Shayekh Muhammad At-Tameemi/Saleh As-Saleh Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 12 | Size: 1 MB
Know, may Allaah’s Mercy be upon you,
that Allaah (subhanahuhu wa ta’ala: Far is He removed from every
imperfection, the Most High) made it very clear that mankind must follow
Islaam, hold to it and dissociate from whatever contradicts it. The
declaration that “There is no God but Allaah” not only negates all false
deities and confirms worship only to Allaah, it also requires the
complete dissociation from any form of worship to any false deity;
Allaah (subhanahuhu wa ta’ala) says:
“There is no
compulsion in religion. Verily, the right path has become distinct from
the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taaghut (false deities)1 and
believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold
that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.”(Qur’an 2: 256)
Furthermore, to declare that Muhammad
(sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam: may Allaah Exalt his mention and
safeguard him and his message) is the Messenger and slave of Allaah
requires the belief that Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) is
trusted by Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) to deliver the Message of
Islaam, and that Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) is to be
followed and obeyed because Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) decreed in the
Qur’an:
“And
whatsoever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatsoever he forbids
you, abstain (from it) and fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is severe in
punishment.” (Qur’an 59: 7)
All the ways and methods that are needed
by the Muslim to fulfill this declaration of Tawheed2 are explained in
the Qur’an and by the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam).
Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and His Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa
sallam) warned that there are ways that lead to Shirk,3 Kufr4 and
rejection of Faith. The Muslim must be very knowledgeable about Tawheed
so that he does not indulge in practices and concepts that contradict
the essence of Islaam. The most dangerous and widely existing ways that
breach Tawheed are:
ONE: Shirk in the worship of Allah: to associate something and/or anyone in the worship of Allaah:
“Verily!
Allâh forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with
Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that, and whoever
sets up partners in worship with Allâh, has indeed strayed far away.”(Qur’an 4: 116)
“Verily,
whosoever sets up rivals in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has
forbidden Al- Jannah for him, and the Fire will be his abode.”(Qur’an 5: 72)
TWO: Setting up intermediaries between a person and Allaah is Kufr (disbelief):
calling upon them and seeking their
intercession and depending upon them. Those who do this are taking
“associates” with Allaah and this is Shirk. Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)
says (what means):
“Then set not up rivals unto Allaah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshiped).(Qur’an 2: 22)
The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa
sallam) was asked: ‘Which sin is the Gravest? He said: “That you set up
rivals unto Allaah (despite the fact) that He has created you.”5 Allaah
(subhanahu wa ta’ala) says (what means):
“And invoke
not besides Allâh, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but
if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zâlimûn
(polytheists and wrong-doers).(Qur’an 10:106)
THREE:
Believing that the Mushrikeen (those who commit Shirk) are not Kufar or
doubting their Kufr or defending and correcting the beliefs of the
Kufar, is Kufr. Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says (what means):
“O you who
believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ’ (friends,
protectors, helpers), they are but Auliyâ’ of each other. And if any
amongst you takes them (as Auliyâ’), then surely he is one of them.
Verily, Allâh guides not those people who are the Zâlimûn (polytheists
and wrong-doers and unjust).”(Qur’an 5: 51)
This is one of the greatest
contradictions to Tawheed. Here it is important to caution that many
Muslims are reluctant (and feel ashamed) to say the word “Kufr” to
describe a disbeliever or to point out their acts of Shirk. Some even
look at the Kufar with great deal of admiration, fear and obedience.
Those have an inferiority complex that leads them to become blind
followers and defenders of the Kufar and their ways. They are at grave
danger since this may “melt” their identity.
The Muslim’s position about these matters
must be dissociation from Kufr and Shirk, but Love for Allaah
(subhanahu wa ta’ala), His Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) and
the believers:
“Let not the
believers take the disbelievers as Awliyaa’ (supporters, helpers, etc.)
instead of believers, and whoever does that will never be helped by
Allaah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And
Allaah warns you against Himself (His punishment), and to Allaah is the
final return.”(Qur’an 3: 28)
FOUR:
The belief that guidance by someone other than the Prophet Muhammad
(sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) is better or that ruling by other than
the rule of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) is better, then
this is Kufr. The rule of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) is
the rule of Allaah:
“But no, by
your Lord, they can have no true Faith (al-waajib: which is dutiful upon
them), until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find
in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept (them)
fully with submission.”(Qur’an 4: 65)
Some examples of this are:
(a) The belief that systems and laws made
by human beings are better than, or equal to the Sharee’ah of Islaam;
or that Islamic system is not suitable for the contemporary times, and
that Islaam is the cause of backwardness of the Muslims.
(b) The belief that enforcing the
punishments prescribed by Allaah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), such as cutting
of the hand of the thief or the stoning of an adulterer, is not suitable
for this day and age.
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Footnotes:
1 Taaghut: It may be Satan and/or anyone
who is worshipped other than Allah and is pleased and/or calls for it.
[See Appendix]. Here I relate a very important benefit explaining the
issue of Taaghut which is often misunderstood by enthusiastic young
Muslims and it is by Shayekh Sulaimaan Ibn Samhaan (rahimahullaah: may
Allaah’s Mercy be upon him). He said: “It should be known that the one
who seeks judgments from the Taaghut, or rules by other than Allaah’s
rule while believing that (these) judgments are more perfect and better
than the Judgment of Allaah and His Messenger, then this is disbelief
(Kufr ‘aqadi: pertaining to creed) that takes the person out of the fold
of Islam-as it is mentioned in the ten nullifiers of Islam. However, as
to the one who does not believe as such but resorted to the Taaghut
judgment while believing that it to be false, then this is of the
practical type of disbelief (Kufr’amali: lesser type that does not take
the person from Islam). [See Irshaadut-Taalib Ilaa Ahamadil-Mataalib, p.
19.] In addition, anyone (ruler or ruled) who equates the judgment of
Allaah and His Messengers to that of man, or believes that the rules of
man are more fitting to our times than the Islamic laws, commits Kufr
[See Shayekh bin Baaz’s (rahimahullaah) details on this matter in
Qadiyyatu-t-Takfeer bayna ahlis-sunnah wa ffiraqu-d-Dalaal, by Shayekh
Sa’eed Ibn Wahf Al-Qahtaani, pp. 72-73.]
It is, therefore, concluded that the term Taaghut in itself does not
necessarily translate into major disbelief and apostasy, since every
Kufr is Taaghut, but not every Taaghut is Kufr. Imaam Ibnul Qayyim
(rahimahullaah) considered that figurative interpretations of Allaah’s
Names and Attributes through scholastic ways, and giving precedence to
the intellect over the legal texts as Taaghuts (in as-Sawaa’iq al-
Mursalah, v.2, 632-633). Certainly, none considers every level of these
distortions as a major Kufr!!
2 Tawheed: Belief in Oneness and Uniqueness of Allah. Allah is One in
His Lordship, One in His God-ship, and One in His Actions, Names and
Attributes.
3 Shirk: Associating anyone/anything in the worship of Allaah (subhana
wa ta’ala) or setting up rivals with Allaah (subhana wa ta’ala).
4 Kufr: Disbelieving in Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and His Messengers
whether by denial, doubts, suspicion, aversion, jealousy, arrogance or
following some whims which deters one from adhering to the Message.
5 Collected by Al-Bukahari and Muslim.
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