The Story of Prophet Abraham #3

The Iconoclast

Description: Abraham destroys the idols of his people in order to prove to them the futility of their worship.

Then the time came when preaching had to be accompanied with physical action. Abraham planned a bold and decisive blow at idolatry. The Quranic account is slightly different than what is mentioned in Judeo-Christian traditions, as they say for Abraham to have destroyed his father’s personal idols.[1] The Quran tells that he destroyed the idols of his people, kept at a religious altar. Abraham had hinted at a plan involving the idols:

“And, by God, I shall circumvent your idols after you have gone away and turned your backs.” (Quran 21:57)

It was time for a religious festival, perhaps dedicated to Sin, for which they left the town. Abraham was invited to attend the festivities, but he excused himself,

“And he glanced a glance at the stars. Then said: ‘Lo! I feel sick!’”

So, when his peers left without him, it became his opportunity. As the temple was deserted, Abraham made his way there and approached the gold-plated wooden idols, which had had elaborate meals left in front of them by the priests. Abraham mocked them in disbelief:

“Then turned he to their gods and said: ‘Will you not eat? What ails you that you speak not?’”

After all, what could have deluded man to worship gods of his own carving?

“Then he attacked them, striking with his right hand.”

The Quran tells us:

“He reduced them to fragments, all except the chief of them.”

When the temple priests returned, they were shocked to see the sacrilege, the destruction of the temple. They were wondering who could have done this to their idols when someone mentioned the name of Abraham, explaining that he used to speak ill of them. When they called him to their presence, it was for Abraham to show them their foolishness:

“He said: ‘Worship you that which you yourselves do carve when God has created you and what you make?’”

Their anger was mounting; in no mood for being preached to, they got straight to the point:

“Is it you who has done this to our gods, O Abraham?”

But Abraham had left the largest idol untouched for a reason:

“He said: ‘But this, their chief has done it. So question them, if they can speak!’”

When Abraham so challenged them, they were cast into confusion. They blamed each other for not guarding the idols and, refusing to meet his eyes, said:

“Indeed you know well these speak not!”

So Abraham pressed his case.

“He said: ‘Worship you then instead of God that which cannot profit you at all, nor harm you? Fie on you and all that you worship instead of God! Have you then no sense?’”

The accusers had become the accused. They were accused of logical inconsistency, and so had no answer for Abraham. Because Abraham’s reasoning was unanswerable, their response was rage and fury, and they condemned Abraham to be burned alive,

“Build for him a building and fling him in the red hot fire.”

The townspeople all helped in gathering wood for the fire, until it was the largest fire they had ever seen. The young Abraham submitted to the fate chosen for him by the Lord of the Worlds. He did not loose faith, rather the trial made him stronger. Abraham did not flinch in the face of a fiery death even at this tender age; rather his last words before entering it were,

“God is sufficient for me and He is the best disposer of affairs.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Here again is an example of Abraham proving true to the trials he faced. His belief in the True God was tested here, and he proved that he was even prepared to surrender his existence to the call of God. His belief was evidenced by his action.

God had not willed that this be the fate of Abraham, for he had a great mission ahead of him. He was to be the father of some of the greatest prophets known to humanity. God saved Abraham as a sign for him and his people as well.

“We (God) said: ‘O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham.’ And they wished to set a snare for him, but We made them the greater losers.”

Thus did Abraham escape the fire, unharmed. They tried to seek revenge for their gods, but they and their idols were in the end humiliated.


Footnotes:

[1] The Talmud: Selections, H. Polano. (http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/pol/index.htm).


©By IslamReligion.com

The Story of Prophet Abraham #2

A Call to His People

Description: Abraham calls his father Azar (Terah or Terakh in the Bible) and nation to the Truth revealed to him from his Lord.

Abraham and His Father

Like those around him, Abraham’s father Azar (Terah or Terakh in the Bible), was an idol worshipper. Biblical tradition[1] tells of him actually being a sculptor of them,[2] hence Abraham’s first call was directed to him. He addressed him with clear logic and sense, understood by a young man like himself as well as the wise.

“And mention in the Book (the Quran) Abraham, indeed he was a man of truth, a Prophet. When he said to his father: “O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything? O my father! Verily! There has come to me of knowledge that which came not unto you. So follow me. I will guide you to a Straight Path.” (Quran 19:41-43)

The reply from his father was rejection, an obvious reply by any person challenged by another much younger than them, a challenge made against years of tradition and norm.

He (the father) said: “Do you reject my gods, O Abraham? If you do not stop, I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely before I punish you.” (Quran 19:46)

Abraham and His People

After incessant attempts in calling his father to leave the worship of false idols, Abraham turned to his people seeking to warn others, addressing them with the same simple logic.

“And recite to them the story of Abraham. When he said to his father and his people: “What do you worship?” They said: “We worship idols, and to them we are ever devoted.” He said: “Do they hear you, when you call (on them)? Or do they benefit you or do they harm (you)?” They said: “Nay, but we found our fathers doing so.” He said: “Do you observe that which you have been worshipping, you and your ancient fathers? Verily! They are enemies to me, save the Lord of all that exists; Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me; And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me; And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (again)” (Quran 26:69-81)

In furthering his call that the only deity which deserved worship was God, Almighty, he struck another example for his people to ponder. The Judeo-Christian tradition tells a similar story, but portrays it in the context of Abraham himself coming to the realization if God through the worship of these beings[3], not of him using it as an example for his people. In the Quran, none of the Prophets are said to have associated others than God, even if they were uninformed of the correct way before they were commissioned as prophets. The Quran tells of Abraham:

“When the night grew dark upon him, he beheld a star, and said, ‘This is my Lord!’ But when it set, he said: ‘I love not things that set.’” (Quran 6:76)

Abraham put forth to them the example of the stars, a creation truly incomprehensible to humans at time, seen as something greater than humanity, and many times having various powers attributed to them. But in the setting of the stars Abraham saw their inability to appear as they desired, but rather only at night.

He then struck the example of something even greater, a heavenly body more beautiful, larger, and that could appear at daytime as well!

“And when he saw the moon rising up, he exclaimed: ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said: ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I surely shall become one of the folk who are astray.’” (Quran 6:77)

Then as his culminating example, he struck an example of something even bigger, one of the most powerful of creation, one without which life itself was an impossibility.

And when he saw the sun rising, he cried: “This is my Lord! This is greater!” But when the sun set, he said, “O my people! Surely I am free from that which you associate with God. Verily, I have turned my face towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth, away from idolatry, and I am not of those who associate others with God.” (Quran 6:78)

Abraham proved to them that the Lord of the worlds was not to be found in the creations that their idols represented, but was, rather, the entity who created them and everything which they could see and perceive; that the Lord does not necessarily need to be seen in order to be worshipped. He is an All-Able Lord, not bound by limitations as the creations found in this world are. His message was simple:

“Worship God, and keep your duty to Him; that is better for you if you did but know. You worship instead of God only idols, and you only invent a lie. Lo! Those whom you worship instead of God own no provision for you. So seek your provision from God, and worship Him, and give thanks to Him, (for) to Him you will be brought back.” (Quran 29:16-19)

He openly questioned their adherence to mere traditions of their forefathers,

“He said: ‘Verily you and your fathers were in plain error.’”

Abraham’s path was to be filled with pain, hardship, trial, opposition, and heartache. His father and people rejected his message. His call fell on deaf ears; they would not reason. Instead, he was challenged and mocked,

“They said: ‘Bring you to us the truth, or are you some jester?’”

In this stage in his life, Abraham, a young man with a prospective future, opposes his own family and nation in order to propagate a message of true monotheism, belief in the One True God, and rejection of all other false deities, whether they be stars and other celestial or earthly creations, or depictions of gods in the form of idols. He was rejected, outcaste and punished for this belief, but he stood firm against all evil, ready to face even more in the future.

“And (remember) when his (Abraham’s) Lord tried Abraham with (various) commandments, to which he proved true.” (Quran 2:124)


Footnotes:

[1] Gen r. xxxviii, Tanna debe Eliyahu. Ii. 25.

[2] Abraham. Charles J. Mendelsohn, Kaufmann Kohler, Richard Gottheil, Crawford Howell Toy. The Jewish Encyclopedia. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=360&letter=A#881)

[3] The Talmud: Selections, H. Polano. (http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/pol/index.htm).


©By IslamReligion.com

The Story of Prophet Abraham #1

Introduction

Description: An introduction to the person of Abraham and the lofty position he holds in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike.

One of the prophets given the most attention in the Quran is the Prophet Abraham. The Quran tells of him and his unwavering belief in God, first calling him to reject his people and their idolatry, and later to prove true to various tests which God places before him.

In Islam, Abraham is seen as a strict monotheist who calls his people to the worship of God alone. For this belief, he bears great hardships, even disassociating himself with his family and people through migration to various lands. He is one who fulfills various commandments of God though which he is tested, proving true to each one.

Due to this strength of faith, the Quran attributes the one and only true religion to be the “Path of Abraham”, even though prophets before him, such as Noah, called to the same faith. Because of his tireless act of obedience to God, He gave him the special title of “Khaleel”, or beloved servant, not given to any other Prophet before. Due to the excellence of Abraham, God made prophets from his progeny, from them Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob (Israel), Joseph and Moses, guiding people to the truth.

The lofty status of Abraham is one shared by Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike. The Jews see him to be epitome of virtue as he fulfilled all the commandments although before they were revealed, and was the first to come to the realization of the One True God. He is seen as the father of the chosen race, the father of prophets due to which God started his series of revelations. In Christianity, he is seen as the father of all believers (Romans 4:11) and his trust in God and sacrifice is taken as a model for later saints (Hebrews 11).

As Abraham is given such importance, it is worthy that one study his life and investigate those aspects which raised him to the level which God gave him.

Although the Quran and the Sunnah do not given the details of the whole life of Abraham, they do mention certain facts worthy of note. As with other Qur’anic and biblical figures, the Quran and Sunnah detail aspects of their lives as a clarification of some misguided beliefs of previous revealed religions, or those aspects which contain certain mottos and morals worthy of note and emphasis.

His Name

In the Quran, the only name given to Abraham are “Ibrahim” and “Ibrahaam”, all sharing the original root, b-r-h-m. Although in the Bible, Abraham is known as Abram at first, and then God is said to change his name to Abraham, the Quran has kept silent on this subject, neither affirming nor negating it. Modern Judeo-Christian scholars do doubt, however, in story of the changing of his names and their respective meanings, calling it “popular world play”. Assyriologists suggest that the Hebrew letter Hê (h) in the Minnean dialect is written in stead of a long ‘a’ (ā), and that the difference between Abraham and Abram is merely dialectical.[1] The same can be said for the names Sarai and Sarah, as their meanings are also identical.[2]

His Homeland

Abraham is estimated to have been born 2,166 years before Jesus in or around the Mesopotamian [3] city of Ur [4], 200 miles southeast of present-day Baghdad [5].People of the Book stated that Abraham Ibn Tarikh [Terakh], Ibn Nahur, Ibn Sarough, Ibn Raghu, Ibn Phaligh, Ibn Aher, Ibn Shalih, Ibn Arfghshand, Ibn Sam[Shem], Ibn Noah.Tarikh was seventy five years old,when he had Abraham, Nahor (Nohur) and Haran. Haran had a son named Lot. ‘Aazar’, ‘Terah’ or ‘Terakh’ an idol worshipper. Some scholars of exegesis suggest that he may have been called Azar after an idol he was devoted to. [6] He is likely to have been Akkadian, a Semitic people from the Arabian Peninsula who settled in Mesopotamia sometime in the third millennium BCE.

It seems as if Aazar migrated along with some of his relatives to the city of Haran in the early childhood of Abraham before the confrontation with his people, although some Judeo-Christian traditions [7] tell it to be later in his life after he is rejected in his native city. In the Bible, Haran, one of the brothers of Abraham is said to have died in Ur, “in the land of his nativity” (Genesis 11:28), but he was much older than Abraham, as his other brother Nahor takes Haran’s daughter as a wife (Genesis 11:29). The bible also makes no mention of the migration of Abraham to Haran, rather the first command to migrate is that out of Haran, as if they had settled there before (Genesis 12:1-5). If we take the first command to mean the emigration from Ur to Canaan, there seems to be no reason that Abraham would dwell with his family in Haran, leaving his father there and proceeding to Canaan thereafter, not to mention its geographical improbability

The Quran does mention the migration of Abraham, but it does so after Abraham disassociates himself from his father and tribesmen due to their disbelief. If he had been in Ur at that time, it seems unlikely that his father would go with him to Haran after disbelieving and torturing him along with his townspeople. As to why they chose to migrate, archaeological evidence suggests that Ur was a great city which saw its rise and fall within the lifetime of Abraham [8], so they may have been forced to leave due to environmental hardships. They may have chosen Haran due to it sharing the same religion as Ur [9].

The Religion of Mesopotamia

Archeological discoveries from the time of Abraham paint a vivid picture of the religious life of Mesopotamia. Its inhabitants were polytheists who believed in a pantheon, in which each god had a sphere of influence. The large temple dedicated to the Akkadian [10] moon god, Sin, was the main centre of Ur. Haran also had the moon as the central godhead. This temple was believed to be the physical home of God. The chief god of the temple was a wooden idol with additional idols, or ‘gods’, to serve him.

Knowledge of God

Although Judeo-Christian scholars have differed as to when Abraham came to know God, at the age of three, ten, or forty-eight [11], the Quran is silent in mentioning the exact age at which Abraham received his first revelation. It seems it was, however, when he was young in age, as the Quran calls him a young man when his people try to execute him for rejecting their idols, and Abraham himself said to have knowledge not available to his father when he called him to worship God alone before his call spread to his people (19:43). The Quran is clear, however, in saying that he was one of the prophets to whom a scripture was revealed:

“Verily! This is in the former Scriptures. The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.” (Quran 87:18-19)

________________________________________________________________________________________________
Footnotes:

[1] Abraham. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. I, 1907 by Robert Appleton.
[2] Sarah. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.) (Abraham. Charles J. Mendelsohn, Kaufmann Kohler, Richard Gottheil, Crawford Howell Toy. The Jewish Encyclopedia.
[3] Mesopotamia: “(Mes·o·po·ta·mi·a) an ancient region of southwest Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq. Probably settled before 5000 B.C., the area was the home of numerous early civilizations, including Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria.” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.)
[4] The ancestor of the Hebrew people, Abram, was, we are told, born at “Ur of the Chaldees.” “Chaldees” is a mistranslation of the Hebre[1] Abraham. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition w Kasdim, Kasdim is the Old Testament name of the Babylonians, while the Chaldees were a tribe who lived on the shores of the Persian Gulf, and did not become a part of the Babylonian population till the time of Hezekiah. Ur was one of the oldest and most famous of the Babylonian cities. Its site is now called Mugheir, or Mugayyar, on the western bank of the Euphrates, in Southern Babylonia. (Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary). Some Judeo-Christian scholars’ say that the “Ur-Kasdim” mentioned in the Bible is not nor Ur, but actually the city of Ur-Kesh, located in northern Mesopotamia and closer to Haran (From Abraham to Joseph - The historical reality of the Patriarchal age. Claus Fentz Krogh. (http://www.genesispatriarchs.dk/patriarchs/abraham/abraham_eng.htm).
[5] Ibn Asakir, a famous Muslim scholar and historian, also authenticated this opinion and said that he was born in Babylon. See “Qisas al-Anbiyaa” ibn Katheer.
[6] Stories of the Prophets, ibn Katheer. Darussalam Publications.
[7] Since there is little detail about the life of Abraham in the bible, much of what is commonly believed about Abraham is formed through various Judeo-Christian traditions, collected in the Talmud and other rabbinical writings. Much of what is mentioned in the bible as well as other is regarded amongst Judeo-Christian scholars as legends, much of which cannot be substantiated. (Abraham. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Copyright © 1907 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyrigtraditions ht © 2003 by K. Knight Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.) (Abraham. Charles J. Mendelsohn, Kaufmann Kohler, Richard Gottheil, Crawford Howell Toy. The Jewish Encyclopedia. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=360&letter=A#881)
[8] (http://www.myfortress.org/archaeology.html)
[9] (http://www.myfortress.org/archaeology.html)
[10] Akkad: “(Ak·kad) an ancient region of Mesopotamia occupying the northern part of Babylonia.” (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.)
[11] Gen R. xxx. Abraham. Charles J. Mendelsohn, Kaufmann Kohler, Richard Gottheil, Crawford Howell Toy. The Jewish Encyclopedia. (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=360&letter=A#881).

©By IslamReligion.com

Significance of Pilgrimage [Hajj]

By Dalia Salah-El-Deen

Devoted believers of different religions isolate themselves from people in order to purify their hearts. In the quest for intimacy with the divine, they retreat to mountain caves, monasteries, or hermitages and prefer solitude to the company of others.

God has favored Islam - as the last Testament - with Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to be the Islamic form of monasticism when a set period of time is devoted by the pilgrims’ rituals and performance to the task of freeing minds and hearts from all worldly concerns. The pilgrim seeks to pursue a unique form of collective worship of Allah and seeks closeness to Him in the one and only location chosen by Him.

If the pilgrim understands where Hajj really stands in Islam, he will notice in himself a process of spiritual transformation through the rituals. Every step of Hajj serves as a reminder, a sign of submission to Allah, an instructive tool for self discipline and piety, and an exhortation to the faithful aspirant.

As Hajj provides every pilgrim with tranquility of heart, inner purity, and fullness of understanding of his existence in the cosmos, every single step should recall the ideas of the creation, glory of divine transcendence, and the unity of the believers that crosses boundaries and ethnic and gender diversities. In the heart of every aspect of Hajj is some reflection signifying the Hereafter.

Submission to the One and Only God

In Islam, God should be the goal of the human heart. Since Allah has attributed the Ka‘bah to Himself, this connection is enough in itself to make one yearn for this blessed location and its surrounding space.

The pilgrim should always be aware that the moment he leaves his family and homeland behind, his resolve should be purely for the sake of Allah, untarnished by hypocrisy and desire for any personal material gain. He should be fully aware that only what is sincere in his intention and action will be accepted and cherished by Allah.

The Bond of Faith

If the pilgrim hopes his visit is to be accepted, he should carry out God’s commands, cast off iniquities, repent for all acts of disobedience, and sever his heart’s connection from all worldly concerns during Hajj. Then he can turn to Allah as he turns his face in the direction of the Ka‘bah in each prayer. Unless the pilgrim does so, he will get nothing from his journey except trouble and hardship at the outset, and dismissal and rejection at the end.

Leaving his house, the pilgrim should know that he has now left hearth and home, bound for God on a journey unlike any worldly voyage. The seamless garments worn in the state of ihram (consecration) remind him of the shroud he will wear after death. The pilgrim should be conscious at heart of what he wishes, where he is heading, and Whom he intends to reach. Allah is the Host of the visitors to His House who have been summoned and have answered the call, in whom a great longing has been awakened.

The diversity of the pilgrims reflects the diversity of all humankind at the assembly point on the Day of Resurrection. The separation from family and relatives should put the pilgrim in mind of the desolation and solitude of the tomb, where he will find nothing to relieve his agony but his hope in God’s love and mercy.

Observing Ihram

Responding to the summons of Allah, one should recall that mankind will be summoned and gathered together at the site of resurrection, responding to Allah’s call. They will be divided into the favored and the abhorred, the accepted and the rejected. Exactly like the pilgrims at the assembly point, they will be oscillating initially between fear and hope, when they do not know whether or not they will be enabled to complete their pilgrimage and whether their deeds have been accepted by Allah.

As the pilgrim reaches Makkah, he should remember that he has arrived safely at the Sanctuary of Allah. Allah has chosen to attribute the Ka‘bah to His own Self because it was the first place established on earth for devotion of the One God. Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma‘il (Ishmael) once shared in building it, long before the time of Prophet Muhammad. Entering the Holy Sanctuary, the pilgrim should naturally dread not being worthy to approach Allah. Yet his hope should be uppermost, for Allah is Generous and Compassionate, the honor of the House is tremendous, the visitor’s right is respected, and protection is assured for all who seek refuge.

The pilgrim’s heart should be filled with reverence, fear, hope and love, especially during tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka‘bah). One should not suppose that the purpose of it is the physical circumambulation of the House. It is not a body rotating around another physical body. The true purpose is the circling of the heart around remembrance of the Lord of the House, making Allah (God) the center of his life. The heart should reach a point when consciousness begins with Allah alone and ends with Him alone, just as the circumambulation starts from a point around the House and ends at that same point.

Supplication at the Mount of Arafat

Standing at Arafat, pilgrims gather for supplication with their different tongues and different ethnic backgrounds, which recalls the site of resurrection. When their aspirations are joined, their hearts become devoted exclusively to humble supplication and entreaty, their hands raised to Allah, their necks outstretched, and their eyes turned heavenward as they aspire of one accord in quest of mercy.

They should not suppose that God will disappoint their hopes, frustrate their endeavor, or begrudge them an overwhelming mercy. It is said that it is a grievous sin for a Muslim to attend the standing on Arafat and to imagine that Allah has not forgiven him, as it would be doubting Allah’s infinite compassion and generosity. The conjugation of aspirations and the strength derived from contiguity constitute the secret of pilgrimage and its ultimate purpose. There is no way to obtain Allah’s mercy in such abundance as by the conjugation of aspiration and the simultaneous mutual support of all hearts.

Visiting the City of God’s Messenger

Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad to be the moral example and chosen guide for mankind. He is the last prophet who received the last Testament to complete the revelation of the Old and New Testaments that were revealed to the Prophets Musa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus). Visiting his tomb at Madinah is not an essential obligation to make Hajj valid or complete. Honoring him remains a matter of the heart, and a Muslim proves his love towards the Prophet by following his path of Islam.

However, it is strongly recommended that whoever can reach Madinah should visit the Prophet’s burial place to pay his respect to the greatest teacher that the world has ever known. Remembering his struggle for justice and equality, the Muslim knows in his heart that Muhammad was a humble human being. His message was sacred, but he died like any other human being and the ultimate sacredness and divinity remains for Allah only.

Aware that Prophet Muhammad’s precious steps have trodden in every place around Madinah, the pilgrim ought to walk with dignity and caution, recalling the Messenger’s humility and graceful gait. The purpose should be pure love for the Prophet and longing to behold his city of refuge and early Islamic society.

Visiting the tomb should be controlled by the most decent manners, for visiting a Prophet in death should be as visiting him in life. One should approach the tomb as he would approach the noble person of the Prophet if he were still alive. Touching and kissing the tomb is not allowed. Muslims’ respect and love is not for the walls or stones of any tomb, not even that of the Prophet, but should be for the great message and the noble person who strived to convey it throughout his life.

To conclude, throughout Hajj, the pilgrim should watch the duties of his heart at all stages. He will realize if he has been accepted or not by watching his heart and its conduct. If he finds his heart adverse to this world and inclined to be intimate with Allah, then he may count on acceptance, for Allah accepts only those whom He loves.

Throughout the performance of Hajj, the pilgrim can easily observe that it is a course of spiritual enrichment and moral rearmament, a journey of intensified devotion and disciplinary experience, a course of humanitarian interests and inspiring knowledge, all put together in one single Pillar of Islam.

End

The Categories of Tawhid #5

Description: Form of Syirik; 2nd. Syirik in al-Asma was-Sifat ; 3rd. Syirik in al- Ibadah.

Dr. Abu Bilal Philips

Syirik in this category includes both the common pagan practice of giving Allah the attributes of His creation as well as the act of giving created beings Allah's names and attributes.

A. Syirik by Humanization

Major Syirik represents the greatest act of rebellion against the Lord of the Universe, and is thus the ultimate sin. It is a sin so great that it virtually cancels out all good a person may do and guarantees its perpetrator eternal damnation in Hell. Consequently, false religion is based primarily on this form of Syirik. All man-made systems in one way or another invite their followers to the worship of creation. Christians are called upon to pray to a man, a Prophet of God named Jesus, whom they claim to have been God incarnate. Catholics among Christians pray to Mary as the "mother of God", to the angels like Michael who is honored on May 8 and September 29, Michael mass Day, as St. Michael, [91] as well as to human saints, whether real or fictitious.

Muslims whose acts of worship fall into this category of Syirik are those who pray to Prophet Muhammad (saws) or to mystics in the Sufi hierarchy of saints believing that they can answer their prayers, though Allah has clearly said in the Qur'an: Much emphasis has been placed on the evils of Syirk in 'Ibadah (worship) because it contradicts the very purpose of creation as expressed in Allah's statement:

"I have not created Jinn or mankind except for my worship."[90]

If man allows the love of anything or anyone to come between himself and Allah, then he has worshipped that thing. In this way, money can become one's god or even one's desires could become a god. The Prophet (saws) said, "The worshipper of the Dirham will always be miserable" [88] and Allah said in the Qur'an:

The Prophet SAW also told his companions, "None of you is a true believer until I become more beloved to him than his child, his father and the whole of mankind".85 Love of the Prophet SAW is not based on his humanity but on the divine origin of his message. Thus, like the love of Allah, it is also expressed by total obedience to his commands.

Allah said in the final revelation:

"Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah,"[86]

Taaghut actually means anything which is worshipped along with Allah or instead of Allah. For example, love is a form of worship which, in its perfection, should only be directed to Allah. In Islam, the love of God is expressed by total obedience to Him. It is not the type of love which man naturally feels toward creation; towards parents, children, food, etc. To direct that type of love towards God is to lower Him to the level of His creation which is Syirik in al-Asma was-Sifat. Love which is worship is the total surrender of one's will to God. Consequently, Allah told the Prophet SAW to tell the believers: This form of Syirik occurs when any act of worship is directed to other than Allah. It represents the most obvious form of idolatry which the prophets were specifically sent by Allah to call the masses of mankind away from. This concept is supported by Allah's statement in the Qur'an:

"Surely we have sent to every nation a messenger saying, worship Allah and avoid Taaghut (false gods)"[83]

The theory also implies that mass and energy are eternal having no beginning or end since they are supposed to be uncreated and transform into each other. However, this attribute belongs only to Allah who alone is without beginning or end.

Darwin's theory of evolution is also an attempt to explain the evolution of life and its forms from lifeless matter without the intervention of God. One of the leading Darwinists of this century, Sir Aldous Huxley expressed this thought as follows:

"Darwinism removed the whole idea of God as the creator of organisms from the sphere of national discussion." [82]

Syirik In al-'Ibadah

In this category of Shirk, acts of worship are directed to other than God and the reward for worship is sought from the creation instead of the Creator. As in the case of the previous categories, Shirk in al-'Ibadah has two main aspects.

A. Ash-Syirik al-Akbar (Major Syirik)

This form of Syirik in al-Asma was-Sifat relates to cases where created beings or things are given or claim Allah's names or His attributes. For example, it was the practice of the ancient Arabs to worship idols whose names were derived from the names of Allah. Their main three idols were: al-Laat taken from Allah's name al-Elaah, al-'Uzza taken from al-'Azeez and al-Manaat taken from al-Mannan. During the Prophet Muhammad's era there was also a false prophet in a region of Arabia called Yamamah, who took the name Rahman which only belongs to Allah.

Among the Shi'ite sects is the Nusaireyah of Syria, who believe that the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, was a manifestation of Allah and give him many of Allah's qualities. Among them is also the Ismai'ils also known as Agha Khan who considers their leader, the Agha Khan, to be God incarnate. Also included in this category is the Druze of Lebanon who believes that the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi Amrillah was the last manifestation of Allah among mankind.

Claims of Sufis (Muslim mystics) like al-Hallaj that they have become one with God and as such exist as manifestations of the Creator within His creation may also be included in this aspect of Syirk in al-Asma was-sifaat. Modern-day spiritualists and mediums like Shirley Maclaine, J.Z. Knight, etc., often claim divinity for themselves as well as mankind in general. Einstein's Theory of Relativity (E = mc2, Energy is equal to mass times the square of the speed of light) taught in all schools is in fact an expression of Syirik in al-Asma was-Sifat. The theory states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it merely transforms into matter and vice versa. However, both matter and energy are created entities and they both will be destroyed as Allah clearly states:

"Allah is the creator of all things..."[ 80]

"Everything in (the world) will perish..."[81]

B. Syirik by Deification

In this aspect of Syirik in al-Asma was-Sifat, Allah is given the form and qualities of human beings and animals. Due to man's superiority over animals, the human form is more commonly used by idolaters to represent God in creation. Consequently, the image of the Creator is often painted, moulded or carved in the shape of human beings possessing the physical features of those who worship them. For example, Hindus and Buddhists worship countless idols in the likeness of Asian men and consider them manifestations of God in creation. Modern day Christian belief that Prophet Jesus was God incarnate; that the Creator became His creation is another good example of this type of Syirik. There have been many so-called great Christian painters like Michelangelo (d. 1565), who painted pictures of God as a naked old European man with long flowing white hair and beard on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. These pictures have in turn, been held by the Christian world in the highest of esteem.

"Say: If you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you."[84]

And

"Say: Obey Allah and obey the Prophet..."[87]

"Have you not seen the one who takes his desires as his god?" [89]

"Say: Think to yourselves, if Allah's punishment came upon you or the Final Hour, would you then call on other than Allah? (Reply) if you are truthful."[92 ]

B. Ash-Shirik al-Asghar (Minor Syirik)

Mahmud ibn Lubaid reported, "Allah's messenger (saws) said: "The thing I fear for you the most is ash-Syirik al-Asghar (minor syirik)." The companions asked "Oh! Messenger of Allah, what is minor Syirik?" He replied "Ar-Riya' (showing off), for verily Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection when people are receiving their rewards, 'Go to those for whom you were showing off in the material world and see if you can find any reward from them.'" [93]Mahmud ibn Lubayd also said, "The Prophet SAW came out and announced, 'O people, beware of secret Syirik!' The people asked, 'O messenger of Allah, what is secret Syirik?' He replied, 'When a man gets up to pray and strives to beautify his prayer because people are looking at him; that is secret Syirik.'" [94]

Ar-Riya'

Riya' is the practise of performing any of the various forms of worship in order to be seen and praised by people. This sin destroys all the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on the one who commits it a serious punishment. It is particularly dangerous, because it is natural for man to desire and enjoy the praise of his fellow men. Doing religious acts to impress people or in order to be praised by them is, therefore, an evil which deserves man's utmost caution. This danger is really significant to the believers whose goal is to make all of the acts of their lives religious acts dedicated to God. In fact, the likelihood that knowledgable true believers would commit ash-Syirik al-Akbar is small, since its pitfalls are so obvious. But, for the true believer like everyone else, the chance of committing Riya' is great because it is so hidden. It only involves the simple act of changing one's intention. The motivating forces behind it are also very strong, since it comes from man's inner nature. Ibn 'Abbas alluded to this reality when he said; "Syirik is more hidden than a black ant creeping on a black stone in the middle of a moonless night." [95]

Thus, great care has to be taken to ensure that one's intentions begin pure and remain pure whenever righteous deeds are being done. In order to ensure this, the saying of Allah's name is enjoined in Islam before all acts of importance. A series of Dua’s (informal prayers) have also been prescribed by the Prophet SAW before and after all natural habits like eating, drinking, sleeping, sex, and even going to the toilet, in order to turn these everyday habits into acts of worship and develop in Muslims a keen awareness of Allah. It is this awareness, called Taqwa, which ultimately insures that intentions remain pure.

The Prophet SAW also provided protection against the inevitable acts of Syirik by teaching certain specific prayers which may be said anytime. Abu Musa said, "One day Allah's messenger delivered a sermon saying 'O people fear Syirik for it is more hidden than the creeping of an ant.' Those whom Allah wished asked, 'And how do we avoid it when it is more hidden than the creeping of an ant, O Messenger of Allaah?' He replied, 'Say: Allaahumma Innaa na'udhu bika an nushrika bika shai'an na'lamuh, wa nastaghfiruka limaa laa na'lamuh (O Allah, we seek refuge in you from knowingly committing syirik with you and we ask your forgiveness for what we do not know about).'"[96]

Footnotes

80. Surah az-Zumar, 39:62.

81. Surah ar-Rahman, 55:26.

82. Quoted in Francis Hitching's, The Neck of the Giraffe, (New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1982), p.254 from Tax and Callender, 1960, vol.111, p.45.

83. Surah an-Nahl, 16:36.

84. Surah Ali-'Imran, 3:31.

85. Reported by Anas and collected by al-Bukhari (Sahih Bukhari (English- Arabic), vol.1, p.20, no.13) and Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.1, p.31, and no.71).

86. Surah an-Nisa, 4:80.

87. Surah Ali-'Imran, 3:32.

88. Reported by al-Bukhari (Sahih Bukhari, (English-Arabic), vol.8, p.296, no.443).

89. Surah al-Furqan, 25:43.

90 Surah adh-Dhariyat, 51:56.

91. William Halsey (ed.), Colliers Encyclopedia, (U.S.A: Crowell-Collier Educational Foundation; 1970, vol.16, p.110.

92. Surah al-An'aam, 6:40.

93. Reported by Ahmad. at-Tabarani and al-Baihaqi in az-Zuhd. See Taysir al-'Aziz al-Hamid, p.118.

94. Collected by Ibn Khuzaimah.

95. Reported by Ibn Abi Hatim and quoted in Taysir al-'Aziz al-Hamid, p. 587

96. Collected by Ahmad and at-Tabarani.

[MSA]

See: The Categories Of Tawhid #6

The Categories Of Tawhid #4

Description: Form of Syirik : 1st. Syirik Rabbubiyah

Dr. Billal Philips.

The study of Tawhid cannot be considered complete without a careful analysis of its opposite, Syirik. Some mention of Syirik has already been made in the previous chapter and examples of it have been given to illustrate how Tawhid may be obliterated. However, in this chapter of Syirik will be looked at as a separate topic whose grave importance Allah has attested to in the Qur'an:

"Surely Allah will not forgive the association of partners (Syirik) with Him, but He forgives (sins) less than that of whomever He wishes." [63]

The sin of Syirik denies the very purpose of man's creation, it is to God the gravest of sins; the unforgivable sin.

Syirik literally means partnership, sharing or associating, [64] but Islamically it refers to the act of assigning partners to Allah in whatever form it may take. The following analysis of Syirik is according to the three broad categories developed in the study of Tawhid. Hence, we will first look at the main ways in which Syirik can occur in the area of Rabbbubiyah (Lordship), then Asma was-Sifat (Divine Names and Attributes) and finally in 'Ibadah (Worship).

Syirik in Rabbubiyah

This category of Syirik refers to either the belief that others share Allaah's Lordship over creation as His equal or near equal, or to the belief that there exists no Lord over creation at all. Most religious systems fall into the first aspect of syirik in Rabbubiyah while it is the philosophers and their man-made philosophies that tend to fill the second aspect.

A. Syirik by Association

Beliefs which fall under this sub-category are ones in which a main God or Supreme Being over creation is recognized, however His dominion is shared by other lesser gods, spirits, mortals, heavenly bodies or earthly objects. Such belief systems are commonly referred to by theologians and philosophers as either monotheistic (having one God) or polytheistic (having more than one God). According to Islam, all of these systems are polytheistic and many represent various degrees in the degeneration of divinely revealed religious systems all of which were originally based on Tawhid.

Within Hinduism, the Supreme Being Brahman is conceived as indwelling, all-pervading, unchangeable and eternal, the abstract impersonal Absolute, in which all things have their origin and end. While the god Brahma is the personified creator of the universe who forms a trinity with the preserver god, Vishnu and the destroyer god, Shiva. [65] Thus, Syirik in Rabbubiyah is expressed in Hinduism by the delegation of God's creative, destructive and preservative powers to other gods.

Christian belief states that the one God reveals himself in the three persons of Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. These three persons are nevertheless regarded as a unity, sharing one 'substance'.[66] Prophet Jesus is elevated to divinity, sits on the right hand of God and judges the world. The Holy Spirit, who in the Hebrew Bible is the means by which God exercises his creative power, in Christian thought becomes a part of the God-head. Paul made the Holy Spirit the alter ego of Christ, the guide and help of Christians, first manifesting itself on the day of Penecost.[67] Consequently, Syirik in Rabbubiyah occurs in the Christian belief that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God's partners in all of His dominion, in their belief that Jesus alone pronounces judgement on the world and in their belief that Christians are helped and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Zoroastrians (Parsis) conceive of God, Ahura Mazda, as being the creator of all that is good, and is alone worthy of absolute worship. Fire is one of the seven creations of Ahura Mazda and is considered his son or representative. But they also commit Syirik in Rabbubiyah by conceiving of evil, violence and death as being the creation of another god called Angra Mainyu whom they represent by the symbol darkness. [68] Hence, God's sovereignty over all creation (i.e. His Rabbubiyah) is shared with an evil spirit elevated to the level of an opposing god due to man's desire to not attribute evil to God.

In the Yoruba religion, followed by over 10 million people in West Africa (mainly Nigeria), there is one supreme God, Olorius (Lord of Heaven) or Olodumare. Nevertheless, modern Yoruba religion is characterized by a multitude of Orisha worship, so that Yoruba religion appears as strict polytheism.[69] Consequently, Yoruba’s commit Shirik in Rabbubeyah by turning over all of God's functions to minor gods and spirits.

The Zulus of South Africa believe in one God, Unkulunkulu, meaning the ancient, the first, the most revered one. The principal specific titles for God are; Nkosi yaphezulu (Lord-of-the-Sky) and uMvelingqanqi (the first to appear). Their Supreme Being is represented as a male, who, along with the earth female, bring forth the human world. Thunder and Lightening are in Zulu religion acts of God, whereas sickness and other troubles in life may be caused by the ancestors, the "Idlozi" or "abaphansi" (those under the earth). The ancestors also protect the living, ask for food, are pleased with ritual and sacrifice, punish neglect and take possession of fortune tellers (inyanga).[70] Thus, Syirik in Rabbubeyah takes place in the Zulu religion not only in their concept of the creation of the human world but also their attribution of good and evil in human life to the work of ancestral spirits.

Among some Muslim people, Syirik in Rabbubiyah is manifested in their belief that the souls of saints and other righteous humans can affect the affairs of this world, even after their deaths. Their souls, it is believed, can fulfill one's needs, remove calamities and aid whoever calls on them. Therefore, grave worshippers assign to human souls the divine ability to cause events in this life which in fact only Allah can cause.

Common among many Sufis (Muslim mystics) is the belief in "Rijal al-Ghaib"[71], chief of whom occupies the station called "Qutub" from which the affairs of this world are governed.[72]

B. Syirik by Negation

This sub-category represents the various philosophies and ideologies which deny the existence of God either explicitly or implicitly. That is, in some cases God's non-existence is stated (Atheism), while in other cases His existence is claimed, but the way in which He is conceived actually denies His existence (Pantheism).

There are a few ancient religious "systems" in which God does not exist, foremost among them is the system attributed to Gautama Buddha. Buddhism, a reformist movement in Hinduism opposed to the caste system, was founded in the 6th century BC during the same period as Jainism. During the 3rd century BC it became the state religion. Eventually it was assimilated by Hinduism, Buddha himself becoming one of the Avatars (incarnations of God). It disappeared from India but became dominant in China and other Eastern nations. Hinayana Buddhism (400-250 BC), the earlier and stricter of the two interpretations of Buddhism which arose after Gautama Buddha's death, makes it clear that there is no God; hence the burden of salvation belongs to the individual alone.[73] Thus, this ancient strain of Buddhism could be classified as an example of Shirk in Rabbubiyah wherein God's existence is explicitly denied.

Similarly in the teachings of Jainism as systematized by Vardhamana, there is no God, but liberated souls achieve something of this status, having immortality and omniscience; and the religious community treats the liberated ones as though they were divine, building temples to them and venerating their images.[74]

Another ancient example is that of the Pharaoh of Prophet Moses' time. Allah mentioned in the Qur'an that he negated the existence of God and claimed to Moses and the people of Egypt that he, Pharaoh, was the only true lord of all creation. Allah quoted him as saying to Moses, "If you chose a god besides me, I will surely imprison you"75 and to the people, "He proclaimed, 'I am your Lord, the Most High'" [76]

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries a number of European philosophers asserted the non-existence of God in what became know as the "death of God philosophy". The German philosopher Philipp Mainlander (1841-1876) in his principal writing, The Philosophy of Redemption, 1876, states that the world begins with the death of God, since God is a principle of unity shattered in the plurality of the world and a principle of joy denied in the law of suffering which dominates the worid. [77] In Prussia Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) supported the idea of the "death of God" proposing that God was nothing more than a projection of man's uneasy conscience and that man was the bridge to the Superman. [78] Jean Paul Sartre, a French philosopher of the twentieth century also echoed the "death of God" thought. He claimed that God could not exist because He was a contradiction in terms. The idea of God, according to him, is a projection which man must make being what he is.[79]

Darwin's (d. 1882) proposal that man was merely a glorified ape was widely adopted in the theories of social scientists and philosophers of the nineteenth century as it provided a "scientific" basis for the non-existence of God. According to them religion evolved from animism to monotheism along with man's supposed social evolution from an independent individual to a national state and his physical evolution from ape to man.

They attempt to escape the questions surrounding creation by claiming that there was none and by attributing Allaah's attribute of being without beginning and end to matter which He has created. Present day holders of this belief are the followers of Karl Marx, communists and scientific socialists, who claim that the origin of everything in existence is matter in motion. They further claim that God is a figment of man's imagination created by the ruling classes to justify their hereditary rule and divert the attention of the oppressed masses from the realities in which they live.

An example of this form of Syirik among some Muslims is that of many Sufis like Ibn 'Arabi who claim that only Allah exists (All is Allah, and Allah is all). They deny the separate existence of Allah and thereby in fact deny His existence. This idea was also expressed in the 17th century by the Dutch Jewish philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, who claimed that God is the total of all parts of the universe including man.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Footnotes

63. Surah an-Nisaa, 4:48.
64. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, p.468.
65. W.L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, (New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1980), pp.66-67 and 58.6-7. See also John Hinnells, Dictionary of Religions (England: Penguin Books, 1984) pp.67-8.
66. Dictionary of Religions, p.337.
67. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.231.
68. Dictionary of Religions, pp.361-2.
69. Dictionary of Religions, p.358.
70. Ibid. p. 363.
71. Literally, "men of the unseen world". The world is supposed to endure due to the intercessions of a hierarchy of "averting" Saints whose number are fixed, the place of one who dies being immediately filled. (Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, p.582).
72. Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, pp.55.
73.Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.72.
74. Dictionaries of Philosophy and Religion, pp. 262-3
75. Surah ash-Shuraa, 26:29.
76. Surah an-Naazi'aat, 79:24.
77. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.327.
78. Ibid. p.391.
79. Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, pp.508-9

®MSA.

See: The Categories of Tawhid#5

The Categories of Tawhid#3

Dr. Billal Philips

Tawhid al-'Ebadah [Maintaining the Unity of Worship]

In spite of the wide implications of the first two categories of Tawhid, firm belief in them alone is not sufficient to fulfill the Islamic requirements of Tawhid. Tawhid ar-Rabbubiyah and Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifat must be accompanied by their complement, Tawhid al-'Ebadah, in order for Tawhid to be considered complete according to Islaam. This point is substantiated by the fact that Allah Himself has related in clear terms that the Mushrikun (idolators) of the Prophet's time confirmed many aspects of the first two forms of Tawhid.

In the Qur'an Allah tells the Prophet (saws) to say to the pagans:

"Say: 'Who is it that gives you all sustenance from the sky and earth, governs sight and hearing, brings forth life from dead (matter) and death from the living, and plans the affairs of man?' They will all say 'Allah'."[35]

"If you asked them who created them, they would surely say, 'Allah' "[36]

"If you asked them who brings down water from the sky and with it brings the earth to life after its death? They will most certainly say, 'Allah'."[37 ]

The pagan Makkans all knew that Allah was their creator, sustainer, their Lord and Master yet that knowledge did not make them Muslims according to God. In fact, Allah said:

"Most of them do not believe in Allah except while joining partners to Him." [38]

Mujahid's [39] commentary on this verse was as follows: "Their belief in Allah represented by their statement, 'Allah created us, provides for us and takes our lives', did not stop them from worshipping other gods along with Allah."[40] From the previously mentioned verses, it is clear that the Kuffar (disbelievers) knew of Allah's sovereignty, dominion and power. In fact, they used to faithfully devote various types of worship to Him like Hajj, charity, animal sacrifices, vows and even prayers in times of dire necessity and calamity. They even used to claim that they were following the religion of Abraham. Because of that claim, Allah revealed the verse:

"Abraham was not a Jew nor was he a Christian, but (he) was a true Muslim and not among those who joined partners with Allah." [41]

Some pagan Makkans even believed in the Resurrection and the Judgement and others in predestination (Qadar). Ample evidence of their belief can be found in pre-Islamic poetry. For example, the poet Zuhair was reported to have said:

"It is delayed, placed in a book and saved for the Day of Judgement or hastened and avenged."

'Antarah was quoted as saying:

"O 'Ebil to where will you run from death, if my Lord in the sky has destined it?" [42 ]

In spite of the Makkans' confessions of Tawheed and their knowledge of Allah, Allah classified them as disbelievers (Kuffaar) and pagans (Mushrikun) simply because they worshipped other gods along with their worship of Allah.

Consequently, the most important aspect of Tawhid is that of Tawhid al-'Ebadah, maintaining the unity of Allah's worship. All forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserves worship, and it is He alone who can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship. Furthermore, there is no need for any form of intercessor or intermediary between man and God. Allah emphasized the importance of directing worship to Him alone by pointing out that this was the main purpose of man's creation and the essence of the message brought by all the prophets. Allah says:

"I did not create the Jinn and Mankind except for My worship."[43]

"Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger (saying), 'Worship Allah and avoid false gods'."[44]

Understanding the purpose of creation in a complete sense is beyond man's innate abilities. Man is a finite created being and can not reasonably hope to fully comprehend the actions of the infinite Creator. Hence, God made it a part of man's nature to worship Him, and He sent prophets and books of divine revelation to clarify the aspect of the purpose of creation which was within man's mental ability to grasp.

That purpose is, as was previously mentioned: the worship of God ('Ebadah) and the main message of the prophets were to worship God alone, Tawhid al-'Ebadah. Consequently, the gravest sin is Shirik, the worship of others instead of Allah or along with Allah. In Surah al-Fatihah, which every Muslim is required to recite in his or her prayers at least seventeen times daily, verse four reads, "You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help". A clear statement that all forms of worship should only be directed to the One who can respond, Allah. The Prophet Muhammad SAW confirmed the concept of unity of worship saying, "If you ask in prayer ask only Allah, and if you seek help, seek it only from Allah."[45] The absence of any need for intercession is further emphasized by the many verses indicating His closeness to man. For example:

"When My servants ask you (O Muhammad) about Me (tell them), 'Verily I am close (to them), I listen to the prayer of every one who calls on Me. So let them respond to Me and believe In Me in order that they may he guided aright."[46]

"It is We who created man and We know what his soul whispers to him, for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein."[47]

The confirmation of Tawhid al-'Ebadah conversely necessitates the denial of all forms of intercession or association of partners with Allah. If someone prays to the dead seeking their influence on the lives of the living or the souls of those who have passed away, they have associated a partner with Allah, because worship is being shared between Allah and His creation. The Prophet Muhammad SAW said, in no uncertain terms, "Prayer (du'a) is worship."[48] And, Allah, Most Great and Glorious, said:

'Do not worship besides Allah that which can not help or harm you." [49]

"Those on whom you call besides Allah are only slaves like yourselves."[50]

If someone prays to the Prophet SAW, to so-called saints, Jinns or angels asking for help or asking them to request help from Allah for them, they have also committed Syirik. The concept of "Ghaus-i-Azam" (al-Ghawth al-A'd Ham), a title given by the ignorant to 'Abdul-Qadir al-Jailani,[51] is also an expression of Syirik in this form of Tawhid. The title literally means "the greatest source of rescue; the one most able to save someone from danger" and such a description only belongs to Allah. When misfortune occurs, some people call on 'Abdul-Qadir by this title seeking his aid and protection even though Allah has already said:

If Allah allows harm to befall you none can. remove it except Him." [52 ]

According to the Qur'aan, when the Makkans were questioned about directing their prayers to their idols, they answered,

"We only worship them so that they may bring us closer to Allah."[53]

The idols were only used as intermediaries yet Allah called them pagans for their practice. Those among Muslims who insist on praying to other than Allah would do well to reflect on this fact.

Christians, influenced by the teachings of Saul from Tarsus (later called Paul), deified Prophet Jesus and directed their prayer to him and his mother. The Catholics among Christians have saints for every occasion to whom they direct their prayers in the belief that these saints can directly influence the affairs of this world. The Catholics also use their priests as intercessors between themselves and Allah in the mistaken belief that the priests are closer to Allah due to their celibacy and piety, and thus more likely to be listened to by Allah.

Most Shi'ite sects have devoted certain days of the week and hours of the day for prayer to 'Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain [54] due to their distorted belief in intercession.

Worship ('Ebadah) in the Islamic view, includes more than just fasting, paying Zakah, Hajj and animal sacrifices. It includes emotions like love, trust, and fear, all of which have degrees which should only be directed to God. Allah has addressed these emotions and warned against excesses in them as follows:

"There are among men those who take (for worship) others besides Allah as equals to Him. They love them as they should only love Allah. But those who believe have a much greater love of Allaah..." [55]

Will you not fight people who broke their oaths, plotted to expel the messenger and were the first to (attack) you? Do you fear them? Allah has more right to be feared if you are truly believers."[56]

"Put your trust in Allah if you are truly believers." [57]

Since the term 'Ebadah means total obedience and Allah is considered the ultimate Lawgiver, the implementation of secular legal systems not based on divine law (Syari'ah) is an act of disbelief in the divine law and belief in the correctness of such systems, such a belief constitutes a form of worshipping other than Allah (Syirik). Allah said in the Qur'an:

"Those who do not rule by what Allah has revealed are disbelievers (Kafirun).”[58]

On one occasion, the Prophet's companion 'Adi ibn Hatim, who was a convert from Christianity, heard the Prophet (saws) recite the Qur'anic verse, "They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allaah,"[59] so he said: 'Surely we did not worship them,' The Prophet SAW turned to him and said 'Did they not make forbidden (Haram) what Allah had made allowable (Halal) [60] , and you all made it Haram, and did they not make Halal what Allah made Haram [61] and you all made it Halal?' He replied, 'We certainly did.' The Prophet (saws) then said, 'That was how you worshipped them'."[62 ]

Hence, a significant parts of Tawhid al-'Ebadah involves the implementation of Syari'ah, especially in lands where Muslims form the majority of the population. Divine law has to be re-introduced in the many so-called Muslim countries where governments now rule according to imported capitalist or communist constitutions, and Islamic law is either totally extinct or relegated to a few areas of minor importance.

Likewise, Muslim countries, where Islamic law is on the books but secular laws are in force, have also to be brought in line with the Shari'ah as it pertains to all aspects of life. The acceptance of non-Islamic rule in place of Syari'ah in Muslim lands is Syirik and an act of Kufur. Those in a position to change it must do so, while those unable to do so must speak out against the rule of Kufur and call for the implementation of Syari'ah. If even this becomes impossible, un-Islamic government must be sincerely hated and despised for the pleasure of God and the upholding of Tawhid.

Footnotes.

34 (Sunan Abu Dawud, (English Trans.), vol.3, pp. 1385-86, no.4957).
35 Surah Yunus 10:31.
36 Surah az-Zukhruf, 43:87.
37 Surah al-'Ankaboot, 29:63.
38 Surah Yoosuf, 12:106.
39 Mujahid ibn Jubair al-Makkee (642-722) was Ibn 'Abbas' most outstanding student. The narrations of his Tafsir (commentary) of the Qur'an has been compiled by 'Abdur-Rahman at-Tahir and published in two volumes under the title, Tafsir Mujahid, (Islamabad: Majma' al-Buhuth).
40 Collected by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree.
41 Surah Aal'Imraan, 3:67.
42 Quoted in Sulaimaan ibn 'Abdul-Wahhab's Tayseer al-'Aziz al-Hamid, (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 2nd., 1970), p.34.
43 Surah adh-Dhariyiat, 51:56.
44 Surah an-Nahl, 16:36.
45 Reported by Ibn 'Abbas and collected by at-Tirmidzi. See An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, (English Trans.), p.68.
46 Surah al-Baqarah, 2:186.
47 Surah Qaaf, 50:16.
48 Sunan Abu Dawud, vol.1, p.387, no.1474.
49 Surah al-Anbiya, 21:66.
50 Surah al-A'raaf, 7:194.
51 Abdul-Qadir (1077-1166) was a principal of a school of Hanbalite Law and a Ribaat (monastery) in Baghdad. His Sermons (collected in al-Fat-h ar-Rabbaane, Cairo 1302) were strictly orthodox with some, mystic interpretations of the Qur'an. Ibn 'Arabee (born 1165) declared him the Qutb of his time and stated that he had a rank which placed him above all beings except God. 'Ali ibn Yusuf ash-Shattanawfi (d. 1314 CE) wrote a book called Bahjat al-Asrar (Cairo, 1304) in which he attributed many miracles to 'Abdul-Qadir. The Qadiriyah Sufi order is named after him and its spiritual exercises and regulations traced back to him. (Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, pp.5-7 and 202-205).
52 Surah al-An'aam, 6:17.
53 Surah az-Zumar, 39:3.
54 Fatimah was the Prophet Muhammad's youngest daughter who married the Prophet's cousin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Hasan and Husain were their sons.
55 Surah al-Baqarah, 2:165.
56 Surah at-Tawbah 9:13.
57 Surah al-Ma'idah, 5:23.
58 Surah al-Ma'idah, 5:44.
59 Surah at-Tawbah, 9:31.
60 Christian clergy made Haram the marrying of more than one wife and the marrying of first cousins. Roman Catholicism forbade priests from marrying and forbade divorce in general.
61 The Christian Church made Halal the consumption of pork, blood and alcohol. Some of them also made allowable painting and statues depicting God as a man.
62 At-Tirmidzi.

®MSA

See: The Categories of Tawhid#4

The Categories of Tawhid#2

Dr. Billal Philips

Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifat (Maintaining the Unity of Allah's Names and Attributes).

This category of Tawhid has five main aspects.

1. For the unity of Allah's names and attributes to be maintained in the first aspect, Allah must be referred to according to how He and His Prophet (saws) have described Him without explaining away His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings. For example, Allah in the Qur'aan says He gets angry with the disbelievers and the hypocrites. He says: "That He may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the pagans’ men and women, who have an evil opinion of Allah. A circle of evil is around them; Allah is angry with them, curses them and has prepared for them an evil end." [21]

Thus, anger is one of God's attributes. It is incorrect to say that His anger must mean His punishment since anger is a sign of weakness in man and, as such, not befitting of Allah. What Allah has stated should be accepted with the qualification that His anger is not like human anger, based on Allah's statement, "There is nothing like him". [22] The process of so-called "rational" interpretation when taken to its logical conclusion results in the denial of God's very existence. For, Allah describes Himself as living and man lives, therefore, according to the rationalist argument; God is neither living nor existing. The fact is that the similarity between God's attributes and those of mankind is only in name and not in degree. When attributes are used in reference to God, they are to be taken in the absolute sense, free from human deficiencies.

2. The second aspect of Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifat involves referring to Allah as He has referred to Himself without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example, Allah may not be given the name al-Ghadib (the Angry one), in spite of the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger has used this name. This may seem to be a very fine point, but it must be maintained in order to prevent the false description of God. That is, finite man is in no position to define the infinite Lord of creation.

3. In the third aspect of Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifaat Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation. For example, it is claimed in the Bible and Torah that Allah spent the first six days creating the universe then slept on the seventh. [23] For this reason, Jews and Christians take either Saturday or Sunday as a day of rest in which work is looked at as a sin. Such a claim assigns to God the attributes of His creation. It is man who tires after heavy work and needs sleep to recuperate. [24] Elsewhere in the Bible and Torah, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way that humans do when they realize their errors. [25] Similarly the claim that God is a spirit or has a spirit completely ruins this area of Tawhid. Allah does not refer to Himself as a spirit anywhere in the Qur'an nor does His Prophet (saws) express anything of that nature in Hadith. In fact, Allah refers to the spirit as part of His creation. [26]

The key principle which should be followed when dealing with Allah's attributes is the Qur'anic formula, "There is nothing like Him and He is hearer and seer of all." [27]

The attributes of hearing and seeing are among human attributes, but when they are attributed to The Divine Being they are without comparison in their perfection. However, when these attributes are associated with men they necessitate ear and eye apparatuses which can not be attributed to God. What man knows about the Creator is only what little He has revealed to him through His prophets. Therefore, man is obliged to stay within these narrow limits. When man gives free rein to his intellect in describing God, he is liable to fall into errors by assigning to Allaah the attributes of His creation.

In their love of pictorial representations, Christians have painted, carved and molded innumerable human likenesses and called them images of God. These have served to pave the way for the acceptance of Jesus' divinity among the masses. Once they accepted the conception of the Creator as being like a human being, accepting Jesus as God presented no real problem.

4. The fourth aspect of Tawhid al-Asma was-Sifat requires that man not be given the attributes of Allah. For example, in the New Testament Paul takes the figure of Melchizedek, king of Salem, from the Torah (Genesis 14:18-20) and gives both him and Jesus the divine attribute of having no beginning or end,"1. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the highest God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2. and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.3. He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the son of God he continues a priest forever." [28]"4. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, 'Thou art my son, today I have begotten thee'; 5. as he says also in another place, 'Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek'. [29]

Most Shi'ite sects (with the exception of the Zaidites of Yemen) have given their "Imams" divine attributes of absolute infallibility, [30] knowledge of the past, the future and the unseen, the ability to change destiny [31] and control over the atoms of creation. [32] In so doing they set up rivals who share God's unique attributes and who, in fact, become gods besides Allah.

5. Maintaining the unity of Allah's names also means that Allah's names in the definite form cannot be given to His creation unless preceded by the prefix 'Abd meaning "slave of" or "servant of'. Many of the Divine names in their indefinite form like Ra'uuf and Rahiim are allowable names for men because Allah has used some of them in their indefinite forms to refer to the Prophet (saws):

"A messenger has come to you from among yourselves to whom anything which burdens you is grievous. He is full of concern for you and is full of pity (Ra'uf) and full of mercy (Rahim)". [33]

But ar-Ra'uuf (the One Most Full of Pity) and ar-Rahim (the Most Merciful) can only be used to refer to men if they are preceded by 'Abd as in 'Abdur-Ra'uf or 'Abdur-Rahim, since in the definite form they represent a level of perfection which only belongs to God. Similarly, names like 'Abdur-Rasul (slave of the messenger), 'Abdun-Nabee (slave of the Prophet), 'Abdul-Husayn (slave of Husayn), etc., where people name themselves slaves to other than Allaah are also forbidden. Based on this principle, the Prophet (saws) forbade Muslims from referring to those put under their charge as 'Abdee (my slave) or Amatee (my slave girl). [34]

Footnotes

[21] Surah al-Fat-h 48:6.

[22] Surah ash-Shura 42:11.

23 Genesis 2:2, "And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done." (Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version (Nelson, 1951), p.2).

[24] In contrast Allah says explicitly in the Qur'aan, "No tiredness overcomes Him nor sleeps..." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:255).

[25] Exodus 32:14, "And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people." (Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version),

[26] Allah clearly states that in the following verse: "They ask you (Muhammad) about the spirit. Tell (them) that the spirit (exists) by my Lord's command" (Soorah al-Israa 17:85).

[27] Surah ash-Shura 42-11.

[28] Hebrews 7:1-3, (Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version).

[29] Hebrews, 5:5-6, (Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version

[30] Muhammad Rida al-Muzaffar states in his book Faith of Shi'a Islam, (U.S.A.: Muhammadi Trust of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2nd ed. 1983): "We believe that, like the prophet, an Imam must be Infallible, that is to say incapable of making errors or doing wrong, either Inwardly or outwardly, from his birth to his death, either intentionally or unintentionally, because the Imams are the preservers of Islam and it is under their protection." (p.32). See also Islam, (Teheran: A Group of Muslim Brothers, 1973), p.35, by Sayed Saeed Akhtar Rizvi.

[31] AI-Muzaffar further states: "We maintain that the powers of the Imams to receive inspiration has reached the highest degree of excellence, and we say that it is a Divinely - given power. By this means the Imam is able to understand information about anything, anywhere, and at any time, and he understands by means of this Divinely - given power at once, without recourse to methodological reasoning or guidance from a teacher.

[32] Al-Khomeini states: "Certainly the Imam has a dignified station, a lofty rank, a creational caliphate, and sovereignty and mastery over all atoms of creation." (Ayatullah Musavi al-Khomeini, al-Hukumah al-Islaameeyah, (Beirut: at-Tali'ah Press; Arabic ed., 1979), p.52).

[33] Surah at-Tawbah 9:128.

[34] (Sunan Abu Dawud, (English Trans.), vol.3, pp. 1385-86, no.4957).

®MSA

See: The Categories of Tawhid #3