Prof. Nazir Ayyad, Secretary General of the Islamic Research Academy, delivered a lecture entitled “The Issue of takfir: Causes and Motives” as part of the online training course organized by the World Organization for Al-Azhar Graduates for Imams and Preachers of Algeria in cooperation with Al-Azhar International Academy for Training Imams and Preachers.
Prof. Ayyad stressed that the issue of takfir is not secondary, but rather a fundamental one, as it puts a person in one of two contradictory categories: either Muslim or kafir. That is why the issue of takfir is so dangerous. For this, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used to instill in the Companions the value of seeking excuses. They used to take into account the Prophetic Hadith “If a man says to his Muslim brother, ‘O kafir!’ it is true about one of them.”
He added that principles of tolerance were widespread in the Islamic society until fitnah occurred during the reign of Uthman bin Affan, (may Allah be pleased with him). Then, some new phenomena appeared, such as innovation and accusing others of fisq as well as takfir. He stressed that fanaticism, misunderstanding, blind imitation, lack of knowledge, and not knowing the true objectives of Islam are all causes of takfir, which Islam warned against.
In addition, he pointed out that the most important cause of takfir is the emergence of those who did not acquire knowledge from its pure sources. They have a rigid and fanatical mentality that leads to misunderstanding religion. They lead themselves and others astray, and they develop a rigid Takfiri mentality that contradicts the flexibility of Islamic law. In this regard, he emphasized that Islamic law calls for coexistence and the accommodation of others.
He highlighted that some people decontextualize Quranic verses to suit their whims. He also stressed that understanding the Quran correctly requires knowledge of the reasons for its revelation and understanding of the Arabic language.
He added that motives for takfir are ghulu, misrepresentation of Islam, self-aggrandizement with the exclusion and belittling of others, absolute fanaticism, and closed-mindedness. Thus, the person with a Takfiri mentality is unable to listen to others and only listens to himself. In this regard, he shed light on the necessity of combining the sciences of transmission and reason to protect our minds from falling into the Takfiri mentality.
At the end of the lecture, he advised trainees to read heritage books that will show them that Islam warns against takfir and calls for equality, recognition of peaceful coexistence, intellectual plurality, and respect for others.
