Is one considered a Murji if he has Irjaa in his Fundaments (Usool)

A Question to the Noble, Shaykh Sulayman Ibn Nasser al-Ulwaan

Question:

Can we say about a person that he is a Murji’ due to his saying: “There is no action, which takes a person outside Islam unless it is accompanied with Juhood or Istihlaal”, while at the same he says: “Iman is sayings and actions and beliefs?”

Answer:

The principle when labelling a person being a Kharidji or a Murji’ or a Mu’tazili or other than that, is that his Usool are the Ushool of that Madhab. An example of that is if a person says: “I believe that Iman is sayings and actions and beliefs, but I also say that the actions – there is nothing from them that is Kufr except that which is based upon Juhood or Istihlaal or something like that.” This man took an Asl from the Usool of the people of Irjaa’, even if he says:“I believe that Iman is saying and actions”, because this belief is not correct and not established in his heart. And that is because if he truly believed that Iman is sayings and actions and beliefs, then he would have declared the Kufr of the one who abandons the actions. Because there is no difference of opinion among the Ahlul Sunnah that Tawheed is sayings and beliefs and actions.

So if he truly believed that Tawheed was sayings, beliefs and actions, then why does he not make Takfeer to the one who abandons the actions? And for this, Shaykh ul-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab, may Allah grant him mercy, in “Kashf Ash-Shubahaat” – it its conclusion – he said: {“There is no difference of opinion that the Tawheed must be in the heart and upon the tongue and the actions. And if anyone of those were absent, then the man would not be a Muslim. So if he knows Tawheed but does not act upon it, then he is a stubborn Kafir, such as Fir’awn and Iblees and the likes of them. And this is the general thing of most of the people. They say, “This is true, and we understand this and wear bear witness that it is correct; however, we are unable to perform it and it is not allowed among the people of our country except for us to comply with them,”} or other than that from their excuses.

And this poor person does not know that most of the Imams of Kufr know the truth and they did not abandon it except for something of the excuses like He, the Most High said: {‘They purchased with the Ayaat of Allah a miserable gain,’} and other than that from the Ayaat. Such as His saying: {‘They know him as they know their own sons.’} And if he acts upon the Tawheed through apparent actions, and does not understand it, or does not believe it in his heart, then he is a Munafiq and he is more evil then the pure Kafir.

He, the Most High, said: {“Verily the Munafiqeen are in the lowest depths of the Fire.”} – until the end of his (i.e Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab’s) words, may Allah be merciful to him. And they should be reviewed because they are beautiful words and are fierce in their refutation of the people of Irjaa.’

And like that also, is the Kharaji if he says: “Iman is saying upon the tongue and beliefs and actions but I also say that the perpetrator of a major sin disbelieves.” So how does the perpetrator of a major sin disbelieve while the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be Upon him) did not make Takfeer of him!?

We say that this is the Madhab of the Khawarij. And like that is the Murji’ in the beginning. We say that he is a Murji’ and like that is if a person says: “I judge upon the texts (of Islam i.e Quran and Sunnah) with the intellect and I do not accept the Ahaad (i.e non-continuous narrations,” then we say that he is a Mu’tazili. So everyone who takes from the Usool of the people of Bid’ah, we say that he is astray in this issue and that he is upon the Usool of the people of Irjaa’ in this matter.

And Allah knows best.