Does fighting and killing “Muslims” who profess the Shahada, believe in Allah & say they worship him alone, accept Muhammad as the messenger of Allah and are people of the Qiblah, make one from the Khawarij?
There are many who say yes to this question believing that such an action only comes from those who are from the Khawarij
But is this correct?
To understand this we will look back at the actions of the the Sahaba and most famously the wars of Apostasy.
But is this correct?
To understand this we will look back at the actions of the the Sahaba and most famously the wars of Apostasy.
We know during the wars of Riddah there were different groups fought for different reasons, those who returned to idolatry, those who followed a false prophet, and there were also those who Abu Bakar fought for refusing to pay the Zakah.
This is mentioned in Tafseer Al-Tabari
This is mentioned in Tafseer Al-Tabari
قال عليّ بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه والحسن البصري وقتادة: هم أبو بكر وأصحابه الذين قاتلوا أهل الردة ومانعي الزكاة
رواه الطبري في تفسيره (10/411، 412، 419).
رواه الطبري في تفسيره (10/411، 412، 419).
“Ali bin Abi Talib RA and Al-Hassan Al-Basri and Qataadah said: they’re Abu Bakar and his companions those who fought the people of apostasy AND those who refused to pay zakah”
So we understand that one of the groups were fought for only refusing to give the Zakah.
So we understand that one of the groups were fought for only refusing to give the Zakah.
So the question now is, why did they refuse to pay Zakah?
One might say it was because they rejected Zakah and it’s obligation, but this isn’t true.
One might say it was because they rejected Zakah and it’s obligation, but this isn’t true.
When they were asked why they refused to pay Zakah they said
ما رجعنا عنْ ديننا ولكِنْ شَححْنا على أموَالِنا
وَتَأَوَّلُوا قوله تعالى:
(خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً) [التَّوْبَةِ 103]
فَقَالُوا : الْمَأْمُورُ بِهَذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ لَا غيره
ما رجعنا عنْ ديننا ولكِنْ شَححْنا على أموَالِنا
وَتَأَوَّلُوا قوله تعالى:
(خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً) [التَّوْبَةِ 103]
فَقَالُوا : الْمَأْمُورُ بِهَذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ لَا غيره
“We have not returned from our religion but we are wasting our wealth” and they made Taweel of the verse in At-Taubah - 9:103
“Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity” So they said “this is a command for the prophet and not for other than him”
“Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity” So they said “this is a command for the prophet and not for other than him”
So we understand from this that they were a people who claimed Islam and said they haven’t apostatised, rather they had a doubt and interpretation which was their reason for refusing to pay Zakah to Abu Bakar.
And Imam Abu Ubayd Al-Qaasim Bin Salaam (224) said
والمصدق لهذا جهاد أبي بكر الصديق بالمهاجرين والأنصار على منع العرب الزكاة، كجهاد رسول الله أهل الشرك سواء، لا فرق بينهما في سفك الدماء وسبي الذرية واغتنام المال، فإنما كانوا مانعين لها غير جاحدين بها
كتابه الإيمان (ص17):
والمصدق لهذا جهاد أبي بكر الصديق بالمهاجرين والأنصار على منع العرب الزكاة، كجهاد رسول الله أهل الشرك سواء، لا فرق بينهما في سفك الدماء وسبي الذرية واغتنام المال، فإنما كانوا مانعين لها غير جاحدين بها
كتابه الإيمان (ص17):
“What is true of this is the jihad of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq with the Muhajirun and the Ansar against the Arabs who refused Zakah, just as the jihad of the Messenger of Allah against the polytheists is equal,
there’s no difference between them in the spilling of blood, capturing of children, seizing of wealth, and they were refusing to pay Zakah and were not rejecting it.”
So we learn from this that they refused to give Zakah not that they rejected it, and this was as previously mentioned due to their incorrect understanding of the verse in Tawbah.
Now that we have understood this we move onto the final question.
How do the Sahaba deal with them?
Now that we have understood this we move onto the final question.
How do the Sahaba deal with them?
حديث أبي هريرة قال: لما توفي النبي واسْتُخْلِفَ أبو بكر، وكَفَر من كَفَر من العرب، قال عمر: يا أبا بكر، كيف تقاتل الناس، وقد قال رسول الله : "أُمِرتُ أن أقاتل الناس حتى يقولوا لا إله إلا الله، فمن قال لا إله إلا الله، عَصَم مني ماله ونفسه إلا بحقه وحسابُهُ على الله"؟.
قال أبو بكر: والله لأقاتِلَنّ من فَرَّق بين الصلاة والزكاة. فإن الزكاة حق المال. والله لو منعوني عَنَاقاً كانوا يؤدونها إلى رسول الله r لقاتلتهم على منعها»”. قال عمر: فو الله ما هو إلا أن رأيت أنْ قد شرح الله صدر أبي بكر للقتال، فعرفـت أنه الحق.
البخاري (1399، 1400), ومسلم (20).
البخاري (1399، 1400), ومسلم (20).
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah who said: “when the Prophet passed away and Abu Bakar was appointed, the Arabs who disbelieved, disbelieved”, Omar said, “oh Abu Bakar how is it you fight the people when the Messenger of Allah said
I have been commanded to fight people until they say there is no God except Allah, so whoever says there is no God except Allah, his wealth and his life will be protected from me except what is right, and his judgment is with Allah?”
Abu Bakar said, “By Allah, I will fight those who differentiate between Salah and Zakah. By Allah even if they refused to give me a single cloth they used to take to the Messenger of Allah, I would have fought them for refusing it.”
Omar said: “By Allah it is only that I saw that Allah had opened up the heart of Abu Bakar to fight, so I knew that it was the truth.”
Now let’s analyse this narration and take several points from it.
1. From the speech of the prophet “except in right” we understand that this is a condition and there are situations in which spilling and taking the wealth of a “Muslim” is a permissible.
1. From the speech of the prophet “except in right” we understand that this is a condition and there are situations in which spilling and taking the wealth of a “Muslim” is a permissible.
2. Omar initially questioned Abu Bakar’s decision to fight these people since they’re a people who say the Shahada and claim to only worship Allah and follow his messenger. Abu Bakar rejected this and in the end Omar realised that Abu Bakar was correct.
From this we learn that their shahada, and claim of worshiping Allah alone and following his messenger didn’t protect their lives and their blood was spilt.
3. Abu Bakar said that he will fight those who differentiate between Salah and Zakah, this tells us that even though they refused to pay Zakah they were people of the Qiblah who prayed Salah, yet this wasn’t sufficient to protect them.
4. The rest of the Sahaba all obeyed and followed Abu Bakar, they went out and fought these people, the fact that they didn’t reject it is evidence in their agreeing of it being right, or would it be claimed the Sahaba obeyed him in sin?
In Summary:
Fighting/killing/slaughtering “Muslims” even if they say the shahada, say they worship Allah alone, pray salah, does not make one a Khariji if it is justified and is a right, they were fought even thought their had a misunderstanding.
Fighting/killing/slaughtering “Muslims” even if they say the shahada, say they worship Allah alone, pray salah, does not make one a Khariji if it is justified and is a right, they were fought even thought their had a misunderstanding.
The Sahaba fought those who refused to pay Zakah regardless of their claims of Islam and what they made apparent of it, what about those who refuse to stop shirk and come to Towheed which is an even greater right and command of Allah.
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