Principios básicos de los procesos de priorización

We can develop the following from the ayah of misak, the hukm which are incumbent on it and the actions of good or bad before risalah: Surely the hukm of shirk and the attribute of shirk (mushrik), is established prior to risalah, ‘ilm and bayan. The evidence regarding this is ‘aql, the ayah of misak, the ayah regarding being which guide to unity and the fitrah Allah (awj) had created his slaves upon.

Surely the shirk prior to risalah had been condemned, criticised and the individual had performed deficiency. In reality they are standing by danger and on the edge of a cliff of fire. Because shirk is great zulm and the reason of punishment; whereas this has been dedicated to a different condition. That condition is the nabawi hujjah. And this is the fadl and blessing of Allah to his slaves.

Without doubt mankind before the arrival of the message and hujjah are excused in some hukm. However they are not excused in other hukm. They will not see punishment on earth nor in the akhirah prior to the nabawi hujjah. At this point they are excused and this is the fadl and blessing of Allah.

They are not excused in their involvement in shirk and the hukm built upon this. For example they will not be buried in the cemeteries of the Muslim. Their funeral prayer will not be performed. No one will stand by their burial and forgiveness can not be asked for them. What they slaughter will not be eaten, their woman will not be taken in marriage and most importantly they will not enter jannah. This is the greatest hukm recorded.

Ibn Taymiyyah stated: “It will be absolutely beneficial to remind the public. Surely some will listen, remember and benefit from this. And to some hujjah will be established and for this reason they will deserve punishment. Therefore this will serve as a lesson to others. In this state another benefit will occur other than reminding because by reminding hujjah will be established. Also it will be permissible to punish with jihaad etc. This way by reminding a benefit will occur. Surely there has been essential benefit each time RasulAllah (saw) had reminded the mushrik, even if this benefited only the Mu’min; the Mu’min who accepted it and honoured it. They made jihaad with the mushrik which hujjah had been established to.” (Fatawa, 16/162)

Jihaad with the mushrik is only possible after hujjah had been established. However they had been mushrik even before this hujjah. Likewise He states “Surely when he (the Rasul) reminded hujjah is established upon everyone. Similarly the hujjah will be established to the miserable that avoids his

reminder and thus will deserve punishment in dunya and in akhirah.” (Fatawa, 16/169)

(The message being brought to the agenda is sufficient for it to be established.) “The kufr after the establishment of hujjah necessitates punishment.” (Fatawa, 16/254)

Ibn Qayyim (ra) stated the following: “It is waajib to believe that whoever belongs to a religion other than Islam is kafir. Allah (awj) will not punish anyone before He sent the hujjah with His Rasul. This is general. Clarifying the hukm of individuals is the right of Allah (swt). When it comes to worldly hukm, the hukm will be given according to the appearance (zahr). Children of the kuffar and those mentally sick, from the kuffar are kafir according to the hukm of this life. Their hukm is the same as those who had their walayah.” (Tariqu’l-Hijratayn)

These are evidences that prove kufr had been established prior to hujjah. However these do not necessitate punishment prior to hujjah.

In another place Ibn Taymiyyah states: “Other than those who make their deen and ibadaah particular to Allah, and those who make dua solely to Allah, no one will be saved from the punishment of Allah. The one who does not perform shirk but also does not perform ibadaah to Him is someone distant from worshiping Him and any other. This is like the pharaoh and his likes. Someone like this is in a situation worse than the mushrik. Whereas all he needs to do is worship only Allah. Essentially this is waajib upon everyone and most certainly will not be invalid for anyone. This is general Islam which Allah accepts no other deen. However Allah will not punish anyone without sending an envoy. Allah will not punish anyone as such, but no one other than the Muslim, Mu’min will enter jannah. Likewise no mushrik and no individual who is arrogant enough (mustakbir) not to perform ibadaah will enter it. Whoever the dawah had not reached in this world will be tested in the akhirah. Likewise only those subjected to the shaytan will enter jahannam. In this sense whoever has not sinned will not enter jahannam. Besides, Allah will not punish anyone with jahannam before sending an envoy. And to whomever the dawah of the rasul had not reached for instance a child, insane and an individual who died in an era of fatrah, they will be tested in the akhirah. Likewise the narrations inform us of these.” (Fatawa 14/477)

As understood from this narration even if the mushrik is ignorant and even if the message had not reached him they still cannot enter jannah. The reason for this is because only will the Muslim Mu’min enter jannah. Since Islam is genuine to Allah the mushrik are those who do not make their deen genuine to Allah. These hukm are general for the entire human race. No people have an exception from this. It is because misak has been taken from all of them. Now whoever it is and whatever deen, envoy and book they attribute themselves to, if they have fallen into shirk with ignorance and ta'weel, surely the hukm are still valid upon them; even if these people are from the ummah of Muhammad (saw) or from the ahl kitab.

Ibn Taymiyyah stated: “time will come when some nass will seem difficult to understand and they will not understand. In reality these matters difficult to understand are attributed to them (with their lack of understanding) because they are unable to comprehend the meaning of these evidences. Whereas it is

not possible that in the Qur’an there is anything which opposes the open mind and senses. Nevertheless there is bayan of its meaning in the Qur’an. Surely Allah (awj) had made the Qur’an cure for what is in the bosoms and a bayan for the people. For this reason it is not possible for the opposite to happen. On the other hand, sometimes in some places and in some eras the product of risalah had been left hidden. Such that they will not know what the Rasul had brought. This could be, by not knowing the statements or by knowing the statements but not comprehending it. In this situation because of the lack of the light of nubuwwa they will become a part of jahiliyyah. Here, in this environment, shirk will occur and deen will be bits and pieces. For instance, like the fitna which makes girding swords. Now fitna is divided into two sections: kawl (statement) and amal (action). This is due to jahilliyyah which originates from the light of nubuwwa being left hidden. Malik b. Anas stated: When ‘ilm diminishes useless things like foam will appear. When the nass diminish hawa and desires will dominate. For this reason fitnah has been compared to a night of darkness. In his hutbah Ahmad said: Alhamdulillah He has left masters of ‘ilm in every era of fatrah. The hidayah given to the people on earth surely is from the glory of nubuwwah. It is stated in the ayah: “…but if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from Me, whosoever follows My Guidance, will not lose his way, nor fall into misery.” (Ta-Ha 20/123) Those who are subjected to their prophets are those in hidayah and deliverance. They are always the Muslim Mu’min. The ahl of

punishment and heresy are those who oppose the Rasul and deny them. Those left are those which the nabawi hujjah had not reached the ahl jahiliyyah which are the ones in heresy and ignorance. An addition they have fallen in shar and shirk. However Allah states: “…nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an messenger (to give warning). (Al-Isra 17/15) “Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah: For Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.” (An-Nisa 4/165) “Nor was thy Lord the one to destroy a population until He had sent to its centre a messenger, rehearsing to them Our Signs; nor are We going to destroy a population except when its members practise iniquity.” (Al-Qassas 28/59) Allah will not destruct and punish these people before sending an envoy. There are many narrations regarding the individual which risalah had not reached in this dunya and according to them Allah will send an envoy to this individual on the day of judgement to the field of Arafat” (fatawa 14/307)

This is the view of Ibn Taymiyyah regarding the Ummah of Muhammad. His view of the ahl kitab is as follows:

“Nasara (Christians); we condemn them for their denial of the Rasul and fabrication of clergy due to rowdiness and the shirk they invented and we do not appreciate them at all. It is because they have fabricated all this; whereas all fabrications are heresy. However if the bid'ah doer meant haqq with his actions he will be forgiven in this case. Yet his action will be considered void. A bid'ah as such is the type which the doer is excused and not rewarded nor punished for it...The Jews; in kufr they are further than the Nasara. Although the Nasara are much extreme in ignorance and heresy these people knew haqq they abandoned it purposely and for this reason they will be held responsible for their actions and be punished. These people with their heresy have lost their reward in ijtihad; they have been accursed on the other hand they have been banished from that which those upon hidayah deserve. Besides this when hujjah had been presented to them they will deserve punishment if they do not accept. It is because the concept of heresy is general.” (Fatawa (19/190-191)

This is his statements concerning the ahl kitab. According to this the Nasara are mushrik, in reality this is a matter with no doubt. Moreover this is a matter which is necessary to have knowledge of. However the punishments are bound to the condition of hujjah being established and this has been abolished by the arrival of RasulAllah (saw).

“And if We had inflicted on them a penalty before this, they would have said: "Our Lord! If only Thou hadst sent us a messenger, we should certainly have followed Thy Signs before we were humbled and put to shame." (Taha 134) Ibn Taymiyyah (ra) stated the following regarding this ayah: “This ayah explains that, Allah (swt) will not punish the kuffar before He sent them a messenger, and also explains that they had performed the evil acts which cause to punishment however the condition for the punishment is the establishing the hujjah by risalah.” (1/16)

These statements belong to Ibn Taymiyyah and many more similar statements can be found in his books (e.g al-Jawabu’s-Sahih Liman Baddala Dina’l-Masih, 1/309-310; Majmau’l-Fatawa, 12/493-496 etc.). He declares these hukm are general to all nations and does not mention any nation, place nor any certain era is exempt from this. On the contrary these are general hukm. The view of Ibn Taymiyyah (ra) is also the view of the ahl-sunnah. They accept in consensus that the way of establishing the hujjah to people is sending the messengers. (Abu Kasım al-Lalikai, Sharhu Itiqadi Ahli’s-sunnah 1/196)

And certainly shirk was established even before risalah. However the doers of shirk are never Muslim because they had abrogated the risalah, misak and the fitrah they had been created upon, also they had not made their deen particular to Allah. It is stated in the ayah: “And they have been commanded no more than this: To worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is the Religion Right and Straight.” (Al-Bayyinah 98/5)

Fundamentally there is the mustakil hujjah in ’aql regarding wahdaniyyah of Allah (awj). Nevertheless misak had been taken from all. And the hujjah regarding this had been general. Besides, Allah had created them all upon Islam and pure tawhid. “So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not.” (Ar-Room 30/30)

Likewise the ayah of misak did not make an exception to any people. On the contrary it came with absolute and general statements. Nevertheless in the statements of the salaf no one has been exempt either. All these show that these hukm are general.

We believe with the fadlu karam and rahma of Allah from all of which has been explained above is shirk; the attribute and the hukm (even if along with ignorance and ta'weel if the hujjah isn’t established and if they are in deep ignorance) have been established. Even if the remnants of the sharee'ah hukm are lost, the traces of the right path have been erased, the glory of nubuwwa is hidden and those in this situation

with the fadlu karam of Allah until the hujjah is established and the risalah message reaches them, they will not be punished with the attribute of shirk and its hukm, it is still absolutely valid.

2- Test for the Qualified Ones on the Day of Judgment by Allah (swt) who had Not Reached the Hujjah