is a long discussion.

Similarly, it is said about cursing and declaring takfir on the companions of the Prophet, who were the ones who started this. Their situation reached the point of raising swords and shedding each other’s blood, while the Prophet said, “If two Muslims meet with their swords, the killer and the killed are in the fire.” This is why we found among certain sects those who declared takfir on all the companions who raised swords against one another!

Before Ali, there was Uthman, who was killed by the incitement of more than one companion known for their faith. Before Muawiya, there was a war between Ali and Aisha, in which Ali’s army sought to capture the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, had it not been for Ali’s intervention! You can imagine how our current conflicts are discussed by the common people with harsh language, let alone those of the past.

And those who are jealous of the honor of the companions and boast that they are descendants of the Umayyads, after Ali was killed, as Al-Suyuti and others report in his book (The History of the Caliphs), say: “The Umayyads used to curse Ali ibn Abi Talib during the sermon, but when Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz took over, he abolished that, wrote to his deputies to abolish it, and read instead (Indeed, Allah commands you to act justly and with good conduct), and it has continued to be read in sermons until now.”

As for mut’a (temporary marriage), it was practiced during the time of the Prophet, who commanded it and forbade it, then commanded it and forbade it, until it was said that it was prohibited without return. However, the translator of the Quran, Abdullah ibn Abbas, understood from the Prophet’s practice that mut’a was for necessity, as the Prophet commanded it during the battles when the youth were far from their families, and it was well-known among the Arabs. However, later, after the Prophet’s death, ibn Abbas announced his rejection of what the youth of Medina did during the time of Umar in protesting his fatwa for broad licensing of mut’a marriage!

Even when philosophy entered, and we found Al-Farabi and others discussing divine overflow and the theory of emanation by Ibn Sina, talking about the complex secret (fate) and what has confused the minds of scholars regarding compulsion and choice until it submerged with the theory of (acquisition) among the Asharites and its deepening! Then all of this intertwined with the legacies of previous religions under the theory of the unity of existence from one side and anthropomorphism from another, until the perceptions of Muslims about God varied between those who see Him as intellect or spirit or energy embodied in the entire universe, with good and evil, humans and stones all being from Him and to Him, and those who see Him as a young boy with a long hair who stands and descends and has hands and feet, with lengthy interpretations not appropriate to mention here.

So, the issue will revolve around two matters:

1. The fragmented understanding of the religious text.
2. The burden of historical context.

So we have seen the result of those who declare takfir, insult, and curse, despite entering the post-modern era and the development of knowledge theory and multiple philosophies, which reflect the depth of the human mind on one hand, and its inadequacy to grasp the truth on the other.

Returning to takfir, this issue is not exclusive to Sunnis and Shiites, but is harsher with modernists, Quranists, enlightened individuals, liberals, secularists, civilizationalists, and even the maqasidi (goal-oriented) and value-oriented people who do not care about religious details but focus on civilizational values (such as civilizational Islam in Malaysia, for example).

It would be good for the religious takfiri conflict to remain in books and specialized schools, but involving people in it necessitates (gagging the masses), and turning attention to issues that benefit individuals and society, which transcend the religious dimension to establish a relationship based on four pillars:

1. One nation despite all its differences.
2. Establishing justice as a concept and application.
3. Defining relationships between individuals contractually, from the family to the nation to the entire world.
4. A broad humanitarian perspective.

Yes, one cannot separate religion from life, but one can regulate the religious fragmentation within the new reality based on an era that transcends all historical narratives, even if it is burdened by their weight.

Religious Office
Department of Research and Studies
Articles
Jomaa Mohammad Laheep
Syrian Future Movement (SFM)