Assalaamu alaykum. I want to ask regarding showing Baraa’ (disassociation) towards everyone if they go against our belief. Imam Abu Obaid Al-Qaasim ibn Salaam narrated that Salamah bin Kuhail said, "Zahhaq, Maysarah, and Abul Bakhtari agreed that Baraa’ is an innovation." (Kitaab Al-Imaan 1/64) Shaykh Al-Albaani said, "Baraa’ is an innovation of the Khawaarij (a deviant sect) who revolted against ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and showed Baraa’ towards him. Then it became their way, until they started showing Baraa’ towards everyone who went against them, even if it were in one single issue." However, I thought having Walaa’ and Baraa’ (declaring allegiance to the Muslims and disassociation from the non-Muslims) is one of the fundamentals of Islam and part of the belief of Ahl As-Sunnah (the people of the Sunnah)?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Walaa’ and Baraa’ is among the principles of Islam and the belief of Ahl As-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaa‘ah.

However, what is meant by this is that a Muslim should be loyal to his Muslim brothers and love them on the one hand, and hate the disbelievers and disassociate himself from them as well as the false gods which they worship on the other. As for the Muslim who one may disagree with in some issues based on Ijtihaad (independent reasoning), then it is not permissible to disassociate oneself from him because of this disagreement.

The Baraa’ that is dispraised is that which is similar to the way of the Khawaarij, who disassociate themselves from every person who disagrees with them, even in one single issue, even if his disagreement is based on Ijtihaad and misinterpretation of some texts of the Quran and Sunnah. Rather, the one they disagree with might be correct while they are wrong, then they disassociate themselves from him, believing that they are the ones who are correct. So they fit the description in the following verse very well: {Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds.} [Quran 18:104]

We would like to mention the statement of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, here, who said that the same person may be loved on one hand and hated on the other hand, and taken as an ally on one hand and disassociated from on the other hand, according to what he has of faith and piety on one hand and what he has of the traits of hypocrisy and disbelief on the other. He said:

"There is no contradiction between one single person receiving mercy and love on one hand and being tortured and hated on the other hand; and that he be rewarded on one hand and punished on the other. The belief of Ahl As-Sunnah wa Al-Jamaa‘ah is that one single person can meet both criteria, contrary to the claim of the Khawaarij and Mu‘tazilah, who claim that a person who deserves punishment from among the Muslims does not come out of Hellfire, so they believe that (some of the) Muslims who worship Allah alone will remain in Hellfire eternally; as they said: whoever deserves punishment does

Allah knows best.