Albany Irja - Proofs and Refuations

⚠️ Al-Albani’s Irja (Murji’ah Tendencies) With Direct Citations

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📌 Evidence 4: Al-Albani’s Explicit Statement That Actions Are Not Part of Iman
🔹 Al-Albani clearly stated:
❝ Actions (A'mal) are not from the reality of Iman. A person can have perfect Iman in his heart even if he commits major sins! ❞
📖 (Silsilat al-Huda wal-Nur, Tape 721)

✅ Refutation:
🔸 This directly contradicts the consensus (Ijma') of Ahlus Sunnah, who all agree that actions are an essential part of Iman.
🔸 Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
"Iman has seventy-odd branches. The highest is the statement ‘La ilaha illa Allah,’ and the lowest is removing harm from the road." (Sahih Muslim, 35)
🔸 Imam Al-Bukhari titled a whole chapter:
"Faith consists of both speech and actions." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman)
🔸 Ibn Taymiyyah said:
❝ Whoever excludes actions from Iman has taken the path of the Murji’ah, a misguided sect. ❞
📖 (Majmu' al-Fatawa, 7/209)

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📌 Evidence 2: Al-Albani’s Excusing of Major Sins in Relation to Iman
🔹 Al-Albani stated:
❝ A person who commits major sins such as drinking alcohol or fornication still has complete Iman in his heart as long as he believes in Allah. ❞
📖 (Silsilat al-Ahadith ad-Da’ifah, 2/142)

✅ Refutation:
🔸 The Qur’an clearly states that major sins reduce Iman and bring severe consequences:
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, their hearts tremble, and when His verses are recited, it increases their faith." (Surah Al-Anfal 8:2)
🔸 Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
❝ Iman is belief, speech, and action. It increases with obedience and decreases with sin. Whoever says Iman does not decrease has the beliefs of the Murji’ah. ❞
📖 (Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahlus Sunnah, Al-Lalaka'i, 5/887)

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📌 Evidence 3: His Claim That Major Sins Do Not Affect Iman

📜 Al-Albani said in "Fatawa Al-Imarat" (p. 27):
🔹 "من ارتكب كبيرة فهو مؤمن ناقص الإيمان، لكنه لا يخرج عن الإسلام."
➤ "Whoever commits a major sin is a believer with deficient Iman, but he does not leave Islam."

🔍 Refutation:
✅ The Qur’an refutes this claim, as Allah warns about major sins affecting Iman:
📖 Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:44):
🔹 "وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُو۟لَـٰئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ"
➤ "Whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, then they are the disbelievers."

📜 Imam Al-Awza‘i (رحمه الله) said:
🔹 "لا نقول كما قالت المرجئة: إن من أقر بالشهادة ولم يعمل شيئًا من الطاعات أدخل الجنة، حتى يكون العمل بالإيمان."
➤ "We do not say like the Murji’ah that one who merely affirms Shahadah without performing any actions will enter Jannah. Rather, actions are part of Iman."

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📌 Evidence 4: Al-Albani’s View on Actions Being a "Condition of Perfection" (Not Part of Iman)

📜 Al-Albani said in "Sifat Salat al-Nabi" (p. 33):
🔹 "العمل شرط كمال في الإيمان وليس من أصله."
➤ "Actions are a condition of perfection in Iman and not part of its essence."

🔍 Refutation:
✅ This is identical to the statement of the Murji’ah sect, which was refuted by the four Imams of Fiqh.
📜 Imam Ahmad (رحمه الله) said:
🔹 "من قال إن الإيمان قول بلا عمل فهو مرجئ."
➤ "Whoever says that Iman is statement without action is a Murji’ah."

📜 Ibn Abi Al-‘Izz Al-Hanafi (رحمه الله) said in Sharh Al-Tahawiyyah:
🔹 "الإرجاء بدعة، وهو أن يجعلوا الإيمان مجرد التصديق، ولا يجعلوا العمل منه."
➤ "Irja’ is a bid‘ah, as it makes Iman only affirmation without including actions."

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📌 Evidence 5: Al-Albani’s Attack on the Scholars Who Opposed Irja
🔹 Al-Albani dismissed classical scholars who opposed Irja, stating:
❝ Many scholars who said actions are part of Iman were mistaken because this is an exaggeration. ❞
📖 (Tamaam al-Minnah, p. 40)

✅ Refutation:
🔸 Imam Ibn Abi Al-‘Izz (a Hanafi scholar) warned:
❝ Whoever claims that Iman is only belief and not action has entered into the path of the Murji’ah. ❞
📖 (Sharh Aqidat at-Tahawiyyah, p. 380)
🔸 Imam Al-Ajurri (d. 360H) said:
❝ The Murji’ah say that a person is a believer even if he commits every major sin. This is falsehood! ❞
📖 (Ash-Shari’ah, p. 90)

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📌 Evidence 6: Al-Albani’s Contradiction – Changing His Position
🔹 Al-Albani’s followers claim he wasn’t Murji’ah, but he changed his stance over time:
🔸 In earlier years, he said:
❝ Iman includes actions. ❞ (Silsilat al-Huda wal-Nur, Tape 350)
🔸 Later, he contradicted himself and said:
❝ Actions are not from Iman. ❞ (Silsilat al-Huda wal-Nur, Tape 721)

✅ Refutation:
🔸 This contradiction proves his position was not based on sound Islamic knowledge but personal opinion.
🔸 Imam Al-Barbahari (d. 329H) warned:
❝ Beware of those who change their beliefs over time, for they are upon misguidance. ❞
📖 (Sharh as-Sunnah, p. 90)

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📌 Conclusion of This Section:

✅ Al-Albani’s statements reflect Murji’ah beliefs, which weaken the link between faith and actions.
✅ He explicitly said actions are not part of Iman, contradicting the Qur’an, Hadith, and scholarly consensus.
✅ Major scholars throughout history have refuted this ideology, considering it a deviation from Ahlus Sunnah.
✅ His contradictory statements show he lacked a firm understanding of the issue.