Chapter: The Prohibition of Saying to a Muslim, “You Disbeliever”

1732 – Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If a man says to his brother, ‘You disbeliever,’ the accusation settles on one of the two; if the one addressed is truly as he was called, then so be it, but if not, the charge returns upon the speaker.” Agreed upon.

1733 – Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Whoever brands a man with disbelief, or says to him, ‘Enemy of Allah,’ when that is not the case, the words will rebound upon him.” Agreed upon. (The word ḥāra means “returned.”)

[Commentary]

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—places here a chapter entitled “The Prohibition of Saying to a Muslim, ‘You Disbeliever.’” Determining who is a Muslim and who is a disbeliever rests with Allah alone. He is the One who rules someone to be a disbeliever, and He is the One who rules someone to be a Muslim, just as He alone declares what is lawful and what is forbidden. Hence it is not for us to permit what Allah has forbidden, nor to forbid what He has permitted, nor to pronounce takfīr (excommunication) on someone whom Allah has not declared a disbeliever, nor to assert that a person is a Muslim when, in Allah’s judgment, he is not. The issue of takfīr is exceedingly dangerous; through it many doors of serious evil have been opened upon the ummah.