In the Name of Allaah, the Most Compassionate, the Ever Merciful…
The following is important advice that should be heeded when referring to deviant groups which refer to themselves using praiseworthy terms, like:
- Al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon (The Muslim Brotherhood)
- Hizbollah (The Party of Allaah)
- The Islamic State [of Iraq and Sham] (IS, or ISIS)
- The Nation of Islam
Muslims who follow the Quran, the Sunnah, and the way of the righteous Salaf, those who are truly Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah, reject these names, as they are not accurate nor acceptable as names for the intended deviant cults who oppose Islam in their core beliefs and/or principles.
For example, Muslims who apply Islaam in their lives are the true ‘Muslim Brotherhood’. It is not appropriate to refer to an Egyptian political sect which opposes Islaam in its basic methodology with this name, ‘al-Ikhwan al-Muslimoon’ (the Muslim Brotherhood). They are not the Muslim Brotherhood at all, but rather they are in fact opponents of the real Muslim brotherhood, since brotherhood in Islaam requires enjoining the good, forbidding the evil, and returning affairs of differing back to the Book and the Sunnah for reconciliation. These essential principles (and many others) have been discarded by the sect which refers to itself as “al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon” (the Muslim Brotherhood), in order to uphold their invented principle of “excusing each other from what they differ over”.
Similar is the case of those deviants who refer to themselves with the other names mentioned, since the real Hizbollah (the Party of Allaah) are only the chosen prophets and messengers and those who follow their guidance. The real ‘Nation of Islaam’ is the Ummah of Muhammad (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace), not the followers of some fake prophet in America. The real ‘Islamic State’ is where the Book and the Sunnah are the sources of governing law, not the deviant beliefs of the renegade Khawaarij.
Do not give deviants what they want. Do not consent to the use of the fluffy praise-laden names of honor they wish to establish for themselves. Do not allow them to hijack legitimate Islamic phrases. When you warn from them, try to consistently indicate that Muslims do not accept these false labels, by using phrases like the following:
- The so-called “Muslim Brotherhood”
- Al-Ikhwaan al-Muflisoon (the Bankrupt Brotherhood)
- The falsely-named “Nation of Islam”
- The Nation of Kufr (Disbelief)
- Hizbo Shaytaan (the Party of Satan)
- The Khawaarij State of Iraq and Sham
- The group which falsely refers to itself as ‘Such-and-Such’
This is very important because these names have legitimate meanings, and by using them without showing any contempt or displeasure, we indirectly endorse the usage of the name in a way that helps to legitimize (at least the names of) deviant groups who oppose Islaam.
I recently asked my teacher, Shaykh Muhammad ‘Umar Baazmool (may Allaah preserve him), about this issue. I asked:
فرق كأمثال “الإخوان المسلمين” و”حزب الله” التي ليست أسماؤها _ حسب معانيها الشرعية _ مطابقة لحقيقة الجماعة… ألا يحسن لنا أن نقول “الفرقة التي يقال لها حزب الله” ونحو ذلك مما يشعر بعدم قبول هذه التسمية عند أهل السنة؟ بدلا من إطلاق الاسم الذي هم يريدون بلا تعليق؟
Regarding groups like ‘al-Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon’ and ‘Hizbollah’ which have names which do not accurately describe the reality of the group, based on the Islaamic meanings of those names, isn’t it befitting for us to say, ‘the group which is called Hizbollah,’ and similar terms which indicate that Ahlus-Sunnah do not accept these names? As opposed to using the name which they want for themselves, without any note (of disagreement)?
The shaykh (may Allaah bless him) responded by saying:
نعم هذا الذي ينبغي، معاملة لهم بخلاف مقصدهم بالتسمية التي يطلقونها على انفسهم. والله الموفق.
Yes, this is what is appropriate, to deal with them in a way that opposes their goal in using those names for themselves. And Allaah is the One who grants success.
Source: Written correspondence dated 1436/1/23.
And Allaah knows best.
Written by: Moosaa Richardson
Are you sure you meant to say ‘tactfully’ and not ‘tactically’ ?
tactically! may Allaah bless you
what shld we giv a group like ahlussunnah walljamaa waljihadi in NNigeria? They ar making islam difficult to practice by comitin atrocities wic ar attributed to Muslims with beard nd having trousers above their ankles
Indeed these khawaarij are te sabab that islaam has become strange these days. Let’s weep for the fact that in several, perhaps many countries ahlussunnah have a difficult time practising the sunnah of the prophet. Maybe we should call IS, Ad-dawlah al-kufriyyah for falling into kufr and making halaal wat Allaah made haraam, killing many muslims and leaving ahlul awthaan. May Allaah destroy them
ASSALAMU ALAIKUM
1) Can the ISIS be considered worse then the non-Muslims because the Prophet referred to them as being “dogs of hell”?
2) Also, who did the Prophet mention as being the ones in the lowest depth of hell?
3) Are we supposed to write “hell” with a captail “h”?
JazakumAllaahKhair
Wa ‘alaykas-salaamu wa rahmatullaah.
1) The Khawaarij Cult are more harmful to the image of Islam than the most devout enemies of Islam, they leave the Deen like an arrow slicing through its target, dogs of Hell representing Islam and marring its image on a world stage!
2) I don’t know anyone specifically that he named, but the hypocrites in general are there, as found in Quran 4:145.
3) Formal names are generally capitalized in English, so yes, because Hell is the formal name of a place. And Allaah knows best.
What do we call “Hizb ut Tahrir”, considering that “Hizb ut Shaytan” already is used in reference to Hezbollah?
Did the salaf ever refer to the jahmiyyah or khwaarij or any other sect by other than their chosen names?
Yes, they referred to the Khawaarij as the Maariqah (those who have exited, left through the Deen), while the names Khawaarij and Jahmiyyah were originally the words applied to them by Ahlus-Sunnah anyway. ِAlso, the Khawaarij called themselves “Shuraat” (Those who have purchased, i.e. Paradise) and “Jamaa’at al-Mu’mineen” (the party of believers), names which the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah did not accept for them, nor use. Rather, Ahlus-Sunnah referred to them as khawaarij (rebels), bughaat, fussaaq, ahlul-khurooj, maariqah, etc. Also, the Shee’ah hate to be called the “Raafidhah” (the cult of refusal), yet this name is something the scholars have applied to them and continue to do so. However, they prefer the more agreeable ascription of “Ja’fariyyah” for themselves, an ascription to Ja’far as-Saadiq, yet the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah rarely use this in reference to them. And Allaah knows best.
Are the khawaarij kuffaar? I know that they are the dogs of hell fire.
The scholars differ over this, but it seems strong to say they are disbelievers, as you mentioned: They are the dogs of the Hellfire, and the Prophet (may Allaah raise his rank and grant him peace) talked about fighting against them like how disbelieving nations of the past were destroyed. And Allaah knows best.
السلام عليكم
Are Ahlul bidah allowed to enter masjids of the people of Sunnah? For example Ali RadhiAllahu anhu letting the khawarij pray in the masjid or are they too be expelled like how imaam Malik expelled the one who asked about istawaa?
جزاك اللّٰه خيراً
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله
People of innovation are of different levels of involvement, and their innovations are of varying degrees of opposition to Allaah’s Guidance. The strategy in dealing with them differs based on these and other factors. Those responsible for the masjid must protect the people from calls to misguidance, so when an innovator is an active caller, he must be prevented from spreading his call. Yet, another person on innovation could be genuinely seeking guidance. Those responsible are to consult the people of knowledge for the details of how to handle specific cases.
Likewise, the ‘Quranists’ or ‘Quraniyun’ should be referred to as ‘Hadith Rejectors’ since they don’t really follow the Qur’an in actuality, as they don’t really follow the verses clearly pointing to following the Sunnah (53:3-4) (59:7) and in actuality, they follow opinions rather than the meanings Allah intended by His speech, which was only known by the one whom it was revealed upon (peace and blessings be upon him) in the first place. Attempting to understand the Qur’an without the Sunnah (i.e. Hadith) means you will inevitably fall into conjecture based on opinions and desires to fill the gaps.
Also, the so-called ‘Moderate Muslims’ are in actuality ‘Deen Compromisers’ or ‘Modernists’, as they water down Islam to a mere set of outward rituals and cultural practices (of course there’s levels to this), whereas the foundations of their lifestyle is based upon the ways of the modern secular ideologies, hence they end up treating Islam like any other religion in the same way the secularists do, just so they can please the kuffar by agreeing with their unrestricted equality. As a consequence, the REAL moderate Muslims (or even anyone who practices the religion to some degree) are seen as ‘extreme’ due to the contrast and easily put in the same melting pot as the khawarij (!) in their eyes.
I think the brother meant to say or should have said
“.. the Quranists or Quraniyoon should be referred to as ‘QURAAN Rejectors’ since they don’t really follow the Qur’an in actuality … ” ?
isn’t it ?
Yes, they actually reject the Quran too, yet they fail to see how.
You know what? That works too, jazakallahukhairan. I was intending to come from the angle of them not deserving to be attributed to the Qur’an, hence referring to them by what they leave off, but in reality the name you suggested also applies as the Qur’an and Sunnah (Authentic Hadith) are inseparable in terms of their validity of legislation; as many of the salaf said, the Sunnah explains the Qur’an, specifying the generalities. You could also refer to the so-called ‘Quranists’ as the ‘Opinionists’ too, as they rely on popular opinions to interpret the Qur’an as I mentioned earlier.