What is Kufr duna Kufr?
The concept of Kufr duna Kufr means disbelief less than disbelief, or minor disbelief (minor Kufr).
This saying was initially made regarding the subject of ruling/judging with other than what Allah has revealed. It was initiated by Ibn Abbas, and further adopted by Tawus, and 'Ata.
In this article you can read more about Kufr duna Kufr and the issue of judging by something other than what Allah has sent down.
Is Kufr duna Kufr authentic?
It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: "Kufr duna Kufr". This narration has been recorded by several scholars of the Salaf Saliheen including: Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Abi Hatim, Daarimi, Al-Qasim ibn Sallaam and Al-Maruzi.
Although some say that these specific narrations from Ibn Abbas contain weakness, the Salaf Saliheen thought otherwise by accepting these narrations.
What has been authentically narrated from Ibn Abbas
١٤١٤ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: ثنا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنِ ⦗١٥٩⦘ ابْنِ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: " {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} [المائدة: ٤٤] قَالَ: «هِيَ بِهِ كُفْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ كَمَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ، وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ، وَكُتُبِهِ، وَرُسُلِهِ»
[السُّنَّة للخلال - المجلد ٢ - الصفحة ١٥٨]
Al-Khallal narrated from Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi from Ahmad ibn Hanbal from Waki' from Sufyan from Ma'mar from Ibn Tawus from Tawus from Ibn Abbas who mentioned the verse 'And whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down, they are the disbelievers':
"This is Kufr, but not like the Kufr in Allah, His angels, His books and His messengers."
[Al-Sunnah of Al-Khallal - Volume 2 - Page 158]
عبد الرزاق عن معمر عن ابن طاوس عن أبيه قال سئل ابن عباس عن قوله ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله
فأولئك هم الكافرون قال هي كفر قال ابن طاوس وليس كمن كفر بالله وملائكته ورسله
تفسير القرآن - عبد الرزاق الصنعاني - ج ١ - الصفحة ١٩١
Abdurrazzaq narrated from Ma'mar from Ibn Tawus from Tawus from Ibn Abbas who commented on the verse 'Whoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down, they are the disbelievers':
"This is Kufr." Ibn Tawus said, "But not like the Kufr in Allah, His angels, His books and His messengers."
[Tafsir Abd al-Razzaq volume 1 page 191]
What has been authentically narrated from the Tabi'een
قال الخلال: قال أبو بكر: ١٤١٧ - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: ثنا وَكِيعٌ، قَالَ: ثنا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنْ عَطَاءٍ، قَالَ: «كُفْرٌ دُونَ كُفْرٍ، وَظُلْمٌ دُونَ ظُلْمٍ، وَفِسْقٌ دُونَ ⦗١٦٠⦘ فِسْقٍ»
[السُّنَّة للخلال - المجلد ٢ - الصفحة ١٥٩]
Al-Khallal narrated from Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi from Ahmad ibn Hanbal from Waki' from Sufyan from Ibn Jurayj from 'Attaa who said:
"Kufr duna Kufr, Dhulm duna Dhulm, Fisq duna Fisq."
[Al-Sunnah of Al-Khallal - Volume 2 - Page 159]
١٤١٨ - قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: ثنا وَكِيعٌ، قَالَ: ثنا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَكِّيِّ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، قَالَ: «لَيْسَ بِكُفْرٍ يَنْقُلُ عَنِ الْمِلَّةِ»
[السُّنَّة للخلال - المجلد ٢ - الصفحة ١٦٠]
Al-Khallal narrated from Abu Bakr al-Marwadhi from Ahmad ibn Hanbal from Waki' from Sufyan from Sa'eed al-Makki from Tawus who said:
"It is not disbelief that makes a person leave the religion." (so minor Kufr)
[Al-Sunnah of Al-Khallal - Volume 2 - Page 160]
It has been accepted by the Salaf Saliheen
There are many among the Salaf Saliheen who have accepted the narration of Ibn Abbas. They narrated the sayings in their Hadith collections, Tafsir and Fatwas.
Imam Ahmad used the narrations of Kufr duna Kufr. He answered the questions of his students and used the narrations of Ibn Abbas and Tawus.
وقال ابن هانئ: وسألته عن حديث طاوس عن قوله: كفر لا ينقل عن الملَّة؟ قال أبو عبد اللَّه: إنما هذا في هذِه الآية: {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} [المائدة: 44]. "مسائل ابن هانئ" (2042)
Imam Ahmad was asked about the narration of Tawus where he said: "It is not disbelief that makes a person leave the religion." To which he said:
"That was said on the verse of Surah al-Maaidah verse 44: 'And whoever does not rule/judge by what Allah has revealed, they are the disbelievers.'"
[Masail Ibn Hani 2042]
This narration shows that the interpretation of Surah al-Maaidah verse 44 is Kufr duna Kufr, not major kufr, like some believe who deem ruling by other than the Shariah to be major kufr.
قال الخلال: أخبرني موسى بن سهل، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أحمد الأسدي، حدثنا إبراهيم بن يعقوب، عن إسماعيل بن سعيد قال: سألت أحمد عن المُصرِّ على الكبائر بجهده، إلا أنه لم يترك الصلاة والزكاة ¬
والصوم والحج والجمعة، هل يكون مصرًّا أمن كانت هذِه حاله؟ قال: هو مصرُّ في مثل قوله -صلى اللَّه عليه وسلم-: "لا يَزْنِي الزّانِي حِينَ يَزْنِي وَهُوَ مُؤمِنٌ"، من يخرج من الإيمان ويقع في الإسلام، ومن نحو قوله: "وَلا يَشْرَبُ الخَمْرَ حِينَ يَشْرَبُها وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَلا يَسْرِقُ حين يسرق وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ، وَلا يَنْتَهِبُ نُهْبَةً. . " (¬1)، ومن نحو قول ابن عباس {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} (¬2)، فقلت له: فما هذا الكفر؟ قال: كفر لا ينقل من الملة، مثل بعضه فوق [بعض]، فكذلك الكفر، حتى يجيء من ذلك أمر لا يختلف الناس فيه. فقلت له: أرأيت إن كان خائفًا من إصراره، ينوي التوبة، ويسأل ذلك، ولا يدع ركوبها؟ قال: الذي يخاف أحسن حالًا. "أحكام النساء" للخلال (91)
Imam Ahmad said:
"As for the one who commits major sins many times and persists in them: Such a person is described in the Hadith as the person who is not a believer while consuming alcohol or while stealing. This Hadith is understood as minor disbelief,like what Ibn Abbas said concerning {whoever does not rule/judge with what Allah has revealed}."
[Ahkam an-Nisaa page 57 from Abu Bakr al-Khallal, Masail Al-Shaalanji pages 78-79]
Imam Bukhari used the wording Kufr duna Kufr in one of his chapters.
(21)باب كُفْرَانِ الْعَشِيرِ وَكُفْرٍ دُونَ كُفْرٍ
Chapter 21: Ingratitude to the husband and Kufr duna Kufr (minor kufr).
Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"Most of the inhabitants of Hellfire will be women who were ungrateful." Then it was asked, "Were they ungrateful to Allah?" To which the Prophet (ﷺ) replied: “They were ungrateful to their husbands for the good they have been given. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and she sees something in you that she does not like, then they say, 'I never received anything good from you.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari 29]
Imam Tirmidhi commented on a Hadith which he included in his Sunan. He made it clear there that it is narrated from Ibn Abbas and others that they used the saying 'Kufr duna Kufr'.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
"To verbally abuse a Muslim is Fisq and to fight him is Kufr."
[Sunan Tirmidhi 2635 (Hasan Sahih)]
قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَمَعْنَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قِتَالُهُ كُفْرٌ لَيْسَ بِهِ كُفْرًا مِثْلَ الاِرْتِدَادِ عَنِ الإِسْلاَمِ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَطَاوُسٍ وَعَطَاءٍ وَغَيْرِ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ قَالُوا كُفْرٌ دُونَ كُفْرٍ وَفُسُوقٌ دُونَ فُسُوقٍ
Imam Tirmidhi commented on it and said:
"What is meant by this Hadith is not the Kufr that makes a person leave the religion. It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, Tawus, 'Attaa and more than one of the people of knowledge: "Kufr duna Kufr and Fisq duna Fisq. "
[Commentary on Sunan Tirmidhi 2635]
Imam Ibn Abi Hatim recorded several narrations about Kufr duna Kufr. Below you can see the narration of Ibn Abbas. The chain contains Hisham ibn Hujajr, a narrator about whom there is a lot of confusion. Ibn Abi Hatim still accepted his Hadith.
6434 حدثنا محمد بن عبد الله بن يزيد المقري، ثنا سفيان عن هشام بن جحير عن طاووس عن ابن عباس في قوله: ومن لم يحكم بما انزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون قال: ليس هو بالكفر الذي يذهبون اليه.
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Yazid Al-Muqri from Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah from Hisham ibn Hujajr from Tawus from Ibn Abbas who said:
"{And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, they are the disbelievers}, this (what they claim) is not the form of Kufr that they (the Khawarij) think of."
[Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim hadith 6434]
Imam Maruzi included the narrations in his Ta'dhim Qadr as-Salat in which he went deep into the fact that major sins do not make a person leave the religion. He related sayings of Ibn Abbas and 'Ata, among others.
قال في "تعظيم قدر الصلاة" (2/520): (ولنا في هذا قدوة بمن روى عنهم من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم والتابعين؛ إذ جعلوا للكفر فروعاً دون أصله لا تنقل صاحبه عن ملة الإسلام، كما ثبتوا للإيمان من جهة العمل فرعاً للأصل، لا ينقل تركه عن ملة الإسلامة، من ذلك قول ابن عباس في قوله: {وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ}.)
Imam Maruzi said:
"And we have in this a proof from among the Companions and the Tabi'een that Kufr has forms just as Iman has forms. Like what Ibn Abbas said on the verse {And whoever does not rule/judge by what Allah has revealed, they are the disbelievers}."
[Ta'dhim Qadr as-Salat 2/520 from Imam Maruzi]
وقال في "تعظيم قدر الصلاة" (2/523) معقباً على أثر عطاء:(- "كفر دون كفر، وظلم دون ظلم وفسق دون فسق"-: وقد صدق عطاء؛ قد يسمى الكافر ظالماً، ويسمى العاصي من المسلمين ظالماً، فظلم ينقل عن ملة الإسلام وظلم لا ينقل).
Imam Maruzi commented on what 'Ataa said:
"Verily, 'Ata spoke the truth when he said 'Kufr duna Kufr, Dhulm duna Dhulm, Fisq duna Fisq'. For the disbeliever may be called a Dhalim, but a disobedient Muslim may also be called such. Dhulm also comes in forms, one that causes a person to leave the religion and one that does not."
[Ta'dhim Qadr as-Salat 2/523 from Imam Maruzi]