The Deviant Creed of the Sect Called 'Nation of Islam'
Question:
O Virtuous Sheikh, we have a group here in America called the ‘Nation of Islam’ that claims to be Islamic. Their beliefs include :
- Firstly, that Allah dwells within every individual of the black race in general, and that he is specifically personified in a man named Fard Muhammad (Wallace D. Fard). Furthermore, [they believe] that white people are devils.
- Secondly, [they believe] that prophethood did not end with Muhammad (ﷺ), and that the ‘Seal of the Prophets’ is Elijah Muhammad (Elijah Poole), and that he is the Messiah and the awaited Mahdi. They also deny the Resurrection, considering it merely a transition from ignorance to knowledge, along with other clear acts of disbelief (kufr).
Your Eminence, the question is:
- Is this group considered a group of disbelievers and apostates?
- Secondly: What is the ruling regarding the rank-and-file members (the general public) of this group?
- Thirdly: Are people such as these excused because they live in lands far away from the scholars?
- Fourthly: What is your advice to those who hesitate in declaring them as disbelievers?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, whom Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) sent as a mercy to the worlds, and whom He made the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers—so there is no prophet after him, nor any messenger; upon him be the best prayers and most perfect submission.
Regarding those described in these three questions: these people are not Muslims. Have they even accepted Islam before this so that they could then apostatize, allowing one to judge them as apostates? It does not appear that they ever entered Islam. Rather, this is a form of Hululiyah (incarnationism), except that they have claimed [God] dwells within the Black race and that the White race are devils. This is an act of malice they intend toward white people.
The reality is that a Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. The condition for [one to enter] Islam is to testify that “There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” — and that there is no prophet after him (ﷺ). A Muslim must believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and al-Qadr (Divine Decree), both the good and the bad of it. Whoever does not believe in that is neither a Muslim nor a believer. Therefore, those who follow the creed mentioned in these questions are neither Muslim, nor Christian, nor Jewish.
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