Deviants from the Creed

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.