Q&A: How can I Avoid Kufr or Shirk and Die a Muslim?

Answer to Question:
How can I Avoid Kufr or Shirk and Die a Muslim

To: Islam Zidan
(Translated)

Question:                                                        

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

How can I avoid Kufr (disbelief) or Shirk (polytheism) and die a Muslim? Because I do not want to be one of the greatest losers as to my deeds. Is Kufr only an action, a speech or a conviction???

Please answer, May Allah bless you.

Answer:

Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Your question is twofold:

The first: How one avoids Shirk (polytheism) and Kufr (disbelief) and dies a Muslim.

The second: Is Kufr an action, a speech or a conviction?

We will start by answering the second part of the question because the answer to the first part of the question is based on it...

• Answer to the second part of the question:

Aqeedah (creed) and Iman (belief) are in one sense, namely the decisive belief (at-Tasdeeq al-jazim) conforming to reality with an evidence, and the place of Iman in the heart. It is linked to the decisive belief (at-Tasdeeq al-jazim), and not merely a belief (Tasdeeq), and to be in conformity with reality and with an evidence, so that it is deep rooted in the heart, and then one becomes a believer (mu’min). The place of disbelief (Kufr) is also in the heart, because it is linked to at-Tasdeeq, and the place of at-Tasdeeq is in the heart ... Allah (swt) says:

﴿قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آَمَنَّا قُلْ لَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِنْ قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُم﴾

“The bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. Because it was not settled in their hearts.” [Al-Hujurat: 14].

﴿وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ﴾

“but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.” [Al-Hujurat: 7].

﴿مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾

“Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief… except for one who is forced [to renounce his religion] while his heart is secure in faith. But those who [willingly] open their breasts to disbelief, upon them is wrath from Allah , and for them is a great punishment” [An-Nahl: 106].

Therefore, the orbit of Iman (belief) and Kufr (disbelief) is the assent of the heart and its conviction and not speech and action, because speech and action are the acts of senses and the tongue, which are not the assent of the heart ... Two things, however, must be noted in this context:

1 - Speech and action, although they do not constitute believe they may reflect the belief and show it, and in this case, the speech and the action take the verdict of the belief and through them one may disbelieve. A Muslim disbelieves in four situations:

a. Believing, such as if he believes something from other than Islam, for example to believe in the prophethood of someone after Muhammad (saw), like if someone believes in the prophethood of Qadiani, so he disbelieves by this belief because his heart is knotted upon something other than Islam.

b. Doubting, such as if he doubted a matter of certainty in Islam. So, if someone is doubtful in the prophethood of Muhammad (saw) he would be a Kafir because his heart is no longer knotted upon believing the prophethood of Muhammad (saw).

c. Speech that is indicative of a belief, such as if a person says that there is no Creator or that the Holy Quran is not the Word of Allah, then whoever says such a saying becomes a Kafir by his speech that demonstrates his belief. In this case, however, it is a requirement that the speech is not likely to be interpreted, rather the disbelief (Kufr) in it is clear and definite.

d. Action that is indicative of a belief, such as to prostrate to an idol or pray the prayers of Jews and Christians, for such an action is a reflection of the doctrine of its owner. Whoever prays to an idol or prays the prayer of Jews or Christians, he has disbelieved in doing so, because it is indicative of his belief that is contrary to Islam. As well as in this case the action is not likely to be interpreted, but the Kufr in it is clear and definite.

These are the four situations in which a Muslim becomes a Kafir. As for the belief in something other than Islam and doubt about something that has been definite from Islam, it is evident that they are actions of the heart, because belief and doubt are linked to assent (at-Tasdeeq). However, actions and speeches are not linked to the actions of the heart but are the actions of the senses and the tongue. But because they are linked to the actions of the heart, by their indication to what is in the heart of belief, they were treated as belief in the above-mentioned examples ... The rest of the speeches and actions that do not characterize the belief of their owner remain outside the domain of Kufr and Iman, such as the one committing a sin while he holds Islam and its creed... Therefore, Muslims followed not to declare a Muslim a Kafir (Takfeer) by a sin that he perpetrated except if it was denial. Such as he who does not fast while denying the obligation of fasting. This is Kufr. Whereas, he who does not fast but holds fasting to be obligatory is a sinner and not a Kafir. The Messenger (saw) said: «إِذَا قَالَ الرَّجُلُ لِأَخِيهِ يَا كَافِرُ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِهِ أَحَدُهُمَا»“When a person calls his brother (in Islam) a disbeliever, one of the two will yield the title.” Narrated by Bukhari from the chain of Abu Hurayrah. And in the narration of Ahmad on the authority of Ibn 'Umar from the Messenger (saw) who said:«مَنْ كَفَّرَ أَخَاهُ فَقَدْ بَاءَ بِهَا أَحَدُهُمَا»...“Whoever calls his brother (in Islam) a disbeliever, one of them will one of the two will yield that.”

2. The decisive belief (at-Tasdeeq al-jazim) in the language has an indication of commitment, and it is the agreement of the tongue with the heart, and not to deny what he decisively believed in. So, one do not say that I believe in Allah, and I assert authoritatively that He is the Creator of this universe and He has no partner, and then he says that Allah wrongs or has a partner or He is not the Creator. Or he denies an obligation made by Allah (swt), the Creator of the universe, if it was proven with certainty that He (swt) has made it an obligation. Such as if one says he believes in Allah and then he denies the prayer or fasting or any matter known by Islam of necessity ..., then this person becomes a Kafir because he denies Allah’s command that is definitively proven.

Like this, Iblis disbelieved, may Allah curse him, because he denied the soundness of Allah’s command to him to prostrate to Adam, although he believes in the existence of Allah, but denies the soundness of His command. Allah (swt) says:

﴿قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍ﴾

“[Allah] said 'What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you' [Satan] said 'I am better than him You created me from fire and created him from clay'.” [Al-A’raf: 12].

He declared that Allah is wrong in commanding him to prostrate ... Iblis, may Allah curse him, saw that it is correct that Adam should prostrate to him and him not to prostrate to Adam, and he denied, may Allah curse him, the soundness of Allah’s command, thus he was of the Kafir criminals. Likewise, those who had conviction in their hearts of the soundness of the verses which Moses, peace be upon him, brought to them but denied them with their tongues and considered them magic, they had disbelieved. Allah Almighty said:

﴿وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُفْسِدِينَ﴾

“And they rejected them, while their [inner] selves were convinced thereof, out of injustice and haughtiness. So see how was the end of the corrupters.” [An-Naml: 14].

In conclusion:

The origin of Kufr is that it is a conviction (of something other than Islam), which is not a speech or an action, unless the speech or the action expresses a belief or denial of what is definite in Islam.  In these cases, action and speech take the verdict of belief and they become Kufr, Allah forbid.

• Answer for the first part of the question:

As for how one avoids Kufr and Shirk and dies a Muslim, the reference to this is two basic things:

1 - To take the doctrine through the correct methodology that is indicated in the Holy Quran and the purified Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). And we can summarize its most important features in the following points:

a. Taking the belief with certainty, not speculation (dhann). That is, the evidences that indicate the required subject should be indisputable evidences in provenance and interpretation.

The Almighty said:

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنْثَى