Misreading Disbelief

MISREADING DISBELIEF killing fellow Muslims, but the image of Islam itself is being distorted into that of a religion that promotes violence and bloodshed. The correct interpretation of these verses and hadiths is the one given by Abdullah ibn Abbas, the great scholar of the Ummah and a leading authority in Quranic interpretation. He explained that this does not refer to the kind of kufr (disbelief, turning away from a recognized truth) that takes a person out of Islam. Rather, it refers to “kufr duna kufr” (a lesser form of disbelief) (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2635)—that is, a level of disbelief that does not take one out of Islam. Such words as used in the Quran and Hadith in this context are intended for moral exhortation (spiritual warning) rather than as strict legal terms. They do not mean that a Muslim who commits such an act is automatically cast out of Islam. They reflect a particular style of expression. In fact, these expressions are meant as strong admonitions, not as legal rulings. This kind of forceful language is commonly used in exhortation— sometimes gently and sometimes sternly. It reflects the difference between legal language and advisory language, not a legal distinction between belief and disbelief, but a difference in the style of moral advice. Advice is sometimes given in soft words and sometimes in strong words. The examples mentioned above belong to this second category, in which strong language is used for moral correction and awakening, not for issuing legal judgments. (Al-Risala, September 1996)