The “universal” declaration of human rights states that:

  1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
  2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

In Islam, rights are derived from religion. The status of Muslims is distinct from the status of ahl ul dhimma, which is distinct from ahl ul ‘ahd, which is distinct from the status of ahl ul harb. Among these, there is a distinction between ahl ul kitab and other mushrikeen.

Nationalism replaces this system, and is thus a new invention in both Islam and other religions. In Islamic jurisprudence, there is no difference between betraying your country and betraying your deen. Treason and apostasy do not exist as separate crimes. This is more suitable to the nature of reality; any betrayal of the true religion is a betrayal of the homeland, because Islam is a mercy to the entire universe. Choosing to reject Islam means to betray both your homeland and your people.

Takfir is thus a method of defining someone who is a clear enemy to the ummah, whether by word or deed. This is similar to how the body’s immune system identifies a cell that has become cancerous or an infection, and terminates it before the disease spreads.

The condition of Islam is one of justice, unity, and leadership, while the condition of ignorance is one of tribalistic anarchy and injustice. The basis of jahiliyyah is acting based upon desires, pride, loyalty to kin, or other worldly interests, while in Islam, life is structured according to obedience to Allah and seeking the well being of all in this world hereafter.

The basis of the unity of a group is the strength of its identity. The stronger a sense of shared identity becomes, the stronger the bond between members of a group will become. This shared identity depends strongly on the definition of the other, and takfir is how we define the other. Takfir is fundamental to the maintenance of Islamic identity. Takfir defines someone who has committed manifest disbelief in Allah, and cannot exist in harmony with an Islamic system.

The Muslim ummah is facing two crises; one is the rampant spread of nationalism as a basis for identity, rather than Islam. The other is a crisis of takfir in response to modern maladies like nationalism, whereby many Muslims go too far in attempting to defend and preserve Islam.

The crises of takfir and nationalism are intimately related. Both relate directly to an underlying identity crisis. Maintaining a clear definition of Islamic identity is integral to the strength of the ummah, so the condition of weakness and humiliation in which the Muslims are currently living is partly a result of this identity crisis. Both nationalism and takfir are seen as ways to seek honor and security— one by seeking an alternative to Islamic identity, and the other by seeking to restore the strength and integrity of Islamic identity.

Even recently, the boundary which defined Islamic identity in a political sense was maintained. For example, just a few hundred years ago, kuffar were not allowed to travel through the Red Sea by ship because it was understood that allowing them this close to the Two Holy Mosques would be a form of contamination.

Ideas and ideologies foreign to Islam have penetrated the hearts and minds of the Muslims to such an extent that some Muslims have gotten into the habit of takfir on Muslims, so that they do this very easily and lightly, although it is essentially passing a death sentence on them. This is one extreme of this crisis, while the on the other extreme are those who assign rights that belong to Islam and the Muslims to their nation and those who share their nationality instead. Resolving these crises is dependent on the reconstitution of Islam as a political entity, because a common identity depends on common interests.

In relation to takfir, this is a delicate issue. The Prophet ﷺ said:

‏”‏ وَأَنَا آمُرُكُمْ بِخَمْسٍ اللَّهُ أَمَرَنِي بِهِنَّ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ وَالْجِهَادُ وَالْهِجْرَةُ وَالْجَمَاعَةُ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الإِسْلاَمِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ وَمَنِ ادَّعَى دَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ جُثَا جَهَنَّمَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ صَلَّى وَصَامَ قَالَ ‏”‏ وَإِنْ صَلَّى وَصَامَ فَادْعُوا بِدَعْوَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْحَارِثُ الأَشْعَرِيُّ لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ وَلَهُ غَيْرُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ‏.‏

“And I command you with five that Allah commanded me: Listening and obeying, Jihad, Hijrah, and the Jama’ah. For indeed whoever parts from the Jama’ah the measure of a hand-span, then he has cast off the yoke of Islam from his neck, unless he returns. And whoever calls with the call of Jahiliyyah then he is from the coals of Hell.” A man said: “O Messenger of Allah! Even if he performs Salat and fasts?” So he (ﷺ) said: “Even if he performs Salat and fasts. So call with the call that Allah named you with: Muslims, believers, worshipers of Allah.”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2863

The differences of opinion of the definition of the jama’ah are very important here. In one sense, the jama’ah, in the shari’ sense, is understood as the unified political entity which encompasses and represents the main body of the Muslims. If we understand that a small group of Muslims is the jama’ah, it can easily lead to takfir of other groups, as we end up equating a single group to Islam itself.

At the same time, there are many Muslims with iman living within nation-states. This can lead to some conceptual challenges. For example, Abu Bakr Shekau, the leader of Jamaat Ahlus Sunnah li-Dawah wal Jihad in Nigeria, insisted that a person must either identify as Muslim or Nigerian. If the bond of loyalty is foundational to identity, which is foundational to Islam, it logically follows that one whose identity is based upon a bond of loyalty other than Islam cannot be a Muslim.

The Prophet ﷺ dissociated himself from and freed himself of responsibility for Muslims who settled among the mushrikeen.

 أَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِنْ كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ يُقِيمُ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

“I am free from every Muslim who settles among the mushrikeen.”

Sunan Abi Dawud 2645

He ﷺ wanted to make it clear that if Muslims were killed in the battles, he was not responsible for their deaths. Of course, since nationalism has been imposed on most of the ummah by force, rather than by choice, Shekau’s stance is problematic, to say the least. On the other extreme, during the Rabaa massacre in Egypt, government scholars labeled the pro-Ikhwan protesters as khawarij— meaning “those who go out.” This is based on an understanding of the nation-state as being the jama’ah. Since the Ikhwan opposed the state, they were labeled as having “gone out” of the jama’ah.

Discussions of takfir have taken on much importance in our time, because the reestablishment of an Islamic polity requires negotiating the boundaries of identity. Takfir acts as a filter for the constituent members of the jama’ah, and is a major active force in shaping the character of the jama’ah. It’s very important, then, to seek a careful balance when defining the boundaries of Islamic identity; if an approach is too tight, it will lead to isolation from the general masses of Muslims, and if it is too loose it will lead to a lack of cohesion and catastrophic internal dissension.

One should not be disappointed when efforts to unify the ranks of the Muslims fail, just as one should not be despair at military defeats in jihad. These actions entail striving towards a goal, but first and foremost, they are acts of worship. In reality, we know that the goal of unity will not be achieved, because the Prophet ﷺ said:

سَأَلْتُ رَبِّي ثَلاَثًا فَأَعْطَانِي ثِنْتَيْنِ وَمَنَعَنِي وَاحِدَةً سَأَلْتُ رَبِّي أَنْ لاَ يُهْلِكَ أُمَّتِي بِالسَّنَةِ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لاَ يُهْلِكَ أُمَّتِي بِالْغَرَقِ فَأَعْطَانِيهَا وَسَأَلْتُهُ أَنْ لاَ يَجْعَلَ بَأْسَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ فَمَنَعَنِيهَا ‏”‏ ‏.‏

“I asked my Lord three things and He has granted me two but has withheld one. I asked my Lord that my ummah should not be destroyed because of prevailing famine and He granted this to me. And I asked my Lord, that my ummah should not be destroyed by drowning (by deluge) and He granted this to me. And I asked my Lord that my ummah not be destroyed by fighting among themselves, but He did not grant it to me.”

Sahih Muslim 2890a

Nonetheless, it is upon us to work towards unity, and these efforts carry their own benefit and their own reward, regardless of the outcome.