The Requirements of The Declaration of Faith (2/4)
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
Whoever utters this kalimah, knowing its meaning, acting by its inward and outward requirements, negating shirk and affirming worship for Allah Alone, having an unwavering belief in what it implies, and acting in accordance with it - then he is a true Muslim. Whoever utters it and acts upon its requirements outwardly, but without believing in what it necessitates, then he is a hypocrite (munaafiq). Whoever utters it with his tongue, but acts contrary to it with [acts of] shirk that negate the kalimah, then he is a self-contradicting mushrik.[1]
So it is essential to not only utter this kalimah, but to also have knowledge of its meaning, since this will be a means towards acting in accordance with its essential requirements. Allah, the Exalted, said: “Except those who bear witness to the truth and have knowledge.” [Soorah az-Zukhruf, 43:86]
Acting according to its requirements means worshipping Allah Alone and rejecting the worship of anything else besides Him; this being the greatest implication of this kalimah.
Also, from the requirements of laa ilaaha illAllah is to accept Allah’s Prescribed Laws (sharee’ah) in matters of worship, social transactions and in what is lawful and unlawful, as well as to reject all other laws besides it. Allah the Most High said:
“Or do they have partners with Allah who have prescribed for them a religion that Allah has not ordained?” [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 42:21]
It is therefore obligatory to accept the Prescribed Laws of Allah in matters concerning worship, social transactions, judging between people in that which they differ regarding their personal situations and other matters, whilst [at the same time] rejecting man-made laws. What this means is to reject all the innovations and deviations that have been introduced and propagated by the devils - from amongst mankind and the jinn - in the matter of worshipping Allah. Indeed, whoever accepts anything of this has actually committed shirk in [the matter of] obedience to Allah, just as Allah said in this verse:
“Or do they have partners with Allah who have prescribed for them a religion that Allah has not ordained?” [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 42:21]
And Allah the Most High said: “If you were to obey them, then indeed you would be mushriks.” [Soorah al-An’aam, 6:121]
“They take their rabbis and their priests to be lords besides Allah.” [Soorah at-Tawbaa, 9:31]
In an authentic narration the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam once recited the above verse to ‘Adee ibn Haatim at-Taa’ee radhiyallahu anhu, said: O Messenger of Allah, we do not worship them. So he replied: “Do they not make lawful to you, that which Allah has made unlawful, which you then deem as lawful? And do they not make unlawful to you that which Allah has made lawful which you then deem as unlawful? He said: Yes indeed. So the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said to him: “this is worshipping them.”[2]
Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahrnaan ibn Hasan, rahimahullaah, said: “In this hadeeth is a proof that obeying the rabbis and priests in those matters which constitute disobedience to Allah is actually [an act of] worshipping them besides Allah. This is one of the major [types of] shirk that Allah does not forgive…”[3]
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[1] The Shaykh, hafidhahullaah, further explained in al-Muntaqaa min Fataawaa (1/9-10)
“Whoever utters the testification of laa ilaaha illAllah muhammadur-rasoolallah, the ruling of him being a Muslim starts there and then and his blood is sacred. If he acts upon the requirements inwardly and outwardly, he is a true Muslim, and for him are good-tidings, both in this world and in the Hereafter. If he acts upon the requirements, but does so only outwardly, then he is judged to be a Muslim based upon his outward conduct and he is treated as a Muslim, even though inwardly he is a hypocrite (munaafiq) whose affair is left to Allah. If he does not act upon the requirements of laa ilaaha illAllah, but satisfies himself with merely pronouncing it, or he acts in opposition to it, then the ruling of apostasy will be applied to him, and he will be treated as an apostate. If he acts upon some of its requirements without acting upon others, then it will have to be seen: If the requirements that he has left constitute apostasy, then he will be judged as an apostate; such as intentionally abandoning the Prayer, or directing any form of worship to other than Allah. If, however, that which he has left does not constitute apostasy, then he will be considered a believer whose faith (iman) is deficient in proportion to what he has left; such as those who commit sins that are of a lesser degree than [the major acts of] shirk.”
[2] Hasan: Reported with this wording by al-Bayhaqee in as- Sunanul-Kubraa (10/116) and lbn Taymiyyah declared it to he hasan in Majmoo Fataawaa (7/67). It has also been reported by at Tirmidhee (no. 3094) with a slightly different wording.
[3] Fathul-Majeed (2/653).
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullaah, clarified this point in more detail in Majmoo’ Fatawaa (7/70-71), stating:
“Those that take their rabbis and priests as lords obeying them in their making lawful what Allah has declared to be unlawful and their making lawful what Allah has declared to be lawful, occurs in one of two ways:-
Firstly: that they know that they [i.e. the rabbis and priests] have changed the Religion of Allah, yet follow them in this act of changing (tabdeel). They thus believe to be lawful that which Alllaah has made unlawful; and unlawful that which Allah Ins made lawful following their leaders in this, along with knowing that they have opposed the Religion of the Messengers of Allah. This is unbelief (kufr), which Allah and His Messenger consider to he shirk – even if they do not actually pray or prostrate to them.
Secondly: that their belief and faith in what is [truly] lawful and unlawful is established. But if they follow them in disobedience to Allah, then their case is just like a Muslim who commits an act of disobedience, which he believes to be an act of disobedience. The likes of such people have the same ruling as the sinful Muslims ... Also, this making unlawful what is lawful, and making lawful what is unlawful, if it occurs from a scholar whose intention is to follow the Messenger, but the truth. [in this matter] was not clear to him, but he feared Allah as much as he was able, then Allah will not take him to task for his mistake. Rather, lie will be rewarded for the scholarly striving (ijtihad) be undertaken in obedience to his Lord. However, whosoever knows that this is a mistake, yet still follows his mistake, turning away from the saying of the Messenger, then such a person has a share of this shirk that Allah has condemned, especially if the person is following his whims and desires in this, supporting it with his tongue and hand, along with having knowledge that this opposes the Messenger. This is shirk, the doer of which is deserving of punishment.”
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