Fatwa ID: 09087
Answered by Alimah Easha Amin
Question:
Salaam alaikum.
Is it true that Imam ibn Abidin’s Radd al-Muhtar mentions that a minority opinion of scholars held that intentionally uttering kufr is not kufr, if the meaning was not intended nor was departure from Islam the intention? Can intentionally making a statement of kufr (without coercion etc) but not believing in it all fall under this category? And is it a reliable position to take?
Kindly clarify. Jazakallah Khair.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In Radd al-Muhtar by Ibn Abidin, there is discussion around statements of kufr and whether a person is judged to have left Islam by uttering them.
Ibn Abidin [RH] explains that intentionally uttering clear statements of kufr, without coercion, is itself kufr, even if the person claims “I didn’t mean it” in terms of belief. Even if these words were a joke they would constitute kufr.
This is because:
- Words are taken at their apparent meaning in legal judgment.
- Deliberately pronouncing disbelief is treated as an act of disbelief, not just a belief-state.
- Acts of contempt that go against belief constitute kufr. Eg. Prostrating to idols.
Intention can matter in specific mitigating cases, such as:
- Lack of sobriety / someone who is intoxicated.
- Loss of sanity.
- Coercion (ikrāh).
- Waswasa (obsessive thoughts).
- The person is a child without understanding.
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Alimah Easha Amin
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
بلفظ كفر) أي تكلّم به باختياره غير قاصد معناه، وهذا لا ينافي ما مر من أن الإيمان هو التصديق فقط أو مع الإقرار؛ لأن التصديق وإن كان موجودًا حقيقة لكنه زائل حكمًا، لأن الشارع جعل بعض المعاصي أمارة على عدم وجوده كالهزل المذكور
Raddul Mukhtar Vol 6 pg 356
ثم قال في البحر: والحاصل أن من تكلّم بكلمة الكفر مازحًا أو لاعبًا كفر عند الكل، ولا اعتبار باعتقاده كما صرّح به في الخانية، ومن تكلّم بها خطأ أو مكرهًا لم يكفر
Raddul Mukhtar Vol 6 pg 358
فلا تصح ردة مجنون، ومعتوه وموسوس، وصبي لا يعقل، وسكران، ومكره عليها
Raddul Mukhtar Vol 6 pg 358-359