Reflecting/ Critical Reasoning:

Bismillah! AL Hamdulillah!
Wa AsSalatu AsSalamu A’la Rasulillah!

Ayah 5:44 (Whoever doesn’t rule by Allah’s Law is a Kafir) 

What does this mean? The one who doesn’t believe in Allah and His Rasul is a Kafir, isn’t that what we know already?

Yes, that’s true.

Then what about this Kafir? Does it give us another definition of Kafir?

Good question and very thoughtful. Let’s have a critical reasoning of this. A kafir, who is already a kafir, can he be kafir because he doesn’t rule by Allah’s Law? 

No! A kafir rejects Allah and Rasulullah already. Obviously, he won’t follow Allah’s LAW. Therefore, not following Allah’s law cannot be a condition for them to confirm their kufr again, make sense?

Then, who is Allah talking about in this Ayah? 

Obviously, the Ayah only makes sense when you put a ‘Muslim’ ruler in that situation, those ‘Muslims’ who do not rule by Allah’s law and those who choose and enforce Kuffar’s law, man-made law (and exept the one is forced) over the law of Allah, the Only Law Giver, thus they REJECT Allah’s Law (by their action, even though one might not intent it) and it is the REJECTION of Allah’s law that makes them Kafir.

And Allah knows best.

Understanding the misguidance:

But here is the greatest scholar of our time, Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen, who gives the following explanations of this Ayah:
(read it from here/ copy-paste the link):
http://oasisofknowledge.com/imaam-ibn-uthaimeen-on-the-khawaarij-of-the-era/)

“There is another (narration) from Ibn Abbaas concerning this verse, which explains that the intent is the Kufr which does not expel from the religion, as occurs in the saying of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), “Reviling a Muslim is sin (fusooq) and fighting him is Kufr (disbelief). And in the view of some of Mufassiroon, it was actually revealed for the People of the Book, this is because the actual context of the passage is what occurs before”

Do you have any idea what he intended by quoting these references?
Let’s do the critical reasoning of these explanations. We will do the second part first.

By bringing the view of ‘……Some Mufassiroon…….before’, doesn’t he try to imply that the ayah is applicable to the Jews and Christians?

It seems so.

Alright. Let’s take that context of “it was actually revealed for the People of the Book” into account as a possibility, and let’s agree on that and then again make a critical analysis of that too.

Allah says, “whosoever does not judge by what Allâh has revealed, such are the Kâfirûn”

Who does Allah say will be Kafir?

Jews and Christians.

Why?

Because they don’t judge by Allah’s LAW, while Allah gave them TORAH.

So, why are they supposed to judge by Allah’s LAW?

Because they are the people who believed in Allah, and Allah gave the legislation of the Torah to them to follow.

Then, if not judging by Allah’s law makes Jews and Christians Kafir, then did Allah give a book of Law to Muslims too?

Yes,

Then let me ask you,

If Jews and Christians can be Kafir because they don’t judge by Allah’s Law, then if Muslims do not judge by Allah’s LAW, doesn’t it apply the same to Muslim too?

  It should. Yes, it’s simple math!

Of course, it is simple math while Allah, the ONLY Legislator, commanded in many other Ayahs to judge by Allah’s Law.

La Hawla Wa La Quawwata Illa Billah,
How come then such a great scholar covers up such an issue by coming up with this shallow argument that it is revealed for the people of the book?

Weren’t there are ‘hundred’s of issues that were revealed for the Ahlul Kitab, yet they use it on Muslims.
Subhanallah!

Which Muslims do not know this Ayah:
“If you do not know, ask the people of knowledge” (Quran 16:43)

Wasn’t it revealed to ask from the Scholars of Ahlul Kitab?
Do they have any problem using this for Muslim scholars today?
La Hawla Wa La Quwata Illa Billah!

Not only that, he is actually trying to cover himself up by saying, “It is the view of some Mufassiroon….” 

What can you understand from it?

It’s an effort to divert the attention of the ‘sheep’ among the Muslims away, to give those ‘sheep’ an impression that it does not apply to Muslims now!
And we Muslims refer to such things to one reason, shaitan.

And Allah knows best.

Important NOTE:

Whoever wants to understand this Ayah in a holistic perspective, please read from here

Any good that comes from this is only from Allah,
And may Allah, the perpetual forgiver, forgive me for any mistake from me,
and may Allah protect me from any harm that this may bring to me,
And may Allah guide us to the truth wherever it is.
Ameen.

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ ۚ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ ۚ فَلَا تَخْشَوُا النَّاسَ وَاخْشَوْنِ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۚ وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ