What is Imitating the Kuffar

In The Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful

What is Imitating the Kuffar?

All Praise and All Thanks are for Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala).

"And whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed, such are the Kâfirûn." (5:44 Interpretation of Meaning)

Imitating the kuffar can be of two kinds: the obvious one of imitating their manners, their customs, their appearance, and the not so obvious imitation of their ideas, their way of life, their system of government and their laws.

“The genesis of truth is Allah alone, so do not be among those who do not believe.” (3:60 Interpretation of Meaning)

The first kind includes such things as men shaving their beard, eating using the left hand, and behaving like the kuffar, while the second kind involves accepting, or being influenced by, the standards, and the values, of the kuffar, or using the kuffar, and their society, as "role models" and so seeking to copy the kuffar and their society.

"Whoever imitates a group, then he belongs to them." Abu Dawood, narrated by Hadhrat Ibn Umar (R.A).

The second kind of imitation is imitating their political system - such as so-called "democracy" - and using kuffar terms and ideas to describe Muslims and Islam itself. One relevant example here is the use of the Kaffir term "terrorism". For those who adhere to Quran and Sunnah alone there is only that which Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has ordained, and that which he has forbidden, such as imitating the kuffar. If a Muslims does what Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) has ordained, they are acting correctly - regardless of whether the kuffar calls that Muslim a "terrorist" and his/her deed an "act of terrorism". Thus, for Islam, the question of so-called "terrorism" is irrelevant, for the question we as Muslims must ask is: was, or is, this Muslim acting in accord with Quran and Sunnah?

Another relevant example is the much-debated issue of Islam and so-called "democracy". For Islam, so-called "democracy" is irrelevant: the Islamic question to ask is: is the government of that or this Muslim country acting in accord with Quran and Sunnah? Is their law Shariah and Shariah only?

To frame questions about Islam and Muslims using the terms, the ideas, of the kuffar is to imitate the kuffar.

The essential criteria to determine what is, or is not, imitating the kuffar is the criteria of judgement. A Muslim should use the Quran and the Sunnah, and these alone, as their guides, their standard, their criteria. That is, Quran and Sunnah determine what is right, and what is wrong, and every issue should be referred to them for guidance.

“Correct guidance is the guidance of Allah.” (3:73 Interpretation of meaning)

"Whomsoever seeks a Way of Life other than Islam, it shall not be accepted, for in the life to come they shall be the ones who have lost." (3:85 Interpretation of meaning)

Imitating the kuffar is kufr - a concealment of the reality, the truth, of Tawhid - and thus ignorance, a negation of one's Islam, because we have been commanded, by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) to judge only by the Quran and Sunnah, and to follow the perfect example of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) who revealed the perfect, the complete, Way of Life which is Al-Islam.

"This day I have perfected your Way of Life for you and completed My Favour upon you and have chosen for you as your Way of Life Al-Islam"
(5:3 Interpretation of Meaning)

Distancing Ourselves from the Kuffar:

"The best of people is my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim - Mutawaatir. Muslim, Narrated 'Aisha ].

"In the Messenger of Allah you have the perfect example to follow." [33:2 Interpretation of Meaning]

Our role models - those whom we as Muslims should admire and seek to imitate - are the Prophet Muhammad (salla Alllahu 'alayhi wa sallam), al-Khulafaa' al-Raashidoon and As-Salaf as-Saalih. If we follow their example, we shall, in our outward behaviour, distance ourselves from the kuffar. But to distance ourselves from the kuffar in our minds and in our hearts - to live, to breathe, to think Islam - is to embrace Islam and Islam only by consciously rejecting the way of life of the kuffar: their ideas, their system of government, their type of society, the very terms they use to describe their ignorant, dishonourable way of life.

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) knows best.

Abdul Aziz

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