Confused Daesh… “Ignorance as an excuse” a model  (1-2)

Maher Farghali

On 29 September 2017, Islamic State (IS/Daesh) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addressed the issue of “ignorance as an excuse,” saying that the “case is established,” which means “takfir on the whole” (takfir means one Muslim holding another an infidel (kafir(.

This is the broad issue that has caused division of Daesh, as many of its elements had adopted an “absolutely no excuse” approach, as others ochose “no excuse for certain groups,” until the leader settled the matter, and decided “no excuse” at all. He went further and considered a kafir anyone who did not hold a kafir one that had.

Abu Mohammed Al-Adnani

Organisation confusion

The IS was regarding the issue, and this was revealed in a host of official statements, including one issued by former IS spokesman Mohammed Al-Adnani that highly praised Mullah Omar, late leader of Afghan Taliban, on the Shumukh al-Islam site. Then, in a later post he held Taliban infidels.

IS Faqih (jurisprudent) , Abu Hamid Al-Barqawi, wrote in an article on Al-Battar Media Foundation site themed “fleeing scorching heat to firewood” that al-Qaeda could not pledge  allegiance to Taliban or be proud of them after they considered “Mohammed Morsi (of Egypt) a Muslim and a Fatif (conqueror) and his access to power a victory.

Daesh used to consider one who had an excuse of ignorance not a kafir, but a Muslim who had nothing of Kufar (plural of Kafir).

Shari’i (prominent legislator) Abu Bakr Al-Qahtani, responsible for the Sharia (Islamic Law) in the IS, wrote on the group’s publication site that one who did not hold polytheists (Mushrekoon) Kufar , or who doubted their polytheism, or did not correct their doctrine, or one who did not hold a kafir a kafir, may be ignorant of their condition.

Abu Maisra Al-Shami wrote in an article on Al-Battar, that they excused polytheists who knew nothing about Islam, no prayers or fasting or Zakat (alms).

Abu Muaz Al-Nasrani said in a message that it was unfair to hold a kafir one who had an excuse of ignorance, neither should be family or people.

Daesh also used to fight, kill and imprison, those who considered people with ignorance as an excuse infidels, such as Abu Jaffar Al-Hattab, Abu Musab Al-Tunsi, Abu Ausid Al-Maghrabi, Abu Al-Hawraa Al-Jazaeri, Abu Khalid Al-Sharqi, and Abu Abdullah Al-Maghrabi.

However, all of a sudden, the IS cut off Torki Al-Banali who insisted on “excuse of the ignorant.” Daesh supporters said in a statement relayed by the media that its higher commission had agreed that the evidence was established in Daesh, that no one is excused for ignorance or misinterpretation, not such excuses would ever be accepted.

The Daesh equation was summed up by one of group leaders, Abu Huraira, and was published by the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Abu Huraira wrote that if one did not deal with the IS or pledged allegiance to the group, he was then ignorant of the religion, and consequently he had to be killed, even if one was not aware of the gravity of the situation.

If a Sheikh issued a fatwa that an ignorant of the religion should not be punished for his ignorance, offering him an excuse, such a sheikh in Daesh literature was “an infidel” and he himself has to be killed.

Hazimis resolve the matter, takes control

The Hazimis (Hazimiyoun) gained their name from Ahmed ibn Omar Al-Hazimi, who was known for his rigid view that  ignorance is no excuse “for anybody”.

For Hazimis, who strictly follow the same ideology, ignorance is never accepted as an excuse. One who got such an excuse was an infidel. They had come to dominate joints of the state.

Abu Huraira told Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, that during discussions with Torki Al-Banali, Daesh Mufti, he noticed some confusion on the side of Al-Baghdadi’s group on “ibn Arabi” and Abu Bakr ibn Al-Arabi who had old writings on the excuse of “ignorance” and who died in Morocco in 543 Hijra.

In order to understand what happened, one has to know that Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi and his disciple Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi were released from prison in 1999. The later moved to Iraq later.

While in prison, Al-Maqdisi wrote a number of books that contributed to forming the thinking and the conscious of the Salafi jihadists around the globe.

Al-Maqdisi and Al-Zarqawi disagreed on certain issues, such as the bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq. The mentor sent his former disciple a message of “support and advice” urging him to refrain from attacking churches, mosques and the Shiite people.

Al-Maqdisi adopted Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyy’s approach that not all Shiites are infidels, and their mosques should not be attacked. But Al-Zarqawi, said that Ibn Taymiyya’s fatwa was invalid in a different age.

He argued that it was unfair to recall bn Taymiyy (1263 – 1328) fatwa from his age and apply it on the reality of today’s  (Shiite) rafidha (rejecters) -plural form, rawafidh- discarding the differences between the two ages.

Generally speaking, the Salafi current was then divided into Salafi jihadism or jihadist-Salafism led by Al-Maqdasi, and another one led by Al-Zarqawi, the first rejected democracy, multilateralism, legislative work, and public education at schools and universities, considering them all forms of infidelity. He  also considered Taliban the nearest to contemporary ruling systems in Islam, and held all rulers, constitutions, the military, the police and state-supporting Imams all infidel. Maqdisi  did not allow his eight children go to schools, in Jordan.

Al-Zarqawi, followed in his mentor’s steps, and even broadened the scope of holding other infidels, especially Shiites, scholars. He fought against the military.

Al-Hazimi followed as an extension of Al-Zarqawi, and his followers, mostly Tunisians, controlled the group, especially posts of judges.