Definition of Taghut

The general meaning is:

Anything besides Allah that is worshiped. Scholars differed over whether the one being worshiped had to be pleased with others worshiping him or not, and the correct opinion seems that they do. Based upon the Christians worshiping ‘Esa (AS), and he (AS) is above and beyond being called a taghoot. Scholars have also used the term to define those principles that can cause one to worship other than Allah, or to worship Allah in a manner not befitting of His majesty, as Ibn Al-Qayyim alluded to when he referred to Majaaz, Khabr Ahad, Ta’weel, and giving precedence to the intellect over revelation as tawaagheet.

Ibn Jareer At-Tabari mentions in the tafseer of Ayah 2:256, that there are three opinions as to Taghoot, and they are:

Shaytaan, a magician, a fortune teller. And Ibn Jareer’s preferred opinion was that is:”Everything that transgresses the boundaries of Allah and is thus worshiped.”

Mohammad bin ‘Abdul Wahab mentions that the pillars/heads of the tawagheet are 5:

1- Shaytaan.
2- The unjust ruler who changes the laws of Allah
3- The one who rules by other than that which Allah revealed
4- The one who claims to have knowledge the unseen
5- Anyone who is worshiped besides Allah, and is pleased.

For more details check
http://abdurrahman.org/tawheed/meaningtaghoot.pdf

Dangers of Shirk

Shirk is the only unforgivable sin in the sight of Allah.

 

“Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him, and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and whoever associates anything with Allah has indeed devised a very great sin.” (An-Nisaa’, 4:48)

 

“Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him, and He forgives what is besides this to whom He pleases; and whoever associates anything with Allah has wandered far astray.” (An-Nisaa’, 4:116)

 

Shirk prohibits a person from entering Paradise, and obligates a permanent abode in Hell.

 

Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode is Hell. (Al-Maa’idah, 5:72)

 

Shirk is so evil that it destroys all of a person’s good deeds.

 

“And certainly, it has been revealed to you and to those before you: Surely if you associate (with Allah), all your works will be nullified, and you will be with the losers.” (Az-Zumar:65) 

 

If a person dies in a state of shirk, it is prohibited for his Muslim friends and relatives to seek forgiveness for him.

 

“It is not for the Prophet, and those who believe, to pray for the forgiveness of idolaters even though they may be near of kin (to them) after it has become clear that they are people of Hellfire.” (At-Tawbah, 9:113)

 

Allah has described those who commit shirk as being najas, or filthy.

 

“The idolaters are nothing but unclean.” (At-Tawbah, 9:28)

Shirk – Its Types and Definitions

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

 

“Shirk is of two types, major shirk which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, and lesser shirk.”

 

The first type, major shirk, is “Every type of shirk which the Lawgiver described as such and which puts a person beyond the pale of his religion” – such as devoting any kind of act of worship which should be for Allaah to someone other than Allaah, such as praying to anyone other than Allaah, fasting for anyone other than Allaah or offering a sacrifice to anyone other than Allaah. It is also a form of major shirk to offer supplication (du’aa’) to anyone other than Allaah, such as calling upon the occupant of a grave or calling upon one who is absent to help one in some way in which no one is able to help except Allaah.

 

The second type is minor shirk, which means every kind of speech or action that Islam describes as shirk, but it does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam – such as swearing an oath by something other than Allaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that whoever swears an oath by something other than Allaah is guilty of kufr or shirk.”
 

The one who swears an oath by something other than Allaah but does not believe that anyone other than Allaah has the same greatness as Allah, is a mushrik who is guilty of lesser shirk, regardless of whether the one by whom he swore is venerated by people or not. It is not permissible to swear by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or by the president, or by the Ka’bah, or by Jibreel, because this is shirk, but it is minor shirk which does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam.

 

Another type of minor shirk is showing off, which means that a person does something so that people will see it, not for the sake of Allaah.

The ways in which showing off may cancel out acts of worship are either of the following:

 

The first is when it is applies to an act of worship from the outset, i.e., the person is not doing that action for any reason other than showing off. In this case, the action is invalid and is rejected, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says that Allaah said,

“I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.”

(Narrated by Muslim, Kitaab al-Zuhd, no. 2985)

 

The second is when the showing off happens later on during the act of worship, i.e., the action is originally for Allaah, then showing off creeps into it. This may be one of two cases:

 

The first is when the person resists it – this does not harm him.

For example, a man has prayed a rak’ah, then some people come along during his second rak’ah and it occurs to him to make the rukoo’ or sujood longer, or makes himself weep, and so on. If he resists that, it does not harm him, because he is striving against this idea. But if he goes along with that, then every action which stemmed from showing off is invalid, such as if he made his standing or prostration long, or he made himself weep – all of those actions will be cancelled out. But does this invalidation extend to the entire act of worship or not?

 

We say that either of the following must apply:

Either the end of his act of worship was connected to the beginning (with no pause); so if the end of it is invalidated then all of it is invalidated.

This is the case with the prayer – the last part of it cannot be invalidated without the first part also being invalidated, so the whole prayer is invalid.

Or if the beginning of the action is separate from the end of it, then the first part is valid but the latter part is not. Whatever came before the showing off is valid, and what came after it is not valid.

 

An example of that is a man who has a hundred riyals, and gives fifty of them in charity for the sake of Allaah with a sound intention, then he gives fifty in charity for the purpose of showing off. The first fifty are accepted, and the second fifty are not accepted, because the latter is separate from the former.”

 

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, and al-Qawl al-Mufeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, vol. 1, p. 114, 1st edition

(Islam Q&A)

The Origins of Shirk - Shaikh Naasir ud-Din al-Albaani

From that which has been established in the Sharee'ah (prescribed law) is that mankind was - in the beginning - a single nation upn true Tawheed, then Shirk (directing any part or form of worship, or anything else that is solely the right of Allah, to other than Allah) gradually overcame them. The basis for this is the saying of Allah - the Most Blessed, the Most high:

 "Mankind was one Ummah, then Allah sent prophets bringing good news and warnings." (Surah Baqarah 2:213)  

Ibn 'Abbas - radiallaahu 'anhu - said: "Between Nooh (Noah) and Adam were ten generations, all of them were upon Sharee'ah (law) of the truth, then they differed. So Allah sent prophets as bringers of good news and as warners"(1)  

Ibn 'Urwah al-Hanbalee (d.837 H) said: "This saying refutes those historians from the People of the Book who claim that Qaabil (Cain) and his sons were fire-worshippers"(2)

 I say: In it is also a refutation of some of the philosophers and athists who claim that the (natural) basis of man is Shirk, and that Tawheed evolved in man! The preceeding aayah (verse) falsifies this claim, as do the two following authentic hadith:  Firstly: His (the prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) ) saying that he related from his Lord (Allah) :

"I created all my servants upon the true Religion (upon Tawheed, fre from Shirk). Then the devils came to them and led them astray from their true Religion. They made unlawful to people that which I had made lawful for them, and they commanded them to associate in worship with Me, that which I had sent down no authority."(3)  

Secondly: His (the prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) ) saying:

" Every child is born upon the Fitrah(4) but his parents make him a jew or a christian or a magian. It is like the way an animal gives birth to a natural offspring. have you noticed any born mutilated, before you mutilate them."

Abu Hurayrah said: Recite if you wish:

 "Allah's fitrah with which He created mankind. There is to be no change to the creation (Religion) of Allah."(Surah ar-Rum 30:30)(5)

 After this clear explanation, it is of the upmost importance for the Muslim to know how Shirk spread amongst the believers, after they were muwahhideen (people upon Tawheed)  Concerning the saying of Allah - the most perfect - about the people of Nooh:

  "And they have said : You shall not forsake your gods, nor shall you forsake Wadd, nor Suwaa', nor Yaghooth, nor Ya'ooq, nor Nasr."
(Surah Nooh 71:23)

 It has been related by a group from the Salaf (Pious Predecessors), in many narrations, that these five deities were righteous worshippers. However, when they died, Shaytaan (Satan) whispered into their people to retreat and sit at their graves. Then Shaytaan whispered to those who came after them that they should take them as idols, beautifying to them the idea that you will be reminded of them and thereby follow them in righteous conduct. Then Shaytaan suggested to the third generation that they should worship these idols besides Allah - the most high - and he whispered to them that this is what their forefathers used to do!!!
So Allah sent to them Nooh (as), commanding them to worship Allah alone. However none responded to hiscall except a few. Allah - the mighty and majestic - related this whole incident in surah Nooh Ibn 'Abbas relates:

"Indeed these five names of righteous men from the people of Nooh. When they died Shataan whispered to their people to make statues of them and to place these statues in their places of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this.
However, none from amongst them worshipped these statues, until when they died and the purpose of the statues was forgotten. Then (the next generation) began to worship them."(6)  The likes of this has also been related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree and others, from a number of the salaf (Pious Predecessors) - radiallaahu 'anhum. In ad-Durral-Manthoor (6/269):

'Abdullaah ibn Humaid relates from Abu Muttahar, who said: Yazeed ibn al-Muhallab was mentioned to Abu Ja'far al-Baaqir (d.11H), so he said: He was killed at the place where another besides Allah was first worshipped. Then he mentioned Wadd and said: 

 "Wadd was a Muslim man who was loved by his people. When he died, the people began to gather around his grave in the land of Baabil (Babel), lamenting and mourning. So when Iblees (Satan) saw them mourning and lamenting over him, he took the form of a man and came to them, saying : I see that you are mourning and lamenting over him. So why don't you make a picture of him (i.e. a statue) and place it in your places of gatherings so that you maybe reminded of him. So they said: Yes, and they made a picture of him and put in their place of gathering; which reminded them of him.
When Iblees saw how they were (excessively) remembering him, he said : "Why doesn't every man amongst you make a similar picture to keep in your own houses, so that you can be (constantly) reminded of him."

So they all said "yes". So each household made a picture of him, which they adored and venerated and which constantly reminded them of him.
Abu Ja'far said:

"Those from the later generation saw what the (pevious generation) had done and considered that........to the extent that they took him as an ilah (diety) to be worshipped besides Allah. He then said :" This was the first idol worshipped other than Allah, and they called this idol Wadd"(7)

Thus the wisdom of Allah - the Blessed, the Most High - was fufilled, when he sent Muhammed (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) as the final prophet and made his Sharee'ah the completion of all divinely Prescribed Laws, in that He prohibited all means and avenues by which people may fall into Shirk - which is the greatest of sins. For this reason, building shrines over graves and intending to specifically travel to them, taking them as places of festivity and gathering and swearing an oath by the inmate of a grave; have all bee prohibited.

All of these lead to excessiveness and lead to the worship of other than Allah - the Most High. This being the case even more so in an age in which knowledge is diminishing, ignorance is increasing, thre are few sincere advisors ( to the truth) and shaytaan is co-operating with men and jinn to misguide mankind and to take them away from the worship of Allah alone - the Blessed, the Most High.

Notes

(1) Tahdheerus-Saajid min Ittikhaadhil-Quboori Masaajid (pp.101-106)
(2) Related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree in his tafseer (4/275) and al-Haakim (2/546) who said: "It is authentic according to the criterion of al-Bukhari." Adh-Dhahabee also agreed.
(3) Al-Khawaakibud-Duraaree fee Tarteeb Musnadul-Imaam Ahmad'alaa Abwaabil-Bukhaaree (6/212/1), still in manuscript form.
(4) Related by Muslim (8/159) and Ahmad (4/162) from 'Iyaadh ibn Himaar al-Mujaashi'ee radiallaahu 'anhu
(5) [From the Editors] Ibn-al-Atheer said in an-Nihaayah (3/457): "Al-Fitr: means to begin and create, and al-Fitrah is the condition resulting from it. The meaning is that mankind were born upona disposition and a nature which is ready to accept the true Religion. So if he were to be left upon this, then he would continue upon it. However, those who deviate from this do so due to following human weaknesses and blind following of others....."
Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar said in Al-Fath (3/248): "The people differ concerning what is meant by al-Fitrah and the most famous saying is that it means Islam. Ibn 'abdul-Barr said: That is what was well known with most of the salaf (pious predecessors), and the scholars of tafseer are agreed that what is meant by the saying of Allah - the Most High - "Allah's fitrah with which He created mankind." is Islam
(6) Related by Al-Bukhaaree (11/418) and Muslim (18/52)
(7) Realted by al-Bukhaaree (8/534)
(8) Related by Ibn Abee Haatim also, as is in al-Kawaakibud-Duraaree (6/112/2) of Ibn 'Urwah al-Hanbalee, along with an isnaad which is Hasan, up to Abu Muttahar. However, no biography could be found for him, neither in ad-Dawlaabee's al-Kunaa wal-Asmaa, nor Muslim's al-Kunaa, nor any one elses. And the hidden defect here is that he is from the Shee'ah, but his biography is not included in at-Toosee's al-Kunaa -- from the index of Shee'ah narrators
Tahdheerus-Saajid min Ittikhaadhil-Quboori Masaajid

Definition of Shirk

The Quran and Sunnah have defined shirk,

 

“So do not make, along with Allah, partners (andaad) while you know (that He is the true Creator)” (2:22)

 

Ibn Mas’ood radiyAllahu ‘anhu asked the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam,

“What is the greatest sin?” He replied: “To take alongside Allah a partner (nidd) even though it was He that created you.”

 

The essence of Shirk involves giving Allah’s rights to other than Him. Therefore, to claim that a certain object or deity has the power to bless one with one’s needs is shirk. To prostrate or make du’aa to other than Allah is also shirk. The claim that any created object knows everything, or can hear any plea directed to it, is shirk. Whenever any specific right of Allah’s is given to any other object, whether that object be a living being or an inanimate object, real or imagined, shirk has occurred.

 

Categories of Shirk

 

1. Shirk in Ruboobiyyah – This includes shirk by denial or affirmation. Shirk by denial includes denying that creation has a Creator, or denying the perfect existence of Allah by denying any of His Names and Attributes. By this definition, atheism is a form of shirk, since they take the right of creating away from Allah. Shirk by affirmation would be like affirming another creator in addition to Allah.

 

2. Shirk in Asmaa wa as-Sifaat. This can occurs by comparing Allah to the creation, or by comparing the creation to Allah.

 

3. Shirk in Uloohiyyah. This is the most common type of shirk. It is also the only category in which minor shirk can occur. This will be explained in the manifestations of Tawheed.

Importance of Knowing Shirk

Allah (swt) has clarified the path of shirk for us,

 

“And thus do We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that the way of the Mujrimun (criminals, polytheists, sinners), may become manifest.” (6:55)

 

We learn evil to avoid it, not for the sake of doing it. He who does not know good from evil will fall into it.

The study of shirk is, therefore, an essential component of studying Tawheed.

1. Acts of worship will not be accepted by Allah unless tawheed is perfected.
2. Likewise, the only way that any person will save himself from the Fire of Hell is by avoiding shirk and dying upon tawheed; if he is not even aware of the essence of shirk, then how can he avoid it?
3. The primary incentive to avoid shirk is to appreciate its dangers.
4. Shirk is of many different types and categories.

It is only through a critical study of these categories that a person can ensure that he is free of all types of shirk.

An important maxim to keep in mind while studying shirk is to know that Tawheed existed before shirk:

1. The Fitrah and Meethaq
2. First shirk to occur was during the time of Prophet Nooh ‘alayhis salam.
3. Adam ‘alayhis salam, the first man and the father of all peoples, was a Prophet of Allah.

The Foundations of Ibadah -Source :Ad-Dawah ilalLaah Magazine

One of the most beautiful this about the concept of worship in Islaam is the truly unique way in which it incorporates the feelings of love, fear and hope within the hearts of the worshippers of Allah. Understanding how to combine these three qualities into the worship ('ibaadah) of Allah is one of the most essential things that every Muslim must grasp, ,not least because every sect which has drifted from the Straight Path has strayed in this aspect of worship. The deviation of the other Religions in this regards is clear for all to see: "God is Love! Jesus is Love!" say the Christians, denying the fact that God should be feared too. As for the Jews, then their hearts are filled only with hope - hope in the belief that the Fire will not touch them since they are the "Promised People". In Islaam however, no worship is complete without the presence of all three qualities: LOVE of Allah, HOPE in His Mercy and FEAR of His Punishment. Contemplate the opening Soorah of the Qur'aan - Sooratul Faatihah - and you will see for yourself.

Aaayah 1: "All Praise [and Thanks] are for Allah, Rabb of all the worlds." In this opening aayah (verse) of the Qur'aan, we have LOVE of Allah and every time we recite this aayah we are testifying to our love for Allah. How is that you ask? IT is because in this aayah, we are acknowledging that Allah is our Rabb and the Rabb of all the worlds. Rabb is usually translated as 'the Lord', but this translation does not do justification to this name of Allah and all the meanings that this name carries. In reality Rabb means that Allah is the Creator of everything; He sustains and nourishes everything; He gives life and death; anything good which we have is from Him; everything is dependent on Him and nothing can happen unless He wills it.    Furthermore, for the Muslim He - the Rabb - is the One who has guided us to the Truth and given us good morals and manners. Thuis when we testify that Allah is out Rabb, then we are acknowledging that He is the One who has given us so many blessings - so many that is we tried to enumerate His blessings upon us, we could not count them. So how could we not love Him? After all, we know that when someone gives us even a small gift or shows even a small act of kindness towards us, then we develop so much love for them on account of that - so imagine then the love we should[1] have for our Rabb who has given us everything: nice families, shelter, security, food, health, and above all, Guidance to Islaam and the Sunnah. We should be overwhelming in our love for Him and thank Him and say: "All Praises [and Thanks] are for Allah, Rabbil-'aalameen."

Aayah 2: "The Rahman [Merciful] and the Raheem [Mercy-Giving]."

 In the first aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah, Allah mentioned that He was ar-Rabb. In the next aayah two more of His beautiful names are mentioned: ar-Rahmaan and ar-Raheem. Ar-Rahman means that He is the Most Merciful, that is, His Nature or His Essence is Merciful. Ar-Raheem means that He is the Giver of Mercy, in other words, His actions are full of Mercy and He shows Mercy to His creation.[2]  When we mention these two names of Allah, then we have HOPE. Since He has described Himself as so full of Mercy then we have hope that He will forgive out sins, and no matter how numerous out sins may be, we should never lose this hope, because Allah has told us:  "O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah verily Allah forgives all sins [except shirk]. Truly He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Mercy-Giving." [az-Zumar (39):53].  The need to have FEAR in our worship is shown by the next aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah:

Aayah 3: "King/Master of the Day of Judegment." When we recite this aayah we are reminding ourselves of the Day of Judgement - that awful Day, when we shall all stand before Allah, naked, uncircumcised and barefooted. Some will be sweating so much that it will go seventy arm-length into the earth. People will appear drunk though they are no. On this Day, every person will stand before Allah and account for his sins, knowing that not even the smallest action which he did is hidden from Allah:

"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it." [az-Zalzalah (99):7-8].

 So when we recite this third aayah of Sooratul-Faatihah, we remind ourselves of this Judgement and accountability and that should bring about in us a sense of fear - that maybe out evil actions will be too great and we will be responsible for it - may Allah protect us from such a fate.

Then the next verse goes on to say:  

"You alone we worship." i.e. we single out Allah for our worship. And how do we worship Him? With LOVE, HOPE and FEAR. And in order to achieve these qualities, we need Allah's assistance, so we say then: "We seek Your Aid." [1:4].  STRIKING THE BALANCE After understanding the need to have love, fear and hope in our worship, the question that now arises is: in what proportions should these qualities be present in our worship? Again we turn to the Qur'aan for our answer.

"Call upon Him with Fear and Hope." [al-A'raff(7):56]. And also:

"Their sides forsake their beds, to invokde their Lord in Fear and Hope." [as-Sajdah(32):16].

 So both fear and hope should be present inour hearts in equal proportions. Anas - radiAllaahu 'anhu - reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam entered upon a young boy who was dying. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam asked: "How are you?" The boy replied: "O Messenger of Allah, I am in-between hoping in Allah and fearing for my sins." The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: "The like of these two qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared."[3]  Therefore, whenever we do a good action, we should have hope that it has been accepted by Allah, but at the same time we should also have fear that maybe it isn't enough or that the good deed has not been worthy of acceptance. Likewise when we sin, we should have hope that Allah will accept out Repentance and forgive us, but we should also fear that we may be accountable for it.  This balance should also be reflected in out da'wah (which of course is also worship). So when we invite others to the Truth, we should not give them the impression that they have "nothing to worry about"; nor do we suggest that they are doomed forever. Rather, we couple warnings with encouragement. We inform them of the horrors of the Fire as well as telling them about the bliss of Paradise. Just as we find Allah telling us in the Qur'aan:

"Verily your Lord is Quick in Punishment and verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Giver of Mercy." [al-A'raaf(7):167].

And our Righteous Predecessors used to say:  "He who worships Allah with hope only is a Murji'ee. He who worships Him in fear only is a Harooree [Khaarijee]. And he who worships Allah in love only is a Zindeeq [e.g. Soofees, Christians]. But he who worships Allah in fear, love and hope is a Muwahhid Mu'min [a believer upon Tawheed." [4]  The Murji'ah were a sect that emerged within the first century of Islaam. The people of this sect (known as murji'ees) believe that sins do not affect faith, i.e. no matter what sins a person commits, his eemaan (faith) is complete and perfect. They worship Allah only with hope because they belive that as along as one believed and testified to Islaam, they would enter Paradise regardless of their actions.  Unfortunately, all too often nowadays we find a somewhat similar attitude amongst the Muslims today, which is why we find that so often when we try to advise someone to turn to the Deen and abandon sin, they just point to their hearts and say, "Allah knows what's in my heart", or that "Allah forgives" or something similar.  As for the Khawaarij, they worshipped Allah in fear only because they held that anyone who committed major sins was a disbeliever and would therefore dwell in Hellfire forever. This, of course, is gross extremism and a straying from the correct Path. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said: "There were two men from Banoo Israa'eel who strove equally. One of them committed sins and the other strove hard in worship. And the one who strove in worship continued to see the other sin and kept saying to him: 'Desist'. So one day, he found him committing a sin and so said to him: 'Desist'. So he replied: "Leave me to my Lord; have you been sent as a watcher over me?" He said: "By Allah, Allah will nor forgive you, nor will Allah admit you to Paradise." Then their sould were taken and they came together before the Lord of the Worlds. So He said to the one who strove in worship: "Did you have knowledge of Me, or did you have any power over what was in my Hands?" And He said to the sinner: "Go and enter Paradise through My Mercy." And He said to the other: "Take him to the Fire." Aboo Hurairah said: "By Him is Whose Hand is my soul! He spoke a word which destroyed this world and the Hereafter for him."[5]  Therefore we should never say of anyone that he or she is a 'lost cause' or 'doomed' or the like since this is a great sin. However, we fear for those who commit major sins because they have been threatened with punsihment in the Qur'aan. It is up to Allah whether He chooses to punish them or whether He will forgive them.

The Zanaadiqah - or the heretics - are groups, such as many of the Soofees who have become like the Christians and reduced the religion to just 'love' and so all their talk and all their mystical practices are centred around developing more 'love'. It is thus clear how imbalances in any of the three qualities of worship can lead to major deviation and straying from the True Guidance, Therefore it is important for every Muslim to inculcate all three things in his heart properly. As was mentioned before, the fear and hope should be in equal proportions[6] but as for love, then that should be uppermost, As Fudayl ibn Iyyaad (d.187H) said: "The love is better than fear. The fear checks us from sinning, and the love makes us to do what is prescribed with an open heart."[7]  May Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala grant us what we hope for and protect us from what we fear. Aameen. Footnotes 1 This is why the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam encouraged us to give gifts to one another. He said: "Give gifts to one another, you will come to love one another." [Hasan - Collected in al-Bukhaaree's al-Adabul-Mufrad & declared hasan by al-Albaanee in al-Irwaa(1601). 2 As explained by Ibnul-Qayyim (d.751H) in Badaa'i-ul-Faawaa'id & others. 3 Hasan - Collected by at-Tirmidhee & Ibn Maajah. Authenticated by al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa'iz (no. 2). 4 Quoted by ibn Rajab in at-Takhweef minan-Naar as the saying of one of the Salaf. 5 Saheeh - Reported by Aboo Hurairah & collected in Aboo Daawood (eng. trans. vol.3 p.1365 no.4883). Authenticatd by al-Albaanee in Saheehul-Jaami (4455). 6 This was the opinion of most of the Salaf. Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyyaad said that when one is healthy and well, then fear should predominate, but when terminally ill then hope should predominate - so that one should strive to do good when well and not despair of Allah's Mercy when terminally ill. [At-Takhweef minan-Naar]. 7 Reported in at-Takhweef minan-Naar of Ibn Rajab. Note that some scholars hold that fear is better than love. Allah knows best.
Source :Ad-Dawah ilalLaah Magazine
 

Pillars of Ibaadah

These are the motivational factors of worship. To perfect our worship needs 3 important factors. To have only one is a weakness and will lead to deviation. Full spirituality is based on these 3 emotions: Love, Fear, and Hope.

 

These 3 pillars are all combined in one ayah,

Those whom they call upon [like 'Iesa] desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord (Allah), as to which of them should be the nearest and they ['Iesa (Jesus), 'Uzair (Ezra), angels, etc.] hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily, the Torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of! (17:57)

 

Surah al-Fatihah also alludes to this. The first ayah shows love, the second shows hope, and then the next ayah shows fear. And then based on this we do worship Allah as occurs in the 4^th ayah. Amazingly, the ayaat showing us the categories of tawheed also show the pillars of ibaadah.

 

The parable of a bird can explain this. The heart of a bird is love, and the 2 wings are hope and fear.

Love is the primary emotion, but the other two are needed as well. Love is the heart of the bird, but the wings of fear and hope propel it forward.

 

People at different levels should focus on what they need most. For example, a person involved in a major sin should try to focus on fear. None of them can be done at complete exclusion of the other. One example of this is the Christians who worship based on love only.


Some of the Salaf have said, 'He, who worships Allah with love alone is a Zindeeq (heretic). He, who worships Allah with hope alone, is a Murjee, and he, who worships Him with fear alone, is a Hurooree (meaning from the Khawarij). He, who worships Allah with love, fear and hope, is a Mumin Muwahhid. Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has mentioned this is his essay, 'al-Ubodiyah,' and he also said, 'Thus, the Deen of Allah is worship, obedience and submission to Him. As for Ibadah, its original meaning also denotes lowliness and submission. One says, 'a pathway that is mu'abbad,' i.e. it has become smoothed out because of being treaded upon. However, the Ibadah that has been enjoined (upon us) encompasses the meaning of submission along with the meaning of love. It embodies the utmost degree of submission to Allah through utmost degree of love to Him� One who submits to a person whilst possessing hatred for him is not an aabid (worshipper) of him and if he was to love someone and at the same time does not submit to him, he is likewise not an aabid of him, as is the case of a man who loves his child and friend. Consequently, only one of the two (qualities) is not sufficient as far as the Ibadah of Allah is concerned. Rather, it is necessary that Allah be the most beloved above all else to the abd (the slave) and that he holds Allah to be the greatest of all. Indeed, none other than Allah deserves total love and submission'' [end quote] [See, Majmoo at-Tawheed an-Najdiyah, p.549]    These are the pillars of al-Ubudiyah. Al-Allamah Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said in Nuniyyah:

'Worship of Allah is utmost love for Him,
along with the worshipper's submission,
these are the two axis (Qutban), upon which the orbit of Ibadah revolves.
And it does not revolve until the axis are established,
And that which causes it to turn is the command of the Messenger,
Not desires, soul or Shaytan.'

He (rahimahullah) likened the revolution of worship to be upon love and submission for the beloved, i.e. Allah, to the revolution of a celestial body upon its axis. And he mentioned that the revolution of worship is by the command of the Messenger and what he has ordered, and not desire, and what the soul orders him or the Shaytan, because this is not worship. So, what the Messenger has ordered revolves the orbit of worship, not innovations, desires or blind-following of the forefathers.

Taken from As-Sunnah Newsletter

 

The Concept of Ibaadah in Islam

Ibn Katheer defines ‘ibaadah as, “a state which combines the perfection of love, submission, and fear.”

Generally speaking these 3 emotions are never combined and directed to only one object. When they are channeled to one object that is when worship occurs.

Ibn Taymiyyah defined it to be, “a comprehensive term, encompassing all apparent and hidden acts and statements that are beloved to Allah.”

In other words, ibaadah can be defined as a state and it can also be defined by actions.

Many other religions consider worship to be simply killing your desires, or trying to benefit mankind. This is incorrect. The Islamic position is that worship is any act that is beloved to Allah.

In general, actions can be worldly or spiritual/religious. Examples of worldly actions are things like wearing clothes, or eating. They are done by humans irrelevant of religion or time. The opposite is spiritual or religious. For example the way Christians worship God are very specific and religious in nature.

For any spiritual or religious act to be accepted by Allah in Islam, it must meet 2 conditions,

1. Sincerity
2. Conformity

Sincerity means to do it solely for the sake of Allah. The second condition means it must agree with the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). No human being has the right to legislate an act of worship.

The Prophet (saw) said, “Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.”(Related by Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

“You alone we worship.” (Al-Faatihah, 1:5)

If the condition of sincerity is not met, then a person will fall into shirk. If the condition of conformity is not met, then a person falls into bid’ah.

The Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever adds anything to this matter of ours (our religion) will have it rejected. “ (Bukhari)

Every act of worship we do will have two registers opened on its behalf.

The first register will address the issue of: WHY?

Why did we perform that action? Was it out of habit? Was it out of the desire to show off? Or was it done sincerely for Allah?

The second register will address: HOW?

How did we perform this act? Did our act conform to the teachings of our beloved Muhammad (SAS)? Or did it oppose the sunnah?

For every act we do, we should always remember these two basic components: WHY and HOW. (Adapted from the works of Ibnul Qayyim)

Worldly actions on the other hand, are not rewarded or punished unless of course it is a sin like drinking alcohol. For example, there is no merit to drinking Pepsi instead of Coke. You are neither punished nor rewarded for either.

In Islam, worldly actions can become spiritual actions with only one condition, that of sincerity. However, if a worldly action is not done for the sake of Allah it is not shirk. There is no shirk or bid’ah in worldly actions.

“And whatever you spend is an act of charity for you, even the bite of food that you raise to the mouth of your wife.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

“I seek reward in my sleep as I seek reward in my standing for prayer.” (Mu’aadh ibn Jabal- Reported by Al-Bukhari)

Conditions of the Shahadah (Details) by Jamal Zarabozo

The Prerequisites of the Declaration of Faith
al-Basheer Magazine (Vol. 7, no. 5, Jan-Feb ’94)

 

Every Muslim knows that the key to Paradise is the statement, “There is none worthy of worship except Allaah.” Yet too many Muslims simply rely upon this statement and believe that as long as they have made this statement, nothing will harm them. They think they will be granted Paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the Shahadah. There is no question that the mere saying of,” I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger,” is not sufficient for salvation. In fact, the hypocrites used to make this statement quite often yet Allaah describes them as liars and says that they shall abide in the lowest abyss of the Hell-fire.
As many scholars state, though, this statement or testimony is the key to Paradise.

The famous follower Wahb ibn Munabbih was once asked, ” Isn’t the statement of la ilaha illa-llah the key to Paradise?” He answered, “Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you.” That is, the statement must meet certain conditions. These conditions are what will differentiate the person who will benefit from his making of that statement from the one who will not benefit from that statement, no matter how many times a day he may have made that statement.
Before discussing the conditions of the Shahadah, there is one more point that I feel compelled to make. That is, some people have a tendency to take one hadeeth or one verse and then based on that one text, they will make some conclusion that, for example, whoever simply says,” There is no God except Allaah,” will enter Paradise. But, actually, we should all realise that all of the Quraan and Hadeeth complement each other and explain one another. To find the correct position on any one question, one must bring together all of the related verses and hadeeth and see what the true Islaamic position is of that question. The same is true for the conditions of the shahadah.

If we study the verses of the Quraan and the Hadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon him), we will find that the conditions of the shahadah are seven, eight or nine in number depending on how we look at them. It is important that all of us make sure that we are meeting these conditions in our own lives and in our own testimony of faith. We must do our best to satisfy these conditions before it is too late and our testimony will be of no avail whatsoever. It is not simply for the sake of teaching these conditions, indeed there is no benefit to that. But it is, instead, for all of us to look to ourselves and to make sure that we are actually meeting these conditions so that, by Allaah’s mercy, the doors to Paradise will be open for us by our key of la ilaha illa-llah.


The FIRST of these condition is 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. Allaah says in the Quraan,
“So know that there is no God save Allaah, and ask forgiveness for your sin” (Muhammad : 19)

Similarly, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of worship except Allaah shall enter Paradise.” (Recorded by 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. Allaah says in the Quraan,

“Save him who bears witness unto the truth knowingly” (al-Zukhruf : 86).

Now this condition probably sounds obvious; if someone said to you, “There is no God except Allaah,” and then said that what he meant by Allaah was Jesus, you would immediately tell him that this shahadah is nonsense. Yet can you imagine that there is a Muslim country in the world that until recently used to have a yearly week-long celebration to “the Gods of the Sea”! All along they call themselves Muslims and they make the shahadah numerous times a day.

This clearly shows that they have no idea what the meaning of their shahadah is. Do you think that this kind of shahadah will open the doors to Paradise for them? Today, there are many Muslims who wonder why we should not accept secularism. They think that there is nothing wrong with secularism! Many of these Muslims pray five times a day and utter the shahadah repeatedly. Yet they see nothing wrong with accepting a Lawgiver other than Allaah? What kind of shahadah are these people making?

All of us do our best to learn at least the basics of Islaamic beliefs, the basics of what shahadah means. In this way, Allaah willing, we will be making the correct shahadah. We will be witnessing to the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it.

The SECOND condition of the shahadah is CERTAINTY (or al-yaqeen).

This is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. In Islaam, in fact, any kind of doubt is equivalent to Kufr or 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 Allaah.” Allaah describes the believers in the Quraan as those who have belief in Allaah and then their hearts waver not. Allaah says,

“the (true) believers are those only who believe in Allaah and His messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allaah. Such are the sincere” (al-Hujuraat : 15)

Similarly, the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said, “No one meets Allaah with the testimony that there is none worthy of worship but Allaah and I am the Messenger of Allaah, and he has no doubt about hat statement, except that he will enter Paradise.” (Recorded by Muslim.)

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

“They alone seek leave of thee (not to participate in jihad) who believe not in Allaah and the Last Day and whose hearts feel doubt, so in their doubt they waver” (al-Tauba : 45).

Many scholars have stated that the diseases of the heart, or the doubt and suspicions that one allows into one’s heart, are more dangerous for a person’s faith than lusts and desires. This is because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to be wrong 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 Islaam entirely or continues to practice Islaam 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 Quraan and the sunnah that most of these doubts will be removed.

By study and understanding, one will attain certainty. And as one studies and learns more, his certainty will be made firmer and firmer. I will give you just one example on this point; this is related to all of the doubts, suspicions and misconceptions that are circulating about the authenticity of the hadeeth literature.

For example, some Muslims even claim that hadeeth were not recorded until at least 200 years after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Indeed, there are Muslims who seem to have a great deal of doubt about hadeeth and very quick to reject hadeeth on that basis.
But, in fact, if one actually takes the time to study the history and preservation of hadeeth, one will immediately recognise that all those claims and charges against the hadeeth are not based on anything scientific whatsoever.

They are nothing but false claims that come from Satan and which Muslims with poor understanding and knowledge have allowed to creep into their hearts. Let me make one last point about this condition of certainty.

As I alluded to earlier, doubts and misconceptions are very dangerous for a person’s faith. Doubt and wavering are tantamount to apostasy in Islaam, as I mentioned earlier. Hence, every Muslim should do best to safeguard himself from such doubts and remain away from the sources of doubts- especially if they are not well grounded in the Islaamic sciences and do not have the knowledge to refute such doubts and misconceptions.

Hence if a person has an associate or friend, even if he be a Muslim friend, who is always making him doubt Allaah or the religion, then he should remain away from that person in order to safeguard his own religion. Many Muslims nowadays study courses on Islaam taught by Orientalists and because of their weak backgrounds in Islaamic studies, they are influenced by the nonsense that some of these Orientalists are teaching in the name of “science”.

Similarly, many brothers and sisters nowadays are spending hours at a time with the computer news groups and bulletin boards. A lot of nonsense and falsehood are posted on those news groups and bulletin boards. Again, the one who is not very knowledgeable of his religion may easily be influenced and affected by the misconceptions and false arguments that he reads in those bulletin boards. He should remain away from those things and get a deeper knowledge of Islaam through the authentic sources of the religion.

Again, the greatest counterforce that can defeat doubts and misconceptions, after the bounty and guidance of Allaah, is sound knowledge and understanding of the religion. When a person has that, he will not be affected by the weak arguments put out by the enemies of Islaam and he will be, Allaah willing, from among those described in the Quraan,

“It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah” (Faatir : 28)

The THIRD condition of the shahadah is ACCEPTANCE (or al-qabool).


If a person has knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must 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, than 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 Quraan 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. Allaah says in the Quraan,

“Do you believe in part of the book and reject part of it? And what is the reward of those who do so save ignominy in the life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be consigned to the most grievous doom” (al-Baqara : 85)

This is one aspect that the Muslims must be aware of. Although it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept the truth, by rejecting part of the truth that has come from Allaah, one also negates his testimony of faith.

Unfortunately, many Muslims are doing this nowadays in various ways. Although not all of these forms may necessarily be considered apostasy, they are still very dangerous.
For example, if they do not like what is stated in a verse in the Quraan, they simply reinterpret the verse according to their liking. If they do not like what is stated in a hadeeth, they simply state that the hadeeth must not be authentic although they are not scholars in that area. This kind of behaviour is the antithesis of the behaviour of the true Muslims. Whatever comes from Allaah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), the true Muslim believes in as the truth. This goes hand in hand with their testimony of faith.

The FOURTH condition of the shahadah is SUBMISSION and COMPLIANCE (or al-inqiyad).


This implies the actual physical enactment with our deeds of our shahadah. In fact, this is one of the main meanings of the word Islaam itself, “the submission to the will and commands of Allaah.” This is what Allaah commands in the Quraan,

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

Allaah has praised those who submit to His command by their actions. Allaah says,

“Who is better in religion than he who surrenders his purpose to Allaah while doing good” (al-Nisa : 125).

Actually, Allaah has clearly made it a condition of faith that one submits to the command of Allaah and His messenger. Allaah says,

“But nay, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you [the Messenger of Allaah] 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 who claim that there is no relationship between faith and deeds. You can even hear one Muslim saying about another, “That is the best Muslim I have ever met,” yet the other person performs scarcely any of the deeds of Islaam whatsoever. This incorrect understanding of faith has spread throughout the Muslim world.

Indeed, our shahadah or testimony of faith must be implemented or realised in our hearts, tongues and actions. In our hearts, we must have love for Allaah, fear Allaah 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. Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and yet does no deeds, either does not understand Islaam whatsoever or is bearing testimony against himself that his testimony of faith is not a true and correct testimony of faith.

This does not mean that the true believer never commits a sin. Indeed, true believers do commit sins, but as long as they recognise that what they did is not correct and it is inconsistent with their obligation of submitting to Allaah, then they have not violated the soundness of their testimony or shahadah.

But do not forget, they are still sinners. And what is the minimum of submission that is required from a person beyond which there can be no claim to faith? For those scholars who say that the abandonment of prayers is infidelity, it is the five daily prayers. Whoever does not perform, at least, the five daily prayers has gone beyond the limit that is acceptable for lack of deeds. Allaah knows best.

The FIFTH condition is TRUTHFULNESS (or as-sidq), as opposed to hypocrisy and dishonesty.


This means that when we say the shahadah, we are saying it honestly. We actually mean it. 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 Allaah, sincerely from his heart, except that Allaah makes the Hell-fire forbidden for him.” (Recorded by al-Bukharee and 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 get some gain from doing so; these are the hypocrites. Allaah has described them in the opening of the Quraan with the following words,

“And of mankind are some who say, ‘We believe in Allaah and the Last Day,’ when they believe not. They think to beguile Allaah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they perceive not. In their hearts is a disease, and Allaah increases their disease. A painful doom is theirs because they lie” (al-Baqara 8-10).

Obviously, the shahadah of those who become Muslims simply to benefit from being Muslim and not because they believe in Islaam will be rejected by Allaah in the Hereafter. They will face a painful punishment due to their lying.

The SIXTH condition is SINCERITY (or al-ikhlaas).


That is, when we make the shahadah, we must do so solely for the sake of Allaah. We must not do it for any other reason. And we must not do it for anyone else’s sake. In this manner, the meaning of sincerity is opposite of Shirk or ascribing partners with Allaah. We became and remain Muslims solely for Allaah’s sake. Allaah says in the Quraan,

“Worship Allaah, making religion pure for him” (al-Zumar : 2).

And Allaah also says,

“And they are ordained not else than to serve Allaah, 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-Bayyinah : 5)

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) added,

 “Allaah has forbidden for the Hell-fire anyone who says, ‘There is no one worthy of worship except Allaah,’ and say so desiring the face [and pleasure] of Allaah.” (Recorded by Muslim).

This is something that we should all think about, especially those of us who grew up in Muslim families and were born Muslim. We should make it very clear to ourselves that we are Muslims only for the sake of Allaah. We are not Muslims for the sake of our parents, friends, family or community. It must be clear in our minds that we are Muslims for the sake of Allaah first, last and only.

One of the signs that we are Muslims for the sake of Allaah is that we do whatever Allaah asks of us, regardless of what anybody else desires or wants from us. That is, in the same way that we are Muslims solely for the sake of Allaah, all of our actions are done for the sake of Allaah.

However, sometimes one begins to wonder whether this condition is met by some people. Some people from the Muslim world practice Islaam to the extent that it is pleasing to their families. If there is anything in Islaam that their families do not like- although their families are Muslim and therefore they actually should like all of Islaam- then they do not practice that aspect of Islaam.

One common example of that nature is mixing between men and women. Sometimes a brother, here in the U.S., will not mix with women and his wife will remain separate from the men. Yet, when they return to their homes, because this is not pleasing to their families who want to mix between men and women, they easily, simply and happily compromise their religion for the sake of their parents. These people must sincerely ask themselves why they are Muslims. Are they Muslims for the sake of their parents and therefore whatever their parents like they will do and whatever their parents do not like they won’t do? Or are they Muslims for the sake of Allaah and therefore whatever Allaah dislikes they will not do and whatever Allaah is pleased with they do?

The SEVENTH condition is LOVE (or al-mahabbah).


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 not the faith of a true believer. And if he loves something more that this shahadah or if he loves something more than Allaah, 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 Allaah in his love. Allaah says in the Quraan,

“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allaah, loving them with a love like (that which is due to) Allaah only. However, those who believe are stauncher in their love of Allaah''(al-Baqara : 165).

And elsewhere Allaah says

“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 desire are dearer to you than Allaah and His Messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allaah brings His command to pass. Allaah guides not wrongdoing folk” (al-Tauba : 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 Allaah and His Messenger more than he loves anyone else…” (Recorded by al-Bukharee and Muslim.).

This is one of the most important aspects of Islaam yet, for some reason, it is missing from the lives of many Muslims. They act in Islaam as if Islaam were a chore instead of doing things out of the love of Allaah. When Allaah orders us to do something, like bear witness to the faith, we should realise that that thing is pleasing to Allaah and, therefore, out of our love for Allaah, we should be very pleased to do the acts that are pleasing to Allaah. But, as I said, this feeling is missing from many, many Muslims today.

The EIGHT condition of the shahadah is that the person who makes the shahadah must DENY EVERY OTHER OBJECT OF WORSHIP.

Although that is clear in the words of the testimony of faith, it does not seem clear to everyone who makes that testimony. Therefore, I am mentioning it explicitly here. In Surah al-Baqara, Allaah clearly reminds us of this important aspect of the shahadah, the shahadah is not merely an affirmation but it is both and affirmation and a negation. Allaah states,
 
“And he who rejects false deities and believes in Allaah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break” (al-Baqara : 256).

Perhaps the Prophet (peace be upon him) made this point even clearer when he said,
 “Whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except Allaah and denies whatever is worshipped besides Allaah, then his wealth and blood are protected and his accounting will be with Allaah.” (Recorded by Muslim).

 Although this condition should be obvious to everyone who says the words of shahadah, you can still find Muslims who say the shahadah and then make acts of worship for beings or things other than Allaah. You will find them going to the graveyards and worshipping those in the graves. They will perform acts of worship, not for the sake of Allaah, but for the sake of the dead “saints” in the grave. What kind of shahadah have these people made? Do you really think that their shahadah will mean anything on the Day of Judgement as long as they believe that acts of worship may be done for other than Allaah?
 

The NINTH condition of the shahadah is that the Muslim ADHERES to the shahadah until he dies.

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

 “By the One whom there is no other God, one of you does the actions of Paradise until there is just a handspan 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” (Recorded by al-Bukharee and Muslim.) And Allaah says in the Quraan,
 
“O believers, observe your duty to Allaah with right observance, and die not save as Muslims [surrendering yourselves to Allaah]” (al-Imran : 102).
 
Dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions of the shahadah. These are the aspects of the shahadah that each and every one of us should look to in ourselves and ask ourselves, “Is my shahadah meeting those requirements? Am I saying it sincerely, honestly and out of love for Allaah? Am I saying it based on what it really means? Am I denying all other false objects of worship?…”

These questions we should ask ourselves now before we meet Allaah. Allaah willing, we shall ask ourselves these questions now and we shall find that we have all the right answers for them. Or, if we find we have some deficiency, we shall work to remove that deficiency. Such that, by Allaah’s mercy, in the Hereafter, our shahadah will be the key to Paradise for us and the gates of Paradise will swing wide open for us and we will be able to live forever in the bounties of Paradise, with Allaah being pleased with us.

Again, it is not simply a matter of knowing these conditions. Indeed, one can meet many Muslims who have these conditions memorised, yet when one looks to their deeds and behaviour, one can see that these conditions have no effect on them. This means, in fact, no matter how well he knows and can rattle off these conditions, he, in fact, is not fulfilling them. In the Hereafter, his knowledge of these conditions will be of no avail to him. Indeed, his knowledge will be a proof against him as he clearly knows what the conditions are that he must satisfy yet he has shown that he is not willing to satisfy them in his life.