The Second Issue

Some have claimed that Ibn Ṭāwūs's statement «وليس كمن كفر بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله» "it is not like the disbelief in Allāh, His angels, His books, and His Messengers" might refer to major disbelief (kufr akbar), but of a lesser degree than disbelief in Allah, His angels, His books, and His. Messengers. This interpretation is incorrect for three reasons: 1. Disbelief (kufr) has varying degrees, which is a well-known fact. It would be pointless to interpret Ibn Ṭāwūs's statement as merely confirming something so obvious and undisputed. 2. Disbelief in Allāh, His angels, His books, and His Messengers represents the highest degree of disbelief. Major disbelief rarely occurs except that it is of lesser degree than this. If Ṭāwūs did not intend to refer to minor disbelief (kufr aṣghar), then his statement would be meaningless, as it would not convey anything of significance. 3. The interpretation of the disbelief in the Āyah as minor disbelief has been confirmed by his father (Ṭāwūs), as mentioned earlier (p. #). It is likely that he adopted this view from his father (Ṭāwūs) and then expressed it himself.