Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allaah to relieve your
distress and ease your hardship, and to raise high the banner of the Sunnah.
Secondly:
It is essential to
differentiate between a case in which harm is expected on a false basis and
a case in which there is some likelihood or certainty of it occurring. As
for merely imagining things, this does not make it permissible to do
something haraam on the basis of mere imagination. But with regard to
certain harm, this is what makes it permissible to use the concession
allowing one to do a haraam action. With regard to that which is fairly
certain, this situation falls in between the two rulings, but it is more
likely that it allows availing oneself of the concession.
Thirdly:
The extent of harm which
allows one to commit a haraam action is not the mild type of harm such as
interrogation, being arrested for a few days or being kicked out of one’s
job; rather it is that which is not bearable such as harm and punishment
that has to do with religious commitment, physical well-being, mental health
and honour, and it is essential that the one who is making the threat to
cause harm is able to carry out his threat, and that the one who is being
persecuted is incapable of warding it off.
Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The conditions of compulsion
are three:
The first is that it comes
from one who is able to cause harm because of power and authority or by
means of overpowering one, such as the thief and the like. It was related
from al-Shu’bi that if a thief forces a man to divorce his wife, the divorce
does not count as such, but if the ruler forces him to do that, then it does
count as such. Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: because the thief may kill him, but the
ruler will not kill him. [See: Musannaf ‘Abd al-Razzaaq, 11422.
What we referred to with
regard to the issue of forcing has to do with all cases. Those who forced
‘Ammaar [to speak words of kufr] were not thieves, and the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Ammaar: “If they do it
again (meaning the torture) then do it again (meaning saying the words that
they forced him to say).” And because this is compulsion, so a divorce done
under similar circumstances does not count as such, as in the case where it
is done under the compulsion of thieves.
The second condition is that
he should think it most likely that the threat will be carried out unless he
responds to the demand.
The third condition is that
it should be the type of threat that could cause great harm, such as
killing, severe beating, tying up and lengthy imprisonment. As for reviling
and insults, these do not count as compulsion according to all scholars, and
the same applies to the confiscation of a small amount of wealth.
As for lesser harm, if it is
done to one who is not affected by it, then it is not compulsion. But if it
is done to a person of dignity and status in a manner that undermines his
position, puts him down and leads to the spread of bad rumours about him,
then in his case it may be like severe beating in the case of someone else.
If a person is threatened
with the torture of his child, it was said that this is not a type of
compulsion because the harm is affecting someone else, but it is more
appropriate to regard it as compulsion, because that is worse for him than
taking his wealth. Threatening to take his wealth is regarded as compulsion,
so this (threatening to torture his child) is the same.
Al-Mughni
(7/292).
Fourthly:
The early Muslims in Makkah,
the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him)
used to hide their Islam, but this did not mean that they made an outward
show of being disbelievers. What we think in your case is that you should
not attract attention to yourself by indulging in discussions and provoking
the followers of innovation. If you are forced to ward off harm by mixing
with the followers of innovation, then let it be when they are not
practising their innovation. For example you could attend their classes in
fiqh or Arabic language. But it is essential to point out that this type of
conduct is no longer hidden from the followers of innovation and
misguidance, so we advise you be patient in calling them to Allaah and to
expect harm, but it is not permissible to you to provoke them in such a way
that may bring harm to you and your da’wah. You have to use kind ways when
calling people and when objecting to them, and ask Allaah to protect you
from the harm of the innovators and those who support them against you.
And Allaah knows best.