Islam Made Easy

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Islam Made

Easy

Abu Zakariyah Ali Assaad


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Islam Made Easy

First Edition 1434/2013

This book was compiled, edited and checked in Australia.

It is not protected by copyright, any quotation, reproduction

is allowed, as the copyright law is prohibited in Islam.

The author has given full rights to be reproduced, published and

distributed all around the world, as our aim is not income;

our aim is spreading Islam and making the word of Allah

the Most High above all others. We reject all man-made law and

its systems, we are free from copyright and this is our open

declaration of disavowal from everything that is worshipped

besides Allah. This product is not for sale unless all the profits are

given towards Dawah or a form of Sadaqah (Charity).


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O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as

Muslims [in submission to Him]. And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not

become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and

He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on

the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His

verses that you may be guided. (Ali `Imran: 102-103)


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__________________________________________Contents

Preface 5

Pillars of Islam 6

9 Conditions of Ash-Shahadatayn (Declaration of Faith) 7The Testimony of LailahaillaAllah consists of Two Pillars 13

The First Pillar of Tawheed: Negation (Nafy) 14

The Second Pillar of Tawheed: Affirmation (Ithbaat) 16

Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah 17

Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat 18

Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah 20

Tawheed al-Hakimiyyah 22

Shirk (Associating Partners) 24

Bidah (Innovation) 27Al Walaa Wal Baraa 28

Articles of Iman (Faith) 30

Obligation of following the Salaf as-Salih 36

Taharah (Purification) 39

Wudoo (Minor Ablution) 40

Purification from Major States of Impurity (Ghusl) 45

Tayammum (Dry Ablution) 49

Prayer (Salaah) 52

Adhan and Iqamah 53

Conditions of the Prayer 55

Description of the Prayer 56

Salaat Times 62

Consequences of Not Praying 63

Fasting 64

Zakaat 67

Zakaat al-Fitr 70

Khilafah 72

Marriage 73

Jinn 74Dua 76

Mysteries of the Soul 77

Misconceptions 79

Jihad 79

Voting in Democratic Elections 80

Womans Rights in Islam 81

Success is Only through Islam 83

Glossary 84


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____________________________________________Preface

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. All praises are due to Allah; we praise

Him; we seek His help; we seek His forgiveness; and we seek His guidance. We seek refuge in Allah

from the evil in our souls and the badness of our deeds. For whomever Allah guides, there is none to

lead him astray. And for whomever He allows to go astray, there is none to guide him. I bear witness

that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, for whom there is no partner. And I bear witness

that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Indeed Allah Almighty has protected this religion and raised its status among the nations, sending to

the world the final Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and with him the

final and most complete religion as Allah Almighty says:

This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for

you Islam as your religion. (Al-Maidah: 3)

This book has not come with anything new; rather it is compiled information that is essential for

Muslims and New Muslims in their day-to-day life. It is also meant to be a reminder for the students

of knowledge and callers to the way of Allah on important issues of the Shariah and important

issues that we face in our current reality.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, Convey from me even an Ayah of the Quran; (Bukhari)

This Hadith stresses the importance of acquiring knowledge of the Quran and Hadith and impartingit to others. Regardless of whether one has a little knowledge or a great deal, he or she must

communicate it to others. There is no justification to leave inviting to the Message of Allah to those

who are well-versed in this sphere. It is a duty upon every Muslim to learn something and pass it on.

So much so that if a person knows even a single ayah/verse of the Quran, that is, a single injunction

of Allah, they should communicate it to others.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Whoever Allah wishes good for, He grants him

understanding of the religion. (Bukhari)

Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and

blessings be upon him) said,"Allah makes the way to Jannah easy for him who treads the path insearch of knowledge.'' (Muslim).

I pray that Allah accepts this work from me as being solely for His sake. As with all such work, the

responsibility for any mistakes lies with the author. I ask Allah to forgive me for my shortcomings

and to guide me to the Straight Path.

Peace and blessings be upon our beloved leader Prophet Muhammad, his household and his

companions and those that follow in his footsteps and the footsteps of his companions.

Abu Zakariya Ali Assaad


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______________________________________Pillars of Islam

Islam is built on five pillars, these pillars are:

1. Ash-Shahadatayn (Declaration of Faith): bearing witness that there is none worthy of beingworshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger.

2. Establishing prayers (Salaah): Muslims perform five prayers a day as a duty towards Allah.Each prayer only takes a few minutes to perform and is a direct link between the worshipper

and god. There are no intermediaries between the worshiper and Allah. Prayers strengthen

and enliven the belief in Allah and inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and

prevent temptation towards wrongdoing and evil.

3.

Paying the alms (Zakaah): The literal and simple meaning of Zakaah is purity, wealth ispurified by paying Zakaah. As all things belong to Allah, wealth is therefore held by human

beings in trust. Zakaah means giving a specified percentage of ones wealth to certain classes

of needy people. In addition the individual may give as much as he/she pleases in voluntary

charity.

4. Fasting the month of Ramadan (Sawm): Muslims during the month of Ramadan not onlyabstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset, but also from immoral

behaviour. Fasting teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social

conscience, patience, unselfishness and will-power.

5. Performing pilgrimage (Hajj): It is to be performed at least once in a lifetime, by those whoare physically and financially able to do so. The Ka'bah, which is in the city of Mecca, is thefirst house of worship appointed for mankind and was built by Ibrahim and his son Ismael

(Peace Be Upon Them).The importance and description of Hajj & Umrah, are so in-depth

that it will not be explained in this book, many scholars have written many books on the

topic, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Saalih al Uthaymeen has written a book How to Perform the

Rituals of Hajj and Umrah, and this is my recommendation to the reader.

The first of which is a state of faith, the other four are major exercises of faith of which some are

daily, some weekly, some monthly, some annually and some are required as a minimum once in alifetime. These exercises of faith are to serve man's purpose in life, to fulfil his religious obligations

towards His Lord and to attain the Paradise in the Hereafter (by the Will and Mercy of Allah).


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____9 Conditions of Ash-Shahadatayn (Declaration of Faith)

Knowing the meaning and the conditions of the declaration of Ash-Shahadatayn that: "There is no

true God except Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"

The phrase that "there is no true God" negates anything or anyone that is being worshipped other

than Allah, and the phrase: "except Allah" confirms that all forms of worship, submission and

adoration must be for Allah alone, without setting up rivals with Him. The conditions needed to fulfil

the meaning of Ash-Shahadatayn are:

1. Knowledge2. Certainty3. Acceptance4. Submission5. Truthfulness6. Sincerity7. Love8. Denial of False Worship9. Adherence until Death

Knowledge_______________________________________________

That is, one must have the basic and general knowledge of what is meant by the shahadah. One

must understand what the shahadah is affirming and what the shahadah is denying.

Allah says in the Quran,

So know that there is no God save Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin.

(Surah Muhammad: 19).

Similarly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

Whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah shall enter Paradise.

(Muslim).

In fact, the shahadah itself is a testimony. When one testifies to something, one must know what it

is that he is testifying concerns. Obviously, a testimony about something that one does not have any

knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable.

Allah says Except him who bears witness unto the truth knowingly.(Surah Al-Zukhruf: 86).

All of us must do our best to learn at least the basics of Islamic beliefs, the basics of what shahadah

means. In this way, Allah willing, we will be making the correct shahadah. We will be witnessing to

the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it.


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Certainty________________________________________________

This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. In Islam any kind of doubt in the message of Islam is

equivalent to Kufr (disbelief). We must, in our hearts, be absolutely certain of the truth of the

shahadah. Our hearts must not be wavering in any way when we testify to the truth of, There is

none worthy of worship except Allah. Allah describes the believers in the Quran as those who havebelief in Allah and then their hearts waver not. Allah says,

The (true) believers are those only who believe in Allah and His messenger and afterward doubt

not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah. Such are the sincere. (Al-

Hujjarat: 15).

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,

No one meets Allah with the testimony that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and I am the

Messenger of Allah, and he has no doubt about that statement, except that he will enter Paradise.

(Muslim)

Indeed, Allah describes the hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering. For example,

Allah says,

They alone seek leave of thee (not to participate in jihad) who believe not in Allah and the Last Day

and whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver.(Al-Tawbah: 45)

Many scholars have stated that the diseases of the heart, or the doubt and suspicions that one

allows into ones heart, are more dangerous for a persons faith than lusts and desires.

This is because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to bewrong and he may control himself and repent and give up that evil deed.

On the other hand, the doubts and suspicions may linger in the heart, with no cure, until the person

finally leaves Islam entirely or continues to practice Islam while, in fact, in his heart he does not have

the true faith.

The greatest cure for these doubts is seeking knowledge. It is through sound knowledge of the

Quran and the Sunnah that most of these doubts will be removed.

Acceptance_______________________________________________

If a person has knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must be followed by acceptance,

with the tongue and heart, of whatever that shahadah implies. Whoever refuses to accept the

shahadah and its implications, even if he knows that it is true and certain about its truth; then he is a

disbeliever. This refusal to accept is sometimes due to pride, envy or other reasons.

In any case, the shahadah is not a true shahadah without its unconditional acceptance. The scholars

all talk about this condition as a general condition in the way that I have just stated. However, there

is also a more detailed aspect that we must all be aware of. The believer accepts whatever the

implications of the shahadah are. This also means that he believes in whatever is stated in the

Quran or stated by the Prophet (peace be upon him), without any right to choose what he wants to

believe and what he wants to reject.


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Allah says in the Quran,

Do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it? And what is the reward of those who do so,

except humiliation in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent to the

most dreadful doom. (Al-Baqarah: 85).

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from

the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghout (false deity) and believes in Allah has grasped the most

trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. (Al-Baqarah: 256)

The Shahadah that is forced is not accepted as it was out of compulsion, and there shall be no

compulsion (acceptance of) the religion.

Submission_______________________________________________

This implies the actual physical enactment with our deeds of our shahadah. In fact, this is one of the

main meanings of the word Islam itself, the submission to the will and commands of Allah.

This is what Allah commands in the Quran,

Turn unto Him repentant, and surrender unto Him (al-Zumar: 54).

Allah has praised those who submit to His command by their actions.

Allah says, Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his purpose to Allah while doing good

(al-Nisa: 125).

Actually, Allah has clearly made it a condition of faith that one submits to the command of Allah and

His messenger. Allah says,

But nay, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you [the Messenger of Allah] judge

of what is in dispute between them and find within themselves no dislike of which you decide, and

submit with full submission (al-Nisa: 65)

Unfortunately, there are many that claim that there is no relationship between faith and deeds. This

incorrect understanding of faith has spread throughout the Muslim world.

Indeed, our shahadah or testimony of faith must be implemented or realized in our hearts, tongues

and actions. In our hearts, we must have love for Allah, fear of Allah and hope in Him. With our

tongues we must testify to the shahadah. And with our actions, we must implement what the

testimony of faith requires from us.

Making mistakes and falling short are undoubtedly part of human nature and no one will be free of

shortcomings in his obedience to Allah, or free of mistakes or forgetfulness or sins. All of us fall

short, commit sins, and make mistakes. Sometimes we turn to Allah and sometimes we turn away

from Him. Sometimes we remember that Allah is watching and sometimes we become negligent.

None of us are free of sin, and we will inevitably make mistakes.


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We are not infallible. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you did not commit sin Allah would do away with you and

bring people who would commit sin then pray for forgiveness. (Muslim)

And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Every son of Adam sins and the best ofthose who sin are those who repent. (Tirmidhi)

Truthfulness______________________________________________

This means that when we say the shahadah, we are saying it honestly, we have full conviction in it

and it is the truth that is coming from us with no doubts. We are not lying when it comes to our

testimony of faith. The Prophet (peace be upon his) said,

No one bears testimony to there being no one worth of worship save Allah, sincerely from his heart,

except that Allah makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him. (Bukhari & Muslim)

We are all familiar with those who say the testimony of faith yet they are not saying it honestly. They

do not believe in it but they are simply saying it in order to protect themselves or to attain some

worldly gain from doing so; these are the hypocrites. Allah has described them in the opening of the

Quran with the following words,

And of mankind are some who say, We believe in Allah and the Last Day, when they believe not.

They think to beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they

perceive not. In their hearts is a disease and Allah increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs

because they lie (al-Baqarah: 8-10).

The shahadah of those who become Muslims simply to benefit from being Muslim and not becausethey believe in Islam will be rejected by Allah in the Hereafter, they will face a painful punishment

due to their lying.

Sincerity_________________________________________________

That is, when we make the shahadah, we must do so solely for the sake of Allah. We must not do it

for any other reason. And we must not do it for anyone elses sake. In this manner, the meaning of

sincerity is opposite of Shirk or ascribing partners with Allah. We became and remain Muslims solely

for Allahs sake. Allah says in the Quran,

Worship Allah, making religion pure for him (al-Zumar: 2).

And they are ordained not else than to serve Allah, keeping religion pure for Him, as men by nature

upright and to establish worship and to pay the poor-due. That is true religion

(al-Bayinah: 5)

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) added, Allah has forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says,

There is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and say so desiring the face [and pleasure] of

Allah. (Muslim)

We are Muslims solely and only for Allahs sake, we should always purify out intentions to make

them only for His sake.


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Love____________________________________________________

That is, the believer loves this shahadah, he loves in accordance with the shahadah, he loves the

implications and requirements of the shahadah and he loves those who act and strive for the sake of

this shahadah. This is a necessary condition of the shahadah. If a person makes the shahadah but

does not love the shahadah and what it stands for, then, in fact, his faith is not complete. It is notthe faith of a true believer. And if he loves something more that this shahadah or if he loves

something more than Allah, then he has negated his shahadah. The true believer, the one meeting

the conditions of the shahadah puts no one whatsoever as an equal to Allah in his love. Allah says in

the Quran,

Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to

Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is due to) Allah only. However, those who believe are

stauncher in their love of Allah (al-Baqarah: 165).

Say: If your fathers, or your sons, or your brethren, or your wives, or your tribe, or the wealth you

have acquired, or merchandise for which you fear that there will be no sale, or dwellings you desireare dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah brings His

command to pass. Allah guides not wrongdoing folk (al-Tawbah: 24).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

Whoever has three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith. [The first of these] is that he

loves Allah and His Messenger more than he loves anyone else (Bukhari & Muslim)

This shows us that we should only be loving for Allahs sake, and that it is kufr (disbelief) to love

anyone more than we love Allah, and how do we love anyone more than Allah? By obeying them

over Allah and disobeying Allah for them, may Allah save us from this, loving for Allahs sake is wherethe true sweetness of faith rests and we should all work to attain this sweetness of faith.

Denial of False Worship____________________________________

This condition may be very clear to some and may be an eye-opener for others, due to many calls by

the modernists and moderates of this Ummah to dilute the rejection of false worship I am

mentioning it here explicitly to clear up all misconceptions. Allah says in the Quran

And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never

break (al-Baqarah: 256).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) made this point even clearer when he said, Whoever says there

is no one worthy of worship except Allah and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allah, then his

wealth and blood are protected and his accounting will be with Allah. (Muslim)

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says in the Quran:

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said

to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than

Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred

forever until you believe in Allah alone" (al-Mumtahanah: 4)


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Allah (subhanahu wa taala) explains it clearly to us that we have an excellent example for us in

Ibrahim (alayhi sallam), when he and those with him went out to his people and showed clear

disassociating from them and whatever they worshipped besides Allah, they denied them openly

and clearly, this is our position towards False Worship.

Adherence until Death_____________________________________

This is must if the shahadah is to mean anything for you in the Hereafter. You cannot rest on your

laurels of what you may have done in the past. No, indeed, the shahadah must be your banner until

your death. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,A man spends a long time doing the deeds of the

people of Paradise and then he ends his deeds with the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire. And a

man spends a long time doing the deeds of the people of the Hell-fire and then he ends his deeds

with the deeds of the people of Paradise. (Recorded by Muslim)

In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

By the One beside whom there is no other God, one of you does the actions of Paradise until there isjust a hand span between him and Paradise and then the book [preordainment] overtakes him and

he does the actions of the people of Hell and he enters into it. (Bukhari and Muslim)

And Allah says in the Quran,

O believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not except as Muslims O

believers, observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not except as Muslims [in

complete state of surrender, submission, obedience to Allah] [in complete state of surrender,

submission, obedience to Allah] (al-Imran: 102)

Dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions of the shahadah. These are the aspects of theshahadah that each and every one of us should look deep down into our own hearts and ask

ourselves, are we really fulfilling and meeting these requirements?

It is not enough to simply memorise these conditions and the answers to the questions; true

understanding of Allahs Deen is through implementation of Allahs Deen.


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____The Testimony (LailahaIllaAllah) consists of Two Pillars

The testimony (Shahadah) is classified as an announcement, decree, notification, or explanation. The

term Shahadah was employed for the testimony that none has the right to be worshiped except

Allah because it is the greatest declaration and testimony in existence, due to the greatness of the

Truth that it testifies to (i.e., that nothing deserves to be worshiped except Allah). Thus, when the

word Shahadah is mentioned in an unrestricted (absolute) sense, it automatically implies this

particular declaration.

Tawheed is LailahaIllaAllah, Tawheed is monotheism, Tawheed is Oneness of Allah, There is no

deity or entity worthy of worship except Allah.

Literally Tawheed means unification (making something one) or asserting oneness and it comes

from the Arabic verb wahhada, which itself means to unite, unify or consolidate. However when

Tawheed is used in reference to Allah (tawheedullah), it means realizing and affirming Allahs unity

in all of mans actions which directly or indirectly relate to Him.

It is rejection and negation of everything that is worshipped besides Allah(Al Kufr [disbelief/rejection] bil Taghout [in anything worshipped besides Allah]);

Belief that Allahs One, without partner in His dominion (ar-Ruboobeeyah); One without similitude in His essence and attributes (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat); One without rival in His divinity and in worship (al-Uluhiyyah); and One without rival in His Judgement (Hukm) and Legislation (Tashree).

Allah (azza wa jall) bears witness for Himself that none has the right to be worshiped but Him, and

likewise that the angels and the people of knowledge bear witness to that also, and that He

(subhanahu wa taala) maintains justice and He affirms that with His saying:

"Allah bears witness that none has the right to be worshiped but He." (Al-Imran 3/18)

This testimony is the greatest testimony due to the exaltedness of the One testifying and of that

which is being testified to, since the witness is Allah, and His angels and the people of knowledge,

and that which is witnessed to is the Tawheed (Monotheism) of Allah in worship.

The omission of any of the above mentioned aspects of Tawheed is referred to as Shirk (whichliterally means sharing), here it signifies the association of partners with Allah, this refers to

idolatry (polytheism).The seriousness of Shirk is stated by Allah in Surat Al-Maidah,

They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah

has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah , my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates

others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for

the wrongdoers any helpers. (al-Maidah: 72)

You may ask how do we make sure we never fall into shirk? Its by studying Tawheed and Shirk so as

to never fall into Shirk and to have correct and sound Belief in Allah.

The testimony (LailahaIllaAllah) comprises two pillars: The first pillar is the pillar of negation (Nafy);while the second is the pillar of affirmation (Ithbaat), these are also known as the Pillars of Tawheed.


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_____________The First Pillar of Tawheed: Negation (Nafy)

Lailaha 'there is no deity', negates divinity and worship for anything and everything (except Allah).

The first pillar of the testimony of faith denies the attribute of divinity to anyone and anything other

than Allah (subhanahu wa taala). All those other than Allah, such as the angels, the Prophets, and

the rest of mankind, not to mention the idols and the political regimes in the world, are not gods

thus dont deserve to be worshiped. These are Taghout (false deities/gods) invented by the creation;

therefore, denial in this respect is not denial of the existence of the alleged gods, rather the denial of

divinity which is attributed to these false gods.

It is very important to know that one can never be a monotheist until he completely disbelieves and

rejects Taghout. This can never be achieved until he knows the meaning of the word Taghout.

Literally speaking, the word Taghout derives from the verb Tagha which means to exceed the

proper bounds or limits. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) said: Verily when the water rose beyond its

limits (Tagha i.e., Nuhs flood). We carried you (mankind) in the floating (ship). (al-Haqqa: 11)

The definition of Taghout in Shari'ah is anyone who exceeds the proper limits by ascribing to

himself any of the rights of Allah (subhanahu wa taala) and makes himself a partner with Allah

(subhanahu wa ta'ala).

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) said: Go to Firawn; verily, he has transgressed all bounds (Tagha i.e., in

crimes, sins, polytheism, disbelief). (an-Nazi`at: 17)

In other words a Taghout is anyone who ascribes to himself one of the acts of Allah (subhanahu wa

ta'ala), such as creation, provision or legislation or ascribes to himself any of the attributes of Allah(subhanahu wa ta'ala), such as knowledge of the ghayb (unseen). A person may also become a

Taghout if he/she allows certain acts of worship to be directed to him/herself -acts such as

invocation, offering, sacrifice or legislation. So anyone who ascribes to himself any of the above acts

of worship- he has become a Taghout and a partner with Allah (subhanahu wa taala)

Imam Malik defined Taghout as: Anything or anyone worshiped apart from Allah (subhanahu wa

ta'ala) and this is a general definition, which includes a lot of things that are worshiped such as idols,

graves, stones, trees and other such inanimate objects. This definition also includes Satan (the

biggest Taghout), witches, soothsayers (claiming knowledge of the unseen), those who are pleased

with people directing acts of worship to them, and those who legislate (making things Halaal andHaraam). All these are Tawaghit (Plural of Taghout) that every Muslim should disassociate himself

from them and from those who worship them.

Imam Muhammad bin Abdu'l-Wahhab said: To declare disbelief in all objects of worship besides

Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) is proof of negation. Ones wealth and blood cannot become protected

except by doing so. If a person has any doubt or hesitation regarding this then his wealth and blood

will not be protectedKnow that a person can only remain a true believer except by declaring

disbelief in Taghout and the evidence for this is when Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) says: Whoever

rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold." (Majmu at-Tawheed)

Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdu'l-Wahhab (rahimahullaah) said: The Tawaghit are many and their

heads are five.


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1- Satan who invites people to worship other than Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala). Allah (subhanahu wa

ta'ala) said:

Did I not command you Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. Verily he is a clear

enemy to you. (Ya-Sin: 60)

2- The oppressive ruler who changes the laws of Allah (subhanahu wa taala), Allah (azza wa jall)

said:

Have you seen those (hypocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been sent down to

you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgment (in their disputes)

to the Taghout (false judges) while they have been ordered to reject them. But Shaytan wishes to

lead them far astray. (an-Nisa: 60)

3- The one who does not govern by what Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has revealed. Allah

(subhanahu wa ta'ala) said:

Verily, We did send down the Tawrat, therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who

submitted themselves to Allahs Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests, for to them

was entrusted the protection of Allahs Book. Therefore fear not men but fear Me and sell not My

Verses for a miserable price. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed are the

Kafirun (disbelievers). (al-Ma'idah: 44)

4- The one who claims knowledge of the unseen. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) stated:

[He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone

(Jinn: 26)

5- The one who is worshiped and pleased with it. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) said:

And if any of them should say: Verily I am an Ilah (god) besides Him such a one We should

recompense with Hell. Thus We should recompense the Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers).

(al-Anbiya: 29)

Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Abdu'l-Wahhab also said concerning the last verse of Surah al-Kahf:

associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord(18:110), so know may Allah have mercy

on you, that those who understand this verse perfectly are the ones who totally distinguish between

the unity of Lordship and unity of worship, and know that most people are either Tawaghit whochallenge Allah (azza wa jall) in His Lordship or people who worship them or others who have doubts

about what Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) has revealed to His Prophet and do not differentiate

between the Deen (religion) of our Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) and the Deen (religion) of the

Christians.


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_______The Second Pillar of Tawheed: Affirmation (Ithbaat)

IllaAllah except Allah, affirms divinity and worship for Allah Exclusively.

The second pillar of the testimony of faith affirms and restricts divinity to Allah alone. This means

that the slave must believe that Allah is the only true God, and accordingly he will not dedicate any

act of worship to someone or something other than Allah.

The meaning of lailahaillaAllah is that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah. The

testimony lailahaillaAllah is that a person affirms with his tongue and his heart that there is nothing

that is worshiped rightly except Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) since 'Ilah' means that which is

worshiped (mabud). So the sentence lailahaillaAllah comprises a denial and an affirmation. As for

the denial, it is lailaha (None has the right to be worshiped), and as for the affirmation, it is illaAllah

(except Allah).

Ibn Qayyim said: "The significance of lailahaillaAllah in affirming divinity and worship for Allah alone

is far greater than just saying that Allah is an Ilah (god). This is because the saying that Allah is an Ilah

does not negate divinity and worship to other than Allah. This is different from the saying:

lailahaillaAllah, which obligates restricting divinity and worship to only Allah. Likewise, those who

explain al-Ilah to mean: The one who has the ability to create and originate have for sure committed

a grave error.

Shaykh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said:

For this reason, anyone who does not worship Allah certainly worships other than Allah. Mankind is

of two types:

The Muwahhid (Monotheist) and those who are Mushrik (Polytheist) or those who mix Tawheed

(Monotheism) with Shirk (Polytheism); Christians, Jews and deviated ones who attribute themselves

to Islam and their likes are Mushrik (Polytheist) who mix Tawheed (Monotheism) and Shirk

(Polytheism). (Majmu al-Fatawa, 14/282);

Whoever is arrogant regarding worship to Allah is not Muslim. And whoever worships any other

object while worshiping Allah is also not Muslim. (Kitaabun-Nubuwwah, 127)

Affirmation of Tawheed has been categorized in four for ease of explanation:

Belief that Allahs One, without partner in His dominion (ar-Ruboobeeyah); One without similitude in His essence and attributes (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat); One without rival in His divinity and in worship (al-Uluhiyyah); and One without rival in His Judgement (Hukm) and Legislation (Tashree).


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____________________________Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah

Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah: means, Maintaining the Oneness of Lordship, that is, affirming that

Allah is one, without partners in His Sovereignty.

This category of Tawheed is based on the fundamental concept that Allah alone caused all things to

exist when there was nothing; Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah is you testifying that the Creator of the

entire universe, including the stars, the planets, the sun, the moon, the heavens, the earth with all

its known and unknown forms of life, is Allah. He is the Organizer and Planner of all its affairs. It is He

Who gives life and death, and He (i.e. Allah Alone) is the Sustainer, and the Giver of Security, etc.

In Arabic the word used to describe this Creator-Sustainer quality is Ruboobeeyah, which is derived

from the root word Rabb (Lord). It is He, Allah who gave all things the power to move and to

change. Nothing happens in creation except what He allows to happen. In recognition of this reality,

the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to often repeat the exclamatory

phrase La hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah. (There is no movement nor power except by Allahs

will).

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says:

Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs. (az-Zumar: 62)

Allah is the one who created you, then provided for you, then will cause you to die, and then will give

you life. Are there any of your "partners" who does anything of that? Exalted is He and high above

what they associate with Him. (ar-Rum: 40)

No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah . And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his

heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things. (at-Taghabun: 11)

And Allah created you all and whatever you do. (as-Saffat: 96)

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) additionally expounds this concept by

saying,

Be aware that if the whole of mankind gathered together in order to do something to help you, they

would only be able to do something for you which Allah had already written for you.

Likewise, if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm you, they would only be able to do

something to harm you which Allah had already written to happen to you. (Tirmidhi)

We were with the Prophet on a journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say,

"Allahu Akbar." The Prophet said, "Don't trouble yourselves too much! You are not calling a deaf or

an absent person, but you are calling One Who Hears, Sees, and is very near." Then he came to me

while I was saying in my heart, "La hawla wala quwwatta illa billah (There is neither might nor power

but with Allah)." He said, to me, "O 'Abdullah bin Qais! Say, 'La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (There

is neither might nor power but with Allah), for it is one of the treasures of Paradise." Or said, "Shall I

tell you of it?" (Bukhari)


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________________________Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat

Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat: means, Maintaining the unity of Allahs Names and Attributes, that

is, affirming that they are incomparable and unique.

Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat can easily be summed up to be the affirmation and unification of

Allahs Names and attributes without any distortion, negation, speculation nor analogy.

The belief of Ahlus Sunnah regarding the Names and Attributes of Allah is one of belief in all that has

been mentioned in the Quran and the authentic Sunnah by way of affirming and negating where

appropriate. As a result, they:

1. Name Allah with the Names that He has Named Himself with; they do not add to nor omitfrom any of these Names.

2. Affirm and describe Allah (azza wa jall) with what He has described Himself with in His Bookor upon the tongue of His Messenger, without committing any distortion, negation,

speculation or analogy.

3. Negate for Allah that which He Himself has negated from Himself in His Book or upon thetongue of His Messenger Muhammad with the belief that Allah is depicted with the opposite

of that negated matter in its perfect sense.

The people of the Sunnah will turn nowhere away from that which the Messengers have brought. It

is the Straight Path, the path of those upon whom Allah has bestowed His grace among the

prophets, the ever-truthful, ever-faithful disciples, the martyrs, and all other righteous ones.

Thus, belief in Allah's names and attributes is based upon two fundamental principles: negation and

affirmation. Negation refers to rejecting with respect to Allah all attributes which contradict His

perfection, including all types of faults, weaknesses or needs. We reject the idea that Allah could

have any partner or peer. Nor can there be any comparable to Him in any of his attributes or the

rights due to him alone. There are two types of affirmation: affirmation of general attributes such as

Allah's absolute perfection, majesty, etc; and affirmation of detailed attributes such as His detailed

knowledge of all things, his decree of all events, His mercy, etc.

Negation (of a negative attribute) alone, not accompanied by affirmation (of its opposite) is not

praise and is not befitting Allah. Thus, every negation which Allah has attributed to himself contains

and implies the affirmation of its opposite. Allah's negation of His having any partner or sharing any

common attributes with any of his creation or of anything escaping His knowledge or of his acting

with frivolity or of His forgetting, becoming tired or being touched by sleep all imply their opposites

among Allah's attributes of perfection.

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says in the Quran:

There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (ash-Shuraa: 11)

This ayah (verse) confirms the quality of hearing and the quality of sight for Allah (subhanahu wa

taala) without resemblance to others, and likewise Allah (subhanahu wa taala) said:


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[ Allah ] said, "O Iblees, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My

hands?(Sad: 75)

The hand of Allah is over their hands. (al-Fath: 10)

These ayat (verse) confirm that Allah (subhanahu wa taala) has two Hands, but there is no similarityfor them with the creation, Allah (subhanahu wa taala) said:

There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (ash-Shuraa: 11)

Similarly Allah (subhanahu wa taala) said:

The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (Taha: 5)

He (subhanahu wa taala) is in no need of His Throne, but He rose over the Throne in a manner that

suits His Majesty, Allah is over His Throne, over the seventh heaven, as the slave-girl pointed

towards the heavens, when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked her as towhere Allah is?

Muawiyah bin Al-Hakam As-Salmi said:

"I had a slave-girl who used to herd sheep for me. One day I discovered that a wolf had killed one of

her sheep, and I'm a man from the children of Adam, I get upset like they get upset, and I slapped her

in the face. Then I went to the Prophet who impressed upon me the seriousness of my act. I said, 'O

Messenger of Allah, should I not set her free?' He said, 'Bring her to me.' He asked her, 'Where is

Allah', She said, 'He is above the heavens.' He said, 'Who am I?' She said, 'You are the Messenger of

Allah.' He said, 'Free her, for she is a believer.' (Muslim &Abu Dawud)

Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy upon him), said Allah is not described except with what He

Himself and His Messenger have described Him with; we do not exceed the boundaries of the

Quran and Sunnah. (Al-Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah, pg. 61.)

Ibn Abdil-Barr (may Allah have mercy upon him), said: With respect to belief, in totality, there do

not reside any Names or Attributes except that they have been specifically mentioned in the Book of

Allah, are authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him or

have been agreed upon by the Ummah; and as for the ahad (hadith) reports narrated in this area,

entirely, or in other similar areas, they are accepted and not to be challenged. (Jami Bayan al-Ilm

wa Fadlih, pg. 96.)


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_______________________________Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah

Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah: means, Affirming that Allah is alone in his right to be worshipped.

The pinnacle of Tawheed is to direct all worships to Allah alone, this is what all the Messengers and

Prophets came with, with the same Message, Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says,

And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghout."

And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was

[deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers. (an-

Nahl: 36)

And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity

except Me, so worship Me." (al-Anbiya: 25)

We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no

deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day. (al-Araf: 59)

And to the 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no deity

other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?" (al-Araf: 65)

And to the Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no

deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. (al-Araf: 73)

And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allah

; you have no deity other than Him. (al-Araf: 85)

And to 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no deity

other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood]. (Hud: 50)

And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no

deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of

Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive." (Hud: 61)

And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no

deity other than Him. (Hud: 84)

To have Tawheed ar-Rububiyyah is not enough, to recognise Allah in His Lordship is not enough, as

this is what the Jews, Christians and Pagans of Makkah did, they recognised that Allah was a Lord butthey still associated partners beside Him by worshipping other than Allah.

In the Quran Allah tells the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to say to the Pagans:

Say, "Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and

who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every]

matter?" They will say, " Allah ," so say, "Then will you not fear Him?" (Yunus: 31)

And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say, " Allah ." So how are they deluded?

(az-Zukhruf: 87)


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The pagan Makkans all knew that Allah was their creator, sustainer, their Lord and Master; yet that

knowledge did not make them Muslims according to Allah, in fact, Allah said:

And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him. (Yusuf: 106)

The most important aspect of Tawheed is that of Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah, maintaining the unity ofAllahs worship, all forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserve

worship, and it is He alone who can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship.

Allah has made clear the main purpose of mans creation and the message brought by all the

Prophets & Messengers, He said:

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (adh-Dhariyat: 56)

In Surat al-Fatihah, which every Muslim is required to recite in his or her daily prayers a minimum of

17 times, ayah (verse) five reads, It is You we worship and You we ask for help. (al-Fatihah: 5)

This is a clear statement that all forms of worship should be directed exclusively to the One who can

respond, Allah (subhanahu wa taala), with no intercession, The Prophet Muhammad (peace and

blessings be upon him) said, If you ask in prayer ask only Allah, and if you seek help, seek it only

from Allah (Tirmidhi)

There is no need for intercession, and this is not needed, this is further explained to us by verses

indicating Allahs closeness to man, Allah says,

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the

invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and

believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. (al-Baqarah: 186)

And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to

him than [his] jugular vein (Qaf: 16)

The confirmation and affirmation of Tawheed al-Uluhiyyah necessitates the denial and rejection of

all forms of intercessions or association of partners with Allah in all acts of worship. The Prophet

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Prayer (dua) is worship (Abu Dawud),

therefore none can be invoked or called upon other than Allah as this is His Right on His slave, to be

singled out exclusively, Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says,

He said, "Then do you worship instead of Allah that which does not benefit you at all or harm you?

(al-Anbiya: 66)

Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allah are servants like you. So call upon them and

let them respond to you, if you should be truthful. (al-A`raf: 194)

The Makkans were questioned about directing their prayers to their idols, their answer was,

We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah (az-Zumar: 3)

The idols were only used as intermediaries yet Allah called them pagans for their practice, we

Muslims should take a lesson from this lest we fall into the same error as the pagans.


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______________________________Tawheed al-Hakimiyyah

Tawheed al-Hakimiyyah: means, unifying Allah, the Most High, alone in His Judgement (Hukm) and

His Legislation (Tashree). So just as He, the Most High has no partner in His Dominion and in

controlling the affairs of the creation; likewise, He has no partner in the Judgement (Hukm) and

Legislation (Tashree).

This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah alone is the Judge and Legislator; He

shares no partners in legislation, as He says in Surat al-Kahf,

He shares not His legislation with anyone (al-Kahf: 26)

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) also says,

O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And

if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and

the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. (an-Nisa: 59)

Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to

Allah ] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were

entrusted of the Scripture of Allah , and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but

fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah

has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers. (al-Maidah: 44)

You worship not besides Him except [mere] names you have named them, you and your fathers, for

which Allah has sent down no authority. Legislation is not but for Allah . He has commanded that you

worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. (Yusuf: 40)

In the previous ayah (verse) Allah uses a correlation between Legislation and worship, He has said

that right of Legislation is for none but Allah, and He has commanded that you worship not except

Him, so following another legislator is also an act of worship to other than Allah so both the

Legislator and the one who seeks the legislation (which is an act of worship) are disbelievers.

In the previous pages the meaning of Taghout has been explained, we see the importance of the

rejection of Taghout for complete, full, sound, correct Tawheed and to be classed as a Muwahhid

(monotheist), we see the importance of rejecting all associations with Allah.

Legislation is only for Allah, so when one puts himself as a legislator besides Allah then he has

committed shirk by putting himself as a partner besides Allah (subhanahu wa taala) in Legislation.He has given the Rights of Legislation which are Only for Allah, to himself and Allah rebukes these

people in the Quran when He says,

Then is it the judgement of [the time of] ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in

judgement for a people who are certain [in faith]. (al-Maidah: 50)

Allah does not just stop at the Legislator, He (subhanahu wa taala) is the Most Just, He also explains

what the position of the one whom goes to receive the legislation is, He says in the Quran

Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad],

and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghout, while they werecommanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray. (an-Nisa:60)


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But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge

concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no

discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. (an-Nisa: 65)

This ayah (verse) tells us specifically, they we will never believe completely until we make ProphetMuhammad (peace be upon him) as a judge over us, and what did the Prophet come with? He came

with the Quran and the Sunnah to judge amongst us, so whoever leaves this and seeks a judgement

from other than the law of Allah has negated his Tawheed.

On one occasion, the Prophets companion, Adi Ibn Haatim, who was a revert from Christianity,

heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting the Quranic verse,

They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah (at-Tawbah: 31)

So he said: Surely we did not worship them. The Prophet turned to him and said Did they not make

haraam what Allah had made halaal and you made it haraam, and did they not make halaal whatAllah made haraam and you made it halaal? He replied, We certainly did. The Prophet then said,

that was how you worshipped them. (Tirmidhi)

The Sayings of the Scholars on this Matter______________________

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah:

Whenever a person makes halaal what is haraam by consensus or makes haraam what is halaal by

consensus or replaces the Shariah that is agreed upon by consensus, then he is a Kaffir by the

agreement of the scholars of Fiqh. (Majmu Al-Fataawa, Vol. 3/267.)

The Shariah revealed from Allah taala, which is the Quran and Sunnah that Allah sent His

Messenger with, no one from the creation is allowed to leave it. And no one leaves it but a Kaffir.

(Majmu Al-Fataawa, Vol. 11/262)

And it is known by necessity in the Deen of the Muslims and by the agreement of all the Muslims

that whoever follows a Shariah other than the Shariah of Muhammad then he is a disbeliever and it

is like the Kufr of the one who believes in some of the Book and disbelieves in some of the Book.

(Majmu Al-Fataawa, Vol. 28/524.)

There are many people who accept Islam, but do not rule except by the prevailing customs that are

commanded by obeyed lords (taghout). Such people know that it is not permissible to rule by other

than what Allah revealed, but do not apply them, rather they deem as lawful to rule by other than

what Allah sent down, they are disbelievers. (Minhaaj as-Sunnah.)

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah:

(A taghout is) everyone who exceeded his limits (whether he is) worshipped, followed or obeyed. So,

the taghout of any people is the one who they make as a judge besides Allah and His Prophet, or

worship him except Allah, or follow him without taking any consideration of Allah, or obey him in a

matter where they do not know it is obedience for Allah. Whosoever does not judge or turn to what

the Messengers of Allah brought for judgement is eventually following a (false) deity. (Elaam Al-

Muwaaqieen, vol. 1/50.)


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___________________________Shirk (Associating Partners)

One of the most important obligations is to know the meaning of shirk, its seriousness and its

different types, so that our Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allaah) and our Islam may be

complete, and our faith may be sound.

The word Shirk in Arabic means taking a partner, i.e. regarding someone as the partner of another. It

is said in Arabic: ashraka baynahuma (he joined them together) when he regarded them as two of

equal status; or ashraka fi amrihi ghayrahu (he introduced another into his affair) when he made two

people involved in it.

In Terms of Shariah or Islamic terminology, shirk means ascribing a partner or rival to Allah in

Lordship (Ruboobiyah), Worship (Uluhiyyah), Legislation or Judgement (Hakimiyyah) or in His names

and attributes (al-Asmaa was-Sifaat).

Shirk can be easily said to be anything that opposes Tawheed, which we have explained to the

reader in the previous pages.

Allah the Almighty says,

And they have attributed to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy yourselves, for

indeed, your destination is the Fire." (Ibrahim: 30)

So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].

(al-Baqarah: 22)

Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom

He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray. (an-Nisa: 116)

Inclining [only] to Allah , not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allah - it is

as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down

into a remote place. (al-Haj: 31)

And when those who associated others with Allah see their "partners," they will say," Our Lord, these

are our partners [to You] whom we used to invoke besides You." But they will throw at them the

statement, "Indeed, you are liars." (an-Nahl: 86)

And Allah has said, "Do not take for yourselves two deities. He is but one God, so fear only Me."

(an-Nahl: 51)


He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.

(an-Nisa: 48)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever dies claiming that Allah has a rival,

will enter Hell. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Shirk has been divided into two types, Major Shirk and Minor Shirk


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Major Shirk______________________________________________

This means ascribing to someone other than Allah something that belongs to Allah alone. This kind

of shirk is commonly committed by those who worship idols, graves and the dead but it is not limited

to them as we have explained above that worship is not just through this, but it is also through

following the Judgement and Legislation of others, it is any form of worship that is for Allah alone

being directed to other than Allah.

Shirk can take the form of belief in another creator, another bringing of life or death or controller of

the affairs of the universe besides Allah, this is Shirk in His Ruboobiyah, or there may be an

association with Allah in love, which is only for Allah and Allah (subhanahu wa taala) gives a strong

warning to those who love anything more than Allah, He (subhanahu wa taala) says,

And [yet], among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them

as they [should] love Allah . But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah . And if only they who

have wronged would consider [that] when they see the punishment, [they will be certain] that all

power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment. (al-Baqarah: 165)

Shirk may sometimes take the form of actions:

Such as one who sacrifices, prays or prostrates to something other than Allah, or who promulgates

laws to replace the rulings of Allah and makes that the law to which people are obliged to refer for

judgement; or one who supports the kafirs and helps them against the believers, and other acts that

go against the basic meaning of faith and put the one who does them beyond the pale of Islam. We

ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.

Minor Shirk______________________________________________

Minor Shirk are the acts such as Riya (doing good deeds for show) and seeking reputation, as when

reciting the Quran, offering Salaat or calling to the Path of Allah and the like for the sake of showing

off. It is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, The thing

that I fear most for you is minor Shirk. They said, O Messenger of Allah! What is minor Shirk? He

said, Riya.

It is minor Shirk to swear by anyone or anything other than Allah such as swearing by the Kabah, the

Parents, the Children, etc.

There is another form of minor Shirk called Shirk Khafi (hidden Shirk). The Messenger of Allah

(peace and blessings be upon him) said, It is the hidden Shirk; a person stands up in Salaat (Prayer)

and tries to make it perfect when he realizes that others are looking at him. (Related by Imam

Ahmad)

With regard to minor Shirk, they may be forgiven for committing it. However, they may be punished

for this by being admitted into the Fire for some time. Minor Shirk nullifies the acts, performed by a

person. For example, if someone offers Salaat out of Riya he or she will not be rewarded for it; but

the person will be punished for such an act.


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__________________________________Bidah (Innovation)

Bidah (Innovation) in Islam is the invention, creation or addition of any religious matter which was

not (originally) found in Islam. Therefore, Islam warns against it and invalidates any religious deed

which does not originate from the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings be upon him said: "Every innovation is misguidance

and going astray" (Abu Dawud& Tirmidhi), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) also said:"

and every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire."(an-Nasai), and he (peace

and blessings be upon him) also said:He who innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam)

that is not of it, will have it rejected. (Bukhari & Muslim)

Allah taala says,

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved

for you Islam as religion. (al-Maidah: 3)

Why would there be any need logically for an innovation in the religion if you truly believed in Allahs

words, that He (subhanahu wataala) has perfected Islam and has approved it as your Religion.

This ayah embodies a clear statement that the deen has been completed and thus has no need of

addition or deletion. Also the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him said, "There is nothing that

Allaah ordered you with except that I have ordered you with it, and there is nothing that Allah

forbade you from except that I have forbidden you from it." (Bayhaqi)

So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fulfilled the trust placed upon him by Allah

completely, explaining the religion to the people in its outward and inward form, making clear the

lawful from the prohibited, the encouraged from the discouraged, to the extent that he taught us

the manners of using the toilet.

Allah says in His Book"And We have revealed to you a Book explaining everything." (an-Nahl: 89)

"We have neglected nothing in the Book." (al-An`am: 37)

The Importance of Sticking to the Sunnah

Allah says, "Indeed you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for the one who hopes in

Allah and looks to the Last Day." (al-Ahzab: 21)

He (subhanahu wataala) also says, "So if you obey him (peace and blessings be upon him), then you

will be guided." (an-Nur: 54)

Also the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I have left behind me two things: as long

as you cling to them you will never go astray. They are the Book of Allaah and my Sunnah (life

example)." (Haakim) And he also said, "...and you will live to see great differing, so cling to my

Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Khalifas after me, even if it be with your molar teeth..."

(Bukhari)


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_________________________________Al Walaa Wal Baraa

The milestone, the strongest bond of Iman (faith) is Al Walaa Wal Baraa, loving and hating for the

sake of Allah Alone. It is one of the most important beliefs of Islam after Tawheed. Allah says in His

Book:

Let not believers take disbelievers as allies rather than believers. And whoever [of you] does that has

nothing with Allah , except when taking precaution against them in prudence. And Allah warns you of

Himself, and to Allah is the [final] destination. (Ali `Imran: 28)

The reason why Al Walaa Wal Baraa is so important in Islam is because, if it is taken into practice, it

can remove all the characteristics of Jahiliyyah from the Muslim Ummah, it guarantees the

preservation of the Ummah, and it distinguishes the believer from the disbeliever. When one loves

and hates for Allahs sake only, they are raised degrees higher than those who love, hate, and actbased on their own desires or fake gods or for other meaningless things. Allah states in His Speech:

Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah , and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Taghout.

So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak. (an-Nisa: 76)

Those who have Iman and act upon Al Walaa Wal Baraa fight for Allahs cause and do battle with His

enemies to preserve His Deen, while those who disbelieve fight in the cause of False Deities.

Allah (subhanahu wa taala) commands:

Fight them until there is no more Fitnah (kufr & shirk) and until worship is for Allah alone. (al-Baqarah: 193)

Only the people who love and hate for the sake of Allah will act upon this command. These are the

people that understand the meaning of Al Walaa Wal Baraa.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the

sake of Allah and opposition for His sake; love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake.

But what does this love and enmity exactly mean? Loving for the sake of Allah means to love Allah

and to show loyalty to Him by following His Shariah. It means to love all that is good and permissible

in the Quran and Sunnah. This type of love requires one to defend Allah's religion and to preserve it.

It is to love those who are obedient to Allah and to defend and assist them. These are the party of

Allah. Enmity for the sake of Allah signifies showing anger towards those who oppose Allah, His

Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), His Deen, and the believers. It is to struggle and fight

against them in order to uphold and spread the way of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings

be upon him).

There is a brilliant example of this in Ibrahim (peace be upon him), as narrated by Allah (subhanahu

wa taala) in the Quran:

There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him when they told their people: Surely,we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you.


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And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate forever until you believe in Allah Alone.

(al-Mumtahanah: 4)

Al Walaa Wal Baraa requires one to ally oneself with Allah, His Messenger (peace and blessings be

upon him), and the believers wherever they are found against the disbelievers even if it is against

their own relatives. We see this in the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),who fought against his own relatives and his own clan, all for the sake of Allah.

Al Walaa Wal Baraa aims to purify the society and rid the people of all vices. For example, we are

required to oppose the way of the disbelievers. One of their habits is wasting their time in pursuing

their own material desires. A Muslim who does not act upon Al Walaa Wal Baraa will imitate this

habit and therefore become neglectful of his duties to Allah. This will lead to a corrupt person, who

will end up raising a corrupt family, which will corrupt the community in whole.

Al Walaa Wal Baraa is what distinguishes a believer from a disbeliever. A believer allies himself with

Allah only and with his final Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and with the believers.

Allah taala says:

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and

forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakaah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those

- Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. (at-Tawbah: 71)

O you who have believed, whoever of you should revert from his religion - Allah will bring forth [in

place of them] a people He will love and who will love Him [who are] humble toward the believers,

powerful against the disbelievers; they strive in the cause of Allah and do not fear the blame of a

critic. That is the favour of Allah ; He bestows it upon whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing

and Knowing. (al-Maidah: 54)

In order to be considered a believer, one must believe in Allah and His Messenger (peace and

blessings be upon him) as well as show and prove that belief by assisting them and allying oneself

with them against the enemies of Islam. The plans of the disbelievers are clearly exposed by Allah

(subhanahu wataala) in the Quran:

They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among

them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away, then seize them and kill

them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper. (an-Nisa: 89)

O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of

one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed,

Allah guides not the wrongdoing people. (al-Maidah: 51)

If the believers join together as one brotherhood, sharing a mutual love and hate for the sake of

Allah, Islam will come out on top regardless of how powerful their enemies may be. When the

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)

fought their battles, their enemies were always more in number and had better armour, but the

Muslims were victorious as in the Battle of Badr. They shared one cause: fighting for the sake of

Allah.


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_______________________________Articles of Iman (Faith)

The term Iman is basically translated to mean faith; there are six pillars of Iman in Islam, which

consists of the following articles of faith.

These 6 pillars are based on a few verses in the Quran:

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is

[in] one who believes in Allah , the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth,

in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for

freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakaah; [those who] fulfil their promise when

they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the

ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous. (al-Baqarah: 177)

No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring

it into being - indeed that, for Allah , is easy (al-Hadid: 22)

Belief in Allah Most High____________________________________

A Muslim believes in the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed),Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty,

Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. Allah has neither father nor mother, neither son

nor was He fathered. None equal to Him. He is Allah of all mankind, not of a special tribe or race.

Allah is High and Supreme but He is very near to the pious thoughtful believers; He answers their

prayers and helps them. He loves the people who love Him and forgives their sins. He gives them

peace, happiness, knowledge and success. Allah is the Loving and the Provider, the Generous, and

the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Patient and the

Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. Allah's attributes are

mentioned in the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon

him).

The greatest obligation on the Muslim is belief in Tawheed (Oneness of Allah), Tawheed is the

opposite of Shirk (polytheism/associating partners with Allah), Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says:


He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin. (an-

Nisa: 48)

Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in all that with which He has described Himself in His Book or

with which His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has described Him without any distortion,

negation, speculation (as to the exact nature of these attributes), nor analogy (comparing between

Allahs attributes and those of His creation bearing the same names).


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The Angels_______________________________________________

They are purely spiritual and splendid beings created by Allah. They require no food or drink or

sleep. They have neither physical desires nor material needs. Angels spend their time in the service

of Allah. Each is charged with a certain duty. Angels cannot be seen by the naked eyes. Knowledge

and the truth are not entirely confined to sensory knowledge or sensory perception alone.

A Muslim must believe specifically in all the angels named and/or described in the Quran and the

Sunnah:

Jibreel: In Charge of delivering revelation Israfil: The blower of the horn onQiyama (Judgement day)

Mikail: in charge of bringing the rain Malik ul Maut: the Angel of Deathwho takes peoples souls at death

The Noble Recorders: Those who recordpeoples actions

Ridwan: in charge of Paradise

The Protectors (Al-Muaqqibat): who keeppeople from death until its decreed time

Malik: in charge of Hell

Munkar and Nakir: the questioners in the grave The Carriers of the Throne of Allah Those who record the future of the fetus Those who enter the Harram

(Makkah): 70,000 every day

Those who move about, descending upongatherings at which Allah and His Book are

mentioned and studied

Belief in the angels is an integral part of Iman (faith), Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says:

The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers.

All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We

make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We

seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."(al-Baqarah: 285)

And those who disbelieve and reject the angels, is in a state of disbelief (kufr), Allah says:

O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon

His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah , His

angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray. (an-Nisa: 136)


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Messengers and Prophets of Allah____________________________

A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of Allah without any discrimination. All

messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by Allah

to teach mankind. Allah mentions in the Qur'an the names of 25 messengers and prophets and

states that there are others. These include Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and

Muhammad. Their message is the same and it is Islam and it came from One and the Same Source;

Allah, and it is to submit to His will and to obey His law; i.e., to become a Muslim.

Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham,

Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the

prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims

[submitting] to Him." (Ali `Imran: 84)

The call of the Prophets was to Tawheed al Uluhiyyah (Worship of Allah exclusively), Allah(subhanahu wa taala) says:

And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghout."

And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was

[deservedly] decreed. So proceed through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers. (An-

Nahl: 36)

The Prophets came as warners to their nations, Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says:

[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no

argument against Allah after the messengers. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. (An-Nisa:

165)

There are no Prophets or Messengers after the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon

him) as he was the seal of the prophets, Allah (subhanahu wa taala) says:

Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of

the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.(al-Ahzab: 40)


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Belief in the revealed Books_________________________________

A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of Allah, as they were complete and in their

original versions. Allah, the Creator, has not left man without guidance for the conduct of his life.

Revelations were given to guide the people to the right path of Allah and sent down to selected

people, the prophets and messengers, to convey it to their fellow men.

The message of all the prophet and messengers is the same. They all asked the people of their time

to obey and worship Allah and none other. Ibrahim, Musa, Dawud, Isa and Muhammad who were

revealed their own book of Allah, were sent at different times to bring back straying human beings

from deviation to the right course.

Specific books mentioned in the Quran:

As-Suhuf of Ibrahim and Musa Al-Injeel revealed to Isa Az-Zaboor given to Dawud At-Taurat revealed to Musa Al-Qur'an the final revelation

The Qur'an is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last book of guidance from Allah, sent down

to Muhammad, peace be upon him, through the angel Jibraeel (Gabriel). Every word of it is the

word of Allah. It was revealed over a period of 23 years in the Arabic language. It contains 114

Surahs (chapters) and over 6000 verses.

The Qur'an deals with man and his ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all areas of this life and

the life after death. It contains principles, doctrines and directions for every sphere of human life.

The theme of the Qur'an broadly consists of three fundamental ideas: Oneness of Allah,

Prophethood and life after death. The success of human beings on this earth and in the life hereafter

depends on obedience to the Qur'anic teaching.


And this [Qur'an] is a Book We have revealed [which is] blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you

may receive mercy. (Al-An`am: 155)

And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it

of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do

not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We

prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in

religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah

is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to

differ. (Al-Maidah: 48)

The Qur'an is unrivalled in its recording and preservation. The astonishing fact about this book of

Allah is that it has remained unchanged even to a dotover the past fourteen hundred years. No

scholar has questioned the fact that the Qur'an today is the same as it was revealed. Muslims till

today memorize the Qur'an word by word as a whole or in part. Today, the Qur'an is the only

authentic and complete book of Allah. Allah is protecting it from being lost, corrupted or concealed.



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Indeed, those who disbelieve in the message after it has come to them... And indeed, it is a mighty

Book. Falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from a [Lord

who is] Wise and Praiseworthy. (Fussilat: 41-42)

And it was not [possible] for this Qur'an to be produced by other than Allah, but [it is] a confirmation

of what was before it and a detailed explanation of the [former] Scripture, about which there is nodoubt, from the Lord of the worlds. (Yunas: 37)

The Day of Judgement (Qiyama)_____________________________

A Muslim believes in the Day of the Judgement. This world as we know it will come to an end, and

the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. On that day, all men and women from Adam to

the last person will be resurrected from the state of death for judgement. Everything we do, say,

make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on the

Day of Judgement.


That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds.

So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it, And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will

see it. (az-Zalzalah :6-8)

One who believes in life after death is not expected to behave against the Will of Allah. He will

always bear in mind that Allah is watching all his actions and the angels are recording them.

People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to Allah's Jannah

(Paradise). People with bad records will be fairly punished and cast into Jahanum (Hell-Fire). The real

nature of Jannah (Paradise) and Jahanum (Hell-Fire) are known to Allah only, but they are described

by Allah in man's familiar terms in the Qur'an.

The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening.

(al-Ma`raij: 43)

And they say, "When we are bones and crumbled particles, will we [truly] be resurrected as a new

creation?" (al-Isra: 49)

And he presents for Us an example and forgets his [own] creation. He says, "Who will give life to

bones while they are disintegrated?" (Ya-Sin: 78)

That Day, everyone will follow [the call of] the Caller [with] no deviation therefrom, and [all] voices

will be stilled before the Most Merciful, so you will not hear except a whisper [of footsteps]. (Taha:

108)

If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and credit in this life, they will receive full

compensation and be widely acknowledged on the Day of Judgement. Allah says:

Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weig

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