BENEFIT 152: The conditions of Abu Hanifah, Ibn Hajar, An-Nawawi, etc.

The questioner asks: What is the ruling on those who declare Abu Hanifa, Ibn Hajar, and other scholars as disbelievers? Sheikh Yahya Al-Hajuri, may Allah preserve him, says: I don't know what is intended by 'others', but declaring Abu Hanifa as a disbeliever is not permissible. Abu Hanifa is a Muslim. He is one of the four Imams. Yes, he had irjaa', qiyas - I.e. he heavily relied on qiyas, and ra'yi. However, declaring him as a disbeliever is not permissible. All those statements that have been attributed to some imams came from the angle of condemnation for those who commit such acts. For example, "He plotted against the Deen, he plotted against the Deen, and whoever plots against the Deen is not part of it." Statements like these do not mean that they are declaring him a disbeliever. They do not mean that he is a disbeliever. Declaring him as such is wrong. It is not permissible to declare a Muslim as a disbeliever. [hadith] "Whoever says to his brother, 'O disbeliever,' it applies to one of them. If the accusation is true, it applies, otherwise, it rebounds upon him." [hadith] "Injustice is darkness on the Day of Resurrection." Similarly, declaring Ibn Hajar; an Imam among the scholars, an Imam in Hadith, an Imam in the Sunnah, an expert in the Sunnah, an Imam in fiqh, an Imam in many matters, to declare him a disbeliever, this is injustice. This is excommunication of a Muslim from Islam. Excommunication of an Imam, a hafidh. Yes he has some mistakes in terms of misinterpreting some of the attributes, in line with the Ash'ari approach, which is found with various other imams of knowledge. No one declared these imams to be disbelievers. This is extremism. It is not permissible to declare takfir on the likes of these scholars. Declaring takfir on them is oppression and a crime against Islam and the Muslims. And such extremism often rebounds on the the person, harming him, and may lead him to exit from the religion. [The Prophet ﷺ said] "Whoever says something about his brother that is not true, Allah will make him dwell in the foul discharges of the people of Hellfire." [Allah ﷻ said]: {يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين بالقسط} "O you who believe, be persistently standing firm in justice." {إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان} "Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct." [The Prophet ﷺ said] "Three qualities constitute the essence of faith: to be fair with oneself, to be generous in spending, and to give greetings to the scholar." How beautiful is the statement of truth and justice, with friends and enemies. {ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم على ألا تعدلوا اعدلوا هو أقرب للتقوى} "And let not a people's enmity towards you incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness." So, if, for example, you criticise someone in a way that the scholars criticised, [it is sufficient that you] follow the path of the scholars. But this (making takfīr) is not according to the way of the scholars. The scholars criticise Ibn Hajar for some mistakes and say, avoid his errors, benefit from his knowledge, they seek mercy for him, and mention him with good. Their mistakes in these matters are to be avoided, and likewise, Abu Hanifa and all those like them. Our Sheikh, may Allah have mercy on him, authored "نشر الصحيفة" regarding Abu Hanifa, and he quoted from the musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah, from the Sunnah of Abdullah ibn Ahmad, from the book of Al-Khateeb, etc. He quoted statements from the scholars, those authentically ascribed to them. But he did not declare him a disbeliever! He did not declared him a disbeliever! When some of them issued a fatwa to burn Fat-hul-Bari, he (Sheikh Muqbil) said, "Had it not been for the fact that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'No one punishes with fire except the Lord of the Fire,' we would have issued a fatwa to burn him." Meaning, this person who issued a fatwa to burn Fat-hul-Bari. Fathul-Bari is a treasure trove of knowledge! Source: https://t.me/almanhajussalafi/478