Clerics forbid takfir

Jordan - July 07th, 2005
AMMAN - (JT) - Leading clerics on Wednesday endorsed fatwas (religious edicts) by top Muslim authorities forbidding the declaration of any Muslim an apostate (takfir). Concluding their three-day International Islamic Conference in the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah, the clerics issued a joint statement that forbids declaring any adherent to any one of the eight schools of Islamic jurisprudence an apostate.
Top clerics endorse fatwas forbidding takfir Following is the full text of the statement issued by the International Islamic Conference on Wednesday:
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Peace and Blessings be upon our master Mohammad and his Family
“O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul...” (Al Nisa', 4:1)
In accordance with the fatwas issued by the honourable and respectable Grand Imam Sheikh Al Azhar.
The Grand Ayatollah Al Sayyid Ali Al Sistani, the honourable and respectable grand mufti of Egypt, the honourable and respectable Shiite clerics (both Jaafari and Zaydi), the honourable and respectable grand mufti of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Islamic Fiqh Academy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the grand council for Religious Affairs of Turkey.
The honourable and respectable grand mufti of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the respectable members of its National Fatwa Committee, and the honourable and respectable Sheikh Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi;
And in accordance with what was mentioned in the speech of His Majesty King Abdullah during the opening session of our conference; And in accordance with our own knowledge in sincerity to Allah the Bounteous; And in accordance with what was presented in this our conference by way of research papers and studies, and by way of the discussions that transpired in it;
We, the undersigned, hereby express our approval and affirmation of what appears below:
1) Whosoever is an adherent of one of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (Hanafite, Malikite, Shafite and Hanbalite), the Jaafari (Shiite) school of jurisprudence, the Zaydi school of jurisprudence, the Ibadi school of jurisprudence.
Or the Thahiri school of jurisprudence is a Muslim. Declaring that person an apostate is impossible.
Verily his (or her) blood, honour and property are sacrosanct. Moreover, in accordance with what appeared in the fatwa of the honourable and respectable Sheikh Al Azhar.
It is not possible to declare whosoever subscribes to the Ashaari creed or whoever practices true Sufism an apostate.
Likewise, it is not possible to declare whosoever subscribes to true Salafi thought an apostate. Equally, it is not possible to declare as apostates any group of Muslims who believes in Allah the Mighty and Sublime and His Messenger (may Peace and Blessings be upon him) and the pillars of faith, and respects the pillars of Islam and does not deny any necessary article of religion.
2) There exists more in common between the various schools of jurisprudence than there is difference.
The adherents to the eight schools of jurisprudence are in agreement as regards the basic Islamic principles.
All believe in Allah the Mighty and Sublime, the One and the Unique; that the Noble Koran is the Revealed Word of Allah; and that our master Mohammad, may Blessings and Peace be upon him, is a Prophet and Messenger unto all mankind.
All are in agreement about the five pillars of Islam: The two testaments of faith (shahadatayn), the ritual prayer (salat), almsgiving (zakat), fasting the month of Ramadan (sawm), and the Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah.
All are also in agreement about the foundations of belief: Belief in Allah, His Angels, His Scriptures, His Messengers, and in the Day of Judgement, in divine providence — good and evil. Disagreement between the ulama is only with respect to the ancillary branches of religion (furou) and not the principles and fundamentals (usoul).
Disagreement with respect to the ancillary branches of religion is a mercy. Long ago it was said that variance in opinion among ulama “is a good affair.”
3) Acknowledgement of the schools of jurisprudence within Islam means adhering to a fundamental methodology in the issuance of fatwas.
No one may issue a fatwa without the requisite personal qualifications which each school of jurisprudence defines.
No one may issue a fatwa without adhering to the methodology of the schools of jurisprudence. No one may claim to do absolute ijtihad and create a new school of jurisprudence or to issue unacceptable fatwas that take Muslims out of the principles and certainties of the Sharia and what has been established in respect of its schools of jurisprudence.
4) The essence of the Amman Message, which was issued on the Blessed Night of Power in the year 1425 Hijri and which was read aloud in Masjid Al Hashimiyyeen, is adherence to the schools of jurisprudence and their fundamental methodology.
Acknowledging the schools of jurisprudence and affirming discussion and engagement between them ensures fairness, moderation, mutual forgiveness, compassion and engaging in dialogue with others.
5) We call for casting aside disagreement between Muslims and unifying their words and stances; reaffirming their mutual respect for each other.
Fortifying mutual affinity among their peoples and states; strengthening the ties of brotherhood which unite them in the mutual love of Allah.
And we call upon Muslims to not permit discord and outside interference between them.
Allah the Sublime says:
“The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.” (Al Hujurat, 49:10)
Praise be to Allah alone.
The eight schools, or Madhahib, are Sunni Shafite, Malikite, Hanbalite and Hanafite as well as Shiite Jaafari, Ibadi and Zaydi in addition to Thahiri.
Signed by scholars and clergy of the eight schools, the statement, the first of its kind, also limited the issuance of religious edicts to qualified Muslim clerics in the eight schools.
The endorsement was based on fatwas by Grand Imam of Al Azhar (the top Sunni authority) Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani, (the top Shiite authority in Iraq).
Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Jumaa, Shiite authorities from the Jaafari and Zaydi schools, Grand Mufti of Oman Ahmad Khalili, the Islamic Fiqh Academy in Saudi Arabia.
The Grand Council for Religious Affairs of Turkey, the Grand Mufti of Jordan Izzeddine Tamimi, and the Kingdom's National Fatwa Committee, in addition to leading cleric Yusuf Qaradawi.
Other elements of the statement were drawn from King Abdullah's address to the conference, which urged more than 170 scholars and clerics from the different schools of Islamic thought to unify the global Muslim community against threats to its integrity from both Muslims and non-Muslims.
The King said divisions within the global Islamic community, acts of violence and terrorism, and accusations of apostasy and the killing of Muslims in the name of Islam violate the spirit of Islam and generate global turmoil.
Because they give justification to non-Muslims to judge Islam according to acts that Islam disavows, and subsequently interfere in Muslims' affairs.