Commentary on Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim-19b
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The reader: "And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified this in what Muslim narrated from 'Iyad ibn Himar (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said Sahih Muslim 2865a He, the Exalted, said [Al-An'am 6:148] They combined shirk (associating partners with Allah) and prohibition, and shirk includes every act of worship for which Allah has not given permission. For the polytheists claim that their worship is either obligatory or recommended, and that doing it is better than leaving it. Then some of them worshipped other than Allah to draw near to Allah through their worship of them, and some of them innovated a religion by which they worshipped Allah in their claim, just as the Christians introduced types of innovated worship, and the root of misguidance"
The Shaykh : The criterion is clear: shirk includes every act of worship for which Allah has not given permission. Whoever worships Allah with a worship that Allah has not prescribed is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) because he followed his desires. Allah the Exalted said[Ash-Shuraa 42:21] in the verse that he, may Allah have mercy on him, cited: [Al-An'am 6:148] Did Allah accept this argument? No, Allah did not accept this argument. He said: [Al-An'am 6:148]
If someone were to ask: How do you combine this verse, in which Allah negated the argument of the polytheists in their saying[Al-An'am 6:148], with His saying, the Exalted: [Al-An'am 6:107]? We say: Because the meaning of the second verse is to console the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and to clarify that what occurred of their shirk (associating partners with Allah) is from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. [Al-An'am 6:107] But these who said [Al-An'am 6:148] intended by that to argue with divine decree against the Shari'ah, and this is the reprehensible thing. Therefore, if a polytheist, after Allah had granted him Islam, were to say that he associated partners with Allah in the beginning of his life, and that if Allah had willed, he would not have associated, this would be acceptable and true. Yes, indeed.
I have created My servants as one having a natural inclination to the worship of Allah but it is Satan who turns them away from the right religion and he makes unlawful what has been declared lawful for them and he commands them to ascribe partnership with Me, although he has no justification for that.
قال الله تعالى إني خلقت عبادي حنفاء فاجتالتهم الشياطين وحرمت عليهم ما أحللت لهم وأمرتهم أن يشركوا بي ما لم أنزل به سلطاناThose who associated with Allah will say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything."
سيقول الذين أشركوا لو شاء الله ما أشركنا ولا آباؤنا ولا حرمنا من شيءThe Shaykh : The criterion is clear: shirk includes every act of worship for which Allah has not given permission. Whoever worships Allah with a worship that Allah has not prescribed is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) because he followed his desires. Allah the Exalted said
Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented?
أم لهم شركاء شرعوا لهم من الدين ما لم يأذن به اللهThose who associated with Allah will say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything."
سيقول الذين أشركوا لو شاء الله ما أشركنا ولا آباؤنا ولا حرمنا من شيءLikewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment
كذلك كذب الذين من قبلهم حتى ذاقوا بأسناIf someone were to ask: How do you combine this verse, in which Allah negated the argument of the polytheists in their saying