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Who are we not to judge?

by · 2nd May, 2005

Muslim WakeUp recently published an article, Let God Be the Judge, in which the author recalls the emotional act she put on when asked to sign a declaration that the Qadiani sect are not Muslims in order to obtain her Pakistani citizenship as a Muslim. The “Declaration for Muslims Only” includes three clauses emphasising the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), specifically denouncing Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the impostor he was and his followers as non-Muslims. Bariza Umar objects to this, stating that she refuses to judge whether anyone is a non-Muslim.

To accuse someone of not being a Muslim is, of course, a very serious affair; it is something only the ulama are permitted to do. Of all the heretical and schismatic sects which have appeared, only a few have been pronounced as having left Islam altogether. But there are some things for which the judgements are clear, and one of those is the finality of Prophethood. The evidences for this are copious, and it has been the well-known consensus of the Ummah for its whole history. The way false prophets were dealt with by the Prophet (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and the Companions is also very well-known. They were fought and killed.

Bariza Umar reports that her “hand started shaking” as she “was confronted by the bigoted hate-mongering declaration”. What on earth is bigoted about clarifying that someone is a Muslim and confirms the Islamic position on false prophets and their followers? Pakistan is (supposed to be) an Islamic republic, and would not need to demand of its Muslims clarification on this particular issue unless there was a dispute - which there is. If a group had emerged which claimed that Muslims do not have to pray, or that they have been somehow mystically absolved of this or some other major Islamic duty (as some corrupt “Sufis” allege), it would be necessary to seek clarification on this before certifying that someone is a Muslim.

After all, they are not expecting you to go and kill them! They are very fond of complaining of persecution in Pakistan, but under Musharraf in particular, the number of Qadianis in positions of power in Pakistan has increased. Apparently Musharraf even removed the declaration which offended Bariza Umar so much, and then re-instated it after “five months of outcries from religious groups”. It’s important to realise that whatever the disagreements between different Islamic groups in Pakistan, they all agree on the Finality of Prophethood. (Shamefully, when discussing their scholars’ involvement in facing down the Qadiani threat when it first appeared, they rarely if ever mention the roles of scholars outside their groupings.)

The article in fact comes close to doing what its author accuses the Pakistani government of doing! In this case, the accusation is not kufr (disbelief) exactly, but shirk (idolatry):

It is not my concern whether or not Ahmedis are in fact Muslim. My only concern is being forced to declare a group one way or another when I believe that right belongs only to Allah. The Government of Pakistan is therefore being blasphemous and equating itself with the power of God when it passes judgment on this issue. Where is it said in the Qur’an that what defines you as Muslim is condemnation and judgment of another group?

Perhaps you believe that “the right belongs only to Allah”, but in fact, the means by which to judge have been revealed in this case. The Prophet (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) told us in no uncertain terms that he was the last prophet; therefore, if you say that another prophet has come, you are accusing the Prophet (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) of lying. You disbelieve the Messenger of Allah (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), and the word for disbelief is kufr. The Muslim Ummah has seen fit to judge the Qadianis as disbelievers, and fatwas have been issued from east to west that this is the case.

Of course, we cannot judge what is in a man’s heart, even if he shows signs of hypocrisy. That judgement belongs only to Allah ta’ala. When we find something strange in a speech someone makes, perhaps something contradicts a ruling of the Shari’a which is not universally known, we don’t rush to pronounce kufr. When he clearly professes belief in something which is diametrically opposed to part of Islam, he becomes a non-Muslim. Of course, for us common folk, it is normally required for us to seek the ruling of the ulama before we say that anyone who says he is a Muslim is in fact not. Here, however, their ruling has been delivered with unanimity.

And some readers will, of course, notice that Musharraf is here being criticised for slacking in his dictatorial tendencies. This website is known to be anti-Bush (although it endorsed Nader at the last election) and anti-war, but as soon as Musharraf listened to his own people and acted to defend Pakistan as an Islamic state, MWU complains. Of course, the “secular Muslims” are often happy with the agenda of democracy for Whitey and dictatorship for everyone else. The question should be asked why Bariza Umar wanted to be a Pakistani anyway.

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