Yahya Al-Hajuri's Takfir of Qaabeel Son of Aadam: Using the Statement of Ibn Taymiyyah and Playing With Speech of Al-Qurtubee Posted by Abu.Iyaad, Editor in Articles
It is very important for Ahl al-Sunnah to understand how al-Hajuri and his followers operate to see through the smoke and mirrors they place in front of the eyes of the people in trying to deflect criticism against al-Hajuri. There are many examples in which this can be illustrated such as the issue of Uthman (radiallaahu anhu) and the athaan of Jumu'ah, or the claim of the Companions participating in the murder of Uthmaan (radiallaahu anhu) and what is similar to that from the calamities of al-Hajuri. What is common in all these examples is that al-Hajuri or his followers, when coming to his defence, will twist the words of the Scholars to give al-Hajuri a way out. The overall aim in all these situations is not to make tahqeeq of the haqq in the issue and speak with it and declare erroneous the one who opposes it, but to lay down arguments through which al-Hajuri can be provided a way out to walk free unscathed from criticism.
Background
In an earlier article we documented Yahya al-Hajuri's takfeer of the son of Aadam, Qabeel, claiming that envy can lead to apostasy and explicitly making Takfir of Qabeel (mp3).
Envy leads to apostasy, (it is) a path to apostasy... (ابن آدم الأول ارتد وكفر بالله وحمل من أوزار جميع الأمم أصبح من الخاسرين بنص القرءان) The first son of Aadam became apostate and disbelieved in Allaah, and he carried the burden of all nations and he became from the losers (in the Hereafter) by textual (evidence) from the Qur'an. Envy leads to apostasy...
Some time after, Yahya al-Hajuri was asked about this and he tried to offer a defence of his view, implying that he is supported by the words of Ibn Taymiyyah and others from the Mufassireen and Scholars. This is the audio of his answer (mp3):
It is fifteen minutes long and there is a lot in there, all of which has been refuted in detail in this book. But we want to focus on al-Hajuri's fabrication against Ibn Taymiyyah as part of illustrating a more general observation regarding the pattern of Hajawarite activity which is as follows:
The Methodology of the Hajaawirah
Al-Hajuri has a grave and serious calamity in a matter pertaining to aqidah.
Al-Hajuri may have addressed the issue and followed the ways of al-Maghrawi and al-Ma'ribee in playing and fooling around, trying to make a way out for himself and not coming out and making an explicit recantation with tawbah, in clear unambiguous words.
His followers will then start quote-mining trying to find ways to exonerate al-Hajuri, if al-Hajuri has not already done that himself in stage 2 above.
His followers will then start refuting those who criticized al-Hajuri, and they will try to move the people's perception away from the original issue and turn it into something else with a view of putting blame, scorn and rebuke upon those criticizing al-Hajuri, and accusing them of lying and so on.
The end result is that enough confusion has been caused about al-Hajuri's original calamity and his games and fabrications (and likewise those of his followers) in the cover-up such that people are unable to see who is at fault and who deserves blame and rebuke.
The above is a ploy that al-Hajuri's Haddadi followers employ often, and they will issue a barrage of refutations in order to achieve this end. However, if a person was to stand back and start from the very beginning, the actual matter at hand, and then work systematically through the chain of events in chronological order, a person will see through this strategy very clear. It is our aim in what follows to highlight the first three points above.
Setting the Scene to Exonerate Himself
Of interest in al-Hajuri's attempt to defend himself is that he quotes a passage from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmu' al-Fataawaa and ascribes to Ibn Taymiyyah the very madhhab of the Khawaarij that Ibn Taymiyyah is actually refuting in the very passage itself! You can hear this is in the audio from the 3:18 mark.
But before we go there it should be pointed that in general, al-Hajuri's main argument to defend himself revolves around the texts of wa'eed (threat) whereby he is using the verses that mention being from the inhabitants of the fire, or being from the losers and what is like that. This is similar to the approach of the Kharijites who use the texts containing threats as a proof for Takfir of the sinners. Now, killing and murder is a major sin. It is not kufr. And to declare a Muslim to be a disbeliever requires specific, explicit proof, since Takfir is a judgement for Allaah. The Kharijites make Takfir of the sinners by using the mutashaabihaat, those verses which contain the threats upon certain actions, and then use them to claim a person will be in the fire, or will be a loser in the Hereafter. In the second audio, we can clearly see that this is a direction being taken by al-Hajuri, but he is attempting to ascribe this to the people of knowledge, and this is a means to exonerate himself. He says in the second audio at the 2:40 mark:
"Hence, no rejection is shown to the one who says the first saying, he (Qaabeel) is a Muslim, and that action arose from him due to a prompting from Shaytan. And no rejection is shown to the one who says he is a kaafir (disbeliever) due to what is apparent from these words (of Allaah), "indeed he is from the losers", "indeed he is from the inhabitants of the Fire"... yes, (the hadeeth), "he will bear the burden of all those killed until the Day of Judgement..."
The reality is that this is the type of argument used by the Kharijites. It is at this stage that al-Hajuri goes on to cite the quote from Ibn Taymiyyah, from the 3:18 mark.
Al-Hajuri then cites from Majmu' al-Fataawaa (7/485) which is Kitab al-Eemaan, from 3:18 to the 6:50 mark, adding his comments therein, and he focuses on a statement of Ibn Taymiyyah which is indicated below:
And the Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah have argued through the His sayin, the Most High, "Indeed, Allaah only accepts from the Muttaqeen (pious)" (5:27), they said: The perpetrator of a major sin is not from the pious (muttaqeen), hence Allaah does not accept any action from him, hence he has no good deed, and the greatest of good deeds is faith (eemaan), thus there is no faith with him, and hence he deserves eternity in the fire. Then the Murji'ah replied to them and said: What is intended by the pious (muttaqeen) is the one who fears (takes caution against) disbelief. So they (the Kharijites) said to them (the Murji'ah): The label of "muttaqeen" (pious) in the Qur'an applies to those who deserve reward, as in His saying, the Exalted, "The pious (muttaqeen) will have gardens and rivers. Firmly established in a seat of truth near Omnipotent King." (54:54-55). And also, when the two sons made their offering, the one whose offering was rejected was not a disbeliever then (at that point), but he disbelieved after that, for if he had been a disbeliever, he would not have sought nearness (through the offering). And also, the Salaf never ceased to fear (with respect) to this verse [that Allaah only accepts from the pious (muttaqeen)] and if by this verse those were intended who fear kufr, then they (the Salaf) would not have (had reason) to fear. And also, applying the word "muttaqeen" (pious) unrestrictedly whilst the intent behind it is whoever is not a disbeliever has no basis in the speech of the Legislator. Hence it is not permissible to interpret it upon that.
After quoting this passage, al-Hajuri repeats the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah (see 6:40 onwards in the recording), saying:
"but he disbelieved after that", "And also, when the two sons made their offering, the one whose offering was rejected was not a disbeliever then (at that point), but he disbelieved after that"...
What al-Hajuri is doing in this audio is to imply that Ibn Taymiyyah is speaking of the disbelief of Qaabeel, and then he uses the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah above again at 9:30 onwards wherein al-Hajuri says:
.. Because those who say: He (Qaabeel) is not a disbeliever the said: He made an offering, "when he made an offering" and the one who makes an offering, the one who seeks nearness to Allaah does not do so except desiring acceptance of his offering, but it was not accepted from him. And in this context in which we have read from Shaykh al-Islaam, he mentioned this, and he said in the context of his speech, "He was not a disbeliever, when he made the offering, but he disbelieved after that." He cited this.
After this al-Hajuri alludes to a series of statements from: al-Qurtubi, Ibn Katheer, al-Tabari, Ibn Atiyyah, Ibn Abi Zamanayn, and also al-Mawardi (who was affected in some areas by the Mu'tazilah) intending by all of them to support the view that Qabeel was a disbeliever, using the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah as a lead. Now, none of these citations prove anything of the sort, but what al-Hajuri is trying to do is to find a way out for himself. We want to remain with the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah and show what al-Hajuri has done.
Ibn Taymiyyah's Speech Clarified
Al-Hajuri is focusing upon the statement of Ibn Taymiyyah "but he disbelieved after that" and using it for his advantage, when Ibn Taymiyyah at this stage is only citing the arguments between the Khawaarij and the Murji'ah. Immediately after this passage Ibn Taymiyyah says:
And the correct reply to this is that what is intended is the one who had taqwa of Allaah in that particular action...
It is from here that Ibn Taymiyyah starts to clarify the shubhah (misconception) that was cited earlier (the argument between the Kharijites and the Murji'ah) and establishes what is correct in refutation of both the Kharijites and the Murji'ah and he continues over the next three pages (till 7/498). Ibn Taymiyyah clarifies that when Allaah says, "Allaah accepts only from the muttaqeen (pious)" then it means that whoever has taqwa of Allaah in that particular action, then it will be accepted from him, and that action has two conditions, it must be sincere and correct, in accordance with the Sunnah, and that riyaa (showing off) or acting with bid'ah or opposition to the Sunnah makes an action rejected because a person was not having taqwaa in that action. And as for the Salaf, they feared their action would not be accepted, fearing that they had not performed and brought the action in the desired manner.
There is nothing in the speech of Ibn Taymiyyah that supports al-Hajuri's takfeer of Qabeel and al-Hajuri citing this is from his deception and fooling around, in a similar way that those before him were fooling and playing around when asked to make tawbah for their excesses like al-Maghrawi and al-Ma'ribee. It is strange that al-Hajuri should make use of this passage when Ibn Taymiyyah is citing the argument of the Khawaarij (and then proceeding to refute it).
Playing Around with Speech of al-Qurtubi
In fact, al-Hajuri also claims the following about al-Qurtubi (see 10:00 onwards in the second audio):
And al-Qurtubee in his tafseer cites (numerous) statements, the saying of the one who spoke with his (Qaabeel's) disbelief and the saying of the one who spoke with the absence of his disbelief relying upon this, "When he made an offering..."
When we return to al-Qurtubi's tafseer this is what al-Qurtubi says:
وقد استدل بقول هابيل لأخيه قابيل : { فَتَكُونَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ } على أنه كان كافراً ؛ لأن لفظ أصحاب النار إنما ورد في الكفار حيث وقع في القرآن. وهذا مردود هنا بما ذكرناه عن أهل العلم في تأويل الآية. ومعنى { مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ } مدة كونك فيها
And the statement of Haabeel to his brother Qaabeel, "...lest you become from the inhabitants from the Fire" has been used as evidence to show that he was a disbeliever, (upon the argument that) the word "inhabitants of the Fire" is (but) used with respect to the disbelievers wherever it occurs in the Quran. And this is rejected here by what we have mentioned from the people of knowledge in interpretation of this verse. And the meaning of "from the inhabitants of the Fire" is that (you are an inhabitant) for the period that you remain therein.
Al-Qurtubi is alluding to a rejected, false interpretation of this verse! Which is that when it is said "inhabitants of the Fire" it refers to the disbelievers. In fact al-Hajuri himself uses the very same argument that al-Qurtubi is refuting here. If you listen from the beginning of the second audio above to about 1:40, you will find the following speech from al-Hajuri, after he cites the verse in question regarding Haabeel and Qaabeel (Surah al-Maa'idah 5:27), al-Hajuri comments:
And the "inhabitants of the Fire", they are the ones who are its inhabitants and it's people, those who are its inhabitants, they are Kuffaar (disbelievers) who do not die their in and are not given life. And how abundantly do you see in the Qur'an, the mention of the "inhabitants of the Fire" that they are themselves, the pagans and disbelievers...
So it is clear this is his argument, yet al-Hajuri said (10:00 onwards in the second audio above), claiming about al-Qurtubi:
And al-Qurtubee in his tafseer cites (numerous) statements, the saying of the one who spoke with his (Qaabeel's) disbelief and the saying of the one who spoke with the absence of his disbelief relying upon this, "When he made an offering..."
Look at this deception, Al-Qurtubi alluded to a false interpretation and refuted it, the very same one al-Hajuri is presenting right at the beginning of the audio! And then later he claims "al-Qurtubi cites various statements..." This is a clear example of how al-Hajuri and his followers play with the minds of people and how they quote-mine, twist, distort and lie in many instances all for what? To save al-Hajuri al-Haddadi from criticism. And what amazes you most about these people is that you do not see from them jealousy for the sake of the Companions when al-Hajuri reviles them, misinterprets the Book of Allaah to rebuke them, accuses them of bid'ah, accuses them of participating in murdering Uthmaan (radiallaahu anhu) and what is more. But you see them rushing to write defences of al-Hajuri, being moved and stirred for his sake!
Summary
One should note here the general pattern observed from extremist followers of al-Hajuri al-Haddadi. They try to turn the people's eyes away from what is a clear mistake from al-Hajuri, then they quote-mine to try and exonerate and defend al-Hajuri, and in the process there are much lies, deception and twisting (both from al-Hajuri and his followers). They then create smoke and mirrors so that the original issue gets left behind, and all people see are barrages of refutations from the Hajaawirah against the people of the Sunnah. So an onlooker now becomes confused and does not know who is right and who is wrong and who deserves rebuke and blame and who does not.
Articles
Envy leads to apostasy, (it is) a path to apostasy... (
