Polytheism and its types
Sayyid Mubarak


All praise be to Allah and peace be upon those whom He chose.
This article contains the dangerous and the grievous sins which are important for every Muslim to know so as to beware of them; it is polytheism, but why? Because polytheism is one of the grievous sins, moreover it is the sin which Allah does not forgive except for those who repent before they die.
Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allâh (in worship), he has indeed invented a tremendous sin." [Surat An-Nisa': 48].
Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allâh is the Messiah ['Isâ (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah ['Isâ (Jesus)] said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allâh, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode." [Surat Al Ma'idah: 72].
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I inform you about the grievous of the major sins?" He said: "To join others in worship with Allah." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].
Polytheism is of two types: A major sin which is worshipping other than Allah and minor sin such as hypocrisy.
Allah (may He be Exalted) says in the Divine Hadith: "I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism." [Reported by Muslim].
Here are some forbidden acts which a person should forsake, and we arranged them according to what the people need most, so we ask Allah (may He be Exalted) to protect us and all Muslims from sins and disobedience, and cause us to die in a good way and to a good destination. Amen!
1- Traveling for Awliya' (pious people):
This matter has spread as fire in straws. Traveling to shrines and pious people who died to seek their help, make vows to them, and invoke them is a clear polytheism that contradicts the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and here are some proofs to the prohibition of these matters. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And they worship besides Allâh things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allâh." Say: "Do you inform Allâh of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?" Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate as partners (with Him)!" [Surat Yunus: 18].
- Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: One day, I was riding behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) when he said: "O boy! I will instruct you in some matters. Be watchful of Allah (Commandments of Allah), He will preserve you. Safeguard His Rights, He will be ever with you. If you beg, beg of Him Alone; and if you need assistance, supplicate to Allah Alone for help. And remember that if all the people gather to benefit you, they will not be able to benefit you except that which Allah had foreordained (for you); and if all of them gather to do harm to you, they will not be able to afflict you with anything other than that which Allah had pre-destined against you. The pens had been lifted and the ink had dried up".[1]
- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard of the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: Allah (may He be Exalted) says: I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism."[2]
These proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah are enough to show the errors of the one who does so, believing that there is someone benefits or harms besides Allah (may He be Exalted).
2- Swearing by other than Allah (may He be Exalted):
It is not permissible for a Muslim to swear by other than Allah (may He be Exalted), for example, swearing by the trust, the blessings, the life of the Prophet, the life of the father and the mother, the life of so and so, or something else. All these actions are forbidden and here are some proofs from the authentic Hadiths:
- Al Bukhari and Muslim reported on the authority of Ibn `Umar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Verily! Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers. If one has to take an oath, he should swear by Allah or otherwise keep quiet."[3]
- Abu Dawud reported: "He who swears by Amanah (trust) is not one of us."[4]
Dear brother, suppose that you swore by mistake and without intention by the Prophet, by the trust, by the life of so and so, or anything else by the inherited habits, so how will we get rid of it?
Answer: Praise be to Allah who gave us a way out of this trouble. It was reported in the authentic Hadith which was reported by Al Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whomever takes an oath in which he mentions Lat and `Uzza (forgetfully), should say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah."[5]
To get rid of what you have said, you should say: "There is no deity but Allah," and there is no expiation whether money or fasting because the one who swears by other than Allah commits polytheism and polytheism has no expiation, so he has no expiation except asking for forgiveness and saying: "There is no deity but Allah."[6]
It was reported in the narration that `Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: "To swear falsely by Allah is better for me than swearing truthfully by others." Why is that? Because swearing falsely by Allah is a major sin but swearing by others is an act of polytheism and one of the major sins, so beware.
3- Wearing amulets:
Amulets are beads that Arabs used to make for their children to wear, claiming that they push away the evil of Jinn and the evil of the envious eye.
This is an act of disbelief and unlawful because of the Prophet's saying: "Whoever wears amulets has associated others with Allah in worship."[7]
One may say: If the amulet contains Ayahs from the Qur'an, is it permissible?
The answer was reported in "Fathul-Majid Fy Sharh Kitab At-Tawhid" book as follows: "The Pious Predecessors disagreed in that: Some permitted it, whereas others prohibited it, and the most correct is prohibition because of the following reasons:
1- The general prohibition and there is no specialization for it.
2- Rebelling evil because it may lead to wearing something that is not permissible.
3- If a person wears amulet, he should take it with him when relieving himself and at cleansing.
4- Ruqyah (reciting Qur'an and saying supplications over the sick seeking healing):
Ruqyah is divided into polytheism and permissible. The first is prohibited and an act of polytheism and the proof is what was reported by Muslim on the authority of `Awf ibn Malik who said: "We practised incantation in the pre-Islamic days and we said: O Messenger Allah, what is your opinion about it? He said: Let me know your incantation and said: There is no harm in the incantation which does not smack of polytheism."[8]
If the Ruqyah contains spells and inapprehensible words, this is an act of polytheism and disbelief.
Of the examples of this type is the spells that were reported in the book of "The mercy is in medicine and wisdom" which I convey to you from the book of Sunan (Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes) and innovated matters to show the biting response of its author to these idle talks and nonsense.
So, beware of this book and the like which call the people to associate partners with Allah in worship.
It was reported in "Sunan and innovated matters" as a response to the book of "The mercy is in medicine and wisdom"
-In order to treat ophthalmia, it was reported from their ignorant leader, the author of "The mercy is in medicine and wisdom" that the blood of menstruation is taken and mixed by sperm then is pour into the eyes and the disease will be gone. The author of Sunan book commented: But it rather causes blindness to the eye.
-To treat blindness, the Sheikh said: "I swear that the evil should come out from the eye as Yusuf came out of the jail and made a road for Moses in the sea. `Abdus-Salam Muhammad said in his book "The Sunan and innovated matters" to answer this evil Ruqyah: "I say: How should a person judge those Sheikhs? Should we count them as Jews because they loved the words and sciences of the Jews, or count them as Christians because most of what they narrated was nearer to disbelief than faith, or they are people of heresy, ignorance, stupidity, and blind hearts?!
-To strengthen the sexual power, the Sheikh said: You should write down with a copper pen the following and put it under your tongue while having ***: "19169111911156918693111181145"
`Abdus-Salam Muhammad said: The one who does this is the most stupid person on earth and whoever does not burn this book shall be burnt with the hell of ignorance, poverty, and sickness.[9]
I advise those who believe such nonsense to resort to Ruqyah and it is enough for you to say as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease."[10]
Hence, we know that Ruqyah should be made by the names and the qualities of Allah, by His Words or by the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but other spells are part of polytheism.
It was reported in "Fathul-Majid Fy Sharh At-Tawhid" the following: As-Suyuty (may Allah bestow mercy on him) said: Scholars have agreed to the permissibility of using Ruqyah when there are three conditions:
1- Ruqyah should be by the words, names, and qualities of Allah.
2- It should be in Arabic and understandable words.
3- A person must believe that Ruqyah is not effective by its own but it is just a cause and everything is by the will of Allah.[11]
5- Believing foretellers and impostors:
Anyone goes to a foreteller or an impostor to ask him or her about anything has committed an act of polytheism because he believed that there is someone knows the unseen besides Allah which is a mere lie.
Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Say: None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (Unseen) except Allâh, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected." [Surat An-Naml: 65].
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned his nation of going to foretellers and impostors, where he said: "He who goes to one who claims to tell about matters of the Unseen and believes in him, his Salat (prayers) will not be accepted for forty days."[12]
Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever does sexual intercourse with a menstruating woman or does anal *** has disbelieved in that [Shari`ah] which was sent down to Muhammad."[13]
There are many types of imposture and sorcery like zodiac.
`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her narrated: Some people asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) about the fore-tellers. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said to them: "They are nothing (i.e., liars)." The people said, 'O Allah's Messenger! Sometimes they tell something which comes out to be true." Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "That word which comes to be true is what a jinn snatches away by stealing and then pours it in the ear of his fore-teller with a sound similar to the cackle of a hen, and then they add to it one-hundred lies."[14]
Making vows for other than Allah is part of polytheism, so it is not permissible to fulfill that.
`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever vows that he will be obedient to Allah, should remain obedient to Him; and whoever made a vow that he will disobey Allah, should not disobey Him."
6- Using birds as a bad omen:
Using birds to show the way or whether a matter will work or not is an act of polytheism because when a person feels pessimism from the sound of an owl, number 13, a color, or a word he hears then he commits polytheism. Judge `Iyad (may Allah show mercy to him) said: "It was called an act of polytheism because they believe in its effect without referring the whole matter to Allah."
As long as a person believes in Allah and depends on him, nothing can harm him. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh" [Surat At-Talaq: 3].
Let it be known that good omen is better than bad omen and expecting good is better. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrate: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There is no Tiyara and the best omen is the Fa'l," Somebody said: "What is the Fa'l, O Allah's Messenger?" He said, "A good word that one of you hears (and takes as a good omen)." [15]
7- Hypocrisy or the hidden polytheism:
Of the conditions of pious actions is to be sincerely for Allah, so the one who does the action for the sake of the people, his actions shall be rejected because of Allah's Saying: "And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give Zakât, and that is the right religion." [Surat Al Bayinah: 5].
Moreover, hypocrisy is deception for oneself, Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allâh, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for As-Salât (the prayer), they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allâh but little." [Surat An-Nisa': 142].
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned against hypocrisy and dedicating actions for other than Allah. "I am the One Who is most free from want of partners. He who does a thing for the sake of someone else beside Me, I discard him and his polytheism."[16]
Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "He who lets the people hear of his good deeds intentionally to win their praise, Allah will let the people know his real intention (on the Day of Resurrection), and he who does good things in public to show off and win the praise of the people, Allah will disclose his real intention (and humiliate him).[17]
Dear reader, sincere monotheism is the ultimate objective, so be ware not to dedicate all your actions, sayings, and intentions to Allah alone.




[1] Reported by At-Tirmidhy in the description of resurrection (2516) and Ahmad in Musnad Banu Hashim (2664).

[2] Reported by Muslim in the book of asceticism and heart softeners (2985).

[3] Reported by Al Bukhari in the book of manners (618) and Muslim in the book of oaths (1646).

[4] Reported by Abu Dawud in the book of oaths and vows (2831) and Ahmad in Musnad Al Ansar (22471), and its chain of narration is authentic.

[5] Reported by Al Bukhari in the book of oaths and vows (6650) and Muslim in the book of oaths (1647).

[6] Reported by Abu Dawud in the book of medicine (3388) and Muslim in the book of peace (2200).

[7] Reported by Muslim, chapter on "there is no harm in Ruqyah as long as it does not contain an act of polytheism" (2200).

[8] See Sunan and the innovated matters for `Abdus-Salam Muhammad p. (292 - 295).

[9] Reported by Ahmad in Musnad the Companions who narrated Hadiths more than others (3604) and Abu Dawud in the book of medicine (3385), and its chain of narration is authentic. Amulets and Tawalah: Part of sorcery which people claim that it draws a woman nearer to her husband.

[10] Fathul-Majid Fy Sharh Kitab At-Tawhid (p. 132), Edition of Dar Al Fikr.

[11] Reported by Muslim in the book of peace (2230) and Ahmad in Musnad Al Ansar (22711).

[12] Reported by At-Tirmidhy in the book of purification (135) and Abu Dawud in the book of purification and its Sunan (3405).

[13] Reported by Al Bukhari in the book of medicine (5762) and Muslim in the book of peace (2228).

[14] Reported by Al Bukhari in the book of oaths and vows (6696).

[15] Reported by Al Bukhari in the book of medicine (5756) and Muslim in the book of peace (2224).

[16] Reported by Muslim in the book of asceticism and heart softeners (2985) and Ibn Majah in the book of asceticism ) 4202).

[17] Reported by Al Bukhari in Ar-Raqa'iq (Emotional exhortation) (6499) and Muslim in the book of asceticism and Ar-Raqa'iq (Emotional exhortation) (2987).