In truth, his letter is well written, but I cannot decipher some of the words because the dialect is somewhat different. He speaks about shirk (associating partners with Allah) and says, from Pakistan, from my side, the lowest of people to the group of scholars, may Allah please them in this world and the hereafter, so I greet you.
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The questioner : In truth, his letter is well written, but I cannot decipher some of the words because the dialect is somewhat different. He speaks about shirk (associating partners with Allah) and says, from Pakistan, from my side, the lowest of people to the group of scholars, may Allah please them in this world and the hereafter, so I greet you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : In truth, before we begin, he says in His name, Glorified and Exalted is He, then he says, so I greet you and those with you. After that, I am a knowledgeable man who listens every day to the program "Nur 'ala al-Darb" (Light on the Path), in which the honorable Shaykhs answer religious questions. So I ask you: What is the definition of shirk (associating partners with Allah) that is comprehensive and exclusive? And what did the disbelievers of Makkah associate, which is the greatest shirk? Because I have delved into the Qur'an and the hadiths, I learned that they did not seek help from the idols, and they did not turn in distress except to Allah, as came in the Qur'an.
In truth, if he presented many verses about shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, from the verses that came in the Noble Qur'an, it indicates that he is one of those who have looked into the sciences of the Qur'an and what came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because he cited some hadiths, and we leave them for brevity. He says, rather, they acknowledged that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the Savior, the Responder of the distressed, the Giver of life, the Giver of death, the Manager of affairs, and the Owner, as is apparent from their talbiyah: "There is no partner to You except a partner who is Yours, You own him and what he owns." And this verse:[Al-Mu'minun 23:88] Give us your answer, may Allah reward you with good. I listen every day on the radio from seven in the evening to nine: first the Maghrib prayer, then Shaykh Abdullah al-Khalifi recites, then al-Hasan Habashi presents "Qurun al-Hijrah" (Centuries of Migration), then Sulayman al-Shabana presents "Nur 'ala al-Darb," and Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz and the other Shaykhs answer the questions. He says in this letter, or hopes in this letter, that you speak about some of the verses or what came in the Qur'an regarding shirk (associating partners with Allah) and what is the shirk of the disbelievers of Quraysh?
The Shaykh : The answer to this is, first, the brother who wrote or penned "in His name," Glorified and Exalted is He, this is contrary to the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Sunnah is for a person to say "In the name of Allah" with the explicit name, not with the pronoun. This is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the prophets before him. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding the letter of Sulayman to the Queen of Saba:[An-Naml 27:30] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he wrote to the kings inviting them to Allah, would begin by saying:
As for the implied name, it does not indicate the name of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, except for one who knows that the beginning of matters is with the name of Allah, so he may know that this pronoun refers to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, the pronoun is ambiguous and requires knowing its referent, so it should not be used in a place of explicit mention, especially since it is contrary to the Sunnah that came from the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists.
The questioner : So, before we move on to the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists, we say to the listener from Pakistan, or the brother from Pakistan, al-Mawlawi Ghulam al-Asfiya, we say to him in your letters: after you hear this today, you must write "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate).
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes, as for the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists among whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, it is not shirk in lordship, because the Qur'an indicates that they only associated in worship. As for lordship, they believed that Allah alone is the Lord, that He is the Responder of the call of the distressed, and that He is the one who removes evil, among other things that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, mentioned regarding their acknowledgment of the lordship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, alone.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But they were polytheists in worship, worshipping others along with Allah. This is shirk that takes one out of the religion, because tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is, according to the indication of the word, making something one. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has rights that must be singled out for Him, and these rights are divided into three categories: one is the rights of ownership, the second is the rights of worship, and the third is the rights of names and attributes. Therefore, the scholars divided tawhid (the oneness of Allah) into three categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), and tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). As for tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in creation and command, as Allah, the Exalted, said:[Al-A'raf 7:54]
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So creation and command, which is management, this is lordship, and it is exclusive to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. There is no Creator except Allah, and no Commander and Manager except Allah, Mighty and Majestic. As for tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in His names and attributes, such that the servant believes in what Allah has affirmed for Himself in His Book, or what His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has affirmed for Him, of names and attributes, in the manner that Allah and His Messenger intended, and in the manner befitting Him, without affirming a likeness or equivalent for Him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because affirming a likeness or equivalent is shirk (associating partners with Allah). As for tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in worship, meaning that you worship Allah sincerely for Him, due to His saying, the Exalted:[Az-Zumar 39:11] So the polytheists only associated in this category, the category of worship, where they worshipped others along with Allah. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [An-Nisa 4:36] meaning in His worship.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And He, the Exalted, said: إنه من يشرك بالله فقد حرم الله عليه الجنة ومأواه النار وما للظالمين من أنصار وقال تعالى إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء وقال تعالى وقال ربكم ادعوني أستجب لكم إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتي سيدخون جهنم داخرين وقال تعالى في سورة الإخلاص قل يا أيها الكافرون * لا أعبد ما تعبدون * ولا أنتم عابدون ما أعبد * ولا أنا عابد ما عبدتم * ولا أنتم عابدون ما أعبد * لكم دينكم ولي دين وقوله في سورة الإخلاص يعني إخلاص العمل فهي سورة الإخلاص إخلاص العمل وإن كانت تسمى بسورة الكافرون لكنها في الحقيقة هي سورة إخلاص عمل كما أن سورة قل هو الله أحد سورة إخلاص علم وعقيدة.
السائل : نعم.
الشيخ : الحاصل أن هؤلاء المشركون الذين بعث فيهم الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام وإن كانوا لا يستعينون إلا بالله ولا يستغيثون إلا به ولا يقرون بأن أحداً خالقاً سوى الله عز وجل لكنهم نقول إنهم كانوا مشركين من أجل إشراكهم في العبادة. نعم.
السائل : إذًا على حسب ما ما فهمنا من كلامكم يا فضيلة الشيخ أنهم لا يشركون بالله إلا في العبادة فقط؟
الشيخ : أي نعم. Indeed, whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire, and there are no helpers for the wrongdoers. And He said, "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." And He said, "And your Lord said, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who refuse to honor My worship will enter Hell [i.e., the Fire] in a state of humiliation.'" And He said in Surat al-Ikhlas, "Say, 'O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, nor are you worshippers of what I worship, nor am I a worshipper of what you worship, nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.'" And His saying in Surat al-Ikhlas means the sincerity of the deed, so it is the Surah of the Sincerity of the Deed, even though it is called the Surah of the Disbelievers, but in reality it is the Surah of the Sincerity of the Deed, just as the Surah "Say, He is Allah, the One" is a Surah of the Sincerity of Knowledge and Belief. The questioner: Yes. The Shaykh: The result is that these polytheists among whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, even though they did not seek help except from Allah, and did not call for aid except to Him, and did not acknowledge that anyone is a Creator other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic), we say that they were polytheists because of their associating partners with Allah in worship. Yes. The questioner: So, according to what we understood from your words, O honorable Shaykh, they do not associate partners with Allah except in worship only? The Shaykh: Yes, exactly.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace.
The questioner : In truth, before we begin, he says in His name, Glorified and Exalted is He, then he says, so I greet you and those with you. After that, I am a knowledgeable man who listens every day to the program "Nur 'ala al-Darb" (Light on the Path), in which the honorable Shaykhs answer religious questions. So I ask you: What is the definition of shirk (associating partners with Allah) that is comprehensive and exclusive? And what did the disbelievers of Makkah associate, which is the greatest shirk? Because I have delved into the Qur'an and the hadiths, I learned that they did not seek help from the idols, and they did not turn in distress except to Allah, as came in the Qur'an.
In truth, if he presented many verses about shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, from the verses that came in the Noble Qur'an, it indicates that he is one of those who have looked into the sciences of the Qur'an and what came from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), because he cited some hadiths, and we leave them for brevity. He says, rather, they acknowledged that Allah is the Creator, the Provider, the Savior, the Responder of the distressed, the Giver of life, the Giver of death, the Manager of affairs, and the Owner, as is apparent from their talbiyah: "There is no partner to You except a partner who is Yours, You own him and what he owns." And this verse:
Say, "In whose hand is the realm of all things
قل من بيده ملكوت كل شيءٍThe Shaykh : The answer to this is, first, the brother who wrote or penned "in His name," Glorified and Exalted is He, this is contrary to the Sunnah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Sunnah is for a person to say "In the name of Allah" with the explicit name, not with the pronoun. This is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the prophets before him. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said regarding the letter of Sulayman to the Queen of Saba:
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
إنه من سليمان وإنه بسم الله الرحمان الرحيمIn the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
بسم الله الرحمان الرحيمAs for the implied name, it does not indicate the name of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, except for one who knows that the beginning of matters is with the name of Allah, so he may know that this pronoun refers to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, the pronoun is ambiguous and requires knowing its referent, so it should not be used in a place of explicit mention, especially since it is contrary to the Sunnah that came from the Prophets (peace and blessings be upon them).
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists.
The questioner : So, before we move on to the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists, we say to the listener from Pakistan, or the brother from Pakistan, al-Mawlawi Ghulam al-Asfiya, we say to him in your letters: after you hear this today, you must write "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim" (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate).
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes, as for the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists among whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, it is not shirk in lordship, because the Qur'an indicates that they only associated in worship. As for lordship, they believed that Allah alone is the Lord, that He is the Responder of the call of the distressed, and that He is the one who removes evil, among other things that Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, mentioned regarding their acknowledgment of the lordship of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, alone.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But they were polytheists in worship, worshipping others along with Allah. This is shirk that takes one out of the religion, because tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is, according to the indication of the word, making something one. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, has rights that must be singled out for Him, and these rights are divided into three categories: one is the rights of ownership, the second is the rights of worship, and the third is the rights of names and attributes. Therefore, the scholars divided tawhid (the oneness of Allah) into three categories.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), and tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship). As for tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in creation and command, as Allah, the Exalted, said:
Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command
ألا له الخلق والأمرThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So creation and command, which is management, this is lordship, and it is exclusive to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. There is no Creator except Allah, and no Commander and Manager except Allah, Mighty and Majestic. As for tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in His names and attributes, such that the servant believes in what Allah has affirmed for Himself in His Book, or what His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has affirmed for Him, of names and attributes, in the manner that Allah and His Messenger intended, and in the manner befitting Him, without affirming a likeness or equivalent for Him.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because affirming a likeness or equivalent is shirk (associating partners with Allah). As for tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship), it is singling out Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in worship, meaning that you worship Allah sincerely for Him, due to His saying, the Exalted:
Say, [O Muhammad], "Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion.
قل إني أمرت أن أعبد الله مخلصاً له الدينWorship Allah and associate nothing with Him
واعبدوا الله ولا تشركوا به شيئاًThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And He, the Exalted, said: إنه من يشرك بالله فقد حرم الله عليه الجنة ومأواه النار وما للظالمين من أنصار وقال تعالى إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء وقال تعالى وقال ربكم ادعوني أستجب لكم إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتي سيدخون جهنم داخرين وقال تعالى في سورة الإخلاص قل يا أيها الكافرون * لا أعبد ما تعبدون * ولا أنتم عابدون ما أعبد * ولا أنا عابد ما عبدتم * ولا أنتم عابدون ما أعبد * لكم دينكم ولي دين وقوله في سورة الإخلاص يعني إخلاص العمل فهي سورة الإخلاص إخلاص العمل وإن كانت تسمى بسورة الكافرون لكنها في الحقيقة هي سورة إخلاص عمل كما أن سورة قل هو الله أحد سورة إخلاص علم وعقيدة.
السائل : نعم.
الشيخ : الحاصل أن هؤلاء المشركون الذين بعث فيهم الرسول عليه الصلاة والسلام وإن كانوا لا يستعينون إلا بالله ولا يستغيثون إلا به ولا يقرون بأن أحداً خالقاً سوى الله عز وجل لكنهم نقول إنهم كانوا مشركين من أجل إشراكهم في العبادة. نعم.
السائل : إذًا على حسب ما ما فهمنا من كلامكم يا فضيلة الشيخ أنهم لا يشركون بالله إلا في العبادة فقط؟
الشيخ : أي نعم. Indeed, whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire, and there are no helpers for the wrongdoers. And He said, "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills." And He said, "And your Lord said, 'Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who refuse to honor My worship will enter Hell [i.e., the Fire] in a state of humiliation.'" And He said in Surat al-Ikhlas, "Say, 'O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship, nor are you worshippers of what I worship, nor am I a worshipper of what you worship, nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.'" And His saying in Surat al-Ikhlas means the sincerity of the deed, so it is the Surah of the Sincerity of the Deed, even though it is called the Surah of the Disbelievers, but in reality it is the Surah of the Sincerity of the Deed, just as the Surah "Say, He is Allah, the One" is a Surah of the Sincerity of Knowledge and Belief. The questioner: Yes. The Shaykh: The result is that these polytheists among whom the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, even though they did not seek help except from Allah, and did not call for aid except to Him, and did not acknowledge that anyone is a Creator other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic), we say that they were polytheists because of their associating partners with Allah in worship. Yes. The questioner: So, according to what we understood from your words, O honorable Shaykh, they do not associate partners with Allah except in worship only? The Shaykh: Yes, exactly.