Islam And Extremism

In this matter, it is essential to maintain the distinction between the action and the actor. The right to make a specific declaration about the actor belongs to God alone. God exercised this right only once in history— regarding the ancient deniers of Quraysh—after the Prophet had completed the conclusive proof upon them directly. As for the rest of humanity, the final declaration will be made by God in the Hereafter. Our responsibility is only to convey the message. Declaring people to be disbelievers (kuffar) is not part of our mandate. The Problem of Credit The term kafir, or denier, involves two simultaneous roles: the person who presents a message and the person who rejects it. One of these roles may be called the inviter, and the other the invitee. Being a kafir (denier) is an individual role; it is not a national or communal title for a group. For an entire group to be declared kafir is an extraordinary and extreme occurrence. It implies discrediting one party for their rejection while giving credit to the other for their outreach efforts. This matter of credit and discredit is not something that can be decided through a mere fatwa or public statement; it requires a process of highly serious and committed dawah work.