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Faizah · **Re: A Critical Analysis of Shirk -** 06-21-2007

The Most Important Evidences Used to Justify Shirk

This section covers the most important evidences used by the mushrikeen to try to justify Shirk. This is mainly focused on those who claim to be Muslims, yet are doing major acts of Shirk. The refutations for these ‘evidences’ will also follow.

1. Belief in Ruboobiyyah

They say, ‘We believe that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider, so how can you say we are committing Shirk?’

For example, when you are giving da’wah to a Muslim who is committing Shirk, and calling him to Tawheed, the first thing he will say is, ‘Why are you calling me to Tawheed? I am already upon Tawheed! I believe in Allah, that He is the Khaaliq, the Raaziq, and that He is All-Powerful.’ Yet, this was the ‘aqeedah of the mushrikeen at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This was the ‘aqeedah of the same people whom the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam fought, killed and took as captives and slaves. They believed and they affirmed that there is no creator except Allah, no sustainer except Allah, no power except by the will of Allah. And this is mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an;

“Say: "To whom belong the earth and all beings therein? (say) if ye know!"

They will say, "To Allah!" say: "Yet will ye not receive admonition?"

Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme?"

They will say, "(They belong) to Allah." Say: "Will ye not then be filled with awe?"

Say: "Who is it in whose hands is the governance of all things,- who protects (all), but is not protected (of any)? (say) if ye know."

They will say, "(It belongs) to Allah." Say: "Then how are ye deluded?"”

[Al-Mu’minoon 23:84-89]

So here, we can see that they had a firm belief in Ruboobiyyah; that Allah is One, that Allah exists, Allah is the Khaaliq, Allah is the Raaziq, Allah is the Rabb. And they affirmed that you turn to Allah for protection. Yet, they rejected Allah. And they did this by not directing their worship to Allah alone.

So when this person comes and says, ‘I believe in Laa Ilaaha illallaah’, say ‘No, you believe in Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah, not in Uloohiyyah. And Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is exactly what the Arabs of Jahiliyyah believed, such as Abu Jahl and Abu Lahb, and yet that was not sufficient for them to be accepted as Muslims.’ So, they believed in Allah, and that He is the Rabb, yet this was not sufficient for the Prophet to call it Islam. So to summarise this evidence, this understanding of Tawheed is that ‘There is no creator except Allah’, which is the same understanding that the Mushrikeen had. The understanding of Laa ilaaha illallaah is ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah’. ‘Ilaah’ means ‘A-Ma’bood – the one that is worshipped’ and ‘Ilaah’ does not mean ‘Al Khaaliq – the one that creates’. So, once you present the ayaat similar to the ones above, and he is open minded InshaAllah, you show them that this is the same ideology that they have.

2. Intermediaries

Another point that is usually made is that one is not worshipping these people in the grave, or whomever they direct their du’a to, but they are merely using them as a means of intercession. They claim that they are too sinful to ask of Allah directly, and that these people whom they direct their du’a to are pious and holy, so they merely take them as a means for their du’a to reach Allah. So they make a distinction between what they are doing and what the Mushrikeen at the time of the Prophet are doing, i.e. worshipping idols.

However, this is exactly what the Mushrikeen used to do. The Mushrikoon used to worship these idols in order for these idols to take their demands up to Allah. They did not intend to make their worship directly to these idols, but they actually intended for it to go up to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala through these idols. Which is exactly the claim made in this point. The proof for this is in the following verse;

“Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful.”

[Az-Zumar 39:3]

This verse is very explicit. So these people turned to the idols such as al-Laat, Al-Manaat and al-‘Uzza was to come closer to Allah. So it is clear that they did not intend to worship them as their final destination, but rather they worshipped them in order to reach Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. So when a person does this through saints, through ‘Awliyaa, through Prophets, through Anbiyaa, through Angels, through Malaa’ika, it is exactly the same thing.

3. The object of worship

Another excuse that is used is that the Mushrikeen worshipped idols, yet they are going to pious people, such as the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘AbdulQaadir Jeylaani, al-Badawi, etc. Are you comparing al-Laat and al-‘Uzza to The Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam? And when this question is posed, the person maybe very angry, as he sees this as an affront to his love of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. So you explain to this person that love of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is shown through obedience to his example, not disobedience.

“Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."”

[Aal-E-Imran 3:31]

When the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came, there were various groups of people on the earth, and he was sent to all of Mankind. There were various religions at that time. Some of the Arabs worshipped rocks, some of them worshipped the sun and the moon, some of them worshipped the Angels. Some of them, such as the Christians worshipped ‘Easa ibn Maryam. Some of them, such as the Jews, worshipped ‘Uzayr. Did the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam distinguish between those who worshipped ‘Easa ibn Maryam because, and those who worshipped al-Laat and al-‘Uzza? Or did he say that all of them are Kuffar, and if they do not accept Islam they will go to the fire of Hell? In other words, did the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam distinguish between the objects of worship? Did he say that the one who worship al-Laat and al-‘Uzza will go to Hellfire and the one who worships ‘Easa ibn Maryam will enter paradise? Or did he say. ‘And there is none of the Jews and Christians that hears about me and does not believe in me, except that he goes to the Fire o Hell?’ He did not distinguish between any of the Kuffaar and their objects of worship, so why should we? It is irrelevant who you worship other than Allah. The fact that you are worshipping other than Allah is Shirk. You can worship Shaytaan or you can worship Jibreel, yet both are Shirk, though one is more despicable than the other. Did not the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say,

“Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle.”
[Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 55, No.654]

Note: the Shirk of the people in our time is worse than the Shirk of the people at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is because the Mushrikeen of the past committed Shirk in times of ease, and worshipped Allah sincerely at times of hardship. This is proven in the ayah;

“And when they board a ship, they supplicate to Allah, sincere to Him in religion [i.e. faith and hope]. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him.”

[Al-‘Ankaboot 29:65]

However, the Mushrikeen of our time are always committing Shirk in ease and in hardship. Their Shirk is continuous. They are always directing their worship du’a to other than Allah.

4. The Intercession is True

They point out that the intercession has been granted to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, therefore they are asking the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for something he has been given.

However, the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is not alive anymore. He has entered the Barzakh, which is a separate life, and therefore he cannot communicate with us and neither can we communicate with him. When he was alive, then it would have been easy for you to ask him to make du’a for you. The sahaba would ask the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make du’a for them whilst they were alive. But once the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away, the sahaba never asked the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make du’a for them, although there are a couple of fabricated ( without a shadow of a doubt) ahadeeth that suggest otherwise. So it is not narrated in a Saheeh or Hasan hadeeth that the sahaba came to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam grave and asked him for something.

Furthermore, the intercession is a right of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

“Say: "To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession: to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: In the End, it is to Him that ye shall be brought back."”

[Az-Zumar 39:44]

So the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will intercede by the permission of Allah, on behalf of those whom Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has told him to intercede for. This is the key point here; the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will not choose those whom he will intercede for. Rather, this is in the control of Allah completely. And it is related in an authentic hadeeth, that at the time of intercession;

‘So they will come to me and I will proceed till I will ask my Lord’s Permission and I will be given permission. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in Prostration and He will let me remain in that state as long as He wishes and then I will be addressed, ‘(Muhammad!) Raise your head. Ask, and your request will be granted. Say, and your speech will be listened to. Intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.’ I will raise my head and praise Allah with a saying He will teach me, and then I will intercede. He will fix a limit for me (to intercede for).’
[Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 60, No. 3]

So Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will choose who will be interceded for, and who will intercede – everything goes back to Allah. The intercession is a means of showing mercy to those who are being interceded for, and it is a means of honouring those who interceded (e.g. the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

So when we hear the adhaan, we pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to give the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam the ‘Waseelah’ and the ‘Fadheelah’, and the ‘Maqaam al-Mahmoud’. So in other words, we pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to bless the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with the Shafaa’ah, we do not pray to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make intercession for us. So this du’a is made to Allah.

5. The saying of ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’

They say that whoever says ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ is a Mu’min, and they know this from Mutwaatir ahadeeth. Therefore, how can one use the evidences against the Mushrikeen against a believer?

However, it is not the verbalisation of ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’, but the implementation that makes you a believer. If we were to go up to a Kaafir, and asked them to repeat the kalimah, would that make them a believer? Why? Because he has not actualised and implemented it. So only if you act upon the kalimah does he become saved from the fire of Hell. If you commit Shirk you have gone against the basis of Laa ilaaha illallaah. This is because Laa ilaaha illallaah has certain connotations and meanings that come with it. And these must be believed in and acted upon.

Also the scholars have a consensus that if a person verbalises Laa ilaaha illallaah, then commits an act of Shirk or Kufr, then that statement is negated. So if a person says Laa ilaaha illallaah, then intentionally shows disrespect to the Qur’an, then by unanimous consensus of all of the scholars of all of the madhaahib, this person is a murtad. Why is this? Because even though he said Laa ilaaha illallaah, he committed an act of kufr which negated this statement.

6. The Hadeeth of Intercession

In the hadeeth of intercession in Saheeh Bukhari, Mankind will approach some of the Prophets to make intercession for them. So some people pose the question, why can’t we approach the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam now to make intercession for us?

Firstly, these Prophets will be alive at this time, and they will also be present in front of the people. So this is as if they are alive in front of you. So this is similar to what the companions used to do at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, i.e. asked him to make du’a for them. So this is completely different to us being in this world, and the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam being in the Barzakh. That is two separate lives, and we have no communication with that life. Therefore it is not permissible for us to ask of him whilst he is in another life. And this is why none of the Salaf-as-Salih would do this type of thing. Therefore, this analogy is not correct, because it goes against the well-known fact that the dead cannot hear us as they are in a different type of life.

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Faizah Min Ahlil Hadeeth Status: Offline Posts: 7,291 Reputation: 28719 Rep Power: 62 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: ~ Daar as-Sa'aadah ~ Gender: Way of Life: Muslim	Re: A Critical Analysis of Shirk - 06-21-2007 The Most Important Evidences Used to Justify Shirk This section covers the most important evidences used by the mushrikeen to try to justify Shirk. This is mainly focused on those who claim to be Muslims, yet are doing major acts of Shirk. The refutations for these ‘evidences’ will also follow. 1. Belief in Ruboobiyyah They say, ‘We believe that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Provider, so how can you say we are committing Shirk?’ For example, when you are giving da’wah to a Muslim who is committing Shirk, and calling him to Tawheed, the first thing he will say is, ‘Why are you calling me to Tawheed? I am already upon Tawheed! I believe in Allah, that He is the Khaaliq, the Raaziq, and that He is All-Powerful.’ Yet, this was the ‘aqeedah of the mushrikeen at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This was the ‘aqeedah of the same people whom the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam fought, killed and took as captives and slaves. They believed and they affirmed that there is no creator except Allah, no sustainer except Allah, no power except by the will of Allah. And this is mentioned in many verses in the Qur’an; “Say: "To whom belong the earth and all beings therein? (say) if ye know!" They will say, "To Allah!" say: "Yet will ye not receive admonition?" Say: "Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme?" They will say, "(They belong) to Allah." Say: "Will ye not then be filled with awe?" Say: "Who is it in whose hands is the governance of all things,- who protects (all), but is not protected (of any)? (say) if ye know." They will say, "(It belongs) to Allah." Say: "Then how are ye deluded?"” [Al-Mu’minoon 23:84-89] So here, we can see that they had a firm belief in Ruboobiyyah; that Allah is One, that Allah exists, Allah is the Khaaliq, Allah is the Raaziq, Allah is the Rabb. And they affirmed that you turn to Allah for protection. Yet, they rejected Allah. And they did this by not directing their worship to Allah alone. So when this person comes and says, ‘I believe in Laa Ilaaha illallaah’, say ‘No, you believe in Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah, not in Uloohiyyah. And Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah is exactly what the Arabs of Jahiliyyah believed, such as Abu Jahl and Abu Lahb, and yet that was not sufficient for them to be accepted as Muslims.’ So, they believed in Allah, and that He is the Rabb, yet this was not sufficient for the Prophet to call it Islam. So to summarise this evidence, this understanding of Tawheed is that ‘There is no creator except Allah’, which is the same understanding that the Mushrikeen had. The understanding of Laa ilaaha illallaah is ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah’. ‘Ilaah’ means ‘A-Ma’bood – the one that is worshipped’ and ‘Ilaah’ does not mean ‘Al Khaaliq – the one that creates’. So, once you present the ayaat similar to the ones above, and he is open minded InshaAllah, you show them that this is the same ideology that they have. 2. Intermediaries Another point that is usually made is that one is not worshipping these people in the grave, or whomever they direct their du’a to, but they are merely using them as a means of intercession. They claim that they are too sinful to ask of Allah directly, and that these people whom they direct their du’a to are pious and holy, so they merely take them as a means for their du’a to reach Allah. So they make a distinction between what they are doing and what the Mushrikeen at the time of the Prophet are doing, i.e. worshipping idols. However, this is exactly what the Mushrikeen used to do. The Mushrikoon used to worship these idols in order for these idols to take their demands up to Allah. They did not intend to make their worship directly to these idols, but they actually intended for it to go up to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala through these idols. Which is exactly the claim made in this point. The proof for this is in the following verse; “Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful.” [Az-Zumar 39:3] This verse is very explicit. So these people turned to the idols such as al-Laat, Al-Manaat and al-‘Uzza was to come closer to Allah. So it is clear that they did not intend to worship them as their final destination, but rather they worshipped them in order to reach Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. So when a person does this through saints, through ‘Awliyaa, through Prophets, through Anbiyaa, through Angels, through Malaa’ika, it is exactly the same thing. 3. The object of worship Another excuse that is used is that the Mushrikeen worshipped idols, yet they are going to pious people, such as the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘AbdulQaadir Jeylaani, al-Badawi, etc. Are you comparing al-Laat and al-‘Uzza to The Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam? And when this question is posed, the person maybe very angry, as he sees this as an affront to his love of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. So you explain to this person that love of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is shown through obedience to his example, not disobedience. “Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."” [Aal-E-Imran 3:31] When the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came, there were various groups of people on the earth, and he was sent to all of Mankind. There were various religions at that time. Some of the Arabs worshipped rocks, some of them worshipped the sun and the moon, some of them worshipped the Angels. Some of them, such as the Christians worshipped ‘Easa ibn Maryam. Some of them, such as the Jews, worshipped ‘Uzayr. Did the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam distinguish between those who worshipped ‘Easa ibn Maryam because, and those who worshipped al-Laat and al-‘Uzza? Or did he say that all of them are Kuffar, and if they do not accept Islam they will go to the fire of Hell? In other words, did the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam distinguish between the objects of worship? Did he say that the one who worship al-Laat and al-‘Uzza will go to Hellfire and the one who worships ‘Easa ibn Maryam will enter paradise? Or did he say. ‘And there is none of the Jews and Christians that hears about me and does not believe in me, except that he goes to the Fire o Hell?’ He did not distinguish between any of the Kuffaar and their objects of worship, so why should we? It is irrelevant who you worship other than Allah. The fact that you are worshipping other than Allah is Shirk. You can worship Shaytaan or you can worship Jibreel, yet both are Shirk, though one is more despicable than the other. Did not the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam say, “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle.” [Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 55, No.654] Note: the Shirk of the people in our time is worse than the Shirk of the people at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is because the Mushrikeen of the past committed Shirk in times of ease, and worshipped Allah sincerely at times of hardship. This is proven in the ayah; “And when they board a ship, they supplicate to Allah, sincere to Him in religion [i.e. faith and hope]. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him.” [Al-‘Ankaboot 29:65] However, the Mushrikeen of our time are always committing Shirk in ease and in hardship. Their Shirk is continuous. They are always directing their worship du’a to other than Allah. 4. The Intercession is True They point out that the intercession has been granted to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, therefore they are asking the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for something he has been given. However, the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is not alive anymore. He has entered the Barzakh, which is a separate life, and therefore he cannot communicate with us and neither can we communicate with him. When he was alive, then it would have been easy for you to ask him to make du’a for you. The sahaba would ask the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make du’a for them whilst they were alive. But once the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away, the sahaba never asked the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make du’a for them, although there are a couple of fabricated ( without a shadow of a doubt) ahadeeth that suggest otherwise. So it is not narrated in a Saheeh or Hasan hadeeth that the sahaba came to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam grave and asked him for something. Furthermore, the intercession is a right of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. “Say: "To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession: to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: In the End, it is to Him that ye shall be brought back."” [Az-Zumar 39:44] So the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will intercede by the permission of Allah, on behalf of those whom Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala has told him to intercede for. This is the key point here; the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will not choose those whom he will intercede for. Rather, this is in the control of Allah completely. And it is related in an authentic hadeeth, that at the time of intercession; ‘So they will come to me and I will proceed till I will ask my Lord’s Permission and I will be given permission. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in Prostration and He will let me remain in that state as long as He wishes and then I will be addressed, ‘(Muhammad!) Raise your head. Ask, and your request will be granted. Say, and your speech will be listened to. Intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.’ I will raise my head and praise Allah with a saying He will teach me, and then I will intercede. He will fix a limit for me (to intercede for).’ [Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 60, No. 3] So Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala will choose who will be interceded for, and who will intercede – everything goes back to Allah. The intercession is a means of showing mercy to those who are being interceded for, and it is a means of honouring those who interceded (e.g. the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). So when we hear the adhaan, we pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to give the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam the ‘Waseelah’ and the ‘Fadheelah’, and the ‘Maqaam al-Mahmoud’. So in other words, we pray to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala to bless the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with the Shafaa’ah, we do not pray to the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to make intercession for us. So this du’a is made to Allah. 5. The saying of ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ They say that whoever says ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’ is a Mu’min, and they know this from Mutwaatir ahadeeth. Therefore, how can one use the evidences against the Mushrikeen against a believer? However, it is not the verbalisation of ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah’, but the implementation that makes you a believer. If we were to go up to a Kaafir, and asked them to repeat the kalimah, would that make them a believer? Why? Because he has not actualised and implemented it. So only if you act upon the kalimah does he become saved from the fire of Hell. If you commit Shirk you have gone against the basis of Laa ilaaha illallaah. This is because Laa ilaaha illallaah has certain connotations and meanings that come with it. And these must be believed in and acted upon. Also the scholars have a consensus that if a person verbalises Laa ilaaha illallaah, then commits an act of Shirk or Kufr, then that statement is negated. So if a person says Laa ilaaha illallaah, then intentionally shows disrespect to the Qur’an, then by unanimous consensus of all of the scholars of all of the madhaahib, this person is a murtad. Why is this? Because even though he said Laa ilaaha illallaah, he committed an act of kufr which negated this statement. 6. The Hadeeth of Intercession In the hadeeth of intercession in Saheeh Bukhari, Mankind will approach some of the Prophets to make intercession for them. So some people pose the question, why can’t we approach the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam now to make intercession for us? Firstly, these Prophets will be alive at this time, and they will also be present in front of the people. So this is as if they are alive in front of you. So this is similar to what the companions used to do at the time of the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, i.e. asked him to make du’a for them. So this is completely different to us being in this world, and the Prophet SalAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam being in the Barzakh. That is two separate lives, and we have no communication with that life. Therefore it is not permissible for us to ask of him whilst he is in another life. And this is why none of the Salaf-as-Salih would do this type of thing. Therefore, this analogy is not correct, because it goes against the well-known fact that the dead cannot hear us as they are in a different type of life.