An Investigation into the Roots of Takfir (Excommunication) from the viewpoints of the Holy Quran, Hadith, and the Muslim Scholars during the first Three Centuries of Hegira

Due to the sectarian strives run by the modern colonization, the present century is that of hostilities and tensions for Muslim countries, resulting in the massacre of innocent people, while from the viewpoint of Qurān human being is of a precious integrity sent by God to establish peace on the earth. The real weapon in the hands of the enemy is to excommunicate the others, accusing them of infidelity, the subject that will be criticized in this thesis. This thesis examines the meaning of faith and infidelity according to the etymology of Qurān and its usage in the literature of it, in addition to surveying the theories of scholars like Ibn Kerām sajestani, Jahm ben Safvan, and some schools of thought like the Mo, tazela and Khavārej. The thesis elaborately surveys all forms of Takfeer (excommunication) through the beginning of the history of Islam and Prophetic era to those of the Caliphs and the Alavids, and then it clarifies the real content of the doctrine of Khavarej, the symbol of Takfeer among the Muslim, according to Qurān. An important point concerning Takfeer is that there should be a distinction between absolute (Motlagh) Takfeer and that of a definite person, because the latter depends on some conditions which require coming to a trial in order to be proved. To portrait the unpleasant face to Takfeer that is avoided by both Shiite and Sunnite rational scholars, some of their statements have also been   quoted in the thesis. Of course, some exceptional disputes over Takfeer between Handbalis and other Muslim sects have been excluded.

Finally political Takfeer, recently introduced by seyyed Ghotb and his proponents, is surveyed in this paper.