Ignorance is the condition of the Arabs before the rise of Islam. They didn’t know about the real meaning of Allah and His messenger, and they were proud of their ancestral. The usage of term ignorance for them, was due to their lack of knowledge or unwillingness to follow the truth, as said by Sheikh al Islam Ibn Taimiyya: “They who didn’t understand the truth, were called unknowing (jahl al basith) but if they believed in something false, then they were called jahl al murakkab (who didn’t know but being ostentatious). If he said something false, while he knew the truth, or if he didn’t know it, then he was also named as someone not knowing. (jahl)”
Hence, it is clear that mankind were indulged in their ignorance before the apostolate of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- (due to their foolishness). Because their words and deeds were created by the not knowing, and done also by not knowing. Likewise, each that contradicted everything brought by Allah’s messengers, from the Jew or the Christian; they also belonged to the ignorants in general.
As for what happened after the apostolate of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, then the ignorance might afflicted a country but not others, as occurred in the countries of disbeliever. The attribute or character of ignorance might also afflicted some people, as one who has not embraced Islam : he is still dubbed as an ignorant, even though he lived in Islamic country.
If the meaning of the ignorance here is the general type, then there is no more of it after the apostolate of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- , since after the apostolate, there will always be a group of his followers who enjoin the truth until the Last Day. But if what meant by ignorance here is a limited one, then it is true that there are some of muslim countries that are still afflicted with ignorance, as well as some muslims. The Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- :
” There are four things among the matters of ignorance that occurred to my followers.” (Narrated by Muslim)
Also his words to Abu Dharr:
“Indeed, you still have a character of an ignorant within you.” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim).
And many other of his sayings that indicated it.
The conclusion is that the definition of the ignorance itself was related to the void of knowledge (of the truth). Such ignorance was further divided into two categories:
The general ignorance: that is, what had happened before the apostolate of Allah’s messenger -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-, and it ended with the apostolate of the Messenger of Allah -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him-.
The particular or limited ignorance: that is what happened to some countries and persons. Such ignorance will still occur until the Last Day.
Therefore, it is evident that people who claimed that this era is the era of ignorance in general, the ignorance of this century, etc, were mistaken. The truth is that there are traces of ignorance in some men of this century, or most men of this century. As for claiming it as time of general ignorance, it is a wrong and forbidden notion, since the apostolate of Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- had vanished such general ignorance.
Al Fusuq (Wickedness, evil doing)
The meaning of wickedness by language is : out or getting out; while according to shari’a, wickedness means disobeying Allah. This definition includes absolute disobedience, as what occurred to the infidels, and typical disobedience to some orders; the latter is given to a believer who committed major sins.
Hence, wickedness are divided into two categories:
- A wickedness that outed one from Islam, which means he was to be an infidel. Therefore, the infidel or disbeliever was also termed as wicked, as Allah mentioned in The Qur’an about iblis:
“And recall when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before Adam”; all of them fell prostrate, except Iblis. He was of the jinn and so disobeyed the command of his Lord. Will you, then, take him and his progeny as your guardians rather than Me although they are your open enemies? What an evil substitute are these wrong-doers taking!” (QS. Al-Kahfi/The Cave: 50)
Such wickedness or disobedience resembled infidelity. As His verse:
“As for the evil-doers, their refuge shall be the Fire. Every time they want to escape from it they shall be driven back and shall be told: “Taste the chastisement of the Fire which you used to reject as a lie.” (QS. As-Sajdah/The Prostration: 20)
The following verse indicated that the evil-doers are disbeliever:
“As for the evil-doers, their refuge shall be the Fire. Every time they want to escape from it they shall be driven back and shall be told: “Taste the chastisement of the Fire which you used to reject as a lie.” (QS. As-Sajdah/The Prostration: 20)
But sometimes, muslim who committed wrongdoing was also dubbed as evil-doers, but that didn’t out him from Islam. It is as Allah’s decree:
“Those who accuse honorable women (of unchastity) but do not produce four witnesses, flog them with eighty lashes, and do not admit their testimony ever after. They are indeed transgressors,” (QS. An-Nur/The Light: 4)
And His verse:
“Whoever intends to perform Pilgrimage in these months shall abstain from sensual indulgence, wicked conduct and quarreling;”(QS. Al-Baqarah/The Cow: 197)
The scholarly interpretation of the word ‘wicked conduct’ here was wrongdoing.
Dhalal (Astray)
The meaning of astray, or going astray, is deviating from the straight path. It is the opposite of guidance. Allah decreed, which can be translated as:
“He who follows the Right Way shall do so to his own advantage; and he who strays shall incur his own loss. No one shall bear another’s burden. And never do We punish any people until We send a Messenger (to make the Truth distinct from falsehood).”(QS. Al-Isra’/The Night Journey: 15)
Generally, the word astray has several meanings, among those are:
Sometimes it means Infidelity, as in His decree, which can be translated as:
“Truly it is only associating others with Allah in His Divinity that Allah does not forgive, and forgives anything besides that to whomsoever He wills. Whoever associates others with Allah in His Divinity has indeed strayed far away.” (QS. An-Nisa/The Women: 116)
2. Sometimes it means shirk, as in His decree, which can be translated as:
“Whoever associates others with Allah in His Divinity has indeed strayed far away”(QS. An-Nisa/The Women: 116)
3. Sometimes it means something that deviates from the path of truth, or contradicts it, but not yet categorized as infidelity, as the term of “The astray groups”; it means the deviating groups.
4. Sometimes it means a non intended mistake, as what done by Prophet Moses :
“Moses replied: “I committed that act erringly.” (QS. Asy-Syu’ara/The Poets: 20)
5. Sometimes it means to forget, as in His decree, which can be translated as,
“so that if one of the two women should fail to remember, the other might remind her.” (QS. Al-Baqarah/The Cow: 282)
6. And sometimes astray means lost or unseen, as in the meaning of “Dholatul ibil”, that is, the camel is lost. (See: ar-Raghib in al-Mufradat (Vocabularies): page 297-298)
Riddah (Apostasy)
The meaning of apostasy in etymological course is turning back, as in the verse of Allah the Holy and Exalted, which can be translated as,
“My people! Enter the holy land which Allah has ordained for you; and do not turn back for then you will turn about losers.” (QS. Al-maidah/The Table Spread: 21)
As for the definition of apostasy according to jurisprudence terminology is: turning back to infidelity after believed (embraced Islam, -ed). Allah declared, which can be translated as,
“(So remember well) that whoever from amongst you turns away from his religion and dies in the state of unbelief their work will go to waste in this world and in the Next. They are destined for the Fire and it is there that they will abide.” (QS Al-Baqarah/The Cow: 217)
The Classification of Apostasy
One who plunged himself in one or more of the nullifiers of Islam, might as well considered as an apostate. While there are actually many of the nullifiers of Islam that caused the apostasy,the main of it could further classified into four classifications:
1. Apostasy caused by words, such as people who mocked Allah, or His messenger, or His angel, or one of His messengers. Included in it a person who admitted to know the unseen, or claimed him or herself as a prophet, or those who affirmed such claim, or those who prayed to other than Allah, seeking aid to be relieved from calamity from it, and seeking refuge of things which none would be able to master it but Allah.
2. Apostasy caused by deeds, such as prostrated before the idols, or tree, or stone, or grave, or slaughtered for it. Included in pervert deeds are dumping the Qur’an to the dirty places, practicing magic, learning and teaching it, also included in it, ruling with any other rules and laws but what Allah has sent down through His messenger, and believed that such action is alright.
3. Apostasy caused by beliefs, such as people who believed that there is partner next to Allah, or considered that adultery and alcoholic drinks are lawful, or considered that bread is forbidden, or believed that the compulsory prayers are not compulsory, or other things which lawful or unlawful or compulsory states had been agreed in certainty, or likewise that already known.
4. Apostasy caused by doubt, over the matters already mentioned above, such as people who doubted over the forbidden state of alcoholic drinks, adultery, and shirk, or doubted over the lawful state of bread, or over the treatise of Prophet Muhammad -peace and prayer of Allah be upon him- or doubt over the treatise of other prophets, or their honesty, or over Islam itself, or the suitability of Islamic teaching over times.
Hence, if one committed one or more of the causes above, fully aware and knowledgeable of it’s consequence, then the laws regarding this apostate would be as follows:
1. The apostate was asked to repent; if he repented and embraced Islam back in around a three days period, then his repentance was accepted and he should be freed.
2. If he was reluctant to repent, then he deserved of death penalty, as the Prophet said;
” Kill whoever replaced his religion.” (Narrated by Bukhari)
3. An apostate was not allowed to spend any of his wealth during the period of which he was asked to repent; if he went back to embrace Islam, then the wealth should be his again, but if he refused to repent, then the wealth should be considered as spoilt of war (fa’i) and bequeathed to the Bait al Mal at the time of his death (or be killed) while he was still in his apostasy
4. The right of inheritance between he and his kith and kin broke, and he was not allowed to inherit anything from his kith and kin, nor they from him.
5. If he died as an apostate, or killed due to his apostasy, he should not be bathed, nor a janaza prayer should be done for him, nor be buried at muslim cemetery. He must be buried at the infidel cemetery or anywhere but the muslim cemetery.
Reference: The Basic Principles of Ahl Sunnah wal Jama’ah
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