Tag Archives: Aqidah & Manhaj

Sep 29 2010

Where is Allaah?

Where is Allaah?

Where is Allaah?'

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Where is Allaah?

Apr 14 2010

Fataawaa of Shaikh Al-Albaanee


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From Al-Asaalah Magazine, Issues 1-21
Translated and Arranged: Isma’eel Alarcon, Proofread and Verified: Muhammad Zorkane, Cover Design:’Adil Ibn ‘Arif
This book is a compilation of all the fataawaa (religious verdicts) given by the late Imaam, Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee, rahimahullaah, in Al-Asaalah Magazine (Issues 1-21), with the exception of two short fataawaa that were excluded. Al-Asaalah Magazine is an Arabic publication that was started in Jordan by several of Imaam Al-Albaanee’s students in the early 1990’s in order to promote the Salafi Da’wah and connect the Muslim world to the major scholars and their students.

Apr 2 2010

Important Books For The Seeker of Knowledge

Praise be to Allaah.

1) – ‘Aqeedah (basic tenets of faith):

1- Thalaathat al-Usool

2- Al-Qawaa’id al-Arba’ah

3- Kashf al-Shubahaat

4- Al-Tawheed

These four books were written by Shaykh al-Islam Imaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allaah have mercy on him).

5- Al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah which deals with Tawheed al-Asmaa’ wa’l-Sifaat (The Oneness of the Divine names and attributes). This is one of the best books written on this topic, and it is worth reading and studying.

6- Al-Hamawiyyah

7- Al-Tadmuriyyah

These two books are more comprehensive than al-Waasitiyyah. These three books were written by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah.

8- Al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah, by Shaykh Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahhaawi

9- Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah by Abu’l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Abi’l-‘Izz

10-Al-Durar al-Saniyyah fi’l-Ajoobah al-Najdiyyah, compiled by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Qaasim (may Allaah have mercy on him)

11-Al-Durrah al-Madiyyah fi ‘Aqeedah al-Firqah al-Mardiyyah by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Safaareeni al-Hanbali.

This book contains some general statements which go against the madhhab of the salaf, such as his saying, “Our Lord is not an essence or an attribute or a physical entity, exalted be He.”

Therefore the seeker of knowledge has to study it with a shaykh who is well versed in the ‘aqeedah of the salaf, so that he can explain the general statements in it that go against the ‘aqeedah of the righteous salaf.

2) – Hadeeth

1- Fath al-Baari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani (may Allaah have mercy on him).

2- Subul al-Salaam Sharh Buloogh al-Maraam, by al-San’aani, and his book Jaami’ bayna al-Hadeeth wa’l-Fiqh

3- Nayl al-Awtaar Sharh Muntaqaa al-Akhbaar by al-Shawkaani

4- ‘Umdat al-Ahkaam by al-Maqdisi. This is an abridged book; most of its ahaadeeth are narrated in al-Saheehayn so their authenticity does not need to be researched.

5- Al-Arba’een al-Nawawiyyah, by Abu Zakariyya al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is a good book because it includes etiquette and a good methodology, and important basic principles, such as the hadeeth, “Part of a person’s being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him.”

(Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 1 – 201; al-Tirmidhi, 2318; classed as hasan by al-Nawawi in Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, 73; classed as saheeh by Ahmad Shaakir in al-Musnad, 1737)

This principle – if one made it the path upon which one walks – would be sufficient. Another principle is given concerning when one should speak, “Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, let him say something good or else remain silent.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Adab; Muslim, Kitaab al-Luqtah, Baab al-Diyaafah).

6- Buloogh al-Maraam, by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani. This is a very useful book, especially because it mentions the narrators, and quoted the opinions of others scholars, who said whose hadeeth is saheeh and whose is da’eef, and he comments on the hadeeth to say whether they are saheeh or da’eef.

7- Nukhbat al-Fikr by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqallaani. This is considered to be a comprehensive work. If the seeker of knowledge understands it completely then he will have no need of many other books of mustalah (the science of hadeeth). Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) has a useful way of writing, which involves examining every issue in depth and categorizing the topics he discusses. If the seeker of knowledge reads it he will find it stimulating, because it is based on making one think. I say: it is good for the seeker of knowledge to memorize it because it is a useful summary of the science of mustalah (science of hadeeth).

8- The Six Books (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Muslim, al-Nasaa’i, Abu Dawood, Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi). I advise the seeker of knowledge to read them often, because that will serve two purposes: reviewing the main sources of Islam and reviewing the names of hadeeth narrators. If you often review the names of hadeeth narrators, then whenever you come across the name of one of the narrators of al-Bukhaari in any isnaad, you will know that this is one of the narrators of al-Bukhaari, so you will benefit from this knowledge of hadeeth.

3) – Books of fiqh:

1- Aadaab al-mashiy ila’l-Salaah by Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allaah have mercy on him)

2- Zaad al-Mustaqni’ fi Ikhtisaar al-Muqni’ by al-Hajjaawi. This is one of the best texts of fiqh. It is a blessed book, brief and comprehensive. Our shaykh, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) told us to memorize it, even though he had memorized the text of Daleel al-Taalib.

3- Al-Rawd al-Murbi’ Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqni’ by Shaykh Mansoor al-Bahooti

4- ‘Umdat al-Fiqh by Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him)

5- al-Usool min ‘Ilm al-Usool. This is an abridged book which serves as an introduction for the seeker of knowledge.

4) – Faraa’id (laws of inheritance)

1- Matn al-Rahbiyyah by al-Rahbi

2- Matn al-Burhaaniyyah by Muhammad al-Burhaani. This is a useful and comprehensive abridged book dealing with all the laws of inheritance. I think that al-Burhaaniyyah is more comprehensive than al-Rahbiyyah in some ways, and it gives more information.

5) – Tafseer

1- Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem by Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him). This book is good for tafseer based on reports and it is useful and trustworthy. But it does pay much attention to matters of grammar and style.

2- Tayseer al-Kareem al-Rahmaan fi Tafseer Kalaam al-Mannaan by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is a good, easy and trustworthy book, and I recommend it.

3- Muqaddimah Shaykh al-Islam fi’l-Tafseer. This is an important introduction.

4- Adwaa’ al-Bayaan by al-‘Allaamah Muhammad al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is a comprehensive book covering hadeeth, fiqh, tafseer and usool al-fiqh.

6) – General books on some subjects:

1- On (Arabic) grammar: Matn al-Ajroomiyyah. This is an abridged book.

2- Also on Arabic grammar: Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik; this is a summary of the science of grammar.

3- On Seerah (Prophet’s biography): The best book that I have seen is Zaad al-Ma’aad by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is a very useful book in which he mentions the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from all angels, then he discusses many rulings.

4- Rawdat al-‘Uqalaa’ by Ibn Hibbaan al-Busti (may Allaah have mercy on him). This is a useful book despite its brevity. He compiled a large amount of useful material and stories of the scholars, muhadditheen and others.

5- Siyar A’laam al-Nubalaa’ by al-Dhahabi. This book is very useful and the seeker of knowledge should read and refer to it.

From Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, Kitaab al-‘Ilm, p. 92
Taken from http://www.Islam-QA.com

Jan 13 2010

What is al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah? What is it about?

Q) What is al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah? What is it about?

A) Praise be to Allaah.

al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah is a book dealing with ‘aqeedah (basic tenets of faith) which was written by Imam al-Tahhaawi and named after him. Discussing this ‘aqeedah means that we must look at it from a number of angles.

Firstly:

The author is the imam, muhaddith and faqeeh Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Salaamah al-Tahhaawi – who is named after a village in Upper Egypt – he studied with many Shaykhs and learned from them and benefited from them, and he listed their number as three hundred Shaykhs.

He was praised by more than one of the scholars:

Ibn Yoonus said: al-Tahhaawi was trustworthy, sincere, a faqeeh and a man of wisdom, and after him there was no one else like him.

Al-Dhahabi said: the faqeeh, muhaddith, haafiz, one of the prominent scholars, and he was trustworthy, sincere, a faqeeh and a man of wisdom.

Ibn Katheer said: He was one of the trustworthy, sincere and a haafiz.

He wrote books which were well-written, comprehensive and of great value, among which was his great book Ma’aani al-Athaar, which contains research on fiqh accompanied by evidence and discussion of controversial matters, and pointing to which view is more correct. His books also include Mushkil al-Athaar and others.

He died (may Allaah have mercy on him) in 321 AH and was buried in Egypt, in al-Quraafah.

See his biography in Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’ (15/33-37) and al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (11/174).

Secondly:

This ‘Aqeedah which was written by al-Tahhaawi mentions a number of the beliefs of the righteous salaf and those who followed them of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, which was approved by the imams of the Hanafis – as al-Tahhaawi followed the madhhab of Abu Haneefah. He explained in his introduction his aims in doing that, and said:

“This is an explanation of the ‘aqeedah of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah according to the view of the fuqaha’ of this madhhab: Abu Haneefah al-Nu’maan ibn Thaabit al-Kufi, Abu Yoosuf Ya’qoob ibn Ibraaheem al-Ansaari, and Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybaani, may Allaah be pleased with them all, and the beliefs concerning the fundamentals of Islam, on the basis of which they submit to the Lord of the Worlds.” End quote.

Then he mentioned these basic beliefs, and the total number of things he mentioned was 105 things believed by Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah in general.

He started by explaining the Oneness of Allaah, may He be exalted, and said a little about the attributes of His Lordship (sifaat ruboobiyyatihi), such as His being alive and self-sufficient, and His being the Creator and Provider, and he affirmed the attributes of perfection without discussing how or likening Him to any of His creation, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “There is nothing like Him, and He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer” [al-Shoora 42:11]. Then he followed that with a discussion of the obligation to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that he was sent to all people. Then he spoke of the Holy Qur’aan, stating that it is the word of Allaah and not created, and he affirmed that the believers will see Allaah in the Hereafter. Then he mentioned some matters of the unseen in which Ahl al-Sunnah believe, such as the Cistern (al-hawd), intercession, the Throne and the Footstool (al-Kursiy). Then he mentioned the pillars of belief in al-qada’ wa’l-qadar (the Divine will and decree) and what Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah believe about this topic. Then he went on to define faith and its pillars, and explained that faith may increase and decrease, and he explained the view of Ahl al-Sunnah in contrast to the views of the Khawaarij and Murji’ah. He also described what Ahl-al-Sunnah believe with regard to the noble Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and that loving them is part of Islam, faith and ihsaan, and that hating them is kufr, hypocrisy and sin. Then he mentioned some of the portents of the Hour and what will happen on the Day of Resurrection, then he ended his essay with an discussion of how this religion is the middle path, between exaggeration and falling short.

Thirdly:

It is a book of ‘aqeedah that is easy to read and clear in meaning. It is comprehensive and brief. It sums up the beliefs of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah and, for the most part, includes matters on which there is scholarly consensus and agreement.

Many scholars have written commentaries on this ‘Aqeedah and explained its words and meanings. One of the most famous of them is Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz al-Hanafi, who wrote a lengthy commentary on it; among later scholars, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz and Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on them) wrote commentaries on it, as did Shaykh Safar ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Hawaali (may Allaah preserve him). The one who wants to understand more of the meanings of al-Tahhaawiyyah can refer to these commentaries.

Fourthly:

‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawi discusses matters in brief and general terms, but what made it very famous and popular among the Salafis in particular is the commentary which was written by Shaykh Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz al-Hanafi (may Allaah have mercy on him), which is the most important and most detailed of its commentaries. He based his commentary on the books of Ahl al-Sunnah, especially the books of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and his student Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him).

Fifthly:

Despite what we have referred to of the good features of this ‘Aqeedah and its commentary by Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz, it also contains a number of issues which were criticized, because they go against what the salaf believed, such as his saying, when defining faith: “Faith is affirming with the tongue and believing in the heart,” because limiting it to that is the view of the Murji’i fuqaha’ who excluded physical actions from the definition of faith. The same applies to what he said after that, “Faith is one and the same, and believers are equal with regard to the foundation of faith.”

It also includes some general phrases that may be understood incorrectly, and are most often used by innovators to mean things that are contrary to the beliefs of the righteous salaf, such as his saying, “exalted be He above limits and boundaries” and “exalted be He above having faculties and parts” and “He is not subject to directions and dimensions which are attributes of created beings.” Such phrases are used by those who misinterpret the attributes of Allaah (al-mu’attilah) to deny what is affirmed in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger of the sublime attributes of Allaah that befit His perfection, may He be glorified and exalted, such as His Countenance, hands and eyes. They call them faculties and parts, and deny that Allaah possesses them.

Another example is His being above His creation, and His rising above His Throne in His heaven. They call this “directions and location” and deny that it applies to Allaah, may He be exalted.

Because of that, it is important for the seeker of knowledge to pay attention to learning this ‘Aqeedah from a scholar of Ahl al-Sunnah who can explain it, such as Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz among classical scholars and from contemporary scholars who have written brief commentaries on it, as we have referred to above.

There are many audio commentaries on this book, such as the commentary by Shaykh Saalih Aal al-Shaykh, and the commentary by Shaykh Yoosuf al-Ghufays, and others.

Shaykh Safar al-Hawaali (may Allaah preserve him) has commented at length on the commentary of Ibn Abi’l-‘Izz; you may refer to it on his website.

And Allaah knows best.

islamQA.com

Oct 28 2009

Was Ibn Taymiyyah a anthropomorphist?

(note: Question & answer have been shortened, to read the full question & answer please see link at the bottom of article)

Q) I have read that he deviated from the correct aqeedah and was a anthropomorphist.

A)What is mentioned in the question about Shaykh al-Islam having deviated from sound ‘aqeedah and ascribed to Allaah, may He be exalted, the attributes of His creation, is an utter fabrication and a blatant lie against Shaykh al-Islam and his methodology and ‘aqeedah. Anyone who reads any of his major or minor books will realize that. Among these texts and rules which it would be too difficult to refer to all of them, let alone quote them, are his words:

The early generation of this ummah and its imams are unanimously agreed that there is nothing like unto Allaah, either in His essence or His attributes or His actions. One of the imams said: Whoever likens Allaah to His creation is a kaafir, and whoever denies that which Allaah has ascribed to Himself is a kaafir; there is nothing like unto that which Allaah has ascribed to Himself or His Messenger has ascribed to Him. End quote.

Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam (2/126).

And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The comprehensive statement concerning all of this matter is that Allaah is to be described as He has described Himself or His Messenger has described Him, and as the early generation have described Him, and we are not to go beyond what the Qur’aan and hadeeth say.

Imam Ahmad (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Allaah is not to be described except as He has described Himself or His Messenger has described Him, and one is not to go beyond the Qur’aan and hadeeth.

The approach of the salaf was to describe Allaah as He described Himself and as His Messenger described Him, without distorting or denying, and without asking how or likening Him to His creation. We know that what Allaah has ascribed to Himself is true, and there is nothing mysterious or puzzling in it, rather its meaning is to be understood as the One Who said it meant it to be understood, especially when the one who said it is more knowledgeable of what he says than all other people and the most eloquent and most able to explain what he wanted to explain, and the most fluent in explaining, defining and guiding.

In addition to all of this, there is nothing like unto Allaah, either in His holy essence or His names and attributes or actions. We believe firmly that He has a real essence and that He has real actions, and real attributes. There is nothing like unto Him, in his essence, attributes or actions. If there is anything that implies shortcomings or that He has a beginning, He is far above that in a real sense, and He is to be thought of as perfect in such a way that there is no perfection above it. He has no beginning and He cannot have been created, because there was never a time when He did not exist. For anything to be created implies that there was a time when it did not exist, and that creation would require a creator, but He has always existed from eternity.

The view of the salaf is one of moderation, neither denying the divine attributes nor likening Allaah to His creation. They do not liken the attributes of Allaah to the attributes of His creation, as they do not liken His essence to the essence of His creation. They do not deny that which He ascribes to Himself or that His Messenger ascribes to Him, which leads to denying His beautiful names and sublime attributes, and to displacing words from (their) right places (cf. al-Nisa’ 4:46) and turning away from (Fussilat 41:40) the names and signs of Allaah.

Both those who deny Allaah’s attributes and those who liken Him to His creation are guilty of both errors. Those who deny His attributes failed to understand the names and attributes of Allaah except in a manner that is befitting to created beings, so they denied these concepts and thus they have combined both errors; first of all they likened Him to His creation, then they denied His attributes as a result. That is likening the names and attributes to what may be understood from the names and attributes of His creation, then they denied the attributes that He deserves to have that are befitting to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.

Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam (5/26-27)

The texts of Shaykh al-Islam concerning this issue are very many, as we have indicated, but what we have quoted is sufficient, in sha Allaah.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

click link to read the full question & answer http://islamqa.com/en/ref/96323/

Apr 21 2009

Learning from Ash’ari shaykhs

Question:

We are students who are seeking knowledge. We study ‘aqeedah with some teachers who are teaching us Ash’ari ‘aqeedah. They interpret the hand of Allaah as meaning His power or His blessing, and His being above His throne (istiwaa’) as meaning His sovereignty, and so on. What is the ruling on studying with these teachers?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

These people who interpret the Qur’aan in this manner, whether they are called Ash’aris or some other name, have gone astray from the path of the righteous salaf.

Not even one letter of what these people say in their misinterpretations has been narrated from the righteous salaf.

Let them bring one word from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or from Abu Bakr, or ‘Umar, or ‘Uthmaan, or ‘Ali, to say that they interpreted Allaah’s hand as meaning His power, or that they interpreted His being above the Throne (istiwaa’) as referring to His Sovereignty, or that they interpreted His Face as meaning reward, or that they interpreted His love as meaning reward, etc. Let them produce one word from them to show that they interpreted these aayahs and similar verses in the manner that these people interpret them. If they cannot produce any such thing, let it be said that either the righteous salaf, headed by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the leader of the pious, were unaware of the meaning of this tremendous ‘aqeedah (of Islam), or they did know it but they concealed the truth. But neither of these can be said of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or of any of the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs, or of his Companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). If that is the case then we have to follow their path (the path of the Prophet and the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs).

My advice to these people is to fear Allaah and to abandon what So and so said, and to come back to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the way of the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs who came after him. They should know that there will come a Day when they will return to Allaah, when they will not be able to use the opinion of So and so as evidence. By Allaah, So and so will not be able to help them on that Day. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) the Day (Allaah) will call to them, and say: ‘What answer gave you to the Messengers?’” [al-Qasas 28:65]

He did not say, Remember the Day when (Allaah) will call to them and say, ‘What answer gave you to So and so…?’

And Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):

“So believe in Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad), who believes in Allaah and His Words, and follow him so that you may be guided” [al-A’raaf 7:158]

Allaah commanded us to believe in him and follow him. If this is the case then how can a person believe in Allaah and His Messenger in the true and complete sense, then turn away from the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the way in which he believed in his Lord, and misinterpret the way in which Allaah has described Himself in His Book or the way in which His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has described Him, simply because of illusions which they call rational thought?

I advise them to come back to Allaah and to abandon any other opinion, and follow what Allaah and His Messenger say, for if they die following that they will have died following the truth. But if they go against that then they are in grave danger and those whose opinions they are following will not protect them from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“(Remember) the Day when every person will come up pleading for himself, and every one will be paid in full for what he did (good or evil, belief or disbelief in the life of this world) and they will not be dealt with unjustly” [al-Nahl 16:111]

I repeat this advice to every believer, to come back to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with regard to what he believes about his Lord and God, following the path of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the rightly guided khaleefahs who came after him, and the imams of the Muslims who led the people in following the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), without referring to rational thought, which is no more than an illusion, concerning issue that have to do with Allaah and His names and attributes.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah spoke well when he described the ahl al-kalaam (“Islamic” philosophers) as “having been given intelligence but not knowledge, and had having been given smartness but not sincerity.” So one has to deepen one’s knowledge on the basis of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I ask Allaah to help us all to have faith and to cause us to meet Him when He is pleased with us, for He is Able to do all things. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, and may Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

I call upon all seekers of knowledge to call their brothers to that which they have heard, for by Allaah it is the truth. Whoever claims to have truth other than this, we will accept it and adhere to it (if it can be proven to be true).

From Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, Kitaab al-‘Ilm, p. 226

Mar 27 2009

What does it mean to bear witness to Tauhid?

What it means to bear witness that there is no god except Allaah is to deny that anyone other than Allaah has the right to be worshipped, and to affirm that this is the right of Allaah alone, with no partner or associate. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“That is because Allaah He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Baatil (falsehood). And verily, Allaah He is the Most High, the Most Great”[al-Hajj 22:62]

So the words laa ilaaha (there is no god) deny all things that are worshipped instead of Allaah, and the words illa Allaah (except Allaah) affirm that all kinds of worship are for Allaah alone. So what they mean is that there is none that is rightfully worshipped except Allaah.

Just as Allaah has no partner in His dominion, so too He has no partner in His worship.

What it means to bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah is tobelieve firmly, from the depths of one’s heart, and express it on one’s lips, that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger to all of creation, mankind and the jinn alike. That means believing what he has told us about events in the past, what he has told us about things that are yet to come, what he has permitted of halaal things, what he has forbidden of haraam things; and it means obeying and following what he has commanded, and giving up and avoiding what he has forbidden, following his laws, adhering to his Sunnah in secret and in the open, accepting and submitting to his judgements, and knowing that obedience to him is obedience to Allaah, and disobedience to him is disobedience to Allaah, because he is the one who conveyed the Message from Allaah, and Allaah did not cause him to die until He had perfected the religion, and he conveyed it clearly. May Allaah reward him on behalf of us with the best reward that was ever given to any Prophet on behalf of his people and any Messenger on behalf of his nation.

A person can only enter Islam by uttering this twin testimony of faith; its two parts are intertwined and cannot be separated. For the conditions of testifying that there is no god but Allaah are the same as the conditions of testifying that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.

And Allaah knows best.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Mar 25 2009

Sacrificing for other than Allah

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab
From Kitaab at-Tauhid (Chapters 10 & 11)

Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala said, “Say, ‘My salat, my prayer, indeed my whole life and death are to Allaah, Lord of the universe, to whom there is no associate.'” (Qur’aan 6:163-164)

and “Address therefore your prayers to your Lord, and slaughter (in His name)” (Qur’aan 108:2).

In his Saheeh, Muslim relates from Alee radiallaahu ‘anhu the following: “The prophet of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam gave four judgements; Admonition to him who slaughters in the name of anyone other than Allaah! Admonition to him who curses his parents! Admonition to him who shelters the perpetrators of a crime incurring a divine sanction! Admonition to him who unjustly alters the frontiers of personal land properties.”

Ahmad reports that Tariq ibn Shihab related that the Prophet of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: ‘Flies provided the circumstances for a man to go to paradise and for another to go to hell. When he was asked to explain how that was possible, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: Two men passed by a people who had an idol to which they prescribed an oblation for every person seeking to go through their territory. When the first objected that he had nothing to sacrifice to the idol, the people told him he had to sacrifice something even if it were a few flies. So he caught a few flies, sacrificed them and let through. Naturally he was consigned to hell. When another was required to sacrifice something, he objected that he would never sacrifice aught to anyone but Allaah. They killed him, and he of course went to paradise.’

Issues addressed in this chapter:

1.Explanation of the verse ‘Say, My salat my prayer, indeed my whole life and death…’ (Qur’aan 108:2)

2. Explanation of the verse ‘Address therefore your prayers to your Lord, and slaughter in His name’ (Qur’aan 6:163-164)

3. Cursing whomsoever slaughters in any other name than Allaah’s

4. Cursing whomever curses his parents, including the person who invites such curse by cursing somebody else’s parents and thus eliciting a reciprocal cursing of his own

5. Cursing whoever shelters the muhdith i.e. the perpetrator of a crime incurring divine sanction, with a view to enable him to escape punishment

6. Cursing whomsoever alters unjustly the frontiers of personal land properties, and thus continues them to achieve illegitimate advantage

7. Difference between cursing a definite person for a definite crime and cursing the perpetrators of crimes in general

8. The significant story of the flies

9.That the person who sacrificed flies to the idol to avoid the threat of the idolaters went to hell though he did not approve of his own deed

10. Assessing the degree of shirk within the hearts of Muslims. Their patient suffering of martyrdom and resistance to the demand of the idolaters through the latter only required only the external act.

11. That he who entered hell was a Muslim. Otherwise the Prophet would not have said that the man entered hell merely for sacrificing flies

12. This story constitutes evidence for another hadith viz ‘Paradise is closer to man than his own soles. And so is hell’

13. That the work of the heart is the greater requirement, even among idolators.

NO SLAUGHTER IN THE NAME OF ALLAAH WHERE SLAUGHTER IN ANOTHER NAME IS PRACTISED

Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala said: ‘Do not even stand therein.’ (Qur’aan 9:108)

Abu Dawood related that Thabit ibn al Dahhak radiallaahu ‘anhu said: ‘A man made a vow to sacrifice a camel at a place called Buwanah, and sought the Prophet’s permission to do so. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked, Does this place have an idol such as those of Jahilliyyah? The man answered, no. The Prophet asked again, Did the unbelievers hold any of their feasts at that place? Again the man answered, no. The Prophet then said, Go ahead and fulfil your vow. The vows which ought not to be fulfilled are those which involve disobedience to Allaah, or fulfilment of what is beyond man’s capacity.’

Issues addressed in this chapter:

1. Explanation of the verse ‘Do not stand therein.’ (Qur’aan 9:108)

2. That disobedience to Allaah, as well as obedience are without real effects in the world

3. Reference of the questionable problem to the clear one, for solution by extrapolation

4. Permissibility of asking the mufti for details wherever there is need

5. Vows specifying the place of fulfilment are legitimate aslong as no legal hinderances intervene

6. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow at a place where an idol stands, or had once stood

7. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow where unbelievers held a celebration, though the practise is presently extinct

8. Illegitimacy of fulfilling a vow made on such a spot because the vow is ipso facto illegitimate

9. Caution against imitating the unbelievers in their celebrations, even if unwittingly

10. No vow is legitimate if its content is illegitimate

11. No vow is legitimate for a man if it demands fulfilment of what he cannot do