The Requirements of The Declaration of Faith (3/4)
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan
So this is the major type of shirk which negates the very tawheed that laa ilaaha illallah points towards.
Likewise, it is obligatory to reject referring judgment back to man-made laws, because it is obligatory to refer judgment back to the Book of Allah and to abandon referring judgment to whatever opposes it from the man-made systems and laws. Allah, the Most High, said: “If you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it back to Allah and His Messenger.” [Soorah an-Nisaa, 4:59]
Allah the Exalted also said: “In whatever you differ, the judgment is for Allah. Such is Allah, my Lord.” [Soorah ash-Shooraa, 41:10]
Allah, the Most Perfect, has declared that the one, who does not judge by what Allah has revealed, has committed unbelief (kufr), wrong-doing (dhulm) and sin (fisq), and faith has been negated from him. So if a person judges by other than what Allah has revealed, deeming it permissible to do so, or deeming that it is better or more appropriate than Allah’s Judgment, then this is [the greater type of] kufr and shirk which totally negates tawheed and which completely nullifies laa ilaaha illAllah. If, however, he does not deem it permissible to do so, rather he believes that it is obligatory to judge by Allah’s Judgment, but he is overcome by desires which cause him to act contrary to it, then this is the lesser type of kufr and shirk which decreases [adherence to] laa ilaaha illAllah and its requirements, [but does not take the person outside the fold of Islam].
Thus laa ilaaha illAllah is a complete and integral way of life. It is obligatory for the Muslims to follow this way in their [modes of] worship and in their conduct and behavior. It is not merely a word that is uttered for gaining blessings, or to be merely uttered as part of the morning and evening recommended supplications; without understanding its meaning, or acting upon its requirements, or traversing its path - as many of those who utter it with their tongues, but oppose it in their beliefs and behavior, actually think!
From the requirements of laa ilaaha illAllah is to affirm the Names (asmaa) and Attributes (sifaat) of Allah; those that He called and described Himself with, or those that His Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam called and described Him with. Allah the Exalted said: “To Allah belong the most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them. And leave those who reject and twist (ilhaad) His Names, they will be requited for what they used to do.” [Soorah al-A’raaf, 7:180]
It is stated in Fathul-Majeed: “The root meaning of ilhaad in the ******** of the Arabs implies: Turning away from the objective, swerving away, deviating ... All of the Names of the Lord, the Exalted, are Names and Attributes by which He acquainted His worshippers and which point towards His perfection. Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullaah, said: “Ilhaad [of the Divine Names and Attributes] occurs through either: a complete denial and rejection of them; rejecting them by divesting them of their true meanings; distorting them by means of figurative interpretations (ta’weelaat); or by giving the Names of Allah to His creation, such as the deviation of the people who believe in experiencing union with Allah (ahlul-ittihaad), for they give these Names to worldly things, whether [they] are praiseworthy or blameworthy.[1] [2]
So whoever commits ilhaad in Allah’s Names and Attributes, either by divesting them of their correct meaning (ta’teel), by figurative interpretation (ta‘weel) or by out rightly rejecting them (rafd) - as has been done by the Jahmiyyah, the Mu’tazilah and the Ash’arees - have actually contravened what laa ilaaha illAllah signifies. This is because the true deity deserving of worship is He with Whom nearness is sought (yatawassalu) by calling upon Him with His Names and Attributes.
[1] Badaa’i’ul-Fawaa’id (1/169).
[2] Fathul-Majeed (2/742-743).