In an episode of Al-Khawthar program “Provisions of Islam”, Qasir addressed the issues Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim and Wahhabis cited to deem some Muslims “infidels”, including the principle of “Oneness of Worship (tawheed al-uluhiyyah)”.

Monotheism was not divided to Oneness of Lordship of Allah (tawheed ar-rububiyyah) and Oneness of Worship (tawheed al-uluhiyyah) in the era of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and in the first three hundred years in the Islamic calendar, which are a source of fataws and hadiths, according to the interviewer Ibrahim al-Mousawi.

Mousawi noted that Ibn Taymiyyah, however, had divided aspects of monotheism into three categories, including the principle of Oneness of Lordship of Allah (tawheed ar-rububiyyah) and Oneness of Worship (tawheed al-uluhiyyah), which later opened the door to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the founder of Wahhabism, to label a Muslim as an “infidel”.

Sheikh Qasir said all fatwas that deem Muslims “infidels” are based on three principles:
1- Oneness of Names and Attributes (tawheed asma wa sifat).
2- Oneness of Lordship of Allah (tawheed ar-rububiyyah) and Oneness of Worship (tawheed al-uluhiyyah).
3- The Nullifiers of Islam.

He stressed that these principles are void and heresy.

According to Ibn Taymiyyah and Wahhabi scholars, Oneness of Lordship of Allah is that the person must believe that there is no doer in the universe but God Almighty - He is the giver of life and the giver of death, etc., Qasir explained. The cleric said they assumed that all people - even polytheists - believe in this principle.

Qasir added that Ibn Taymiyyah and Wahhabi scholars consider most people, except Wahabbis, as infidels, based on the principle of “Oneness of Worship”, and even deserve to be killed.

He quoted Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab as claiming that saying Shahada - “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah” - or the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as his prophet was mistakenly understood by scholars of his time and is not enough to be a Muslim.

Qasir noted that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab even did not accept the hadith where the Messenger of Allah [PBUH] said, “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah). Whoever says La ilaha illallah, his life and his property are safe from me,” which means that believing that there is no God by Allah and that Muhammad is God's prophet is enough to be a Muslim.

According to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, any Muslim, who supplicates to other than god, swears by other than God or vows an act (Nazr) to someone other than God or make a pilgrimage to holy shrines (Ziyara), is committing polytheism (shirk) based on the principle of Oneness of Worship, the cleric added.

Qasir emphasized that the criterion for being a Muslim and not polytheist according to Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is not following the principle ‘Oneness of worship’ but believing in God, and that whoever says “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah” is a Muslim.

To prove the point, Qasir cited a verse in Quran that says “The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers”. He noted that the verse has mentioned believing in Allah and has not mentioned the “Oneness of Worship”.

He also cited the hadith where the Messenger of Allah [PBUH] said “I have been commanded to fight the people until they say La ilaha illallah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah). Whoever says La ilaha illallah, his life and his property are safe from me.”

Qasir reiterated that it is not permissible to declare a Muslim an infidel based on the principle of “Oneness of Worship”, adding that such details are not criteria for being Muslim or not.