Yusuf al-Qaradawi: The Anti-Mujaddid

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

اَلۡحَمۡدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ

Controversial “Islamic scholar” Yusuf al-Qaradawi passed away recently (26 September 2022). In my perspective, this individual was an Imam of misguidance, a term used by our most holy Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم

وَإِنَّمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الأَئِمَّةَ الْمُضِلِّينَ

“I only fear for my Ummah the misguided Imams”

Sayyidina Abi Dharr al-Ghifari رضى الله عنه has narrated that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that other than the Dajjal what he fears [most] for his Ummah are the misguided Imams (Musnad Ahmad; v.35, pp.222-223, #21296-21297):

While I am certainly not alone in criticizing Qaradawi (most of the traditional Sunni scholastic circles are deeply critical of him) my criticism of him is deeper than simply a reaction to some of his scandalous fatawa. For the reader’s benefit, I shall enumerate some of those fatawa: 1. he condoned suicide bombings by Palestinian terrorists against the State of Israel 2. he denied the punishment of rajm (stoning) for the one guilty of adultery 3. he allowed Muslims to finance homes by paying interest to a bank 4. he didn’t nullify the marriage of a lady who converts to Islam with her non-Muslim husband.

Commenting on an election in which a candidate won 99% of the vote, Qaradawi said: “If Allah had presented himself to the people as a candidate he would not have been able to take this amount!” This statement is manifest kufr, as it is denial of the omnipotence of Allah معاذ الله

Qaradawi was associated with the dangerous group known as Ikhwan al-Muslimun (so-called Muslim Brotherhood) based in Egypt. This group is characterized by a tendency to overlook fundamental theological differences among the various sects of the Ummah and unite them politically behind their banner. It seeks to modernize the conception and practice of Islam and is inherently at odds with traditional Sunni orthodoxy in this regard. The Ikhwanis are heavily involved in politics. They are a gateway to the more radical Kharijite and Shi’ite tendencies which seek to overthrow all of the governments and replace them with their interpretation of an “Islamic state”. Ikhwanis are known for political agitation and creating civil strife in the Muslim world. They organize and participate in street demonstrations. At times they even devolve into outright terrorism. For example, Hamas in Palestine and the Hasm movement in Egypt are associated with Ikhwan al-Muslimun. Qaradawi expressed sympathy if not outright support for such violent, extremist groups. Qaradawi was in fact considered the spiritual and intellectual guide of the Ikhwan al-Muslimun. He was rightly banned from entry into many countries around the world, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.

Qaradawi also represented the modernist stream in Muslim thought, associated with figures like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Jamal ud-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida. The modernist tendency is generally characterized by softening the strictures of the Shari’ah to accomodate the desires of the people and deflect from the negative criticism of non-Muslims. It also lays the framework for the cultural assimilation of Muslims into the dominant Western civilization. That inevitably results in ideas of liberalism, democracy, feminism and nationalism rapidly spreading like a cancer within the Ummah. The modernists question and play with the fundamental laws and practices of Islam. They challenge the supposed “patriarchal” elements of Islam which are perceived as oppressive toward women. They seek to soften the strict laws of the Shari’ah against usury or interest. They question the practice of polygyny which orthodox Islam encourages. They make music unrestrictedly permissible, and also have a permissive attitude toward keeping pet dogs, and other cultural idiosyncrasies deeply ingrained in Western/European culture. Those who consider Qaradawi or men like him Mujaddids should know that a true Mujaddid is characterized by zeal for the Shari’ah and the Sunnah, not a permissive attitude toward the strictures of Islam. A true Mujaddid is someone who seeks to create distance between the Ummah and the corrosive beliefs and practices of the heathen world. Qaradawi should instead be considered an anti-Mujaddid.