Answering the Charge of Irja Against the Ahnaf

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

وعلى آلك واصحابك يا سيدي يا نور الله

فداك ابي وامي يا رسول الله

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

One of the scandalous allegations against the Great Imam Abu Hanifah رضى الله عنه and the Ahnaf in general is that we are from the Murji’ah. It is alleged that the Great Imam and the Ahnaf deny the fact that Faith increases or decreases. Whereas Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

ہُوَ الَّذِیۡۤ اَنۡزَلَ السَّکِیۡنَۃَ فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِ الۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ لِیَزۡدَادُوۡۤا اِیۡمَانًا مَّعَ اِیۡمَانِہِمۡ

He it is Who sent down the Sakinah into the hearts of the Believers that they might add faith to their faith

(Surah 48 Ayah 4)

اِنَّمَا الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اِذَا ذُکِرَ اللّٰہُ وَجِلَتۡ قُلُوۡبُہُمۡ وَاِذَا تُلِیَتۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیٰتُہٗ زَادَتۡہُمۡ اِیۡمَانًا وَّعَلٰی رَبِّہِمۡ یَتَوَکَّلُوۡنَ

Believers are only those whose hearts are smitten with awe when Allah’s name is mentioned and whose faith is increased when His Signs are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord

(Surah 8 Ayah 2)

وَاِذَا مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَتۡ سُوۡرَۃٌ فَمِنۡہُمۡ مَّنۡ یَّقُوۡلُ اَیُّکُمۡ زَادَتۡہُ ہٰذِہٖۤ اِیۡمَانًا ۚ فَاَمَّا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا فَزَادَتۡہُمۡ اِیۡمَانًا وَّہُمۡ یَسۡتَبۡشِرُوۡنَ

And whenever a Surah is sent down, there are some of them who say: ‘Which of you has this increased in faith?’ But, as to those who believe, it increases their faith and they rejoice

(Surah 9 Ayah 124)

It is also alleged that the Great Imam and the Ahnaf are Murji’ah because we say that the Faith of even a sinful Believer is the same as the Faith of the Angels, Prophets and Saints. However, the Great Imam Abu Hanifah رضى الله عنه has clarified this matter when he said:

وَالْإِيمَان هُوَ الْإِقْرَار والتصديق وإيمان أهل السَّمَاء وَالْأَرْض لَا يزِيد وَلَا ينقص من جِهَة الْمُؤمن بهَا وَيزِيد وَينْقص من جِهَة الْيَقِين والتصديق والمؤمنون مستوون فِي الْإِيمَان والتوحيد متفاضلون فِي الْأَعْمَال

Faith [al-Iman] is confession and affirmation. And the faith of the Ones in Heaven and the Earth does not increase or decrease with regard to the articles of faith/objects of faith [mu’man biha] but it increases and decreases with regard to certainty and tasdiq. The Believers are equal in faith and monotheism, dissimilar in deeds (al-Fiqh al-Akbar)

So the false allegation that the Ahnaf are Murji’ah because they deny the increase and decrease of Iman is based on a misunderstanding of our terminology. Iman when it refers to the Articles of Faith, such as belief in Allah, His Angels, Scriptures, Apostles and the Afterlife is fixed and static because these matters which are the objects of our faith do not change. But Iman as a term referring to certainty and conviction in the heart certainly does increase or decrease in a Believer.

As for the Murji’ah, they have been wiped out by the power of Allah and no longer exist as an independent sect, though some individual Muslims may be affected by their thought due to ignorance. Hence, when we hear Muslims who are committing sin in the apparent say things like “only Allah can judge me” and “my heart is good” meaning they wish to say that committing such a sin is not a big deal or doesn’t matter because their heart is good and Allah is merciful, such sentiments are clearly from the heresy of Irja. But to allege that the Sunni Hanafis are Murji’ah is a grave injustice and an utter falsehood. When we investigate the original Murji’ah, who no longer exist, we see that they believed that if a person died as a Believer no sin that he committed or evil that he did will harm him. This was the belief of the Ubaidiyyah subsect of Murji’ah, followers of Ubaid al-Mukta’ib:

أصحاب ‌عبيد ‌المكتئب حكى عنه أنه قال ما دون الشرك مغفور لا محالة وإن العبد إذا مات على توحيده لا يضره ما اقترف من الآثام واجترح من السيئات

The companions of Ubaid al-Mukta’ib. It is narrated that he said: Anything less than polytheism is inevitably forgiven, and if the servant dies on his monotheism, he will not be harmed by the sins he committed and the evil deeds he perpetrated (al-Milal wal-Nihal lil-Shahrastani)

But the Great Imam Abu Hanifah رضى الله عنه said:

وَلَا نقُول إِن الْمُؤمن لَا تضره الذُّنُوب وَلَا نقُول إِنَّه لَا يدْخل النَّار وَلَا نقُول إِنَّه يخلد فِيهَا

وَإِن كَانَ فَاسِقًا بعد ان يخرج من الدُّنْيَا مُؤمنا وَلَا نقُول إِن حَسَنَاتنَا مَقْبُولَة وسيئاتنا مغفورة كَقَوْل المرجئة

We do not say that the Believer is unharmed by sin nor do we say that it is impossible that he enters Hellfire, nor do we say that if he does enter it he will dwell therein forever if he was a fasiq despite having died a believer. We do not say our good deeds are necessarily accepted or our sins are necessarily forgiven as the Murji’ah say (al-Fiqh al-Akbar).

The allegation that the Ahnaf are Murji’ah is made by some people who fall under the category of the Shukkak الشُّكَّاكَ meaning the doubters. These are people who say “I am a believer if Allah wills” or if asked if he is a believer answers “Allah knows”, thus expressing doubt in their Iman. And this is dangerous, for having doubt in one’s faith is contrary to the very definition of faith:

اِنَّمَا الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا بِاللّٰہِ وَرَسُوۡلِہٖ ثُمَّ لَمۡ یَرۡتَابُوۡا

The believers are only those who have faith in Allah and His Messenger and then doubt not

(Surah 49 Ayah 15)

Today we often witness the label of Murji’ah being thrown around carelessly. This is a hallmark of the Khawarij who accuse us Sunni Muslims of Irja for failing to make Takfir of the rulers and other professing Muslims on account of their major sins and transgressions. As has preceded, the Murji’ah no longer exist as an independent sect.