A Poetic Exposition on the Fragility of Faith and the Boundaries of Tawḥīd

 

The Nullifiers of Islam

¹⁵⁶O seeker of truth, with heart sincere,

    Attend, incline thy listening ear.

¹⁵⁷For He who reigns beyond the skies

    Commands His slaves to Islam rise.

¹⁵⁸To tread its path, to guard its way,

    And shun what leads the heart astray.

¹⁵⁹Through him, the Prophet, mercy’s light,

    Was sent to guide us to the right.

¹⁶⁰Who follows him shall never roam,

    Who turns away shall lose his home.

¹⁶¹The Book resounds in warnings dire,

    Of disbelief and Hell’s own fire.

¹⁶²The learned tell in words severe

    Of paths that lead to faith’s veneer.

¹⁶³A Muslim’s soul may fall, bereft,

    By acts that leave his creed unweft.

¹⁶⁴Among the snares that most ensnare,

    Ten nullifiers—heed, beware.

First of All: The Gravest Sin

¹⁶⁵To rival God, to shirk His throne,

    To bow to gods not His alone.

¹⁶⁶For He hath sworn and made it plain:

    No sin like this shall be forgiven.

¹⁶⁷"For he who partners doth proclaim,

    Paradise is not his claim.

¹⁶⁸The flames shall be his final bed,

    And none shall help him where he’s led."

¹⁶⁹So, call not out to those now dust,

    Nor seek their aid nor in them trust.

¹⁷⁰To vow, to sacrifice in name

    Of those long gone is sin’s dark claim.

 Second: Who Calls on Intercessors Near

¹⁷¹Who calls between himself and Him

    Another voice, a name grown dim,

¹⁷²And trusts their word, and bends his knee,

    Rejects divine supremacy.

¹⁷³This disbelief no doubt remains,

    And with it, faith’s last ember wanes.

 Third: He Who Does Not Disbelieve

¹⁷⁴Who sees the “shirk” of idol’s way,

    Yet deems it right or holds at bay

¹⁷⁵His doubt that such is disbelief—

    He too is lost beyond relief.

 Fourth: Preferring Law of Tyrants’ Rule

¹⁷⁶If one should claim that law of man

    Exceeds what Allah’s will began,

¹⁷⁷Or scorns the rule the Prophet gave,

    That soul is lost, that heart enslaved.

 Fifth: Who Loathes a Messenger’s Decree

¹⁷⁸To scorn the words the Prophet brought,

    Though lips obey, yet heart is fraught—

¹⁷⁹A loathing thus, though deeds remain,

    Shall strip the faith, make deeds in vain.

 

Sixth: Who Mocks Divine Command

¹⁸⁰Mock not the law, nor jest in vain,

    Nor scorn reward, nor Hell’s own pain.

¹⁸¹For God hath sworn, so take ye heed,

    That mockery makes void thy creed.

 Seventh: The Darkened Arts of Magic’s Spell

¹⁸²Who twists the fate, who bends the will,

    By sorcery in whispers shrill,

¹⁸³Or finds delight in magic’s thread,

    Is one who walks among the dead.

 Eighth: Who Aids the Enemies of Faith

¹⁸⁴To aid the foes of creed so pure,

    Is to forsake, is to obscure.

¹⁸⁵"Who joins their hands shall be as them,"

    So saith the Lord in warning grim.

 Ninth: Who Claims That Some May Stray Beyond the Path

¹⁸⁶If one should say that some may find

    A road outside what’s left behind—

¹⁸⁷Beyond Muhammad’s sacred way,

    That soul in darkness too shall stay.

Tenth: Who Turns Away from Sacred Lore

¹⁸⁸Who shuns the knowledge, turns his face,

    From truth, from law, from God’s embrace,

¹⁸⁹Shall find himself in shadow cast,

    A fate most grim, a doom held fast.

No Jest, No Jest, Beware, Beware!

¹⁹⁰These nullifiers stand in weight,

    No lightened load, nor jesting’s fate.

¹⁹¹No fear, nor play, nor careless game,

    Can shield thee from their scorching flame.

¹⁹²Who claims that laws of man outshine

    The words the Prophet made divine,

¹⁹³Or scorns the rule, or claims anew

    That faith must change with modern view—

¹⁹⁴He walks a path where loss is sure,

    Where faith is torn, where Hell is pure.

¹⁹⁵Who deems the thief’s just hand unshorn,

    Or lets adultery go unworn,

¹⁹⁶Or claims that judgment must be weighed

    By laws that mortal hands have laid—

¹⁹⁷Then he allows what God forbade,

    And in his sin, his faith is swayed.

عيد الأمل وأمر جلل

 

ليلة القدر: نداء الإيمان

 

The Call to Tawheed and the Path of Ahl al-Sunnah

 

Extremists in False Reverence

¹¹⁶Among the wayward are those who claim,

    That saints govern the world in Allah’s name.

¹¹⁷They call them "poles," "pillars," or "aid,"

    Such titles for humans that they have made.

¹¹⁸This shirk in Rububiyyah far surpasses,

    The ignorance of Arabia's masses.

¹¹⁹The pre-Islamic tribes, though lost in ease,

    Turned to Allah in hardships, seeking peace.

¹²⁰"Who created you?" if asked, they'd agree:

    "It is Allah, the Creator, Almighty."

 

The Path of Salvation: Ahl al-Sunnah

¹²¹Ahl al-Sunnah, the saved group stands,

    Holding firmly to Allah’s commands.

¹²²Attributes affirmed, without denial’s hue,

    Glorifying Allah as perfectly true.

¹²³Free from distortion, clear of doubt,

    Their creed is a lighthouse, strong and stout.

¹²⁴They tread the path of the Salaf divine,

    Guided by the Qur'an’s eternal line.

¹²⁵For those who seek salvation's door,

    This is the creed that will endure.

 

The Call of Devotion and Triumph

¹²⁶Upon the earth, in boundless span,

    The call resounds—the loftiest plan,

¹²⁷To bow before the One Most High,

    Whose throne is set beyond the sky.

¹²⁸He shaped the heavens, vast and bright,

    Unveiled the day, adorned the night,

¹²⁹Commanding sun and moon to glide,

    Upon their paths in endless stride.

¹²⁹He spoke, and worlds arose in might,

    Jinn and men in His pure light,

¹³⁰Created not for wanton play,

    But bound to worship, none astray.

¹³¹No other hands must men implore,

    No idols false, nor saints adore.

¹³²To Him alone must all prayer rise,

    The Lord of earth, the Lord of skies.

¹³³A call divine, a sacred trust,

    To fear Him true, to keep Him just,

¹³⁴For prophets walked this path before,

    And bore the light from shore to shore.

¹³⁵O nations vast, return, repent,

    Abandon ways in error spent.

¹³⁶No throne endures, no might shall stand,

    Save that which heeds His just command.

¹³⁷Let laws be framed in wisdom’s grace,

    And justice shine in every place.

¹³⁸Uproot the chains of false decree,

    And let the soul from bondage free.

¹³⁹For those who strive upon His way,

    Shall find His hand in firm array.

¹⁴⁰The heavens promise, bold and true,

    That He shall raise the faithful few.

¹⁴¹The past has seen the faithful rise,

    As tyrants fell before their eyes.

¹⁴²Yet hearts have strayed, and hands have swayed,

    In slothful ease, in vice delayed.

¹⁴³So, trial came, as warning dire,

    The flame replaced the guiding fire,

¹⁴⁴And foes arose in might to stand,

    And took dominion o’er the land.

¹⁴⁵Yet still the path remains so clear,

    For those with faith, for those sincere.

¹⁴⁶Turn back, unite, with hearts aflame,

    And He shall grant you strength and name.

¹⁴⁷O faithful souls, embrace the test,

    Arise, be firm, give forth your best!

¹⁴⁸For He has sworn, and none shall lie,

    That truth shall reign, and falsehood die.

¹⁴⁹Upon the lips of time remains,

    A promise bright that yet sustains:

¹⁵⁰To those who stand in righteous creed,

    He grants the crown, the throne, the seed.

¹⁵¹So, rise, O hearts, embrace His light,

    Let worship shine in purest sight,

¹⁵²And He shall grant you earth’s embrace,

    With justice, strength, and boundless grace.

¹⁵³Upon the Prophet, peace untold,

    The guide, the light, the heart of gold.

¹⁵⁴May blessings vast upon him flow,

    And those who walk his path below.

¹⁵⁵And peace be upon the faithful, strong,

    Whose hearts to truth and light belong.

The Nullifiers of Islam and Understanding Actions That Invalidate Faith

 

The Nullifiers of Islam

Know, O Muslim brother, that Allah, exalted be He, has enjoined upon all His servants the necessity of entering into Islam, adhering firmly to it, and exercising vigilance against all that contradicts it. He sent forth His Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to summon mankind to this path, and He, the Most High, declared that whosoever follows him shall be rightly guided, whereas whosoever turns away shall be led astray. In numerous Qur'anic verses, Allah warns against the causes of apostasy and all forms of polytheism and disbelief.

The scholars—may Allah have mercy upon them—have expounded upon the ruling concerning the apostate, elucidating that a Muslim may renounce his religion through various nullifiers that render his life and wealth forfeit, thereby expelling him from the fold of Islam. Among the gravest and most prevalent of these nullifiers are ten, which we shall outline briefly so that you may beware of them and caution others against them, seeking thereby salvation and well-being. We shall also provide succinct clarifications where necessary.

 

The First Nullifier

The most severe of these nullifiers is associating partners with Allah (shirk) in worship. Allah, exalted be He, states:

"Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." (Surah An-Nisa: 48)

"Indeed, he who associates others with Allah—Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers, there are no helpers." (Surah Al-Ma’idah: 72)

This includes supplicating to the dead, seeking their assistance, making vows or sacrifices in their name, and other acts of devotion directed to them.

 

The Second Nullifier

Whoever places intermediaries between himself and Allah, invoking them, seeking their intercession, and relying upon them, has committed disbelief (kufr) by consensus of the scholars.

 

The Third Nullifier

Whoever does not declare the polytheists to be disbelievers, doubts their disbelief, or validates their doctrine has himself disbelieved.

 

The Fourth Nullifier

Whoever believes that a guidance other than that of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is more perfect, or that the ruling of another is superior to his ruling—such as those who prefer the laws of tyrants over the divine law—has disbelieved.

 

The Fifth Nullifier

Whoever despises anything brought forth by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), even if he adheres to it outwardly, has disbelieved. As Allah, exalted be He, states:

"That is because they disliked what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null and void." (Surah Muhammad: 9)

 

The Sixth Nullifier

Mocking anything from the religion of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), its rewards, or its punishments constitutes disbelief. The evidence is the statement of Allah:

"Say: Was it Allah, His verses, and His Messenger that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your belief." (Surah At-Tawbah: 65-66)

 

The Seventh Nullifier

Practicing sorcery, including forms of magic that involve diverting or compelling affections (al-sarf wa al-‘aÏf). Whoever engages in such practices or approves of them has disbelieved. The proof lies in the verse:

"But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone until they had said: 'We are but a trial, so do not disbelieve.'" (Surah Al-Baqarah: 102)

 

The Eighth Nullifier

Supporting the polytheists and aiding them against the Muslims. Allah, exalted be He, states:

"And whoever is an ally to them among you—then indeed, he is one of them. Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people." (Surah Al-Ma’idah: 51)

 

The Ninth Nullifier

Whoever believes that certain individuals are exempt from the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has disbelieved. As Allah states:

"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam—it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers." (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 85)

 

The Tenth Nullifier

Turning away from the religion of Allah, neither learning it nor acting upon it. The evidence for this is the statement of Allah:

"And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord, then he turns away from them? Indeed, We shall take retribution from the criminals." (Surah As-Sajdah: 22)

There is no distinction in these nullifiers between one who is jesting, one who is serious, or one who is in fear. All of them constitute grave dangers and are widespread among people; thus, every Muslim must guard against them and fear them for himself.

Included under the fourth nullifier is the belief that man-made systems and legislations are superior to Islamic law, or that the Islamic system is unsuitable for application in the modern era, or that it was the cause of the Muslims' decline, or that it pertains solely to personal worship without encompassing societal matters. Also included under the fourth nullifier is the view that enforcing the divine rulings—such as the amputation of the thief’s hand or the stoning of the adulterer—is unsuitable for the present age.

Similarly, included under this category is the belief that it is permissible to judge by laws other than Allah’s in financial transactions, criminal laws, or any other matter, even if one does not deem it superior to the divine law. This is because such a stance entails permitting what Allah has forbidden by scholarly consensus. Whoever permits what is categorically forbidden in Islam—such as fornication, alcohol consumption, usury, or ruling by laws other than Allah’s—has committed disbelief by unanimous agreement of the Muslims.

We seek refuge with Allah from actions that incur His wrath and from the severity of His punishment.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the noblest of His creation, Muhammad, as well as upon his family and companions.