Chapter Three: Disbelief—its Definition and Categories
Disbelief: definition and types
(a) Definition:
Linguistically, kufr (disbelief) denotes covering and concealing.
In the Sharīʿah, kufr is the opposite of faith; it is the absence of belief in Allah and in His messengers—whether accompanied by outright denial or not. It may instead be accompanied by doubt and misgiving, by turning away, by envy, by arrogance, or by following passions that divert a person from the message. The one who openly denies is, of course, in graver kufr, as is the person who rejects out of envy while being certain of the messengers’ truthfulness.⦗1⦘
(b) Categories:
Kufr is of two kinds.
The first kind is major kufr, which removes a person from the religion, and it comprises five subdivisions.
- The kufr of denial.
The proof is the Almighty’s words:
“Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against Allah or rejects the truth when it comes to him? Is there not in Hell an abode for the disbelievers?” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:68).