Is It Correct to Call a Shia or Any Kalimah-professing Muslim a Kāfir?
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – ʿAqāʾid ka Bayān, Vol. 1, p. 68
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
In Islamic creed, declaring an individual or a group as kāfir (disbeliever) is an extremely delicate and serious matter.
Such a ruling cannot be made merely on the basis of belonging to a certain sect or carrying a particular name; rather, it must be in accordance with the clear teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
A person will be considered a kāfir if:
① He denies any verse of the Qur’an.
② He rejects an authentic ḥadīth or Sunnah established from the Prophet ﷺ.
③ He abandons any of the pillars of Islam.
In such cases, whether the individual is from the Shia school of thought, or claims to be Ahl al-Ḥadīth, or Ahl al-Sunnah, the ruling will be the same — disbelief is determined by kufriyyah belief or action, not by sectarian label alone.
Summary:
A person can only be declared kāfir due to explicit disbelief in belief or practice proven by the Qur’an and Sunnah — never solely because of sect affiliation or the name of a group.
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – ʿAqāʾid ka Bayān, Vol. 1, p. 68
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
In Islamic creed, declaring an individual or a group as kāfir (disbeliever) is an extremely delicate and serious matter.
Such a ruling cannot be made merely on the basis of belonging to a certain sect or carrying a particular name; rather, it must be in accordance with the clear teachings of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Criteria for Takfīr (Declaring Someone Kāfir):
A person will be considered a kāfir if:
① He denies any verse of the Qur’an.
② He rejects an authentic ḥadīth or Sunnah established from the Prophet ﷺ.
③ He abandons any of the pillars of Islam.
In such cases, whether the individual is from the Shia school of thought, or claims to be Ahl al-Ḥadīth, or Ahl al-Sunnah, the ruling will be the same — disbelief is determined by kufriyyah belief or action, not by sectarian label alone.
Summary:A person can only be declared kāfir due to explicit disbelief in belief or practice proven by the Qur’an and Sunnah — never solely because of sect affiliation or the name of a group.
