The Madkhalis

R.shishaniyyah

Allah (SWT) says:

"(...) And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, it is those who are
disbelievers." (Al-Mai'dah: 44)

The madkhalis try to argue using Ibn Abbas's tafsir to say that this is kufr duna kufr (kufr less
than kufr). Which is without doubt an interpolation from them. The tafsir they use is the
following:

Ibn Jareer reported, “Narrated to me, Hunaad and narrated to me, Ibn Wakee’ah who said,
‘Narrated to me, my father from Sufyaan from Mu’amr Ibn Rashaad from Ibn Tawoos from his
father from Ibn ‘Abbas, “and whosoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the
disbelievers”. [He said] ‘In it there is Kufr, but not like Kufr in His Angels and His Books and His
Messengers’ [Tafseer Ibn Jareer, Vol. 6/256]

I say this isnaad is sahih, and what it apparent is that all the statement is from Ibn ‘Abbas
(rahimahullah). And many people have fallen for this athar due to its isnaad and have not noticed
the idraaj (interpolation) which is made clear by the narration found in the collection of Imaam
‘Abdurazzaaq (who said): “We were informed by Mu’amar from Ibn Tawoos from his father: “Ibn
‘Abbas was asked about His saying: “and whoever does not rule by what Allaah has revealed,
such are the disbelievers”, [so] he said: “In it there is kufr” (hiya bihi kufrun). Ibn Tawoos said:
“But not like kufr in His angels, and His books and His messengers”‘

And idraaj, as can be read in the small booklet on science in hadeeth in English, by Shaykh
Suhayb Hasan, is: “If an expression or statement is proved to be an addition by a reporter to the
text, it is declared as mudraj (interpolated).” al-Burqa’ee quotes the definition of ath-Thahabi,
which adds that ‘and later a hadeeth may be found that splits the additional expression of the
reporter, from the original statement. [al-Muwqitha fi ‘Ilm il-Hadeeth, page 53-54]

Another thing that the madkhalis do is use other reports of tafsir on this ayah which are actually
weak. From them we can find the following:

al-Haafith Ibn Nasr said: “Narrated to us Yahya bin Yahya, Sufyaan bin ‘Uyaynah informed us,
from Hishaam (bin Hujayr), from Tawoos that Ibn ‘Abbas said concerning His saying, “…such are
the disbelievers”, he said ‘It is not the kufr which you are going to’.
And this sanad, its people are trustworthy except Hishaam bin Hujayr al-Makki, for he has been
weakened by the great a`immah: Such as ‘Ali bin al-Madeenee, Yahya bin Sa’eed. [see: al-Jarh
wat-Ta’deel, volume 9/54] ‘Abdullaah bin Ahmad said: “I asked Yahya about Hishaam bin Hujayr
and he weakened him very much”. [See al-‘Ilal wa ma’rifat ar-Rijaal, volume 2/30]

And he also said: “I heard my father [Imaam Ahmad] say: ‘Hishaam bin Hujayr is a Makki, and he
is weak in hadeeth’” [See: Ibid, volume 1/204] And also, al-’Uqayli recalled him in ad-Du’afaa’.

Another example of weak reports is this one:

al-Haakim narrated, from the way of ‘Ali bin Harb, from Sufyaan bin ‘Uyaynah from Hishaam bin
Hujayr from Tawoos, that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “It is not the kufr which you tend to, ‘Whoever does
not rule by what Allaah has revealed, such are the disbelievers’ is kufr lesser than [greater] kufr”.
[-See al-Mustadrak, volume 2/313]

And this athar, despite its popularity, is also from the path of Hishaam bin Hujayr and he has
been declared weak by the mountains of knowledge from amongst the Salaf.

What is Ibn Abbas ‫ رﴈ ﷲ ﻋ&ٮﻪ‬actual view on the one who rules by other
than what Allah revealed?

It was said from Abdur-Razzaq, from Mu'amar, from Ibn Tawuus, from his father, who said: Ibn
Abbas was asked about the saying of Allah-"...And whoever does not judge by what Allah has
revealed, then it is those who are the disbelievers." He (Ibn Abbas) said "It is kufr."

[Tafsir of 'Abdur Razzaq ibn Hammam al- Himyari al- San'anil]

The meaning of Tāghūt

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhāb rahimahullāh said:

The word Tāghūt is general. So everything that is worshipped besides Allāh ‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬, while being
pleased with this worship, whether it is something worshipped, someone followed, or someone
obeyed in the absence of obedience to Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬and His Messenger, then that is considered
Tāghūt. The Tawāghīt are many, but their heads are five:

• The First: The Devil who calls the people to worship other than Allāh ‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬. The proof for this is
Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“Did I not command you O children of Aadam, that you should not worship the Devil. Verily, he is
a plain enemy to you.” [Sūrah Yā'Sīn āya 60]

• The Second: The tyrannical and oppressive ruler who changes Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s rulings. The proof
for this is Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“Have you not seen those (hypocrites) who claim to believe in that which has been revealed to
you, and that which was revealed before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their
disputes) to the Tāghūt, when they have been ordered to reject them? But the Devil wishes to
lead them far astray.” [Sūrah An-Nisā āya 60]

• The Third: The one who judges by other than what Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬has revealed, and the proof for
this is Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“And whoever does not judge by what Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬has revealed, then they are the disbelievers.”
[Sūrah Al-Mā’idah āya 44]

• The Fourth: The one who claims to have knowledge of the Unseen, apart from Allāh ‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬. The
proof for this is Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“He alone is the All-Knower of the Unseen, and He does not disclose His Unseen matters to
anyone.” [Sūrah Al-Jinn āyat 26-27]

And He says: “And with Him lie the keys to the Unseen, no one knows them but He. And He
knows whatever there is in the land and in the sea; not a leaf falls except that He knows about it.
There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry, but that it is written in
a Clear Record.” [Sūrah Al-Ana’ām āya 59]

• The Fifth: The one who is worshipped apart from Allāh ‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬, while being pleased with being
worshipped. The proof for this is Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“And whoever amongst them says: ‘Verily, I am a God besides Him (Allāh ‫’)ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬, then this
person’s recompense will be the Hellfire. That is the way we recompense the wrongdoers.”
[Sūrah Al-Anbiyā āya 29]

And know that man will never become a believer in Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬unless he rejects and disbelieves in
the Tāghūt. The proof for this is Allāh ‫’ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬s saying:

“There is no compulsion in the Religion. Verily, the right path has become distinct from the wrong
path. So whoever disbelieves in the Tāghūt and believes in Allāh ‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬, then he has taken hold of
the firmest handhold, that will never break. And Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.”
[Sūrah Al-Baqarah āya 256]

The “right path” here refers to the Religion of Muhammad (‫ٮﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ‬-‫) ﺻﲆ ﷲ ﻋﻠ‬, while the “wrong
path” refers to the Religion of Abu Jahl. The “firmest handhold” refers to the testimony that there
is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh ‫( ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬Lā Ilāha Illa Lāh). This testimony consists of a
negation and an affirmation. It negates all types of worship from those worshipped besides Allāh
‫ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬, while affirming all types of worship done for Allāh ‫ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬alone, free from any partner.

[Ma’anā at-Tāghūt wa Ru’ūs Anwā’ihi]

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhāb ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ‬said:

“The tawaghit are many but their heads are five: Iblis (may Allah curse him), whoever is
pleased to be worshiped, whoever calls people to worship him, whoever claims to know the
unseen, whoever judges by other than what Allah revealed”

[Usul ath-Thalathah]
While explaining the book Thalāt al ’Usūl from Shaykh al mujaddid Muhammed ibn Abdul Wahāb
‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬, and after mentioning the heads of the tawaghīt, Shaykh Abdur Rahman al Qasim al-
Hanbali an-Najdi (‫ٮهﻤﺎ‬-‫ )رﺣﻤﺔ ﷲ ﻋﻠ‬said:

❝'𝗪𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 (𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀) 𝗯𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹ā𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱.'

”Such as the one who rules by the laws of Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) and international laws - In
fact everyone who rules by other than what Allāh has revealed, whether it is by laws or by
something invented, and that it is not from Shariah, or by altering a ruling from it, then he is a
Taghūt from the greatest of the Tawaghīt.”

[Ḥāshiyat - Thalāt al ’Usūl, Page 99]

The teacher of Sufyān at-Thawri ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬and the noble Tabi'i, Imām as-Suddi ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬said:

{And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed): Whoever doesn't judge by what was
revealed (i.e Qur'ān), and left it intentionally, and he kept violating while knowing this, then he's
one of the disbelievers (min al- Kafirīn)."

[Tafsīr at-Tabari 10/357]

ibn Taymiyyah ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬on the one who legislates any law other than the shariah of Allah:

"And it is known from the religion (of Islam) by necessity and by the consensus of all Muslims
that whoever legalizes to follow other than the religion of Islam or a Shariah other than the
Shariah of Muhammed ‫ﷺ‬, he is a kafir and his kufr is similar to that of the one who believes in
some part of the book (Quran) and reject some of it as the Most High says:

"Surely those who deny Allah and His messengers and wish to make a distinction between Allah
and His messengers, saying, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," desiring to forge a
compromise"

[Majmū al-Fatāwa, 28/524]

Shaykh Al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah ‫ )رﺣﻤﻪ( ﷲ‬has said :

And who knows that he rules between people with some of them
(non-Shar'ia laws), and does not judge between them according to the Book (Qur'an) and the
Sunnah, then he is a Kaafir.
[Minhāj As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyah (5/132)]
*Abd al- Rahman ibn Hasan Al al- Shaykh said that Imam Malik said:

"Taghut: whatever is worshipped besides Allah.

Whoever contradicts what Allah commanded His messenger ‫ ﷺ‬/by ruling between people by
other than what Allah has revealed [by making istibdal], or requesting that in accordance with
what he desires and wants, then he has taken off the yoke of Islam and imån from his neck. Even
if he claims to be a believer.
Allah Ta'ala denounced those who wanted this, and made them lie in their claim of iman. For what
He said: [They claiml from the denial of their iman, they make claims that are not true since they
lie about what they say, and they do the opposite of their sayings. This fulfills his saying:

[which they were commanded to reject] Because disbelief in Taghut (Al Kufr bit Taghut) is
the pillar of Tawhid. As in Surah al Baqarah. If this pillar is not achieved, then they cannot be
Muwahid.

{‫ٮﺪ‬-‫ٮﺪ ﻟﺸرح ﻛ"ٮﺎب اﻟ"ٮﻮﺣ‬-‫ڡ"ٮﺢ اﻟﻤ=ﺤ‬9}

Abdurahmān ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Qāsim ‫ "ڡﺪس ﷲ روﺣﻪ‬the compiler of Ad-Durar as-Sanīyyah
and Majmū Al-Fatāwa states:

"Such as the one who rules by the laws of [the days of] ignorance (e.g. man-made laws) and
international laws, in fact everyone who rules by other than what Allah has revealed, whether
that was done via laws or via innovated rules which does not stem from the Shari'ah or is not
known to be a ruling from it; then he is a Taghut and among the greatest of Tawaghit."

[Hāshiyat Thalāthat Al-Usūl Pg. 99]

Imam Ibn Qayyim ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬said : “Thus the taghut of any people is he whom they seek judgement
from other than Allah and His Messenger”,

then how about the one who placed this taghut for them to seek judgement from?, shouldn’t he
be a kaffir first before the people seeking judgment?

Ibn al- Qayyim ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬said:

"Taghut is used to describe any situation in which the servant goes beyond his bounds in terms
of following, worshipping, or obeying. So the Taghut of each community is someone who seeks
judgment instead of what Allah and His Messenger have ruled, or those whom they worship other
than Allah; or those whom they follow without proof from Allah; or those whom they obey without
knowing if it is in accordance with Allah's Judgment. So these are the Tawagheet of the world; if
you think about them and consider the conditions of the people around them, you'll notice that
the majority of them have turned away from worshipping Allah Alone and toward worshipping the
Taghut; away from seeking judgment from Allah and His Messenger and toward seeking
judgment from the Taghut; away from obeying Him and following His Messenger and toward
obeying and following the Taghut."

[I'lam Al- Muwaqqi’în An Rabbil Aalamin 1/40, published by Dar al- Kutub al- Ilmiyyah]
 ‫‪ 17-‬و"ڡﺎل اﻟﺸ‪9‬ٮ"ڡ‪-‬ٮط‪K‬ى رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ ‪:‬‬

‫وي‪9‬ڡﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻫﺬه اﻵٮ ‪-‬ﺎت ﻛ"ڡﻮﻟﻪ } وﻻ ٮ ‪-‬ﺸﺮك ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى ﺣﻜﻤﻪ أﺣﺪا { أن ﻣ"ٮ=ٮع‪K‬ى أﺣﲀم اﻟﻤﺸﺮﻋ‪-‬ٮﻦ ‪9‬ﻋ‪-‬ٮﺮ ﻣﺎ ﺷﺮﻋﻪ ﷲ أ‪9‬ٮﻬﻢ ﻣﺸﺮﻛون‬
‫=ٮﺎ‪ ، c‬وﻫﺬا اﻟﻤ‪9‬ڡﻬﻮم =ﺣﺎء ﻣ=ٮ‪-‬ٮ‪9‬ٮﺎ ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى آٮ ‪-‬ﺎت أ‪9‬ﺣﺮ ‪ ،‬ﻛ"ڡﻮﻟﻪ ‪9‬ڡ‪-‬ٮﻤﻦ اٮ"=ٮﻊ ٮ"ﺸريﻊ اﻟﺸ‪-‬ٮﻄﺎن ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى إ=ٮﺎﺣﺔ اﻟﻤ‪-‬ٮ"ٮﺔ =ٮﺪﻋوى أ‪9‬ٮﻬﺎ ذ=ٮيﺤﺔ ﷲ } وﻻ‬
‫ٮ"ﺄكﻠوا ﻣﻤﺎ ﻟﻢ ٮ ‪-‬ﺬﻛﺮ اﺳﻢ ﷲ ﻋﻠ‪-‬ٮﻪ وإ‪9‬ٮﻪ ﻟ‪9‬ڡﺴﻖ وإن اﻟﺸ‪-‬ٮﺎﻃ‪-‬ٮﻦ ﻟ‪-‬ٮﻮﺣون إﻟﻰ أوﻟ‪-‬ٮﺎﺋﻬﻢ ﻟ‪-‬ٮ=ﺤﺎدﻟﻮﻛﻢ وإن أﻃﻌ"ٮﻤﻮﻫﻢ إ‪9‬ٮﻜﻢ‬
‫ﻟﻤﺸﺮﻛون { ‪9‬ڡﺼرح =ٮﺄ‪9‬ٮﻬﻢ ﻣﺸﺮﻛون =ٮﻄﺎﻋ"ٮﻬﻢ‪ ،‬وﻫﺬا اﻹﺷراك ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى اﻟﻄﺎﻋﺔ ‪ ،‬واٮ"=ٮﺎع اﻟ"ٮﺸريﻊ اﻟﻤ‪9‬ﺤﺎﻟﻒ ﻟﻤﺎ ﺷﺮﻋﻪ ﷲ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻫﻮ‬
‫اﻟﻤراد =ٮﻌ=ٮﺎدة اﻟﺸ‪-‬ٮﻄﺎن ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى "ڡﻮﻟﻪ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ } أﻟﻢ أﻋﻬﺪ إﻟ‪-‬ٮﻜﻢ ٮ ‪-‬ﺎ =ٮﲏ آدم أﻻ ٮ"ﻌ=ٮﺪوا اﻟﺸ‪-‬ٮﻄﺎن إ‪9‬ٮﻪ ﻟﻜﻢ ﻋﺪو ﻣ=ٮ‪-‬ٮﻦ وأن اﻋ=ٮﺪو‪9‬ٮ‪K‬ى ﻫﺬا‬
‫ﺻراط ﻣﺴ"ٮ"ڡ‪-‬ٮﻢ { ‪ .....‬وﻟﺬا ﺳم‪K‬ى ﷲ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ اﻟﺬٮ ‪-‬ﻦ ٮ ‪-‬ﻄﺎﻋون ‪9‬ڡ‪-‬ٮﻤﺎ زي‪9‬ٮوا ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻌﺎﴆ ﺷﺮﰷء ‪9‬ڡ‪K‬ى "ڡﻮﻟﻪ ٮ"ﻌﺎﻟﻰ } وﻛﺬﻟﻚ زيﻦ ﻟﻜ‪Å‬ٮ‪-‬ٮﺮ‬
‫ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺸﺮﻛ‪-‬ٮﻦ "ڡ"ٮﻞ أوﻻدﻫﻢ ﺷﺮﰷؤﻫﻢ‪ .....‬اﻵٮ ‪-‬ﺔ ‪ ....‬و=ٮﻬﺬه اﻟ‪9‬ٮﺼﻮص اﻟﺴﻤﺎويﺔ اﻟﱵ ذﻛﺮ‪9‬ٮﺎ ٮ ‪9-‬ﻄﻬﺮ ‪9‬ﻋﺎٮ ‪-‬ﺔ اﻟ‪9‬ﻄﻬور ‪ :‬أن اﻟﺬٮ ‪-‬ﻦ‬
 ‫ﻦ‬- ‫ أن اﻟﺬٮ‬: ‫ﻄﻬور‬9‫ﺔ اﻟ‬- ‫ﻋﺎٮ‬9 ‫ﻄﻬﺮ‬9- ‫ٮﺎ ٮ‬9‫ٮﺼﻮص اﻟﺴﻤﺎويﺔ اﻟﱵ ذﻛﺮ‬9‫ و=ٮﻬﺬه اﻟ‬.... ‫ﺔ‬- ‫ اﻵٮ‬.....‫ٮﻦ "ڡ"ٮﻞ أوﻻدﻫﻢ ﺷﺮﰷؤﻫﻢ‬-‫ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﺸﺮﻛ‬
‫ٮﺔ رﺳﻠﻪ ﺻﲆ ﷲ‬9‫ڡﺔ ﻟﻤﺎ ﺷﺮﻋﻪ ﷲ =ﺣﻞ وﻋﻼ ﻋﲆ أﻟﺴ‬9‫ﺤﺎﻟ‬9‫ٮﺎﺋﻪ ﻣ‬-‫ٮﺔ أوﻟ‬9‫ٮﻄﺎن ﻋﲆ أﻟﺴ‬-‫ٮﺔ اﻟﱵ ﺷﺮﻋﻬﺎ اﻟﺸ‬-‫ٮﻦ اﻟﻮﺿﻌ‬-‫ٮ‬9‫"ٮ=ٮﻌون اﻟ"ڡوا‬- ‫ٮ‬
..‫ٮﻠﻬﻢ‬Å‫ى ﻣ‬K‫ٮور اﻟﻮح‬9 ‫ وأﻋﻤﺎه ﻋﻦ‬، ‫ٮﺮٮ"ﻪ‬-‫ڡﺮﻫﻢ وﺷﺮﻛﻬﻢ إﻻ ﻣﻦ ﻃﻤﺲ ﷲ =ٮﺼ‬9‫ى ﻛ‬K‫ڡ‬9 ‫ﺸﻚ‬- ‫ٮﻪ ﻻ ٮ‬9‫ أ‬،‫ٮهﻢ وﺳﻠﻢ‬-‫ﻋﻠ‬

Imam Al- Shinqeeti ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬said:

It is understood from the verses such as His saying (And he does not associate in His ruling)
{18:26} that those who follow the rulings of the legislators other than what God has legislated are
polytheists, and this concept has been clarified in other verses, such as his saying about one
who follows Satan's legislation in permitting dead meat on the grounds that it is God's sacrifice
(Do not eat of what is not slaughtered in Allah's Name. For that would certainly be (an act of}
disobedience. Surely the devils whisper to their 'human' associates to argue with you. If you
were to obey them, then you 'too' would be polytheists) {6:121}, So he stated that they are
polytheists in their obedience, and this is Shirk of obedience, and following the legislation that is
contrary to what Allah ‫ ﷻ‬has legislated, is what is meant by the worship of Satan in the
Almighty's verse (Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, not to follow Satan, for he is truly
your sworn enemy * but to worship Me 'alone'? This is the Straight Path.) (36: 60-61), That is
why Allah ‫ ﷻ‬called those who are obeyed in what they adorned of sin, partners in His saying
(Likewise, the pagans evil associates have made it appealing to them to kill their own children...)
{6-137} And with these heavenly texts that we have mentioned, the purpose of manifestation
appears: Those who follow man-made laws that Satan legislated on the tongues of his saints are
contrary to what Allah ‫ ﷻ‬, may He be glorified and exalted, has legislated on the tongues of His
Messengers. Like them, He does not doubt their disbelief and polytheism, except for those
whose insight God obliterated, and blinded him from the light of revelation like them.

“Perhaps you will say: Maybe he said about man-made law: ‘I believe it is falsehood.’ This has no
effect. Rather, it is casting aside the Sacred Law.

It is like someone who said: ‘I worship idols, but I believe they are falsehood’”

[Fatāwa wa Risa’il | 6/189]

Shaykh Muḥammad Ibn Ibrāhīm ‫ رﺣﻤﻪ ﷲ‬said:

“The land which rules by man-made law is not a land of Islam. It is compulsory to migrate from it.

The same is so if idolatry appears without disavowal and without changing it.

Thus when kufr is prevalent and manifest, this is a land of kufr”

[Fatāwa wa Risa’il | 6/188]