Are Shia Kafir

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

Shia are not Kafir according to the sound position. As Ahl al-Sunnah we recognise that there are different groups amongst the Shia. Some are more extreme than others. Therefore, it is incorrect to consider them all Kafir. If any of them consider the Quran to be incomplete or Sayidina Ali to be divine, then they are Kufar.

Explanation

 

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: كَانَ بَيْنَ خَالِدِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ، وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ شَيْءٌ، فَسَبَّهُ خَالِدٌ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا تَسُبُّوا أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِي، فَإِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ لَوْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، مَا أَدْرَكَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ، وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ

(Sayidina) Abu Sa’id reported there was an issue between (Sayidina) Khalid bin al-Walid and (Sayidina) Abd al-Rahman bin Auf, and Khalid insulted (Sabb) him. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Do not insult any of my companions. For if one of you were to spend as much gold as Uhud, it would not amount to as much as a Mudd of one of them, or half of it. (Sahih Muslim 2541 -222).

 

The Shia are not Kafir (disbelievers) according to the sound opinion amongst Sunni Muslims. Meaning we do not declare a blanket Fatwa considering all Shia to be Kafir. However, some beliefs held by some of their more extreme groups are Kufr. Those have been pointed out by leading Sunni Imams and declared Kufr.

 

Insulting is Fisq

Some people insist on propagating a blanket Fatwa that the Shia are Kafir. They often use the argument that they insult (Sabb) great Sahabah, so they are Kafir. Undoubtedly, it is a vile and evil act to insult the blessed companions of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. However, it is not Kufr.

The Hadith narration above is clear proof of the fact that insulting a Sahabi is not Kufr. In that narration, one of the greatest Sahabah is insulted. Yet the blessed Prophet ﷺ does not declare the insulter a disbeliever (Kafir). This is in line with the following Hadith too.

 

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: سِبَابُ المُسْلِمِ فُسُوقٌ، وَقِتَالُهُ كُفْرٌ

(Sayidina) Abdullah (bin Masood) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: Insulting a Muslim is Fusuq (sinful) and killing him is Kufr (disbelief). (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6044).

Irony

The Hadith above makes it abundantly clear that insulting a Muslim is Fisq (sinful) and not Kufr. However, the Hadith does refer to fighting a Muslim being Kufr. It is deeply ironic that some of the people who insist that the Shia are Kafir would want Sunnis to fight them.

 

Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah

 

وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ فِي رِوَايَةِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ: شَتْمُ عُثْمَانَ زَنْدَقَةٌ وَأَجْمَعَ الْقَائِلُونَ بِعَدَمِ تَكْفِيرِ مَنْ سَبَّ الصَّحَابَةَ أَنَّهُمْ فُسَّاقٌ. (فتاوى السبكي)

Ahmad said in the narration of Abu Talib: Cursing (Sayidina) Uthman is heretical. Those who say that the people cursing the companions (Sahabah) are not apostates, are unanimously agreed upon them being sinners. (Imam Taqi al-Deen al-Subki 756H, al-Fataawa).

 

فَان قيل فَلَو اعْتقد مُعْتَقد فسق أبي بكر وَعمر رَضِي الله عَنْهُمَا وَطَائِفَة من الصَّحَابَة فَلم يعْتَقد كفرهم فَهَل تحكمون بِكُفْرِهِ قُلْنَا لَا نحكم بِكُفْرِهِ وَإِنَّمَا نحكم بِفِسْقِهِ وضلاله ومخالفته لإِجْمَاع الْأمة. (فضائح الباطنية)

If it is said that a certain person believed Abu Bakr and Umar (May Allah Most High be pleased with them) and a group of the companions were immoral, but he did not believe that they were infidels, would you judge him to be a disbeliever? We say, we do not judge him to be a disbeliever. Rather we judge him a sinner, who is in misguidance and opposition to the consensus of the Ummah. (Imam al-Ghazali 505H, Fadaih al-Batiniyah).

 

 قوله صحابيًّا أي جنسه فيشمل سب الكل ومثل السب تكفير بعضهم ولو من الخلفاء الأربعة بل كلام الإكمال يفيد عدم كفر من كفر الأربعة وأنه المعتمد فيؤدب فقط خلافًا لقول سحنون. (شرح الزُّرقاني على مختصر خليل)

His statement: A companion, meaning the category. So it encompasses cursing all. Similar to cursing is declaring some of them infidels. Even among the four caliphs. Rather, al-Ikmal’s words denote that it is not Kufr to declare the four disbelievers, and that is the relied upon position. So he is to be chastised only. Contrary to Sahnoun’s position. (Imam al-Zurqani 1099H, Sharh Mukhtasar al-Khalil).

 

In the Nusoos (texts) above we find major Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah mentioning that insulting Sahabah is not Kufr. However, they do allude to a difference of opinion. Those who consider the Shia Kafir mention the issue of insulting the Sahabah. So the above is especially relevant to them. Since the Nusoos above would dictate that the Shia are not Kafir.

Clarification

Although the general position of Ahl al-Sunnah is that the Shia are not Kafir, that does not mean that they can do or say anything and remain Muslim. Rather, Sunni scholars mentioned some of the more extreme beliefs amongst them and did declare them Kufr. However, they did not consider these beliefs to be representative of the majority of Shia.

 

وَبِهَذَا ظَهَرَ أَنَّ الرَّافِضِيَّ إنْ كَانَ مِمَّنْ يَعْتَقِدُ الْأُلُوهِيَّةَ فِي عَلِيٍّ، أَوْ أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ غَلِطَ فِي الْوَحْيِ، أَوْ كَانَ يُنْكِرُ صُحْبَةَ الصِّدِّيقِ، أَوْ يَقْذِفُ السَّيِّدَةَ الصِّدِّيقَةَ فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ لِمُخَالَفَتِهِ الْقَوَاطِعَ الْمَعْلُومَةَ مِنْ الدِّينِ بِالضَّرُورَةِ، بِخِلَافِ مَا إذَا كَانَ يُفَضِّلُ عَلِيًّا أَوْ يَسُبُّ الصَّحَابَةَ فَإِنَّهُ مُبْتَدِعٌ لَا كَافِرٌ كَمَا أَوْضَحْته فِي كِتَابِي تَنْبِيهُ الْوُلَاةِ. (رد المحتار على الدر المختار)

Due to this it becomes clear that if the Rafidhi is amongst those who believed in the divinity of Ali, or that Jibreel made a mistake in the revelation, or he denied the companionship of al-Siddiq, or he slanders al-Sayidah al-Siddiqah, he is an infidel. Since he contradicted indisputable facts about the religion, that are known by necessity. As opposed to him favoring Ali or insulting the companions. In that case he is an innovator, not an infidel. As I explained in my book, Tanbih al-Wulaat. (Imam Ibn Abideen 1252H, Radd al-Muhtar).

 

Difference of opinion

The approach of specifically pointing out the beliefs that are Kufr and those that are not Kufr is the fairest and most beneficial approach. That way Muslims are sufficiently warned against Kufr whilst not declaring all Shia Kuffar (disbelievers). It is also fair to point out that there is some difference amongst the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah.

وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ الْبَنَّا فِي تَكْفِيرِ مَنْ سَبَّ الصَّحَابَةَ وَالسَّلَفَ مِنَ الرَّافِضَةِ، وَمَنْ سَبَّ عَلِيًّا مِنَ الْخَوَارِجِ: خِلَافًا، وَالَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ الْقَاضِي عَدَمُ التَّكْفِيرِ. (المبدع في شرح المقنع)

Ibn al-Banna mentioned a difference regarding the Kufr (unbelief) of the one who insults the companions and the Salaf among the Rafidites, and the one who insults Ali from the Kharijites. And al-Qadi said it is not declared Kufr. (Imam Ibn Muflih 844H, al-Mubdi).

As seen above, many Sunni Imams explained that insulting Sahabah is extremely sinful but not Kufr. However, some scholars did consider it to be Kufr. But that does not seem to be the sound opinion. Rather it is more correct to consider extreme Shia Kuffar, not all Shia.

 

وَكَذَلِك نقطع بتكفير غلاة الرافضة فِي قولهم إنّ الْأَئِمَّة أفضل مِن الْأَنْبِيَاء. (الشفا بتعريف حقوق المصطفى)

Likewise, we affirm that the extremists of the Rafidah are infidels when they say that the Imams are better than the Prophets. (Qadi Iyad 544H, al-Shifa)

 

Specify the Kufr

In the text below Imam al-Showkani provides some useful guidance. If one wants to declare a particular position to be Kufr, then it should be demonstrated as to how it has caused one to deny the Holy Quran. Not simply a failure to adhere to Quranic injunctions but denial itself.

 

والخلاصة: أن القول بعدم تكفير من سب الصحابة ليس على إطلاقه، وإنما هو مشروط بعدم مصادمة النصوص الصريحة من الكتاب والسنة الصحيحة، وعدم إنكارها هو معلوم من الدين بالضرورة وعلى هذا يحمل كلام من أطلق القول بعدم التكفير. (الفتح الرباني من فتاوى الإمام الشوكاني)

In conclusion: The position that the one who insults the companions is not to be declared an infidel, is not absolute. Rather it is conditional on not clashing with the explicit texts of the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah. And not denying them. That is known from the religion by necessity. The words of those who made the general statement of it not being disbelief are qualified by this. (Imam al-Showkani 1250H, al-Fath al-Rabani).

 

Treated as believers

As seen from the discussion above, Shia are not Kafir. A major challenge for those who do insist on considering them Kafir is how the Sunnis have treated them throughout the ages. In the books of Hanafi Fiqh it mentions the validity of praying behind them. Although it is Makruh. If they were Kafir then it would be invalid.

Legal texts also speak about accepting their court testimony. Which is once again a clear proof that the Shia are not Kafir. Most importantly great Hadith Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah narrated from the Shia. If they considered them Kufar then that would not be permissible.

 

Conclusion

The Sunni position is that the Shia are not Kafir. However, they are certainly deviant. This is the sound position within Ahl al-Sunnah. Some groups amongst them are more extreme and may well have become Kafir. But that does not allow us to issue a blanket Fatwa against all Shia.

There are groups amongst Sunni Muslim that go astray too. Some of them may say extreme things that are Kufr. Yet, we remain reluctant to declare entire groups Kafir. This is the tradition of Sunni Muslims, we avoid Takfeer (declaring people Kafir) as much as possible.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (20.10.24)