One hundred and fifty-six words authored by the scholars of Balkh

Translation: Abu al-Fadl Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Abi Nasr

Additionally: One hundred and forty-four more words of alfaz al-kufr

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and with His help and reliance,

Praise be to Allah, the Creator of the two worlds and the Provider for His servants. Peace and blessings upon the prophets, the pure ones, and the righteous, who guide us in religion.

To proceed: Know that most common people fall into blasphemy in their speech because they are unaware and do not seek guidance from scholars. They are not excused for such utterances. The translator of these 156 phrases, Abu al-Fadl Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Abi Nasr (may Allah have mercy upon him), says: “The scholars of Balkh sent these phrases to the scholars of Transoxiana, stating: Our belief is that whoever is a Muslim must purify their tongue from words that lead to disbelief or imply heresy so that they may outwardly and inwardly remain a Sunni monotheistic person of pure faith. May Allah, by His grace and generosity, keep my tongue from uttering disbelief.”

Issues:

1. If someone says, “If my child dies, I will become a disbeliever,” they immediately become a disbeliever.
2. If someone utters a blasphemous word and listeners laugh, all of them become disbelievers.
3. If someone says a blasphemous word and others approve or praise it, they all become disbelievers.
4. If someone says, “God has an extended hand,” or “God has feet, and they must be seized,” they become a disbeliever.
5. If someone says, “God created so-and-so and then expelled them from His presence,” they become a disbeliever.
6. If someone says, “God watches me from the heavens,” they become a disbeliever.
7. If someone says, “I have you on earth, and God in the heavens,” they become a disbeliever.
8. If someone says, “I will see God in paradise,” they become a disbeliever, unless they mean that we will be in paradise and see Him there. However, if they say, “I will see God from paradise,” they are not considered a disbeliever.
9. If someone says, “Neither any place is empty of You, nor are You in any place,” they become a disbeliever.
10. If someone says, “Insha’Allah, you will do such-and-such,” and the other responds, “I will do it without Insha’Allah,” they become a disbeliever.
11. If someone dies and another says, “God needed them,” they become a disbeliever.
12. If someone says, “I deal with you according to God’s decree,” and the other responds, “I don’t acknowledge God’s decree,” they become a disbeliever.
13. If someone says, “The decree has no place here,” they become a disbeliever.
14. If someone says, “This place is disorderly; what use is God’s decree here?” they become a disbeliever.
15. If someone tells their spouse, “You are dearer to me than God,” they become a disbeliever.
16. If someone says, “If you become the God of both worlds, I will still take my share from you,” they become a disbeliever.
17. If someone says, “I am God,” meaning “I am self-sufficient,” they become a disbeliever.
18. If someone says to them, “Do not leave prayer, for God may take you,” and they respond, “If He takes me in this illness I have, or punishes me with this preoccupation, then He would be unjust,” they become a disbeliever.
19. If someone says, “If you do such-and-such, God will punish you,” and they respond, “You have assigned a role to God to do whatever you say,” they become a disbeliever.
20. If someone says, “God will come along with you, so how can I come?” or says, “How can I come with you?” they become a disbeliever.
21. If someone says, “God, the angels, and no one else will come with you,” they become a disbeliever.
22. If someone says, “We mocked and jested with God,” they become a disbeliever.
23. If an oppressed person says, “This is by God’s decree,” and the oppressor responds, “I act without God’s decree,” they become a disbeliever.
24. If someone swears an oath saying, “By God and by your feet,” they become a disbeliever.
25. If someone says, “By God and by your life’s worth,” there is disagreement among the scholars.
26. If a wife says to her husband, “You know the secret of God,” and the husband responds, “I know,” or “Yes,” they become a disbeliever.
27. If during a marriage contract, someone says, “I take God and His Messenger as witnesses,” they become a disbeliever. However, if they say, “I take the angel on the right and the angel on the left as witnesses,” they do not become a disbeliever. If someone says, “I take God and the angels as witnesses,” they become a disbeliever.
28. If someone says, “I neither know existence nor nonexistence,” they become a disbeliever.
29. If someone says, “If…[illegible] God were to be seen, I would look at Him,” they become a disbeliever.
30. If someone says, “God Almighty commanded me to do such-and-such, but I won’t do it,” they become a disbeliever.
31. If someone says, “I am a prophet,” they become a disbeliever.
32. If someone says, “If what the prophets say is true, we will be saved,” they become a disbeliever.
33. If someone says, “I don’t know whether Muhammad was a human or a jinn,” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “The Prophet was insane,” they become a disbeliever, unlike saying, “He fainted.”
34. If someone narrates a report and another mocks by saying, “We’ve heard this many times,” they become a disbeliever.
35. If someone narrates, “The Prophet (p) said, ‘Between my pulpit and my grave is a garden from the gardens of Paradise,'” and they respond, “I see nothing but a pulpit and a courtyard,” they become a disbeliever.
36. If a husband tells his wife, “I have no money,” and the wife says, “You are lying.”¹
37. If someone says, “Adam wove cloth,” and another replies, “Then we are weaver children,” they become a disbeliever due to showing contempt (istikhfaf) for Adam (p).
38. If someone says to another, “Cut your nails, shave your head, and use a miswak as it is Sunnah,” and they respond, “I won’t do it even if it is Sunnah,” they become a disbeliever for disrespecting a well-known Sunnah.
39. If someone says, “God Almighty commands me to do something, but I won’t do it,” they become a disbeliever.
40. If someone says, “If such-and-such becomes the direction of the qiblah, I won’t turn towards it,” they become a disbeliever.
41. If someone says to another, “If God sends me to Paradise, I won’t enter without you,” they become a disbeliever.
42. If someone says, “I won’t want Paradise without you,” they become a disbeliever.
43. If someone says, “If God Almighty sends me to Paradise with such-and-such a person, I won’t go,” they become a disbeliever.
44. If someone says, “I won’t want Paradise with such-and-such a person,” they become a disbeliever.
45. If someone says, “If God grants me Paradise for you or for such-and-such a reason, I won’t want it or enter it,” they become a disbeliever.
46. If someone denies a verse of the Qur’an, they become a disbeliever.
47. If someone recites the Qur’an while playing drums or other instruments, they become a disbeliever.
48. If a teacher says, “Until the Qur’an was created… [illegible] silver for Thursdays was established,” they become a disbeliever.
49. If someone says, “You peeled or removed the peel of Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad,” meaning it is recited excessively, they become a disbeliever.
50. If someone says, “Alam Nashrah has grabbed the collar,” they become a disbeliever.
51. If someone recites Surah Yasin to a dying person and another says, “Don’t place Yasin in the mouth of the deceased,” they become a disbeliever.
52. If someone says, “You are shorter than Inna A’taynaaka,” they become a disbeliever.
53. If someone jokingly says, “Fakannat Saraban” or “Wa Ka’asan Dihakan” while presenting a cup, they become a disbeliever.
54. If someone jokes during weighing and measuring by quoting “Wa Idha Kaluhum Aw Wazanuhum Yakhsirun,” they become a disbeliever.
55. If someone says, “You tied a turban like Alam Nashrah,” meaning a flag is raised, they become a disbeliever.
56. If someone sees a group gathered and says, “Wa Hasharnahum Falam Nughadir Minhum Ahadan,” they become a disbeliever.
57. If someone says, “Fajama’nahum Jam’a,” they become a disbeliever.
58. If someone says, “Clean your idol’s head,” they become a disbeliever.
59. If someone is invited to congregational prayer and says, “I’ll pray alone because God says, ‘Inna As-Salata Tanha,‘”² they become a disbeliever.
60. If someone says to an Aqza’i (a patched or worn-out animal shedding wool in spring), “I will kill you as God said, ‘Kalla Bal Raan,‘” they become a disbeliever.
61. If someone jokingly says, “Wa al-Naza’ati Naz’a,” they become a disbeliever.
62. If someone is told to pray and responds, “By God, I will never pray,” and then dies without praying, funeral prayers will not be offered for them, as such words are considered disbelief.
63. If someone says, “I pray, and nothing happens,” they become a disbeliever.
64. If someone says, “You prayed, so what did you achieve?” they become a disbeliever.
65. If someone jokingly says, “Prayer is for the lazy or one with time to spare,” they become a disbeliever.
66. If someone says, “It’s true I didn’t pray,”³ they become a disbeliever.
67. If someone says, “Who can accomplish this task (prayers)?” they become a disbeliever.
68. If someone says, “A wise person wouldn’t get involved because they can’t finish it,” they become a disbeliever.
69. If someone says, “People only pray for…,” they become a disbeliever.
70. If someone says, “I’m sitting over prayer,” they become a disbeliever.
71. If someone says, “I’ll pray for everything when Ramadan comes,” they become a disbeliever.
72. If someone says, “God loves animals more,” they become a disbeliever.
73. If someone says, “Why should I pray when my mother and father are dead?” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “Why should I pray when my mother and father are alive?” they become a disbeliever.
74. If someone says, “What’s the point of praying when deeds and misdeeds are the same?” they become a disbeliever.
75. If someone says, “I’m tired of praying so much,” they become a disbeliever.
76. If someone says, “Prayer is not something that would get dirty if left undone,” they become a disbeliever.
77. If someone says, “[Prayer] is nothing that would sink to the ground if left undone,” they become a disbeliever.
78. If someone says, “It’s better to not pray,” they become a disbeliever.
79. If told, “Pray so you may taste the sweetness of prayer,” and they reply, “Don’t pray so you may taste the sweetness of not praying,” they become a disbeliever.
80. If a servant is asked to pray and responds, “I won’t pray because the reward goes to the master,” they become a disbeliever.
81. If someone says, “Because God reduced my wealth, I will reduce His work by not praying,” they become a disbeliever.
82. If someone prays during Ramadan and says, “This is already too much,” they become a disbeliever.
83. If someone says, “The accounting is excessive because Ramadan is worth seventy times more,” they become a disbeliever.
84. If, upon seeing the Ramadan moon, someone says, “That month of limitations has come,” they become a disbeliever.
85. If someone says, “That tiresome guest has come,” they become a disbeliever.
86. If someone says, “I’m tired of these Ramadan fasts,” they become a disbeliever.
87. If someone, in the middle of a dispute, says “La Hawla Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah,” and another replies, “What use is La Hawla to me?” or “What do I do with La Hawla? Give me my right,” they become a disbeliever.
88. If someone says, “You can’t break La Hawla in a bowl,” they become a disbeliever.
89. If someone says, “You peeled off the Subhan Allah,” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “You removed the peel of Subhan Allah,” they become a disbeliever.
90. If someone hears the call to prayer and says, “It’s a lie,” they become a disbeliever.
91. If someone says, “This is just a guard’s announcement,” they become a disbeliever out of disrespect.
92. If someone utters words that deny the Day of Judgment or the Bridge (Sirat), they become a disbeliever.
93. If someone says to a wrongdoer, “Wait until the Day of Judgment,” and they reply, “What do I have to do with Judgment Day?” they become a disbeliever.
94. If someone says, “I’m not afraid of the Day of Judgment,” without interpretation, they become a disbeliever.
95. If someone says, “What harm can Judgment Day do to me?” they become a disbeliever.
96. If someone says, “What business do I have with it? I have chosen well-being,” they become a disbeliever.
97. If someone is commanded to enjoin good and they reply, “What has He done for me?” they become a disbeliever.
98. If someone says, “What does this meddling have to do with me?” they become a disbeliever.
99. If someone says, “Show me a single lawful eater in the world, and I will prostrate to them,” they become a disbeliever.
100. If someone says, “The knowledge they teach is all deception,” they become a disbeliever.
101. If someone says, “The knowledge they teach is all lies,” they become a disbeliever.
102. If someone is encouraged to eat lawful food and responds, “I prefer unlawful food,” they become a disbeliever.
103. If someone says, “What scholars say is all nonsense,” they become a disbeliever.
104. If a woman says to her husband, “You’ve come from the synagogue,” meaning a council, she becomes a disbeliever.
105. If someone says, “Who can do what scholars say?” they become a disbeliever.
106. If someone is invited to a scholarly gathering and responds, “What do I have to do with a scholarly gathering?” they become a disbeliever.
107. If someone says, “You can’t put knowledge in a bowl of porridge,” they become a disbeliever.
108. If someone says, “Money is necessary, what use is knowledge?” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “Today money has status, what use is knowledge?” they become a disbeliever.
109. If someone says, “Corruption is better than being a scholar,” they become a disbeliever.
110. If a woman says, “Curses upon my deceitful scholarly husband,” she becomes a disbeliever.
111. If someone says, “Scholars deceive Muslims and take their wealth,” they become a disbeliever.
112. In a story, it is said that during the time of Bakar Fazl Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him), a scholar left his book at someone’s shop. Later, as the scholar passed by, the shopkeeper said, “Take your saw with you.” The scholar replied, “I don’t have a saw; I have left my book with you.” The shopkeeper said, “Woodcutters cut wood with a saw; you cut Muslims’ wealth with your tricks.” The scholar reported this incident to his teacher, who conveyed it to Bakar Fazl. A fatwa for the man’s execution was issued.
113. If someone in a dispute throws away a book of fatwas brought by their opponent and says, “What kind of Sharia is this?” they become a disbeliever.
114. If someone climbs a pulpit pretending to be a preacher and others mockingly ask questions, and the person answers humorously while being struck with a stick, all become disbelievers.
115. If someone sits pretending to be a teacher, writes nonsense on a board, and others laugh at it, they all become disbelievers.
116. If someone says, “A bowl of porridge is better than all this knowledge,” they become a disbeliever—unless they say it in Arabic as khairun min Allah with an interpretable meaning of a blessing, which is possible in Arabic but not in Persian.
117. If someone, in a dispute, says, “What do I care about Sharia? Money is what’s needed,” they become a disbeliever.
118. If someone says, “No Sharia will apply to me,” or “Sharia has no benefit,” they become a disbeliever.
119. If someone says, “This is a club, what does Sharia have to do here?” they become a disbeliever.
120. If a sick person recovers and someone says, “The donkey has returned,” or “The sack is back,” they become a disbeliever.
121. If a sick person in pain says, “Grant me death, whether as a Muslim or a disbeliever,” they instantly become a disbeliever.
122. If a woman calls her husband a disbeliever or a Jew, and he replies, “You are also a disbeliever!” and she says, “So be it,” she becomes a disbeliever.
123. If someone says, “Had it not been for such-and-such, I wouldn’t have sat with you,” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “Had it not been for such-and-such, I wouldn’t have fallen for you,” they become a disbeliever.
124. If a wife calls her husband a Christian, and he replies, “Indeed, for some time, I’ve been with a Christian,” he becomes a disbeliever.
125. If a wife calls her husband a Jew or a Christian, and he replies, “Yes,” or “At your service,” he becomes a disbeliever.
126. If someone calls another a Jew, and they reply, “So be it,” they become a disbeliever. If someone says, “I am an atheist,” they become a disbeliever.
127. If a wife says to her husband, “If you hit me,” or “If you don’t buy such-and-such, I will become a disbeliever,” or says, “I will wear the Christian belt,” they instantly become a disbeliever.
128. If a disbeliever converts to Islam and Muslims give them wealth, and a Muslim says, “I wish I were a disbeliever and then converted to Islam to receive this wealth,” they instantly become a disbeliever. Even if they think about it in their heart or wish for it, they become a disbeliever.
129. If someone wishes that oppression or fornication were not forbidden, they become a disbeliever.
130. If someone wishes that wine and marrying one’s sister were not forbidden, they do not become a disbeliever because these were forbidden only in the past.
131. Similarly, if a Christian woman is obese, and someone says, “I wish I were Christian so I could marry her,” they become a disbeliever.
132. If a Muslim ties a Christian belt around their waist, they become a disbeliever. Likewise, if they wear a yellow patch on their shoulder, they become a disbeliever.⁴
133. If someone passes through a Christian quarter, sees them celebrating, and says, “What a fine quarter! One should tie the Christian belt here, enter among them, and enjoy the world,” they become a disbeliever.
134. If a teacher says, “The Jews are better than the Muslims because they donate to teachers,” they become a disbeliever.
135. If a disbeliever converts to Islam and a Muslim says to them, “What was wrong with your previous religion that you left it?” they become a disbeliever.
136. If a king sneezes, and someone says to them, “May God have mercy on you!” they become a disbeliever. If someone says to another: “He is a king, do not say ‘May God have mercy on him,’ for he is above needing God’s mercy,” they become a disbeliever because they deem the king independent of God’s mercy.
137. If someone gives wine to their child, and relatives arrive and offer celebratory gifts, they all become disbelievers.
138. If someone begins an act of corruption and says, “Come, let us rejoice with mischief,” they become a disbeliever. If a wrongdoer says, “Who would dare to match our mischief?” they become a disbeliever.
139. If someone consumes alcohol and declares, “I openly practice Islam!” they become a disbeliever.
140. If someone spills their wine, and they respond, “Whoever spills even a drop of my wine, Gabriel will place it upon his wings,” they become a disbeliever.
141. Whoever says, “Anyone who doesn’t drink intoxicants is a disbeliever,” becomes a disbeliever themselves.
142. If a wrongdoer mocks the rectifiers by saying, “Come, let us show you what true Islam is,” they become a disbeliever.
143. If someone commits minor sins and is advised to repent, and they respond, “What can I do about things that require repentance?” they become a disbeliever.
144. If a wrongdoer is told, “You continually harm God and His creation,” and they respond, “I enjoy it,” they become a disbeliever.
145. If someone refers to sins as “companion” or “a co-religionist,” they become a disbeliever.
146. If someone jokingly teaches another person a statement of disbelief, they themselves become a disbeliever.
147. If a husband teaches his wife words of disbelief to nullify their marriage, he becomes a disbeliever. If a jurist permits this behaviour in a fatwa, the jurist becomes a disbeliever.
148. If someone says, “Help me in truth,” and another responds, “I will help falsely if necessary,” they become a disbeliever.
149. If a husband advises his wife, and she replies, “What do I know of God? What do I know of knowledge? I have placed myself in Hell,” she becomes a disbeliever.
150. If someone says, “God created you red,” and the other responds, “God created me from gold and you from clay, which is why I am red,” they become a disbeliever.
151. If someone says something clearly untrue, and others say to them, “You are bound by disbelief for that,” and they respond, “If that is what I am bound to, what can I do?” they become a disbeliever.
152. If someone says, “I renounce rewards and punishments,” or “I renounce recompense and retribution,” they become a disbeliever.
153. If someone strikes another and the victim says, “Don’t hit me, for I am a Muslim,” and the attacker replies, “Damn you and your Islam,” they become a disbeliever.
154. If someone says, “So-and-so is more disbelieving than me,” they become a disbeliever by their own admission.
155. If someone declares, “Whatever so-and-so commands me, I will do, even if it’s disbelief,” they become a disbeliever.
156. If someone says, “I will approach Hell’s edge but will not enter,” or mocks by saying, “I will enter Hell through a loophole,” they become a disbeliever.

Anecdote:

It is recounted that during the time of Caliph Ma’mun, a scholar was asked, “If someone kills a weaver, what is the ruling?” The scholar sarcastically replied, “A basin of broth.” When Ma’mun was informed, he ordered the scholar’s punishment for mockery. May God protect us.

Sayyid Ali

Sayyid Ali studied in the seminary of Qom from 2012 to 2021, while also concurrently obtaining a M.A in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College of London in 2018. In the seminary he engaged in the study of legal theory, jurisprudence and philosophy, eventually attending the advanced kharij of Usul and Fiqh in 2018. He is currently completing his Masters of Education at the University of Toronto and is the head of a private faith-based school in Toronto, as well as an instructor at the Mizan Institute and Mufid Seminary.

1. TN: This entry does not have any further detail and appears to be out of place in between entries related ot the Prophets (p).
2. TN: Tanha in Farsi means alone.
3. TN: This is also illegible, and the word Namaz (pray) is just a guess.
4. A yellow patch (‘asli) was a distinct marker sewn onto the clothing of Jews to distinguish them, much like the zunar (belt) for Christians. In Anwari’s poetry, it is mentioned: “Sometimes they sewed one onto their shoulder in yellow / Sometimes they tied a belt at the waist.” In the manuscript, the term asba’ is used, which could reflect a regional pronunciation or a scribal error. However, it is clear that the zunar belonged to Christians, and the yellow patch to Jews, one worn on the waist and the other on the shoulder. This distinction is also noted in a poem from Majd Hamgar’s Divan: “From these two nations in the land of Mosul / Whoever you see, young or old / Either wears a yellow marker on their head / Or ties a belt at their waist.”