Ali Hassan
Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of the so-called TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan), once again exploited Islamic terminology and concepts to justify violence and mislead vulnerable people in a recent audio message that went viral on social media. In addition to being a grave misrepresentation of Islamic teachings, his assertion that political cooperation with non-Muslims is equivalent to kufr (disbelief) runs directly against the consensus of Islamic academics throughout history. This dangerous misinterpretation has already resulted in a great deal of violence and social unrest, permanently damaging Islam’s reputation and the security of Muslims around the world.
The most serious of religious transgressions is accusing Muslims of kufr. “If a man accuses his brother of kufr, it will return upon one of them,” the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said (Bukhari). This harsh warning emphasizes how serious takfir (excommunication) is when it is carried out without sound, academic justification. Political alliances or diplomatic cooperation do not constitute disbelief. On this point, Islamic scholars from all acknowledged schools of thought, classical and modern, agree. TTP’s attempts to turn this idea into a weapon to instigate violence against other Muslims are a betrayal of Islam, not a defence of it.
The sanctity of human life is one of Islam’s core principles. “Whoever kills a person, unless for a just cause, it is as if he had slain all of humanity” (5:32). When it comes to innocent life, this heavenly principle does not discriminate on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, or religious heritage. However, TTP and other extremist organizations still carry out targeted killings and bombings while disguising them as acts of jihad. In reality, Islam strongly condemns these behaviors as fasad fil-ardh, or corruption and harm on Earth.
Prominent Islamic jurists have expressly forbidden such acts. An internationally renowned leader, Mufti Taqi Usmani, has stated clearly that “Suicide attacks and rebellion against a Muslim state are absolutely haram.” His fatwa is not an isolated viewpoint; rather, it represents the consensus of both modern Islamic organizations like Al-Azhar, Darul Uloom Deoband, and Jamia Binoria, as well as traditional scholars like Imam Nawawi and Ibn Taymiyyah. According to these experts, jihad cannot be started by people or organizations operating outside of the bounds of lawful governmental authority or without adhering to stringent moral and legal requirements.
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