Question:

According to Al-Murtada, is the opponent (Mukhalif) a Muslim?

Answer:

Abdullah Ibn Muhammad Al Shubbar writes:

وأما سائر المخالفين ممن لم ينصب ولم يعاند ولم يتعصب فالذي عليه جملة من الإمامية كالسيد المرتضى أنهم كفار في الدنيا والآخرة والذي عليه الأكثر الأشهر أنهم كفار مخلدون في الآخرة وتجري عليهم أحكام الإسلام في الدنيا من حقن دمائهم وأموالهم وقيل إنهم لا يخلدون في النار ولا يدخلون الجنة بل يكونون بعد الخروج من النار في الأعراف وقيل إنهم يدخلون الجنة بعد العذاب الطويل وهذا القول نادر لا يعرف قائله

“As for the rest of the opponents, who are neither enemies (nawasib) nor stubborn nor fanatical, a number of the followers of the Imams (a.) such as Ash-Sharif Al-Murtada consider them to be disbelievers both in this world and the hereafter, but the well-known view of the majority is that they remain in the hereafter as disbelievers and the judgments of Islam are applied to them in this world, thus protecting their blood and property. It is said that they do not remain in the fire forever, nor do they enter paradise, but after leaving the fire they enter the Al-A’raf plain, and it is said that they enter paradise after a long punishment, but this opinion is rare and those who advocate it are not known.”[Haqq-ul-Yaqin, pages 510 – 511]

Muhammad Baqir Al-Majlisi writes:

وأما الأحكام الدنيوية أيضا كالطهارة والتناكح والتوارث فالمشهور أنهم في جميع ذلك بحكم المسلمين، وذهب السيد المرتضى رضي الله عنه وجماعة إلى أنهم في الأمور الدنيوية أيضا بحكم الكفار، والذي يظهر من بعض الأخبار أنهم واقعا في جميع الأحكام بحكم الكفار لكن الله تعالى لما علم أن للمخالفين دولة وغلبة على الشيعة ولا بد لهم من معاشرتهم رخص لهم في جميع ذلك وأجرى على المخالفين في زمان الهدنة والتقية أحكام المسلمين وفي زمن القائم عليه السلام لا فرق بينهم وبين الكفار وبه يمكن الجمع بين الأخبار وقد يطلق على مرتكبي الكبائر من غير توبة وأثره احتمال العقاب الطويل لا الخلود، ولا جريان حكم الكفار عليهم في الدنيا، بل يمكن سقوط بعض الحقوق التي تكون للمؤمنين وقد يطلق على مطلق مرتكبي المعاصي

“As for the judgments in this world, such as ritual purity, marriage and inheritance, it is known that the judgment of Muslims (Zahir) is applied to them all, but the head Ash-Sharif Al-Murtada, may God be pleased with him, and a group hold the view that the judgment of the disbelievers is also applied to them in this world. What emerges from some reports is that in all judgments, they should have the judgment of the disbelievers applied to them, but because God knew that those who oppose (us) would have a state and the majority over the followers of the Imams (a.), whereby there is no way to avoid that they enter into a society with them, He allowed them this procedure in all of it and He set up the judgments for Muslims at the time of peace and secrecy (Taqiyyah) for those who oppose (us) and in the time of the rising Imam (a.) there is then no difference between them and the disbelievers and in this way the agreement of the reports with each other is possible. It has already been said that whoever commits the great (sins) without repentance and a trace of it, is likely to be punished for a long time, which will not last forever, and the judgment of the disbelievers will not be applied to them in this world. Rather, some of the rights to which the believers are entitled would be taken away from them, and the term disobedience has already been used to refer to those who commit them outright.” [Mir’at-ul-Uqul, Volume 11 page 191]