The Infidels of Heaven

Some authors have made it clear that having faith in Allah and His Prophet is from the indispensable conditions of Islam, irrespective of their blasphemy or inclination towards Judaism and Christianity.

          The likes of ‘Ibn e Hazam’ have written about the beliefs of Murjea that: If someone believes in Allah (s.w.t.) and His Prophet (p.b.u.h.) within his heart, but presents himself as a Jew or Christian, he will not just be considered a true Muslim but also a beloved saint of Allah and a dweller of Paradise.

          As per this belief, all the Umayyad rulers were the beloved saints of God and belonged to the Paradise. Therefore, they used to rent a group of people who would preach the beliefs of Murjea so that the people shall consider them the friends of Allah; even if they commit the most disgraceful of sins.

          It is written in the book ‘Shia dar barabar e Motazela and Ashaera’:

‘It is doubtless that Murjea came into being during the Umayyad rule and became active in promoting their beliefs in the Islamic gatherings, and the Umayyad rulers helped them in propagating their ideology, because the Murjea considered them faithful and they were in grave need of this attribute more than any other thing. It was a situation in which Khawarij had declared the infidelity of all the Umayyad rulers and the companions of the Holy Prophet, and Motazela were of the belief that true Islam comprised of faith and acting upon all the obligations and rules; whoever did not act upon them, even if he believed in all the pillars of Islam, he deserved to burn in Hell forever.

          Therefore, the Umayyad rulers were infidels as per the claim of Khawarij, and would burn in Hell eternally as per the claim of Motazela. Although, in the eyes of Murjea, they were faithful, and their extensive sins and indecencies would not exit them from the boundaries of Faith. Some Murjea men proposed that the only condition of being Faithful is to have faith in Allah and His Messenger, even if a person blasphemes by his tongue and worships the idols and exhibits Christianity or Judaism inside the Islamic regions. In addition, they said, ‘Such a person would be regarded as the beloved saint of Allah and a dweller of Paradise!’[1]

          It is natural that the governors at that time stood in support and aid of such an ideology, as they did not find any other Islamic sect that would associate such attributes to them that would help them stand in line with the honorable believers, and a sect that would approve their legality and the legitimacy of their governance over the Muslims, overlooking the shameful sins committed by them and their disrespect towards the teachings of Islam and its sanctities.

          One of the surprising incidents which is approved by a number of witnesses and proofs is that when the fire of intellectual conflicts had set the grounds of faith ablaze, and the notions of Khwarij and Motazela, regarding the people who committed greater sins, became widespread, these rulers themselves emerged as the victors of this ideology; and at the time, when the Fatwas of their infidelity and eternal life in hell were given, it was quite easy for them to arrange and purchase such scholars, companions and preachers who could proof their actions to be legitimate.[2]