al_etidaal_gn

arrived someone told him what happened saying: “Today Allah has disgraced the
hypocrites.”
Sayyidina Abu Masood (Radiallahu anhu) says: “Once Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) delivered such a sermon as we had never heard before and he said:
Whomsoever I name, get up. In this way he expelled thirty-six persons from the Masjid.”
(Durr Manthoor)
Sayyidina Huzaifa (Radiallahu anhu) says: “Hypocrisy existed in the days of Rasulullah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). Today it is either kufr or Islam.” (Bukhari)
At the time when Yazeed bin Abi Sufyan was the governor of Kufa a few Syrians were
guilty of having drunk wine. Yazeed called them to account. They said that wine was
lawful and quoted the verse:
“There shall be no sin unto those who believe and do good works for what they may have
eaten...” (5.93)
Yazeed reported the matter to Sayyidina Umar (Radiallahu anhu). Umar (Radiallahu
anhu) wrote back saying: “When this letter of mine reaches you by day, then do not wait
for the night. And if it reaches you by night then do not wait for the day. Send those
people to me in haste before they lead others astray.’’
The culprits were sent to Sayyidina Umar (Radiallahu anhu), who consulted the other
Sahabah (Radiallahu anhum). They said: “These people have adopted such a thing in
their dean, for which Allah did not give permission. They should be put to the sword.”
However Sayyidina All (Radiallahu anhu) remained silent and Hazrat Umar (Radiallahu
anhu) asked him also to give his opinion. He said: “They should be asked to clarify (why
they drank). If they drank it, having considered it permissible, they should be killed,
because of having made lawful what Allah had made unlawful. If they drank it, having
known it to be unlawful, they should be struck eighty lashes with a whip.” (Duff
Manthoor)
Now, I ask you: were these not people who recited the Kalimah? Were they not men who
belonged to the Ahlil-Qiblah? Just because they drank wine, having considered it lawful,
it was the unanimous decision of all these Sahabah (Radhiallahu anhum) that they be
beheaded. There are many other incidents from the early era of Islam which lend support
to the fact that denying one of the essentials of deen amounted to kufr and apostacy. We
cannot go into all the details here. All I want to do is to draw caution about those people
who say: “We do not dub anyone as a kaafir professing the Kalimah no matter what he
may say or do. That is only the work of the Ulema.” These people may be sarcastic when
saying so and they may taunt the Ulema. But truth of the matter is that it is the work of
the Ulema to point out the kaafir. A non-AIim is neither in the position to indicate what
constitutes kufr nor can he properly understand.
Al- Eti’daal Fi Maraatibur- Rijaal 136