Who are the Naasibis and what is the ruling on them?
- Categories: Misguided & Deviant Sects -
Q: I would like
to know about the following terms:
1- What is the definition of a Naasibi?
2- What is the ruling on such a person - is he a Muslim, a kaafir
(disbeliever), one who has gone astray, or an innovator?
3- Are there some references which speak about the Naasibis?.
A:
Praise be to Allaah.
Nasb in Arabic refers to setting something up or raising it. (Mukhtaar al-Sihaah, 1/275).
In al-Qaamoos it says that the Naasibis (al-nawaasib, al-naasibah
and ahl al-nasb) are those whose religious beliefs include hating
'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) because they set themselves
up against him, i.e. took a hostile stance against him.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: "The Naasibis are those who set
themselves up against Ahl al-Bayt (the members of the Prophet's
household) and hated them and slandered them. They are
diametrically opposed to the Raafidis (Shi'ah)". (Sharh al-Waasitiyyah, 2/283).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said,
explaining the 'aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah:
"They (i.e., the Sunnis) love the people of the household of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him);
they regard them with love and loyalty, and they heed the command
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) concerning them… but they reject the way of the Raafidis who
hate the Sahaabah and slander them, and they reject the way of the
Naasibis who insult Ahl al-Bayt in words and deed. Ahl al-Sunnah do
not indulge in discussions about the disputes that took place among
the Sahaabah". (Al-'Aqeedah
al-Waasitiyyah, Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 3/154).
So the Naasibis are those who hate Ahl al-Bayt, especially 'Ali
(may Allaah be pleased with him), and some of them slander him and
some accuse him of being a rebellious evildoer, and some of them
regard him as a kaafir, as was referred to by Shaykh al-Islam (Manhaaj al-Sunnah, 7/339).
One of the most well-known groups who emerged from among the
Naasibis were the Khaarijis who rebelled against 'Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him) and regarded him as a kaafir, and they added
other innovations to that.
Undoubtedly rebelling and hating the Ahl al-Bayt and other Sahaabah
is a serious kind of bid'ah (innovation) that implies slandering
this religion which was transmitted to us via the Sahaabah, the Ahl
al-Bayt and others.
With regard to whether they are to be regarded as kaafirs, this
varies according to the level of hatred for the Sahaabah, and their
motives. In brief, if they hate them for some worldly reason then
that does not mean that they are kaafirs or hypocrites, but if it
is for a religious reason, because they are the companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
then this is kufr. Anything in between that is an area of scholarly
dispute in general. See question no;45563
With regard to the ruling on the Khaarijis - who have a similar
mentality to the Shi'ah and added to that hatred of the Sahaabah,
regarding the one who commits a major sin as a kaafir, and other
kinds of bid'ah - there is some difference of opinion among the
scholars. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah
said:
"The ummah is agreed on condemning of the Khaarijis and regarding
them as having gone astray, but they dispute as to whether they are
to be regarded as kaafirs. There are two well-known views in the
Madhhabs of Maalik and Ahmad. In the madhhab of al-Shaafa'i there
is also a dispute as to whether they are kaafirs. Hence there are
two views in the madhhab of Ahmad.
The first is that they are wrongdoers, and the second is that they
are kaafirs like the apostates, so it is permissible to kill them
first, to kill those taken prisoner, and to pursue those who run
away. If possible they should be asked to repent as in the case of
apostates: if they repent all well and good, otherwise they are to
be executed. (Majmoo' al-Fataawa,
28/518).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah
said: "With regard to viewing them as kaafirs and stating
that they will abide in Hell for eternity, there are also two
well-known scholarly views, which were both narrated from Ahmad.
The two views apply to the Khaarijis and those who went astray such
as the Harooris, Raafidis and others. The most correct of these
views is that their beliefs which are well known to go against what
the Messenger brought constitute kufr. Similarly their actions
which are like the actions of the kuffaar against the Muslims are
also kufr. I have mentioned the evidence for that elsewhere. But to
declare a specific individual among them to be a kaafir and to
judge that he will abide in Hell forever is dependent upon the
conditions for declaring a person to be a kaafir being met and the
impediments to so doing being absent.
When we quote the verses and reports which speak of promises and
warnings, and who is a kaafir and a faasiq, we should quote them in
a general sense. We cannot judge that any specific individual is
included in the general meaning of those texts, unless one of the
conditions is met with no impediment. We have already discussed
this principle in Qaa'idat al-Takfeer. (Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 28/500). And
Allaah knows best.
The questioner should note that in their books the Raafidis who go
to extremes with regard to 'Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt, and slander
the Sahaabah and regard them as kaafirs, often accuse those who
disagreed with their falsehood of being Naasibis, but by Naasibis
they mean Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah. They do this to express
their dislike of them for going against their falsehood and
following the way of truth. Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: "With regard to Ahl al-Sunnah,
they regard as friends all the believers. When they speak it is on
the basis of knowledge and fairness, unlike those who are ignorant
or follow their whims and desires; they reject the way of both the
Raafidis and the Naasibis and they hold all of the early
generations in high esteem, and they recognize status and virtue of
the Sahaabah and respect the rights of Ahl al-Bayt as prescribed by
Allaah. They also recognize the varying status of members of the
early generation, and they recognize that Abu Bakr and 'Umar
enjoyed precedence and had virtues that were not shared by anyone
else among the Sahaabah. (Manhaaj
al-Sunnah, 2/71)
Based on this, we have to know who uses this word and who they are
referring to by that, lest we reject the truth, because of their
describing the people of truth in an incorrect manner. Because one
of the characteristics of the people who follow innovation is to
attack Ahl al-Sunnah and describe them in offputting terms. What
counts is that which is in accordance with the Qur'aan and Sunnah
and the way of the earliest generations of this ummah, no matter
how much the followers of falsehood try to distort it.
Among the books which speak of the Naasibis and refute them and
their ideas, and discussed those who went to the other extreme,
namely the Raafidis, is Manhaaj al-Sunnah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah. You can refer to this book or some of its abridged
editions.
We ask Allaah to guide us and you to follow His Book and the Sunnah
of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and to
protect us from misguidance and temptations both obvious and
subtle.
Islam Q&A