Critical Review of Armed Takfiri Views on Abandoning Divine Law

In Takfiri ideology, the issue of ruling by other than what God has revealed (*hukm bi ghayr ma anzal Allah*) is directly related to the declaration of faith, monotheism, and disbelief. They consider this matter one of the nullifiers of both rububiyyah and uluhiyyah monotheism. Armed Takfiris identify three essential elements in the issue of *hukm bi ma anzal Allah*, holding that the absence of any of them constitutes disbelief and expulsion from Islam. Some even add a fourth element—“abandoning divine law”—arguing that merely neglecting divine judgment itself is sufficient grounds for disbelief. This article seeks to analyze and respond to this claim based on library research. Examining verse 44 of Surah al-Ma’idah and related verses, it concludes that abandoning divine law alone does not necessarily imply disbelief unless accompanied by another element, such as *istihlal* (declaring lawful) or *juhd* (denial with knowledge). Moreover, the interpretation by Sayyid Imam Sharif and his followers is unique, as the majority of the Companions, Tabi’un, and Islamic scholars have not understood the verse in that exclusive sense. Furthermore, the concept of “disbelief less than disbelief” (*kufr duna kufr*) is affirmed by both the Qur’an and the practice of the early generations of Islam.