CONTENTMENT WITH DISBELIEF

It is well-known in Islam that being content with disbelief is, itself, disbelief.

ﺍﻟﺮﺿﻰ ﺑﺎﻟﻜﻔﺮ ﻛﻔﺮ

You will find people of knowledge well aware of this wherever their traditional learning–from East Asia to West Africa to beyond. And yet contentment with disbelief is a terrifyingly widespread phenomenon in our communities.

What is meant by disbelief, kufr, is also well-known, despite attempts in our age to blur its meaning. It is anything apart from the religion of Islam with which Prophet Muhammad, salla Llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam, came. That includes ancient beliefs (such as Hinduism and Buddhism), the religion of the People of the Book, Ahl al-Kitab (namely Judaism and Chistianity), newer religions (such as the Baha’i Faith, Mormonism, Qadianism, and “Nation of Islam”), atheism, or anything else apart from what Prophet Muhammad, salla Llahu alayhi wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam, came with. Besides Islam everything else is disbelief, is falsehood, and is rejected. This is known of the religion by necessity. ﻣﻌﻠﻮﻡ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﺑﺎﻟﻀﺮﻭﺭﺓ

And considering anything besides Islam–i.e. what Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam came with–to be truth, valid, acceptable, a means to salvation, or the like is disbelief.

Note that what other messengers were sent with is truth, and can be referred to as “Islam” in the general sense, but it was adulterated and not preserved. And even had the messages of those messengers been properly preserved, their laws were abolished with the coming of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, so they are no longer applicable or followable. So even though Jews and Christians are given a special treatment in this world and certain concessions, Judaism and Christianity are no less disbelief than any other beliefs besides Islam. And again, being content with disbelief is disbelief, including the disbelief of Judaism and Christianity.

Even just ask yourself how anyone with a particle of faith in our master Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam can be content with the rejection of him? Even a moment’s contentment with the rejection of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is an indication of an absence of faith, Imaan.

To emphasize how critical, it is not to have even a moment’s hesitation in complete discontent with disbelief, our imams like to give as extreme an example as possible. As sacred as the Friday sermon is, they state that even if the imam is giving the Friday sermon, khutbah, and someone comes expressing his desire to enter Islam, the imam, the khatib, is to interrupt his sermon, to stop everything, and give the person the Testimony, Shahadah. Because delaying entering someone into Islam who is asking for it and leaving the person in disbelief (i.e. anything other than Islam) for even a moment, is an expression of contentment with disbelief, rida bil-kufr. And contentment with disbelief is disbelief.

Despite our scholarly tradition’s tremendous emphasis on the foundational importance of discontent with disbelief, we see expressions of contentment with disbelief horrifyingly often. For example, if someone comes expressing his desire to become Muslim, how often he is told to wait until some sort of public announcement! Or worse yet, he is told to think it over some more or check with someone before embracing Islam. Allah protect us from such heresy!

So how then when you see people even *encouraging* disbelief? Allah protect us! Allah protect us! Allah protect us! What kind of rotten faith could give birth to such behaviour? For example, encouraging disbelievers to engage in their disbelief and pray to their respective gods. Or encouraging disbelievers to be more kaafir. We have actually seen such examples from leaders in the Muslim community–people taken as Shaykh and authorities. ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﻤﺴﺘﻌﺎﻥ

The acceptance of disbelief has even been institutionalized into a sort of religion in itself: namely, the belief in the universal validity of religions. You might find such terms as “perennialism,” “traditionalism,” “universalism,” or the like used for this belief system or its sisters. This belief system out rightly accepts disbelief and endorses contentment with disbelief. In fact, that is its defining characteristic. There are even many subscribers to perennialism or traditionalism who claim Islam as their religion (despite rejecting such a fundamental tenet of Islam as the rejection of disbelief).

Now, while those who subscribe to perennialism openly endorse disbelief, there is a growing segment in our community, even community leaders and scholars, who are perennialist sympathizers and endorsers. So while they do not openly subscribe to perennialism, they carry its stench. Instead of having both feet in the endorsement of disbelief, they have one foot in and one foot out. If you pay close attention to the verbal dance they do around this particular subject, you will find that what they say basically boils down to, “We do not endorse disbelief, but we endorse its endorsers and its endorsement.” Beware of this dance, because the logical contradiction in it may force you to end up just as content with disbelief as an open perennialist.

If you claim to believe in our master Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, follow him, love him, revere him, then I ask you again, how can you be content with any belief that entails rejecting him?

Finally, if there are particular cases in which someone seems to have expressed contentment with disbelief and there is a plausible interpretation allowing that person escape from disbelief, we accept it. But it is terrifying to imagine someone throwing himself into a situation that requires any interpretation in the first place. Allah protect us!

Praise Allah, who has instilled in us discontent with disbelief, Kufr, and made us believers. And we would not have been guided had he not guided us.

ﺭﺿﻴﻨﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻪ ﺭﺑﺎ ﻭﺑﺎﻹﺳﻼﻡ ﺩﻳﻨﺎ ﻭﺑﺴﻴﺪﻧﺎ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺻﺤﺒﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ ﻧﺒﻴﺎ ﻭﺭﺳﻮﻻ

I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺁﻟﻪ ﻭﺻﺤﺒﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ