Faith as Speech and Action: Its Increase and Decrease
Belief in Allah encompasses
both speech and action, forming an inseparable foundation of faith. It is
dynamic, increasing through acts of obedience and diminishing through sin. A
Muslim cannot be declared a disbeliever due to sins less than shirk (polytheism)
or kufr (disbelief), such as adultery, theft, usury, consuming intoxicants,
disobedience to parents, or other major transgressions, unless such acts are
deemed lawful. Allah affirms:
"Indeed, Allah does not
forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom
He wills."
(Surah An-Nisa: 48)
The Prophet ﷺ, in widely authenticated narrations,
assured that Allah will eventually release from Hell anyone who possesses even
a mustard seed's weight of faith in their heart.
Loving and Hating for the Sake of Allah
A fundamental aspect of faith
is loving and disliking for the sake of Allah. This involves showing love and
loyalty (walaa’) to believers while opposing and disavowing disbelievers. Among
the believers, the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ hold a preeminent status. The adherents of
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah (the mainstream Sunni tradition) love and remain
loyal to the Companions, recognising them as the best of humanity after the
Prophets, as per the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
"The best generation is my
generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them." (Agreed upon)
Ahl al-Sunnah uphold that Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq is the most virtuous, followed by Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman
ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them all). After
these luminaries, they honour the remaining ten promised Paradise, followed by
the rest of the Companions.
They refrain from criticising
or debating the internal disputes among the Companions, holding that they acted
based on sincere judgment: those correct in their ijtihad earned double
rewards, while those mistaken earned one.
Moreover, Ahl al-Sunnah cherish
the family of the Prophet ﷺ and extend loyalty to them, including the mothers
of the Believers, his noble wives. They denounce the Rafidah (extreme Shia) who
curse the Companions and elevate the Prophet’s family beyond the station
assigned to them by Allah. Similarly, they reject the Nawasib, who harm the
Prophet’s family through speech or action.
Deviants from the Creed
The deviations from this creed
manifest in various forms:
Idolaters and Polytheists
These include those who worship
idols, angels, saints, jinn, trees, stones, and other entities. These
individuals did not respond to the call of the Messengers; instead, they
opposed and defied them, much like the Quraysh and various other Arab tribes
behaved towards our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They would seek their deities'
intercession for the fulfilment of needs, healing of the sick, and victory over
enemies. Additionally, they offered sacrifices and made vows to these idols. When
the Messenger of Allah ﷺ denounced these practices and commanded
them to dedicate worship exclusively to Allah alone, they found his message
strange and vehemently rejected it, saying:
“Has he made the gods into One
God? Indeed, this is a strange thing.” (Surah Sad: 5)
Despite their rejection, the
Prophet ﷺ continued to call them to Allah, warning
them against shirk (associating partners with Allah) and clarifying the reality
of what they worshipped. Through his persistent efforts, Allah guided whomever
He willed to the truth. Many embraced the religion of Islam in large groups,
and ultimately, the religion of Allah triumphed over all others after sustained
effort and struggle by the Prophet ﷺ, his noble Companions (may Allah be
pleased with them), and the righteous followers who came after them.
Over time, however,
circumstances changed. Ignorance prevailed among the majority of people,
leading many to revert to the practices of Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic era of
ignorance). This manifested in their excessive veneration of Prophets and
saints, invoking them, seeking their intercession, and engaging in other forms
of shirk. These individuals failed to comprehend the true meaning of La
ilaha illa Allah (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah) as even
the Arab polytheists of old had understood it. Indeed, Allah’s help is sought.
Such acts of shirk have
continued to spread among people up to this very day, driven by widespread
ignorance and the remoteness of generations from the time of Prophethood.
Contemporary Idolaters
The argument of these later
generations mirrors that of the earlier ones. They claim: "These are
our intercessors with Allah. We only worship them so that they may bring us
closer to Allah."
However, Allah decisively
refuted this claim, making it clear that worshiping anything or anyone other
than Him—be it Prophets, saints, or others—constitutes major shirk (polytheism)
and disbelief. Allah states:
"And they worship besides Allah that which
neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, 'These are our intercessors
with Allah.'" (Surah Yunus: 18)
In response, Allah declares:
"Say, 'Do you inform Allah of something He
does not know in the heavens or on the earth? Exalted is He and high above what
they associate with Him.'" (Surah Yunus: 18)
This verse unequivocally
establishes that directing acts of worship to anyone besides Allah—whether to
Prophets, saints, or others—constitutes major shirk, regardless of how those
who engage in such practices attempt to justify or label them.
Likewise, Allah states:
"And those who take protectors besides Him
[say], 'We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in
position.'" (Surah Az-Zumar: 3)
To this, Allah responds:
"Indeed, Allah will judge between them
concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is
a liar and a disbeliever." (Surah Az-Zumar: 3)
In these verses, Allah
categorically denies the validity of their excuses, affirming that their
worship of other beings—through invocation, reliance, or other forms of
devotion—is nothing but falsehood and disbelief. He exposes their claim that
such acts bring them closer to Him as a lie, declaring their actions as
outright rejection of His sole right to be worshipped.
Atheists and Materialists
Among the doctrines of
disbelief that stand in direct opposition to the true creed and contradict the
teachings brought by the Messengers (peace be upon them) are the beliefs held
by atheists in this era, such as the followers of Marx, Lenin, and other proponents
of atheism and disbelief. Whether these ideologies are termed socialism,
communism, Ba'athism, or any other designation, they are fundamentally rooted
in materialistic principles that deny the existence of Allah, asserting that
life is merely material.
One of their core tenets is the
denial of resurrection, the rejection of Paradise and Hell, and disbelief in
all religions. Anyone who examines their writings and delves into their
doctrines will ascertain this with certainty. Undoubtedly, this ideology is in
direct contradiction to all divinely revealed religions and inevitably leads
its adherents to the most devastating consequences in both this world and the
Hereafter.
Similarly, among the beliefs
that stand in opposition to truth are the doctrines propagated by certain sects
of the esoteric Batiniyyah and some extremist Sufi factions. These groups
falsely attribute to certain individuals they refer to as "saints"
divine powers over the universe, claiming that such figures govern the affairs
of creation. They label them with invented titles such as "poles"
(aqtab), "pillars" (awtad), or "helpers" (aghwath).
This constitutes one of the
gravest forms of shirk in lordship (rububiyyah), exceeding even the polytheism
of the pre-Islamic Arabs. The polytheists of Arabia, while associating partners
with Allah in worship, did not attribute divine governance to anyone other than
Allah. Furthermore, their shirk was primarily during times of ease; in moments
of adversity, they would sincerely turn to Allah alone in worship, as Allah
states:
"And when they board a ship, they
supplicate Allah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them to the
land, at once they associate others with Him." (Surah Al-Ankabut: 65)
As for lordship, they
acknowledged it exclusively for Allah, as indicated by Allah’s words:
"If you ask them who created them, they
will surely say, 'Allah.'" (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 87)
And He also states:
"Say, 'Who provides for you from the
heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and brings the living
out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and arranges [every]
matter?' They will say, 'Allah.' So say, 'Then will you not fear Him?'"
(Surah Yunus: 31)
Such verses clearly highlight
the grave deviation of these groups, who ascribe to others powers that belong
solely to Allah. The consequences of these false beliefs are severe and lead
their adherents further away from the truth revealed by all Messengers of
Allah.
What Late Polytheists Added to Their Predecessors
As for the later
polytheists, they exceeded their predecessors in two distinct ways. First, some
among them committed shirk (polytheism) in Allah’s Lordship (Rububiyyah).
Second, they engaged in polytheism during both times of ease and hardship. This
can be clearly observed by those who have interacted with them, examined their
conditions, and witnessed their practices at the graves of individuals like
Al-Husayn and Al-Badawi in Egypt, Al-Aydarus in Aden, Al-Hadi in Yemen, Ibn
Arabi in the Levant, and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani in Iraq. These widely
venerated graves have become sites of exaggerated reverence where the masses
direct acts of worship that are due solely to Allah, the Exalted.
They offer prayers,
supplications, sacrifices, and vows at these graves—acts that should be
directed only to Allah. Few individuals among them rise to refute such
practices or clarify the reality of monotheism (Tawhid), which Allah sent His
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to establish, as well as the Prophets
before him (peace be upon them all). Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we
shall return. We beseech Him, the Most High, to guide them back to the path of
reason and righteousness, to increase among them the callers to truth and
guidance, and to enable the leaders and scholars of the Muslims to combat this
form of polytheism and eradicate its means and manifestations. Verily, He is
All-Hearing and Near.
Errant Doctrines in the Names and Attributes of Allah
Among the erroneous beliefs
that contradict the sound creed are those held by innovators regarding the
Names and Attributes of Allah. This includes the doctrines of the Jahmiyyah,
the Mu’tazilah, and those who followed their path by denying Allah’s attributes.
These groups render Allah devoid of His attributes of perfection and liken Him
to non-existent entities, inanimate objects, and impossibilities. Exalted is
Allah far above what they claim, elevated infinitely beyond such falsehoods.
Also included are those who
partially deny Allah’s attributes while affirming others, such as the Ash’aris.
Their stance reveals inconsistencies, for the very principles they use to
affirm some attributes contradict their rejection of others. Their reliance on
misinterpretation (ta’wil) and selective affirmation causes them to oppose both
textual and rational evidence, leading to clear contradictions in their creed.
[The Approach of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah]
In contrast, Ahl al-Sunnah
wa’l-Jama‘ah affirm for Allah what He has affirmed for Himself or what His
Messenger ﷺ has affirmed for Him, adhering to the principles of perfection
and majesty. They describe Allah with attributes of completeness, while
absolving Him of any resemblance to His creation. Their approach is free from
distortion, misinterpretation, or negation. They harmonize all the evidence,
neither altering the divine texts nor denying their meanings, thereby
safeguarding themselves from the contradictions that have plagued others, as
previously explained.
This
approach represents the path of salvation and success in this life and the
Hereafter. It is the straight path treaded by the righteous predecessors
(Salaf) of this Ummah and its leading scholars. The final generations will not
attain success except by adhering to what brought success to the earlier
generations: following the Qur’an and Sunnah and avoiding all that contradicts
them.
