How To Know The Religion of Truth (3/9)
Abdul Rahman Bin Hammad Al-Omar
Allah commanded His Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, to say to the peoples, “Say: (O Muhammad [may Allah's peace be upon him]): "I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Allah (God) is One Allah (God-i.e. Allah). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.” (Surah Al-Kahf, 18: 110)
Those foolish men are really deluded by wicked ignorant scientists who have acquaintance in some religious branches, but ignore absolutely the basic principal of faith, that is Tawhid “Oneness of Allah”.
Using deviated interpretations, false traditions imputed to the Prophet misled by lust, Satanic dreams and all other forms of misguidance, those wicked pretenders call people to believe in the intercession of pious men and thus support idolatry by all means.
Those demons who follow blindly their ancestors and adopt the same behavior of ancient idolaters are unbelievers and evildoers.
“...And seek the means of approach to Him…” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5: 35)
And the means of approach which we are commanded to seek are well known. They consist of performing righteous deeds, believing in the Oneness of Allah, offering prayer, paying the Zakat, fasting during the month of Ramadan, performing pilgrimage and striving with might and main for the cause of Allah. Invoking dead men in times of affliction and distress has nothing to do with the means of approach to Allah; it is rather against these means and contrary to the basic faith of Islam “Tawhid” or belief in the “Oneness of Allah”.
It is true that prophets, pious men and some other Muslims will be endowed with the favor to intercede for others, but they will never have such favor save by the will of Allah.
Intercession is an exclusive divine prerogative. No one can ever intercede for another except by the Will of Allah. Therefore, a true monotheist never invokes the dead for intercession, because a dead man can never remove harm or bring benefit, but in all cases the true Muslim invokes Allah saying: “O Allah, I pray to you to bestow upon me the intercession of Your Prophet and pious men”.
Allah said in the Holy Qur’an:
“Say: To Allah belongs all intercession: His is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. Then to Him you shall be brought back”. (Surah Az-Zumar, 39: 44)
Taking graves as places of worship, kindling lights thereon, constructing buildings over them, plastering, decorating them with curtains, or performing prayers thereon, all these actions are flagrant forms of heresy and are strictly prohibited by the noble Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Ignorant people who circumambulate the graves of Al-Badawiy and Sayaidah Zenab in Egypt, Al-Jilaniy and the so-called notable descendants of the Prophet in Najaf, Karbala and other cities of Iraq, and round other graves elsewhere, commit flagrant idolatry because they believe that these buried bodies have the ability to bring benefits or cause harm to them, and that they could help them attain their need. Such men are not only lost idolaters, but they are disgraced even if they pretend to be Muslims and do what Muslims do.
To be a true monotheist, it is not enough to utter that there is “no god save Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” but, it is essential for a Muslim to be aware of the meaning of this testimony and behave accordingly.
For those who embrace Islam and desist from false creed, it is enough for them to utter first the testimony of Islam. By doing this they become Muslims as long as they do not behave in a way contrary to the principles and morals of Islam.
Prophets and pious men, are innocent of the idolatrous deeds of those who invoke them or ask them for help. They are aware of the fact that Allah had sent His Messengers to call people to abandon worshipping any being save Allah, even if they were prophets or pious men. The way in which a true Muslim can show his love and affection to the prophets and pious men is to follow their good way, taking them as models in deeds and behavior. It is a religious duty for every Muslim to love the prophets and pious men, but he must never worship them. Muslims believe that they not only should love Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, but they should also prefer him to their own selves, kins, sons and all other people.
The Group That Will Be Delivered
Although Muslims are great in number, yet only a few of them are true Muslims. There are 73 Muslim sects with hundreds of millions of followers; however only one of these sects are true Muslims. Those are the ones who follow the way of Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and the way of his faithful companions, both in matters of faith and good behaviour. Bukhari and Muslim related that the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The Jews had split into 71 sects, the Christians had dispersed into 72 sects and this nation (The Muslim nation) will disperse into 73 sects; all of them will dwell in Hell-Fire, except one” when the companions asked the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, about the group that will be delivered, he said: “It is the group that will follow my way and my companions' way”.
The Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his companions were quite aware of the meaning of “No god save Allah.” Therefore, they stuck to monotheism both in faith and behaviour, they invoked none save Allah, offered sacrifices or made vows to none save Allah, supplicated in distress to none save Allah, asked for help only from Allah and believed that none could profit them or hurt them save Allah. The Prophet and his companions performed sincerely all Islamic duties for the sake of Allah. They believed in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of resurrection and Judgment, and in the divine decree, the good thereof and the evil thereof. True Muslims consult the glorious Qur’an and prophetic traditions in all affairs of life and accept with the fullest conviction the solutions based on Qur’anic commandments and prophetic traditions. Devout Muslims give their intimacy to those who are sincere to the cause of Allah, and they are foes to the enemies of Allah. They call to Allah, strive in His way, obey their Muslim ruler, enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency and wherever they are, they say nothing but the truth.
Devout Muslims not only show their love and affection for the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but also to his wives, progeny and companions. They never discriminate among them, nor do they prefer one of them to the other; they respect them all, each one for his own merits. True Muslims do not busy themselves with the disputes that happened among those noble companions. They never believe that they committed the offences which some hypocrites attribute to them. They know that the aim of the hypocrites is to disperse the Muslim nation. But it is regrettable that some Muslim scholars and historians were deceived by these false accusations of the hypocrites and registered them in their books.
Those who claim to be the noble descendants of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) should first verify their ancestral line to be sure of what they claim to be. Allah has cursed whoever relates himself to someone other than his father. If what they claim to be is true, they should follow the right way of the Prophet and his noble progeny by being sincere in adoring Allah desisting from sins, not allowing people to kiss their hands and feet, and finally, they should not distinguish themselves by wearing a special uniform. All these forms of behaviour are contrary to the Prophet's way, and he is innocent of those who adopt a way different from his manner. In fact, according to the Qur’an, the noblest Muslim in the sight of Allah is he who fears Him most. May Allah guide us to the right path, and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his progeny and his companions.
(Continued)