The Second Evidence

The saying of Allāh Almighty: ﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شجر بينَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا﴾ "But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission" [An-Nisā', 65]. If someone says: Allāh negated Ēmān from those who do not rule by the Sharī‘ah; and this implies disbelief. The response: What is being negated here is the perfection of Ēmān, not its very essence (not Ēmān in its entirety). Thus, the Āyah signifies a deficiency in Ēmān, not its total loss. To clarify: negating Ēmān in the Sharī‘ah is often intended to mean negating its perfection, not its essence. Examples of this are the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ: ((لا يُؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه)) "None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself" [Bukhāri 13, Muslim 168]. And his saying ﷺ: ((والله لا يُؤمن، والله لا يُؤمن، والله لا يُؤمن))، قيل: ومن يا رسول الله؟ قال: ((الذي لا يأمن جَارُهُ بَوَائِقَهُ)). "By Allāh, he does not believe! By Allāh, he does not believe! By Allāh, he does not believe!" It was asked: 'Who, O Messenger of Allāh?' He said: "The one whose neighbour is not safe from his harm" [Bukhāri 6016]. I say: If you understand that the negation of Ēmān in the Sharī‘ah refers to a lack of perfection, and you recognise that this understanding requires caution in declaring takfīr based on this Āyah, then know that there is evidence that diverts the negation of Ēmān in this Āyah from its essence to its perfection. Among these are two key indicators: The First صارف (Diversional Evidence): The negation of Ēmān in the Āyah pertains to three types of people: 1. Those who do not refer to the Prophet ﷺ for judgment. 2. Those who feel dissatisfaction with the Prophet’s judgment. 3. Those who do not fully submit to the Prophet’s judgment. I say: If someone claims that what is negated is the very essence of Ēmān (in its entirety), they must then declare takfīr on these three types, despite clear evidence that the second and third are not disbelievers. Two clear pieces of evidence support this: The first of these evidences is the narration from Anas ibn Mālik (may Allāh be pleased with him): "When Makkah was conquered, the spoils of war were distributed among the Quraysh, and the Anṣār said: إِنَّ هذا لهو العَجَبُ! إنَّ سيوفنا تقطرُ من دمائهم، وإنَّ غنائمنا تُرَدُّ عليهم! فبلغ ذلك رسول الله ﷺ ،فجمعهم، فقال: ((ما الذي بلغني عنكم؟))، قالوا: هو الذي بلغك، وكانوا لا يكذبون. قال: ((أما ترضون أن يرجع الناسُ بالدنيا إلى بيوتهم، وترجعون برسول الله إلى بيوتكم؟ لو سلك الناسُ وادياً أو شعباً، وسلكت الأنصار وادياً أو شعباً؛ لسلكتُ وادي الأنصار أو شعب الأنصار)) "This is astonishing! Our swords are still dripping with their blood, yet our spoils are being returned to them!" This reached the Prophet ﷺ, so he gathered them and said: "What is this I have heard from you?" They said: "It is as has reached you, and they were not liars." He then said: "Are you not pleased that others return with worldly goods while you return home with the Messenger of Allāh?" He continued, "If the people were to follow one valley or path, and the Anṣār were to follow another, I would follow the path of the Anṣār" [Bukhāri 3778, Muslim 2437]. They said: "O Messenger of Allāh, we are pleased." [Bukhāri 4331, Muslim 2438]. May Allāh be pleased with the Anṣār and all the companions of the Prophet ﷺ. How pious, sincere, and devoted they were to the Prophet ﷺ. The second piece of evidence is the narration from ’Ā'ishah (may Allāh be pleased with her), where the wives of the Prophet ﷺ came to him, pleading for fairness concerning the daughter of Abū Quḥāfah (i.e. ’Ā'ishah) [Bukhāri 2581, Muslim 6240]. May Allāh be pleased with the wives of the Prophet and grant them contentment.