Beneficial Advice from Shaykh Sameer AlQaadi on Compulsion.

Shaykh Sameer, may Allaah Protect him, said:

One might force you to divorce your wife for example, by putting you in jail. So you do that (you divorce her). And one might force you, try to force you, to utter a blasphemous statement. So for that, one puts you in jail also. In the case of divorce; if you divorce your wife in this case, the divorce does not take place. This is because it is considered a compulsion in this case - that prevents the divorce from taking place. But if you utter the blasphemous statement in this case, then you blaspheme. This is because here it's not considered a compulsion that is an [excuse] for you to utter the blasphemous statement without falling into blasphemy. See, so compulsion differs from one situation to another. There are three things that I want to draw your attention towards now. I read in a book for a person (the author) who's living nowadays, who claims to be following one of the madhaahib (one of the four schools) but he's not, any way, he did not understand what the scholars said. Among what the scholars mentioned when they talk about compulsion, is they talk about cutting one's finger. This is compulsion. So he (this deviant guy) said, "if one is threatened by cutting ones finger, then it is permitted for him to utter the blasphemous statement." If one tells him "either you utter a blasphemous statement or I'll cut off your finger." In this case it is NOT an excuse but he said it is.

This is not correct because he mixed up things, so be aware of this. Now, what is the compulsion that makes it permissible for one to utter a blasphemous statement? Two issues. 1) If one is threatened by being killed, or 2) By doing something that leads him to die. What does 'lead to death' mean? Sometimes being hit continuously in a strong way. Or, for his hand to be cut off for example, and then left without being treated until he dies. Even, some scholars said what is an excuse in this situation is to be threatened ONLY by killing one. That's it. Other types of compulsion are not excuses in this case for one to utter a blasphemous statement. Of course, in this situation, the one who's threatened has to believe in his heart that the one threatening is going to do what he is threatening to do, and he is able to do it and that he; the threatened one, cannot escape it. Of course, these issues have to be satisfied for it to be considered an [excuse] for him or her to mention this statement. An example of that, is what happened with ^Ammaar Ibn Yaasir, the great companion (RaDiyyAllaahu ^Anhu). First, his mother was threatened by death to leave out the religion of Islaam. She did not accept, so they killed her before him, i.e. in front of his eyes. Then his father was threatened to leave out Al-Islaam. He didn't say what they wanted him to say, so they killed him. Then ^Ammaar was beaten severely and was told "we are going to kill you if you don't say such statement" i.e. blasphemous statement. ^Ammaar

said what they wanted him to say. Then he went to the Prophet, ^Alayhis-Salaatu Was-Salaam, so he told him this is what happened. The Prophet, ^Alayhis-Salaatu Was-Salaam, told him "If they do it again with you, it is permissible for you to repeat what you did." From this hadeeth, and other religious proofs, the scholars deduced the judgement of compulsion in this situation. The third issue: Be aware, that not always in the case of compulsion the person is permitted to do the thing that they ask him to do. Sometimes, even if one is threatened with something---which is religiously considered a compulsion, one is NOT allowed to do what they ask him to do. For example, if one is threatened by death (by being killed) to kill another Muslim unrightfully. It is not permissible for him to do it---although in this case it IS a case of compulsion. But still, it is not permissible for him to do that, because it is not permitted for him to cause the death of a person (the killing of a person) which is prohibited to be killed---to save a person which is (also) prohibited to be killed. I don't want to give more details about this issue, just I wanted to draw your attention to this issue. What does he do in this case? He would be Patient. If they kill him or her, then he or she would be a Martyr. That's it. Just like that.