Q. Is it permissible to allow members of the Nation of Islam (NOI) sect to join Muslims in the Salaat ranks (sufoof)? They believe that one Fardh Muhammad is the personification of Allah Ta’ala – Nauthubillah! According to Shaikh Abdullah Al-Bukhaaras it is permissible. The Shaikh’s fatwa states as follows: “They believe that they are Muslims even though they are not. So they should be treated as the Munaafiqoon were treated at the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
The hypocrites prayed in the ranks of the Muslims and they were all known to the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) as well as to Hudhayfah (radhiyallahu anhu). They should be taught and allowed to pray with the Muslims.” Please guide us. Presently we do not allow them into our Salaat ranks.
ANSWER
The honourable Shaikh Abdullah has erred in his fatwa in ruling that it is permissible to allow members of the Nation of Islam to join Muslims in Salaat.
Members of NOI are not M u s l i ms nor are they munaafiqoon. They believe that a human being, namely one Fard Muhammad, is Allah incarnate – Nauthubillah min thaalik. May Allah Ta’ala save us from such vile kufr. Their beliefs of shirk and kifr are publicly expressed and vigorously propagated. It is therefore not permissible for Muslims to freely permit such mushriks to perform Salaat in the same saff.
The Shaikh basis his fatwa of permissibility on the fact that the munaafiqeen during t h e a ge o f R a s u l u l l a h (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) would perform Salaat in jamaa’t with the Muslims. Despite Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) being aware of the identities of the munaafiqeen, he did not prevent them from joining in the ranks of Salaat. Thus, on this basis the honourable Shaikh has structured his fatwa.
However, this analogy is erroneous. The munaafiqeen were not known to the Ummah. They were officially Muslims. Allah’s wisdom dictated that the identities of the munaafiqeen be concealed, not exposed. Thus, it was only Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and Hadhrat Huzaifah (radhiyallahu anhu) who had the knowledge of the identities of the munaafiqeen, but they were not allowed to divulge this secret. The very fact that Allah Ta’ala had prohibited the exposure of the munaafiqeen, is the clearest evidence that leads to the conclusion that Allah Ta’ala wanted them to be considered as Muslims by the Ummah at large. Whatever the divine reason may have been, Allah Ta’ala wanted and allowed the munaafiqeen to masquerade as Muslims, and He decreed with His prohibition on exposure that the Ummah at large believes and accepts them as Muslims. Hence, as far as the Sahaabah were concerned, whoever was in the saff was a true Muslim.
The Muslim community therefore believed that these people were Muslims, that they believed in Tauheed in the same way as all the Sahaabah did. The Muslims with whom the munaafiqeen performed Salaat did not know that these persons standing alongside of them in the saff were not Muslims. The munaafiqeen professed to be Muslims of the same kind and belief as the rest of the Sahaabah. They professed the very same Shahaadat of Islam in the very same way as the rest of the Sahaabah. They did not call themselves ‘Muslims’ with another set of beliefs.
Hadhrat Huzaifah (radhiyallahu anhu) did not have the right to expose them.
Thus, their identities remained concealed, and they passed off as ‘true’ Muslims. This very same ruling applies today. A munaafiq’s kufr/shirk is hidden. Today too there are innumerable munaafiqeen in our ranks, but they are unknown. They do not profess beliefs of kufr and shirk. They claim to believe in what Islam teaches. Therefore, during the time of the Sahaabah, and even today in our time, there was/is no way of ascertaining the true beliefs of the munaafiqeen. Hence they are accepted and treated as fully-fledged Muslims. On the contrary, members of the Nation of Islam, are not munaafiqeen. They are self proclaimed mushrikeen like the mushrikeen of Makkah and all other open and avowed mushrikeen. Their professed beliefs of kufr and shirk set them apart from Muslims, as well as from munaafiqeen. They are known entities. Just as the mushrikeen of Makkah did not join Muslims in Salaat, so too has it to be with the members of NOI. It is not permissible to voluntarily allow them to join Muslims in Salaat.
They should be allowed to sit in ta’leem classes just as all non-Muslims may be allowed.
The reason for disallowing them should be politely explained to them. If Allah Ta’ala wills hidaayat for them, they will rectify their evil belief of kufr and shirk. In fact, numerous members of NOI have reformed and accepted true Islam.

THE MAJLIS VOLUME 21 NUMBER 01

NOVEMBER 2011