Kufr
Kufr is disbelief: the rejection of core articles of Islamic faith. Scholars distinguish between kufr as a technical description of a belief or act, and kufr as a judgment about a specific person. The second is treated with far greater caution than the first.
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See the term in context
Is insulting Allah a more severe form of disbelief (kufr) than the disbelief of Pharaoh and than a complete apostasy from Islam? And is verbal disbelief more dangerous and greater than practical disbelief, and why?
Blasphemy against Allah is an act of disbelief (kufr) more heinous and evil than the disbelief of Pharaoh, because Pharaoh denied the existence and Lordship of Allah, and this is more severe than blasphemy, which is a…
Who is the disbeliever (kafir)? Is it only someone who does not bear witness that there is no god but Allah, or does it include everyone described as having kufr (disbelief) in the hadiths, such as "the one who abandons prayer is a kafir"? And who is the evildoer (fasiq)? Is it someone who has left the religion, or does it include everyone described as having fisq (evil-doing) in the Qur'an and hadiths, such as "abusing a Muslim is fisq"? And who is the hypocrite (munafiq)? Is it someone who entered the religion out of fear, or can a Muslim be a hypocrite unknowingly despite his acts of obedience due to a sin he does not abandon? And who is the disobedient (ʿaṣī)? Is the disobedient person a hypocrite?
Kufr (disbelief) is of two types: major kufr which expels one from the fold of Islam, and minor kufr which does not. Similarly, fisq (disobedience) and nifaq (hypocrisy) each have a major form and a minor form. As for…
Is a person considered an infidel (kafir) in the following cases: 1. If he slanders Allah before puberty, or if there is a slight possibility of slandering Allah or the religion after puberty? 2. If he adds a Shiite TV channel whose content might criticize Salafism or the Companions, and he fears that some family members might be influenced by it? And does he remain an infidel until he removes it? 3. If he refuses to pray in congregation with his father, claiming the time for prayer has ended, then later prays in congregation with his father after the same amount of time or more has passed? And does he remain an infidel until he tells his father the truth? 4. If he writes in his university notebook كلاماً (words/speech) that contradicts the religion, such as explaining certain philosophical theories or كلاماً that criticizes Salafism? And does he remain an infidel until he retrieves the notebook from his professor? 5. If he laughs at a joke that includes offensive كلاماً about shaykhs or contains obscene كلاماً? 6. If he utters words (such as "Pokémon" or "Pikachu") that he thought were kufr, but then it became clear to him that this was incorrect? And does kufr occur by doing something that one thinks is kufr without expecting it to lead to it? 7. Is it obligatory for him to continue asking whether certain actions are kufr, knowing that they are forbidden, given that he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (waswas)? 8. If he says kufri كلاماً (such as ridiculing religion) without feeling that it is kufr? And does he remain an infidel until he tells those who heard him that what he said was wrong? And is there a sin that leads to kufr and requires something other than uttering the two testifications of faith (Shahadatayn) for conversion to Islam? 9. Is a person's entry into Islam valid by uttering the two testifications of faith (Shahadatayn) while he insists on certain sins, such as delaying prayer, or when his body or clothes are dirty, or he is carrying something he considers impure at the time of uttering the Shahadatayn?
What the questioner mentioned about sin does not go beyond being a transgression; it does not amount to disbelief (kufr), because there is a difference between the two. Not everyone who commits a forbidden act…
Questions that use it
What are the acts of disbelief (kufr) that nullify faith and harm religion, what are their consequences, and are good deeds lost after repentance?
Is the one who insists on sin, and intends in his heart never to abandon it, considered a disbeliever (kafir) with the disbelief of defiance (kufr iba')?
Does masturbation constitute an act of disbelief (kufr) if it occurs involuntarily and repeatedly, and does this situation necessitate repentance?