The Shari‘ah Ruling on Insulting Islamic Beliefs and Holding False Doctrines
Source: Fatawa Muhammadiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 182
❖ Question
What do the scholars of Islam say about the case of Professor Muhammad Rafiq and Mrs. Surayya (Government College, Lahore), who authored a textbook for students in which the following statements, openly contradicting the Qur’an and Hadith, are written:
➊ The number of daily prayers may still be reduced.
➋ The system of Rasulullah ﷺ is now outdated; a new way of life must be adopted.
➌ The Prophet ﷺ liked music.
➍ The teachings of the Qur’an are not original.
➎ Giving Hadith a universal status is wrong.
➏ Fasting is not necessary in today’s era.
➐ One is free to perform ijtihad according to personal desire.
➑ The world is not a place of trial.
➒ Pigs are not as filthy as people think; their meat is a fine food and a cure for many diseases.
➓ Pigs are smarter, more agile, and braver than ordinary animals, so calling someone a pig is a form of praise.
⓫ Marriage should be a three-year contract; free mixing of men and women poses no danger, rather it is commendable.
The question: Can people holding such beliefs still be called Muslims? What is their ruling in Shari‘ah? Are they murtadd (apostates) and wajib al-qatl (liable to execution)? And if they repent from their false beliefs, will their repentance be accepted?
❖ Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
If the question is accurate, then those who hold such beliefs are undoubtedly outside the fold of Islam. Their heresy is so evident that their book must be burned.
◈ Belief that Prayers May Be Reduced —
The five daily prayers are an obligation fixed by Allah Himself.
As recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Bab Kayfa Furidat as-Salah fil-Isra’ (vol. 1, p. 51), from the Hadith of Yunus رضي الله عنه:
فقال هى خمس وهى خمسون لايبدل القول لدى
Allah said: “They are five, but equal to fifty in reward, and My word is not subject to change.”
Similarly, in Sahih al-Bukhari (vol. 1, p. 15), Anas رضي الله عنه narrated that Dhamam bin Tha‘labah رضي الله عنه asked Rasulullah ﷺ:
“I ask you by Allah, has Allah ordered you to command five daily prayers?”
The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Yes, indeed He has.”
Numerous authentic ahadith prove that the five prayers were fixed by Allah. To claim otherwise is to deny Allah’s decisive ruling, and such denial is kufr.
◈ Calling the System of Rasulullah ﷺ Outdated —
To say that the system of Rasulullah ﷺ is outdated and that a new way of life is needed is blatant disbelief and heresy. The Islamic way of life is eternal and never becomes obsolete.
Allah says:
﴿إِنَّ الدّينَ عِندَ اللَّهِ الإِسلـمُ﴾ (Āl ʿImrān: 19)
﴿وَمَن يَبتَغِ غَيرَ الإِسلـمِ دينًا فَلَن يُقبَلَ مِنهُ﴾ (Āl ʿImrān: 85)
﴿أَفَغَيرَ دينِ اللَّهِ يَبغونَ﴾ (Āl ʿImrān: 83)
﴿يُريدونَ أَن يَتَحاكَموا إِلَى الطّـغوتِ﴾ (al-Nisāʾ: 60)
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الكـفِرونَ﴾ (al-Māʾidah: 44)
﴿…الظّـلِمونَ﴾ (al-Māʾidah: 45)
﴿…الفـسِقونَ﴾ (al-Māʾidah: 47)
These verses make it clear that no system of life other than Islam is acceptable to Allah. Adopting any non-Islamic system is following taghut. The Qur’an declares such people to be disbelievers, oppressors, sinners, and transgressors.
◈ The Lie that Rasulullah ﷺ Loved Music —
The claim that Rasulullah ﷺ loved music is an absolute fabrication. He was sent precisely to abolish musical instruments and idle amusements.
As recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud and Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi:
بعثت لمحق المزامير والمعازف (Mishkat al-Masabih)
The Qur’an also says:
﴿وَمِنَ النّاسِ مَن يَشتَرى لَهوَ الحَديثِ﴾ (Luqmān: 6)
Hasan al-Basri رحمه الله said: Lahw al-Hadith refers to anything that distracts from Allah’s worship and remembrance, such as vain stories, excessive joking, singing, and musical instruments (Ruh al-Maʿani).
Imam Ibn Kathir رحمه الله explicitly stated that Lahw al-Hadith means songs and instruments of amusement (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 3, p. 457).
Thus, claiming that Rasulullah ﷺ liked music is nothing but a lie against him. And one who lies against the Prophet ﷺ is destined for Hell.
As in Sahih al-Bukhari:
من كذب على فليتبوأ مقعده من النار
This Hadith is mutawatir, narrated by thirty Companions, and scholars have ruled that such a liar is a disbeliever.
✦ The rest of their corrupt beliefs—denial of Qur’an’s originality, rejection of Hadith, negation of fasting, allowance of free mixing, legitimizing pig meat and praising swine, contract marriage, etc.—are each individually sufficient to expel a person from the fold of Islam.
Hence, those who hold such beliefs are apostates (murtadd) and liable to execution (wajib al-qatl).
If they sincerely repent and return to true Islamic belief, their repentance will be accepted; otherwise, they remain outside Islam.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
