❖ Ruling on Declaring Something Lawful Which Allah Has Made Unlawful
Source: Fatawa Ameenpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri
❖ Question:
What is the ruling on someone who declares something lawful (ḥalāl) which Allah has clearly made unlawful (ḥarām)?
❖ Answer:
Knowingly declaring something clearly forbidden by Allah as lawful is an act of disbelief (kufr), because it entails denial of Divine Revelation and constitutes a lie against Allah.
❖ Scholarly Consensus:
❀ Imam al-Zajjāj رحمه الله (d. 311 AH), the renowned linguist, stated:
"إن من أحل شيئا مما حرم الله فهو كافر بإجماع."
"Whoever declares anything that Allah has made unlawful as lawful is a disbeliever — this is by unanimous consensus."
(Maʿānī al-Qur’ān wa Iʿrābuh: 1/468, 2/152; Al-Tafsīr al-Basīṭ by al-Wāḥidī: 5/588)
❖ Qur’anic Evidence:
﴿وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَا تَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُكُمُ الْكَذِبَ هَٰذَا حَلَالٌ وَهَٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِتَفْتَرُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ لَا يُفْلِحُونَ﴾
(Surah al-Naḥl: 116)
"And do not say about what your tongues describe falsely: ‘This is lawful, and this is unlawful,’ to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who fabricate lies against Allah will never succeed."
❖ Explanation by Mufassirīn:
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله (d. 774 AH) commented:
"يدخل فى هذا كل من ابتدع بدعة ليس له فيها مستند شرعي أو حلل شيئا مما حرم الله أو حرم شيئا مما أباح الله بمجرد رأيه وتشهيهم."
"This verse includes everyone who introduces an innovation (bidʿah) without any Sharʿī evidence, or declares something lawful which Allah has forbidden, or forbids something lawful, based merely on personal opinion or desires."
(Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr: 2/779)
✔ Summary:
Knowingly declaring ḥarām as ḥalāl is an act of kufr. This is a consensus-based ruling of the Ummah. Doing so amounts to lying upon Allah and rejecting His Revelation. Even legalizing innovation or altering rulings without Sharʿī evidence falls under this condemnation.