What is the correct understanding of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Therefore, when we read the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): [An-Nisa 4:48] we should understand it to mean: that he disbelieves in Him, so that we do not fall into a problem I read about in the al-Manar magazine about forty or fifty years ago, which led its author to a very strange ruling. That ruling was: that these European natural scientists who believe with their minds that this universe has one Creator with no partner, it is possible that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) forgives them, because Allah said: [An-Nisa 4:48] and these people do not associate partners with Him in anything?
The questioner: No, no.
The Shaykh : I thought that was a good point. In truth, this problem worked in my mind for a while until I found the refutation of this problem in an explanation by Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him), where he brought decisive evidence that there is no difference between disbelief and associating partners with Allah in the Shari'ah, and that every act of associating partners with Allah is disbelief. This is known to everyone, but what is not known is the reverse: that every act of disbelief is associating partners with Allah. For example, if a man is a Muslim who believes in everything that came in the books of Allah and in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he denies a letter of the Qur'an or a word of the Qur'an, has he associated partners with Allah? In linguistic terms, he has not associated partners with Allah; he is a believer who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he also distinguishes, as we do, between the oneness of lordship, the oneness of worship, and the oneness of the names and attributes; he believes in all of this. But a word or phrase from the Noble Qur'an has entered his mind [as a denial]. This is undoubtedly disbelief, but has he associated partners with Allah? Many people say: No. In fact, most people, as Allah said, do not know. So the answer came from Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him): that whoever disbelieves has associated partners with Allah. He cited as evidence the story of the two men conversing, whose story and conversation are mentioned in Surat al-Kahf, where Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:[Al-Kahf 18:32-36] Is this, in linguistic terms, associating partners with Allah or disbelief? It is disbelief. Where is the associating partners with Allah here? He doubts the resurrection and the rising, so this is disbelief. Let us follow the rest of the verses: [Al-Kahf 18:37-38] Why does he say: “I do not associate with my Lord anyone”? It is as if he is saying: I do not associate with my Lord as you have associated. Where is his associating partners with Allah? It is his disbelief. And his admission that he associated partners with Allah, meaning disbelieved, will come: [Al-Kahf 18:38] Do you think I am less than you in wealth and children?
The questioner :[Al-Kahf 18:39] .
The Shaykh[Al-Kahf 18:39-42] Where is his associating partners with Allah? It is his disbelief, his doubt in the resurrection and the rising. So this context is decisive evidence that disbelief, whatever kind of disbelief it is against Allah and His Messenger, is associating partners with Allah. This is from the perspective of the legal reasoning or the transmitted evidence. As for directing this from the perspective of reason and reflection, it is this: the one who denies something of the legal realities, after the proof has been established against him, undoubtedly, when he denied what came in the Shari'ah, he has made his desire his god, he followed his desire [Al-A'raf 7:175] So he is in fact one who associates partners with Allah. But this associating partners with Allah is not clearly apparent with complete clarity except after an explanation like this. And when this fact became clear to me: that every act of disbelief is associating partners with Allah, glory be to Allah, the solutions to problems followed one after another. I used to hear and read several narrations in some matters: Sunan Abi Dawud 3251Sahih (Al-Albani), Riyad as-Salihin 1711, and perhaps I am now hesitating again: So there is no difference then, whether we hear the word “disbelief” or the word “associating partners with Allah”: “All roads lead to the mill.”
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِassociation with Him
أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِThe questioner: No, no.
The Shaykh : I thought that was a good point. In truth, this problem worked in my mind for a while until I found the refutation of this problem in an explanation by Abu Muhammad ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him), where he brought decisive evidence that there is no difference between disbelief and associating partners with Allah in the Shari'ah, and that every act of associating partners with Allah is disbelief. This is known to everyone, but what is not known is the reverse: that every act of disbelief is associating partners with Allah. For example, if a man is a Muslim who believes in everything that came in the books of Allah and in the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but he denies a letter of the Qur'an or a word of the Qur'an, has he associated partners with Allah? In linguistic terms, he has not associated partners with Allah; he is a believer who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and he also distinguishes, as we do, between the oneness of lordship, the oneness of worship, and the oneness of the names and attributes; he believes in all of this. But a word or phrase from the Noble Qur'an has entered his mind [as a denial]. This is undoubtedly disbelief, but has he associated partners with Allah? Many people say: No. In fact, most people, as Allah said, do not know. So the answer came from Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him): that whoever disbelieves has associated partners with Allah. He cited as evidence the story of the two men conversing, whose story and conversation are mentioned in Surat al-Kahf, where Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said:
(32) And present to them an example of two men: We granted to one of them two gardens of grapevines, and We bordered them with palm trees and placed between them [fields of] crops. (33) Each of the two gardens produced its fruit and did not fall short thereof in anything. And We caused to gush forth within them a river. (34) And he had fruit, so he said to his companion while he was conversing with him, "I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in [numbers of] men." (35) And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, "I do not think that this will perish - ever. (36) And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return."
وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مثلًا رَجُلَيْنِ جَعَلْنَا لِأَحَدِهِمَا جَنَّتَيْنِ مِنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَحَفَفْنَاهُمَا بِنَخْلٍ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمَا زَرْعًا * كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِمْ مِنْهُ شيئًا وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا * وَكَانَ لَهُ ثَمَرٌ فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنْكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا * وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبِيدَ هَذِهِ أَبَدًا * وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِنْ رُدِدْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا مُنْقَلَبًا(37) His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, "Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you [as] a man? (38) But as for me, He is Allah, my Lord, and I do not associate with my Lord anyone.
قَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ وَهُوَ يُحَاوِرُهُ أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رجلًا * لَكِنَّا هُوَ اللَّهُ رَبِّي وَلَا أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًاand I do not associate with my Lord anyone.
وَلَا أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًاThe questioner :
And why did you, when you entered your garden,
وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَThe Shaykh
(39) And why did you, when you entered your garden, not say, 'What Allah willed [has occurred]; there is no power except in Allah '? Although you see me less than you in wealth and children, (40) It may be that my Lord will give me [something] better than your garden and will send upon it a calamity from the sky, and it will become a smooth, dusty ground, (41) Or its water will become sunken [into the earth], so you would never be able to seek it." (42) And his fruits were encompassed [by ruin], so he began to turn his hands about [in dismay] over what he had spent on it, while it had collapsed upon its trellises, and said, "Oh, I wish I had not associated with my Lord anyone."
وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ إِنْ تَرَنِ أَنَا أَقَلَّ مِنْكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا * فَعَسَى رَبِّي أَنْ يُؤْتِيَنِ خَيْرًا مِنْ جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا * أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَاؤُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُ طَلَبًا * وَأُحِيطَ بِثَمَرِهِ فَأَصْبَحَ يُقَلِّبُ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى مَا أَنْفَقَ فِيهَا وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًاand he became of the deviators.
فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَHe who swears by anyone but Allah is polytheist.
مَن حلف بغير الله فقد أشركHe who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed committed an act of Kufr
مَن حلف بغير الله فقد كفرBetween a man and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer, so whoever abandons prayer has committed disbelief
بين الرجل وبين الكفر ترك الصلاة فَمَن ترك الصلاة فقد كفرhas committed shirk (associating partners with Allah)
فقد أشرك
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.