Takfiri

Uncommon card · No. 175096

Takfiri  is an Arabic and Islamic term denoting a Muslim who excommunicates one of their coreligionists—i.e., who accuses another Muslim of being an apostate, or murtadd, 'one who turns back'. According to the traditional interpretations of Islamic law (Sharia), the punishment for apostasy is death. Potentially a cause of strife and violence within the Muslim community (ummah), an ill-founded accusation of takfir is considered a major forbidden act (haram) in Islamic jurisprudence. Takfirism has been called a "minority ideology" that "advocates the killing of other Muslims declared to be unbelievers." The accusation itself, takfīr, is derived from the Arabic word kafir ('unbeliever') and described as when "one who is a Muslim is declared impure". In principle, in mainstream Sunni Islam, the only group authorized to declare another Muslim a kāfir are the scholars of Islam (ulama); this is done only if all the prescribed legal precautions have been taken. Traditionally, the declaration of...

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