In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allaah [The Most High] said:

يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ

They want to extinguish Allah’s Light with their mouths [i.e. the Qur’an, the pure Islamic monotheism, and the guidance Allah sent Muhammad with] but Allah will not allow it except that His Light should be perfected even though the disbelievers hate (it). [Soorah At-Tawbah: Ayah: 32]

Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allah have mercy upon him] said: They wish to destroy the guidance and religion of truth that Allah gave His Messenger through their arguments and fabrications, so their example in this is that of someone who attempts to put out the light of the sun or the moon by blowing at them, but this (person) can never succeed in doing so. (1)

Jason Burke wrote:

Let’s start by stating that nobody has the authority to change the names and descriptions that Allah has given to the various individuals and groups among human beings and the Jinn. Al-Allaamah Saalih Al-Fawzaan [may Allah preserve him] said: Indeed, Allaah created the Jinn and humanity and endowed them with the intrinsic ability to identify Tawheed, submit to Him, and worship Him alone. However, some of them believed, while others did not.

Allah said:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُمۡ فَمِنكُمۡ ڪَافِرٌ۬ وَمِنكُم مُّؤۡمِنٌ۬‌ۚ

He it is Who created you, then some of you are disbelievers and some of you are believers.

While Shaytaan and the proponents of evil wish them disbelief and evil, Allah wishes them Imaan and well-being. Allah [The Exalted] said:

يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمۡ وَيَہۡدِيَڪُمۡ سُنَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ۬
وَٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ وَيُرِيدُ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلشَّہَوَٲتِ أَن تَمِيلُواْ مَيۡلاً عَظِيمً۬ا

Allaah wishes to make clear (what is lawful and what is unlawful) to you and to show you the ways of those before you, and accept your repentance, and Allaah is All-Knower, All-Wise. Allaah wishes to accept your repentance, but those who follow their lusts, wish that you (believers) should deviate tremendously away from the Right Path.

And because of this, Allah sent the Messengers, revealed the Scriptures, and established His Proofs; as a result, there are people who choose to accept the truth and embrace faith, as well as others who choose to reject the truth and embrace unbelief. Indeed, Allah has established the distinctions between believers and unbelievers in this life and the hereafter, and He forbade that the two groups be made equal. And in this life and the hereafter, Allah has outlined recompense and judgment for each of the two groups. He has given each group a distinctive name, such as Mumin for the believer, Kaafir for the disbeliever, Barrun for the upright (righteous one), Faajir for the evildoer, Mushrik for the polytheist, Muwahhid for the monotheist, Faasiq for a sinner, Munaafiq for the hypocrite, Mutee’un the obedient one and Aasee for the disobedient one. He also prohibited equating these disparate identities and attitudes. Allah said:

أَمۡ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱجۡتَرَحُواْ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن نَّجۡعَلَهُمۡ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ

Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds?!

Allah said:

أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ كَٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَمۡ نَجۡعَلُ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ كَٱلۡفُجَّارِ

Shall We treat those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, as Mufsidoon (those who associate partners in worship with Allah and commit crimes) on earth?! Or shall We treat the Muttaqoon (the pious ones), as the Fujjaar (criminals, disbelievers, wicked, etc)?!

That is to say, we have not made them equal since doing so would not comport with Allah’s justice.

Should we renounce the terms Kufr (disbelief), Shirk (ascribing partners to Allah), Kuffaar (unbelievers), and Mushrikeen (polytheists) found in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the Books of the Islamic creed? This will be against Allah and His Messenger and a violation of the Book and Sunnah. We will be associated with those who distort the Book of their Lord and the Sunnah of their Messenger if we alter the true meanings of the Shari’ah terms. What defence is then available for (such a crime)? Is it to please the unbelievers? As long as we maintain our religion, the non-believers will never be happy with us. Allah said:

وَدُّواْ لَوۡ تَكۡفُرُونَ كَمَا كَفَرُواْ فَتَكُونُونَ سَوَآءً۬‌ۖ

They wish that you reject Faith, as they have rejected (Faith), and thus that you all become equal (like one another). (2)

Regarding Jason’s claim that “Sudan will also ban the practice of takfir by which a Muslim can be declared apostate by another and so subject to a potential death sentence,” the statement definitely needs clarification and detail because while it is true that a Muslim can declare another Muslim to be apostate and subject to the prescribed punishment, the question is who among the Muslims has the authority to do so! Indeed, Ahlus Sunnah are fully aware that Takfeer can only be made by the upright scholars of the Islamic world—those who fear Allah and refrain from speaking unless they are well-informed. Find out who can make Takfeer and its guiding principles here:

http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/downloads/pdf/MNJ090006.pdf

Read further here: On Those Who Ought To Declare Takfir and Establish the Hadd Punishment, according to Shaykh Salih al-Fawzaan:

http://www.spubs.com/sps/sp.cfm?subsecID=MNJ09&articleID=MNJ090004&articlePages=1

Islam’s Unapologetic Position On Apostasy – [Unveiling Another Path of The Criminals and Opponents of The Messengers]: https://salaficentre.com/2022/06/11/islams-unapologetic-position-on-apostasy-unveiling-another-path-of-the-criminals-and-opponents-of-the-messengers/

Regarding the quote from Jason that reads, “The Takfir of others became a threat to the security and safety of society,” it is clear that the act of false (or unjustified) Takfir against a Muslim is a dangerous matter. All Muslim rulers must take action to shut this terrible door in order to stop the contemporary Khaarijites from using Sayyid Qutb’s, Usama Bin Ladin’s, and Ayman Az-Zawahiri’s evil ideology to overthrow Muslim governments and incite violence.

Shaikh Falaah Ismaa’eel [may Allah have mercy upon him] stated: In order to comprehend their danger, it merits noting what Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] wished if he were to encounter them and what he would do to them, despite the fact that they hail from the Ummah and from the people of the Qiblah, that he would slaughter them in a manner comparable to that of Aad and Thamood; especially when one considers what Allah’s Messenger said concerning dogs, “Had dogs not been a community amongst the communities, I would have commanded that all of them be killed”. (see footnote I) Therefore, a sensible person examines and considers what the Messenger of guidance and mercy wanted to do to these Khawaarij, notwithstanding their commitment to worship, prayer, fasting, and Qur’anic recitation, in comparison to what he prevented himself and others from doing to dogs. Indeed, this is strong evidence of the peril posed by the persistence of this idea [i.e., Fasle Takfeer] and this kind of people in the Ummah [i.e., the Khawaarij], since they weaken the Ummah and keep it preoccupied with [internal issues, strife, etc.] (3)

Footnote I: “Had dogs not been a community amongst the communities, I would have commanded that all of them be killed”.

Al-Khattaabee [may Allah have mercy upon him] said, “This statement means that the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] hated that a community among the communities and a species among the creation would vanish until they all ceased to exist because, in reality, none of Allah’s creatures exist without some kind of purpose or benefit guiding their existence. Since there is no way to eliminate all of them in this situation, kill the evil ones among them – the black dog – leave the others so that you might use them as guard dogs”. [An Excerpt from Ma’aalim As-Sunan 4/132] [NB: Only the authorities in the Uk are allowed to take the life of an animal and any individual who does so will be found guilty of animal cruelty]

Dogs we can keep: Abdullah Ibn Umar [may Allaah be pleased with him and his father] said, “Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, ‘Whoever keeps a dog, except a dog for herding livestock or a dog that is trained for hunting, two qiraats [i.e. great reward] will be deducted from his reward each day’”. [Bukhaari 5163 and Muslim 1574]

Imaam Muhammad Ibn Saaleh Al-Uthaymeen [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “As a result, there is no need to have a dog to guard a house if it is in the heart of a metropolis. Therefore, having a dog for this reason in such circumstances is forbidden and unlawful, and it reduces a person’s reward by one or two qiraats each day. However, it is acceptable to have a dog to protect the home and those living there if the house is in a rural area and nobody is home. It is more crucial to protect a household’s residents than its animals or agricultural produce”. [An Excerpt from Majmoo Fataawa Ibn Uthaymeen 4/246]

The Hunting Dog

Allah [The Most High] said:

يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَآ أُحِلَّ لَهُمۡ‌ۖ قُلۡ أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتُ‌ۙ وَمَا عَلَّمۡتُم مِّنَ ٱلۡجَوَارِحِ مُكَلِّبِينَ تُعَلِّمُونَہُنَّ مِمَّا عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ‌ۖ فَكُلُواْ مِمَّآ أَمۡسَكۡنَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَٱذۡكُرُواْ ٱسۡمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيۡهِ‌ۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ

They ask you [O Muhammad)] what is lawful for them [as food]. Say: “Lawful unto you are At-Tayyibat [all kind of Halal (lawful-good) foods which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, and fruits, etc.)]. And those beasts and birds of prey which you have trained as hounds, training and teaching them [to catch] in the manner as directed to you by Allaah; so eat of what they catch for you, but pronounce the Name of Allah over it, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Swift in reckoning”. [Surah Al-Maa’idah. Aayah 4]

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said: Indeed, Allah declared the prey of the untrained hound to be dead meat and forbidden to consume, whereas He declared the prey of the trained hound to be permissible. This is evidence of the nobility of knowledge as Allah did not declare any prey other than that of the trained hound to be lawful. The trained and untrained hound would have been the same if it weren’t for the fact that knowledge and teaching have a unique distinguished virtue and nobility. [An Excerpt Mihtaah Daarus Sa’aadah. 1/55]

The Permissibility of Keeping Dogs for Hunting, Guarding and Herding―and it is Harām to Keep them as Pets or to Buy and Sell them.

Ref 1: Al-Misbaah Al-Muneer Fee Tahdeeb Tafseer Ibn Katheer

Ref 2: An Excerpt from Al-Bayaan Li-Akhtaa’i Ba’dil Kuttaab. 2/177-180

[Ref 3: An Excerpt from Naz’atut Takfeer. Pages 24-25. slightly paraphrsed]