Status of the Shias and Barelwis

Question:-

Please can you clarify the status of the Shīʿa and Barēlwī sects: are their scholars and lay-people considered to be Muslim, and is it permissible to make blanket Takfīr of them?

Please can you also discuss the positions of the founder of the Barēlwī sect and whether he himself is considered to be Muslim?

Answer:-

The Fatwa of Ali Radiallahu Anhu in regards to the Shias which is recorded in Ahsanul Fataawa on page 84 vol 1:

If I were to assess our Shiah, they will prove to be people who merely make verbal claims and are fabricators. If I were to test them, they will all turn out to be apostates.

Imaam Maalik Rahimahullah states under the following verse:

ليغيظ بهم الكفار

So that He may enrage the Kuffar by them

This is the Quranic proof of the Kufr of the Shias, i.e. they burn within themselves when they see the Sahaabah. This is why they are Kaafirs.

(الاعتصام ص1261 ج2 – روح المعاني جزء 26)

The Fatwa of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Rahimahullah in Ghunyatut Taalibeen on pages 156 -162 is as follows:

All groups of the Shiah believe that the appointment of the Imaam takes place under the clear order of Allah Ta’ala; that they are Ma’sum; Hadrat Ali Radiallahu Anhi is superior to all Sahaabah; apart from a few, they all became apostates after the demise of Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam because they did not accept Ali Radiallahu Anhu as the Imaam.

The author of Fataawa Bazzaaziyyah states on page. 317 vol.3:

The one who rejects the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar Radiallahu Anhuma is a Kaafir because there was Ijmaa (consensus) of the Sahaabah on the caliphate of these two.

Fataaaw Aalamghiri states on page. 268 Vol.2:

If the Shiah denigrate Hadrat Abu Bakr and Umar Radiallahu Anhuma and curse them, then they are Kaafirs. The Shiah are out of the fold of Islam and they are Kaafirs. They are to be treated just like how the Shariah treats apostates.

It is recorded in Durr-e-Mukhtaar:

The one who denigrates either of Abu Bakr and Umar Radiallahu Anhuma or criticizes them, is a Kaafir. His repentance will not be accepted.

The Fataawa of Allama Shaami Rahimahullah on pg.294 Vol.2:

There is no room for any doubt about the Kufr of the person who slanders Hadrat Aisha Radiallahu Anha or rejects Abu Bakr Radiallahu Anhu being a Sahaabi.

The Fatwa of Hadrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rahimahullah writes in Hidayatush-Shiah on page 14:

The Shiah are extremely insolent. They cannot be Muslims merely by uttering the Kalimah-e-Tauheed verbally.

The Fatwa of Hadrat Shah Anwar Kashmiri Rahimahullah recorded in Ikfaar-ul-Mulhideen on page 51:

There is no doubt whatsoever about the Kufr of the person who rejects the caliphate of any one of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman Radiallahu Anhum.

2. The Fatwa of Jamiah Khair ul Madaris Multan is as follows:

The beliefs of the Barelwi sect is out of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah. There is no doubt in it being from the Ahle Bidat and Ahle Hawaa (those who follow their whims and fancies). However, the Ulama of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jamaa’ah have not issued a Fatwa of Kufr and Shirk on all members of this sect. Nonetheless, specific individuals who explicitly made statements of Kufr which could not be explained and rationalized correctly, and they are dogged on their Kufr meanings, will become Kaafirs. That is all. Allah Ta’ala knows best!

The message in all the above rulings are quite explicit with regard to the Imaan of the Shiahs and Barelwis.

ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!

ANSWERED BY:

Mufti Mohammed Desai

Date: 13 Rabi-ul-Aakhir 1444 / 08 November 2022