What are some of the matters that take one out of the religion, whether they are actions, statements, or beliefs, so that one worships Allah with knowledge, and what are some of the specialized books on the matters of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
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The questioner : I ask you, may Allah reward you, to mention to me some of the matters that take one out of the religion, whether these are statements, actions, or beliefs, so that I may worship Allah with knowledge. I also ask you to mention to me some of the books specialized in the matters of tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
The Shaykh : It is not possible to enumerate the things that take one out of the religion because they are numerous in their individual instances, but it is possible to mention a rule, which is that what takes one out of the religion revolves around two matters: either denial or arrogance. That is, either a person denies something that Allah and His Messenger informed about, and he lies about it, or he denies a clear ruling of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) upon which the Muslims have reached scholarly consensus. Or it is arrogance, which is that he acknowledges it but does not worship Allah. For example, the one who abandons the ritual prayer is a disbeliever, even though he believes in Allah and believes in the Shari'ah and does not lie about it, but he was arrogant, so he did not pray. It is not necessary that the one who abandons prayer says that he is arrogant; rather, if he abandons it negligently without an excuse and without ignorance on his part—if he is far from the Islamic cities—then in reality he is arrogant. So all types of apostasy return to this: to denial or arrogance. But the details are very numerous, and they can be referred to what the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned in the chapter on the rulings of the apostate. As for the best book on tawhid (the oneness of Allah), among the best books is "Kitab al-Tawhid" by Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a book that gathers the evidence and the issues. And among the best books on 'aqidah (creed) is "al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah" by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. Then, if a person advances a little, it is al-'Aqidah al-Tamimiyyah. And if a person advances further, it is the lengthy books, such as "Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah", whose original is by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), and others. The original and primary reference is the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : It is not possible to enumerate the things that take one out of the religion because they are numerous in their individual instances, but it is possible to mention a rule, which is that what takes one out of the religion revolves around two matters: either denial or arrogance. That is, either a person denies something that Allah and His Messenger informed about, and he lies about it, or he denies a clear ruling of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) upon which the Muslims have reached scholarly consensus. Or it is arrogance, which is that he acknowledges it but does not worship Allah. For example, the one who abandons the ritual prayer is a disbeliever, even though he believes in Allah and believes in the Shari'ah and does not lie about it, but he was arrogant, so he did not pray. It is not necessary that the one who abandons prayer says that he is arrogant; rather, if he abandons it negligently without an excuse and without ignorance on his part—if he is far from the Islamic cities—then in reality he is arrogant. So all types of apostasy return to this: to denial or arrogance. But the details are very numerous, and they can be referred to what the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned in the chapter on the rulings of the apostate. As for the best book on tawhid (the oneness of Allah), among the best books is "Kitab al-Tawhid" by Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him). It is a book that gathers the evidence and the issues. And among the best books on 'aqidah (creed) is "al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah" by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. Then, if a person advances a little, it is al-'Aqidah al-Tamimiyyah. And if a person advances further, it is the lengthy books, such as "Mukhtasar al-Sawa'iq al-Mursalah", whose original is by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), and others. The original and primary reference is the Book of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and what is authentic from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.