Tawhid: Faith in the Unity of God

[sahal]

Tawhid: Faith in the Unity of God

Abul A'La Mawdudi, Towards Understanding Islam

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The most fundamental and the most important teaching of Prophet Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) is faith in the unity of God. This is expressed in the primary Kalimah of Islam as "There is no deity but Allah" (La ilaha illallah). This beautiful phrase is the bedrock of Islam, its foundation and its essence. It is the expression of this belief which differentiates a true Muslim from a kafir (unbeliever), mushrik (one who associates others with God in His Divinity) or dahriyah (an atheist).

 

The acceptance or denial of this phrase produces a world of difference between man and man. The believers in it become one single community and those who do not believe in it form an opposing group. For the believers there is unhampered progress and success in this world and in the hereafter, while failure and ignominy are the ultimate lot of those who refuse to believe in it.

 

But the difference between the believers and the unbelievers does not result from the mere chanting of a few words. Obviously, the mere utterance of a phrase or two is not in itself important. The real difference lies in the conscious acceptance of this doctrine and complete adherence to it in practical life. Mere repetition of the word 'food' cannot dull hunger; mere chanting of a medical prescription cannot heal the disease.

 

In the same way, if the Kalimah is repeated without any understanding, it cannot work the revolution which it is meant to bring about. This can occur only if a person grasps the full meaning of the doctrine and accepts and follows it in letter and spirit. We avoid fire because we know that it burns; we keep away from poison because we know that it can kill. Similarly, if the real meanings of Tawhid are fully grasped, we avoid, in belief as well as in action, every form of disbelief, atheism and polytheism. This is the natural consequence of belief in the Unity of God.

 

The Meaning of the Kalimah

In Arabic the word ilah means 'one who is worshipped', that is, a being which on account of its greatness and power is considered worthy to be worshipped: to be bowed to in humility and submission. Anything or any being possessing power too great to be comprehended by man is also called ilah. The concept ilah also includes the possession of infinite powers and conveys the sense that others are dependent on ilah and that he is not dependent on anyone else. The word ilah carries, too, a sense of concealment and mystery. The word Khuda in Persian, Deva in Hindi and God in English have similar connotations. Other languages also contain words with a similar meaning.1

 

The word Allah, on the other hand, is the essential personal name of God. La ilaha illallah literally means "There is no ilah other than the One Great Being known by the name Allah." It means that in the whole of the universe, there is absolutely no being worthy to be worshipped other than Allah, that it is only to Him that heads should bow in submission and adoration, that He is the only Being possessing all powers, that we are all in need of His favour, and that we are all obliged to seek His help. He is concealed from our senses, and our intellect cannot perceive what He is.

 

Now we know the meaning of these words, let us look more closely at their real significance.

 

From the earliest known history of man as well as from the oldest relics of antiquity that we have been able to obtain, it appears that in every age man recognised some deity or deities and worshipped them. Even today every nation, from the most primitive to the most advanced, believes in and worships some deity. Having a deity and worshipping him is ingrained in human nature. There is something within man's soul which forces him to do so.

 

But the question is: what is that thing and why does man feel impelled to do so? The answer to this question can be discovered if we look at the position of man in this huge universe. Neither man nor his nature is omnipotent. He is neither self-sufficient nor self-existing; nor are his powers limitless. In fact, he is weak, frail, needy and destitute.

 

He is dependent on a multitude of forces to maintain his existence, but all of them are not essentially and totally within his powers. Sometimes they come into his possession in a simple and natural way, and at times he finds himself deprived of them. There are many important and valuable things which he endeavours to get, but sometimes he succeeds in getting them, while sometimes he does not, for it is not completely in his own power to obtain them. There are many things injurious to him; accidents destroy his life's work in a single moment; chance brings his hopes to a sudden end; illness, worries and calamities are always threatening him and marring his way to happiness. He attempts to get rid of them, and meets with both success and failure.

 

There are many things whose greatness and grandeur overawe him: mountains and rivers, gigantic animals and ferocious beasts. He experiences earthquakes, storms and other natural disasters. He observes clouds over his head and sees them becoming thick and dark, with peals of thunder, flashes of lightning and heavy rain. He sees the sun, the moon and the stars in their constant motions. He reflects how great, powerful and grand these bodies are, and, in contrast to them, how frail and insignificant he himself is!

 

These vast phenomena, on the one hand, and the consciousness of his own frailty, on the other, impress him with a deep sense of his own weakness, humbleness and helplessness. And it is quite natural that a primitive idea of divinity should coincide with this sense. He thinks of the hands which are wielding these great forces. The sense of their greatness makes him bow in humility. The sense of their powerfulness makes him seek their help. He tries to please them so that they may be beneficial to him, and he fears them and tries to escape their wrath so that he may not be destroyed by them.

 

In the most primitive stage of ignorance, man thinks that the great objects of nature whose grandeur and glory are visible, and which appear to be injurious or beneficial to him, hold in themselves the real power and authority, and, therefore, are divine. Thus he worships trees, animals, rivers, mountains, fire, rain, air, heavenly bodies and numerous other objects. This is the worst form of ignorance.

 

When his ignorance dissipates to some extent and some glimmers of light and knowledge appear on his intellectual horizon, he comes to know that these great and powerful objects are in themselves as helpless and dependent, or rather, they are still more dependent and helpless. The biggest and the strongest animal dies like a tiny germ, and loses all his power; great rivers rise and fall and become dry; the highest mountains are blasted and shattered by man himself; the productiveness of the earth is not under the earth's control - water makes it prosperous and lack of water makes it barren. Even water is not independent. It depends on air which brings the clouds. Air, too, is powerless and its usefulness depends on other causes. The moon, the sun, and the stars are also bound by a powerful law outside whose dictates they cannot make the slightest movement.

 

to be continued ......

[sahal]

After these considerations man's mind turns to the possibility of some great mysterious power of divine nature which controls the objects he sees and which may be the repository of all authority. These reflections give rise to belief in mysterious powers behind natural phenomena, with innumerable gods governing various parts and aspects of nature such as air, light and water. Material forms or symbols are constructed to represent them and man begins to worship these forms and symbols. This, too, is a form of ignorance, and reality remains hidden to the human eye even at this stage of man's intellectual and cultural pilgrimage.

 

As man progresses still further in knowledge and learning, and as he reflects more and more deeply on the fundamental problems of existence, he finds an all-powerful law and all-encompassing control in the universe. What a complete regularity is observed in sunrise and sunset, in winds and rains, in the motions of stars and the changes of seasons! With what a wonderful harmony countless different forces are working jointly. And what a highly effective and supremely wise law it is according to which all the various causes in the universe are made to work together at an appointed time to produce an appointed event! Observing this uniformity, regularity and complete obedience to one great law in all fields of Nature, even a polytheist finds himself obliged to believe that there must be a deity greater than all the others, exercising supreme authority. For, if there were separate, independent deities, the whole machinery of the universe would be upset.

 

He calls this greatest deity by different names, such as Allah, Permeshwar, God, Khuda-i-Khuda'igan. But as the darkness of ignorance still persists, he continues worshipping minor deities along with the Supreme One. He imagines that the Divine Kingdom of God may not be different from earthly kingdoms. Just as a ruler has many ministers, trusted associates, governors and other responsible officers, so the minor deities are like so many responsible officers under the Great God Who cannot be approached without winning the favour of the officers under Him. So they must also be worshipped and appealed to for help, and should in no case be offended. They are taken as agents through whom an approach can be made to the Great God.

 

The more a man increases his knowledge, the greater becomes his dissatisfaction with the multiplicity of deities. So the number of minor deities begins to decrease. More enlightened men bring each one of them under the searchlight of scrutiny and ultimately find that none of these man-made deities has any divine character; they themselves are creatures like man, though rather more helpless. They are thus eliminated one by one until only one God remains.

 

But the concept of one God still contains some remnants of the elements of ignorance. Some people imagine that He has a body as men have, and is in a particular place. Some believe that God came down to earth in human form; others think that God, after settling the affairs of the universe, retired and is now resting. Some believe that it is necessary to approach God through the media of saints and spirits, and that nothing can be achieved without their intercession. Some imagine God to have a certain form or image, and they believe it necessary to keep that image before them for the purposes of worship.

 

Such distorted notions of godhead have persisted and lingered, and many of them are prevalent among different people even today.

 

Tawhid is the highest conception of godhead, the knowledge of which God has sent mankind in all ages through His Prophets. It was this knowledge with which, in the beginning, Adam was sent down to earth; it was the same knowledge that was revealed to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (God's blessings be upon them all). It was this knowledge which Muhammad (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) brought to mankind. It is Knowledge, pure and absolute, without the least shade of ignorance. Man became guilty of shirk, idol-worship and kufr only because he turned away from the teachings of the Prophets and depended on his own faulty reasoning, false perceptions or biased interpretations. Tawhid dispels all the clouds of ignorance and illuminates the horizon with the light of reality.

 

to be continued .....

[sahal]

Let us see what significant realities the concept of Tawhid - this little phrase: la ilaha illallah - embraces: what truth it conveys and what beliefs it fosters.

 

First, we are faced with the question of the universe. We are face to face with a grand, limitless universe. Man's mind cannot discern its beginning or visualise its end. It has been moving along its chartered course from time immemorial and is continuing its journey in the vast vista of the future. Creatures beyond number have appeared in it - and go on appearing every day. It is so bewildering that a thinking mind finds itself wonderstruck. Man is unable to understand and grasp its reality by his unaided vision. He cannot believe that all this has appeared just by chance or accident. The universe is not a fortuitous mass of matter. It is not a jumble of unco-ordinated objects. It is not a conglomeration of chaotic and meaningless things. All this cannot be without a Creator, a Designer, a Controller, a Governor.

 

But who can create and control this majestic universe? Only He can do so Who is Master of all; Who is Infinite and Eternal; Who is All-Powerful, All- Wise, Omnipotent and Omniscient; Who is All-Knowing and All-Seeing. He must have supreme authority over all that exists in the universe. He must possess limitless powers, must be Lord of the universe and all that it contains, must be free from every flaw and weakness and none may have the power to interfere with His work. Only such a Being can be the Creator, the Controller and the Governor of the universe.

 

Second, it is essential that all these divine attributes and powers must be vested in One Being: it is impossible for two or more personalities having equal powers and attributes to co-exist. They are bound to collide. Therefore, there must be one and only one Supreme Being having control over all others. You cannot think of two governors for the same province or two supreme commanders of the army! Similarly, the distribution of these powers among different deities, so that, for instance, one of them is all- knowledge, the other all-providence and still another life-giver - and each having an independent domain - is also unthinkable. The universe is an indivisible whole and each one of such deities will be dependent upon others in the execution of his task. Lack of co-ordination is bound to occur. And if this happened, the world would fall to pieces. These attributes are also untransferable. It is not possible that a certain attribute might be present in a certain deity at one time and at another time be found in another deity. A divine being who is incapable of remaining alive himself cannot give life to others. The one who cannot protect his own divine power cannot be suited to govern the vast limitless universe.

 

The more you reflect on the problem, the firmer must your conviction be that all these divine powers and attributes must exist in one and the same Being alone. Thus, polytheism is a form of ignorance that cannot stand rational scrutiny. It is a practical impossibility. The facts of life and nature do not fit in with it. They automatically bring men to Reality, that is Tawhid, the Unity of God.

 

Now, keeping in mind this concept of God, look closely at this vast universe. Exert yourself to the utmost and say if you find among all the objects that you see, among all the things that you perceive, among all that you can think, feel or imagine - all that your knowledge can comprehend - anyone possessing these attributes. The sun, the moon, the stars, animals, birds or fishes, matter, money, any man or a group of men - does any of them possess these attributes? Most certainly not! For everything in the universe is created, controlled and regulated, is dependent on others, is mortal and transitory; its slightest movements are controlled by an inexorable law from which there can be no deviation. Their helpless condition proves that the attire of divinity cannot fit their body. They do not possess the slightest trace of divinity and have absolutely nothing to do with it. It is a travesty of truth and a folly of the highest magnitude to attribute divine status to them.

 

This is the meaning of La ilaha, (i.e. there is no god) no human and material object possesses the divine power and authority deserving worship and obedience.

 

But this is not the end of our quest. We have found that divinity is not vested in any material or human element of the universe, and that none of them possesses even the slightest trace of it. This leads us to the conclusion that there is a Supreme Being, over and above all that our eyes see in the universe, Who possesses Divine attributes, Who is the Will behind all phenomena, the Creator of this grand universe, the Controller of its superb Law, the Governor of its serene rhythm, the Administrator of all its workings: He is Allah, the Lord of the Universe and no one and nothing is associated in His Divinity. This is what illallah (but Allah) means.

 

This knowledge is superior to all other kinds of knowledge and the greater you exert yourself, the deeper will be your conviction that this is the starting-point of all knowledge. In every field of inquiry - be it that of physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, biology, zoology, economics, politics, sociology or the humanities, you will find that the deeper you probe, the clearer become the indications of the truth of La ilaha illallah. It is this concept which opens up the doors of inquiry and investigation and illumines the pathways of knowledge with the light of reality. And if you deny or disregard this reality, you will find that at every step you meet disillusionment, for the denial of this primary truth robs everything in the universe of its meaning and significance.

[Abu-Salman]

How could we better spend time than learning our way to salvation, ie Tawhid (Allah's unicity), this Ramadan, with respected Ulamas, in our local masjid or from trusted websites?

 

"Kitaab al Tawhid" from Sh Muhammad AbdulWahab, courtesy of Islamicweb, beliefs section.

 

That central work is explained here by Sh. Maxamad Cabdi Umal:

 

http://www.aflax.net/audio/duruus/umal/kitaabu-tawxid/

 

 

Here is Usool athis other classical introduction to Aqeedah (Islamic belief or creed):

 

 

 

PS: Tawhid in Islam or submission (solely to Allah and in all spheres of our existence), encompass much more than usually thought and need careful study, so to avoid labeling hastily other muslims as well but remain in the middle path...

[Nur]

Baarakallahu feekum, brothers Sahal and Abu Salman.

 

the proper understanding of this pivotal concept in Islam differentiates bewteen surrender and resistance to Allah's sovereignty.

 

May Allah reward Sheikh Mawdudi and His teachers ( Xujjatul Islam, Al Dahlawi) and His students. Amin.

 

Nur

[Thierry.]

JZK brother the most important topic of all topics

 

Kitaab At-Tawheed by Shaikh Imam Muhammad Abdul-Wahhaab (Ra)

Is one of the most comprehensive books I have read on this critical topic and has in many Wallahi helped in many ways avoid falling into Shirk unknowingly.

[Abu-Salman]

"Kitaab al Tawhid" from Sh Muhammad AbdulWahab is explained here, in Somali: Nasiixa.com (his "Usool At-thalaatha", I misquoted above, is also a very concise yet great classic in Islamic Creed or Aqeedah)

 

Indeed, a timeless, life-changing masterpiece, with unchallenged reliability (based solely on Authentic ahaadiths and Aayaahs), that must absolutely be studied seriously in these time of widespread trials, where Tawhid is constantly attacked from every direction alongside its adherents.

 

It used to be available, translated and distributed by Islamic organizations back home, and is one of the rare human work that thoroughly influence when we ponder over its Sahih Ahadeeths and Aayaahs; Alhamdulilah, now our brothers in the West, too, have no excuse to be distracted away from their most vital capital, ie Tawhid!

 

 

PS: it can be bought online and in several langages, notably from well-known Darussalam, or its associates.

[Nur]

Thierry & Abu Salman bros.

 

There is no question of the immense value Sheikhul Islam has added to the Islamic Scholarly works in aqeedah, specially at time in which Shirk reappeared in the Arabian peninsula with vengence due to the ignorance of the descendants of the taabicu tabiciin.

 

However, While Tawheed is constant in its simple message and meaning, Shirk, aided by Sheitan, mutates for each generation. To conceal its venom, shirk takes new forms, new manifestations not readily recognizable by latent generations.

 

For that reason, Allah as a mercy for this Ummah sent many Mujaddids at intervals of time whenever the strength of the Tawheed message diminished and Shirk prevailed.

 

Sheikhul Islam, Ibn Taimiyah, single handedly corrected many aqeedah misconceptions with Xujjah the fitnah of the Khalq al Quraan, a form of Shirk in the Asmaa-wal-Sifaat as well as the definition of iman, Islam , Kufr and Nifaaq, to remove the rubble of inherited polemics from Khawaarij and Murji'ah, as well as other Zanaadiqah of his time. Likewise, Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahhab, in his time, tirelessly showed the emergent Shirk of the Ibaadah, the worship of dead saints, and other bidac innovations that all lead to the heavy duty Shirk.

 

Today, Shirk continues to mutate, taking new forms that most of devout followers of Islam are not suspecting, such as the Idol of Democracy. How many "Muslims" suspect that Democracy is a new form of Major Shirk?

 

Since Allah sent Messengers at intervals of time, making Abraham's Shahaada of Tawheed ( Kalimatan Baaqiyatan fi caqibihi lacallahum yarjicuun), a reference point of an everlasting word of true Tawheed, our challanege today is to renew the tawheed message to a new generation in their language culture and jargon. How will a generation who have not lived the polemics of Ibn Taymiya's adversaries, the Grave worship and innovations during Ibn Abdel Wahaab's time ever appreciate the true meaning of Tawheed as related to the central concept of Sovreighnty of Humans to legislate secular laws that make pervertion Halaal?.

 

If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, if you show him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. What is needed today is to give students tools that can aid learning no matter where they are. Gone are the days when the only means for getting knowledge was the scene of some forty students sitting in a Halaqa ( Circle) around a Faqeeh giving a lesson, today, knowledge is passed in multiple means (multimedia), the internet, fingertips away are volumes of the greatest works of Islam with cross reference database in Arabic that can be carried effortlessly on a flash memory chip on a key holder. The challenge is, are our Sheikhs upto the times? are they meeting the challenges posed by the mutation of Shirk to warn the ummah as Sheikh Muhammad Abdelwahaab and Ibn Taymiyah have done in their respective times, and as the Prophets have communicated the same concept of Tawheed with a different twist respectively to their folks to correct a lifestyle that diverged from the Tawheed path?

 

 

Looking back at history, we learn from the Quran, that every message was unique, yet, at the end, it was converging with the Tawheed message, because each Shirk was different, and as a result, with different manifestation.

 

 

1. The Shirk of Qowm Nuux

 

2. The Shirk of Qowm Hood

 

3. The Shirk of Qowm Salix

 

4. The Shirk of Qowm Ibrahim ( Abraham)

 

5. The Shirk of Qowm Lut

 

6. The Shirk of Qowm Yusuf ( Josef)

 

7. The Shirk of Qowm Shuceyb

 

8. The Shirk of Qowm Musa ( Moses)

 

9. The Shirk of Qowm Issa ( Jesus)

 

10. The Shirk of Quraish.

 

 

Shirk of Ummat Muxammad:

 

1. Shirkul Tacteel (Rubuubiyah)

2. Shirkul andaad (Rububiyah)

3. Shirkul Ibaadah (Uluuhiya)

 

 

If we compare the ancients to our ummah today, the parallels are many, ignorance is enhanced when we study the Quraan as a narration of old stories ( Asaateerul awaliin), instead of a manual to keep our feet form on Siraatul Mustaqeem through Tawheed. A reading of the Quran with Tadabbur can vividly show the similarities of this Ummah's ways to that of the Children of Yacqub and Nasaaraa, the Christians, two nations who went astray from the straight path, and on whose heels we are willingly following even to an aligator's cave.

 

 

Nur

[Abu-Salman]

Today, Shirk continues to mutate, taking new forms that most of devout followers of Islam are not suspecting, such as the Idol of Democracy. How many "Muslims" suspect that Democracy is a new form of Major Shirk?(by Nur)

 

Indeed, the quest for "Career & Power/Prestige" at the individual level, as well as "Democracy & Modernity" at the community level, are diverting far too many from Tawheed and Shukr (respectively, the Affirmation/Practice of Allah's unicity, and Gratitude towards Allah).

 

Through any excerpt of our daily discourse throughout Muslim land, "progress" is invariably to be obtained from "Economic Reforms & Technology", alongside "Human or Women's Rights" etc; yet we all too readily prefer to overlook that each and every of these oft-abused slogans are epitomes of subjectivity, vicious minefields for our masses.

 

Placing our faith in Materialism and their apostles, in an habit of supreme ingratitude (NGOs and other institutions of whatever is called "International Community"), we are left wandering confused and endlessly frustrated, ignoring that even human theories in hard sciences such as Algebra and Mechanics are only but temporal superficialities, let alone ersatzs of knowledge such as Economics, with no agreement on the most basic definitions or concepts (whether it be GDP mesaurement or Inflation' causes)

 

Yet, to every sphere of our existence, from Personal Hygiene to Public Affairs management (or Siyaasa, from the root verb saasa: "to look after the affairs of the people"), correspond an associated portion of our Fiqh, with numerous Saheeh Ahaadiths and Aayahs.

 

If we compare the ancients to our ummah today, the parallels are many, ignorance is enhanced when we study the Quraan as a narration of old stories ( Asaateerul awaliin), instead of a manual to keep our feet firm on Siraatul Mustaqeem through Tawheed. A reading of the Quran with Tadabbur can vividly show the similarities of this Ummah's ways to that of the Children of Yacqub and Nasaaraa, the Christians, two nations who went astray from the straight path, and on whose heels we are willingly following even to an aligator's cave.

(by Nur)

 

Thus are we led astray, indeed, through recurrent Shirk and Ingratitude despite so many clear evidences, illustrated in the Qur'aan with Banu Israel, whose materialistic follies included their worship of the golden calf and asking their prophet Musa to see Allah, as soon as they were rescued from Pharaon, drowned with his army in front of their very eyes (our timeless and preserved Qur'aan being itself the greatest current miracle)...

[Naden]

Today, Shirk continues to mutate, taking new forms that most of devout followers of Islam are not suspecting, such as the Idol of Democracy. How many "Muslims" suspect that Democracy is a new form of Major Shirk?

Careful, Nur.

 

Revisit your statement, walaal, and perhaps restate after you've carefully defined 'democracy', 'idolatry', and 'shirk' and why you think the former is a form of the latter.

 

And could you explain why you placed muslims in quotes?

[Nur]

Naden sis

 

You write:

 

" Careful, Nur.".""

 

 

Precisely sis, because I care, I wrote that statement, rest assured that every word of it has a purpose, and I am glad it cought your attention. Besides, Allah says in Quraan speaking of Abraham's confrontation with his folks: "How should I fear your idols, when yourselves dont fear to assoicate others with Allah, who themselves are not vested with an authority from Allah., Which party should feel secure in that case?"

 

 

You write:

 

" Revisit your statement, walaal, and perhaps restate after you've carefully defined 'democracy', 'idolatry', and 'shirk' and why you think the former is a form of the latter"

 

 

Naden sis.

 

Here is my statement:

 

"Today, Shirk continues to mutate, taking new forms that most of devout followers of Islam are not suspecting, such as the Idol of Democracy. How many "Muslims" suspect that Democracy is a new form of Major Shirk."

 

 

First: Definition of Democracy.

 

 

Walaalo, briefly, "Democracy" a greek word and its Latin analogue " Republic" mean literally Power to the people, simply speaking it collides head on with Islam which stands Power to Allah ALONE, and for mankind, absolute surrender, Allah does not compromise on his domonion as you may know, he is no weak god.

 

To prepare you for a detailed discussion on your question, may I first remind you of our past discussion so we can catch up and brush on concepts we have agreed on before. in our past discussion thread titled ( Islam and Democracy, which one is more Modern?) Sister Malika wrote:

 

 

"Dont you think,Islam and democracy have some principles in common,the respect for individual rights, liberty, equality, rejection of absolute power, limiting the role of state, and supremacy of the law?"."

 

 

I answered:

 

"Democracy means Demo ( People) and Cracy(Rule). Other attributes are not Democracy but ideals that existed way before Democracy exisited.""

 

 

NOTE: REJECTION OF ABSOLUTE POWER: Absolute Power is EVIL when Humans claim it in the form of Papacy, Democracy, etc., but its RIGHT when attributed to Allah alone.

 

 

Sister Malika asked:

 

"It is just that after the influx of westerners in the lands of the Muslims they have been able to influence,changes in our juridistial systems hence the confusion...of what is democracy and how does it operate in an Islamic country without the secular influence.""

 

I Answered:

 

"Demcracy can not operate properly in a genuine Islamic country, the application of Democracy denies the Sovreignty of God ( Allah) over His dominion, Democracy is the epitome of human rejection of God's authority and Sovereignty over their collective affairs. The confusion you see is when the system is rigged, imagine a cat walking on duck's feet? ""

 

 

SECOND: Definition of Shirk

 

 

Shirk, linguistically in the Arabic language , in the Dictionary of ( Maqaayiis Allugha) by Ibn Faaris, we have:

 

Shirk is composed of three letters, Sheen, Raa, and Kaaf. has following connotations:

 

A. Mukhaalata (Be part of, mix with, etc.)

B. Musaaxaba ( Companionship)

C. Mushaaraka ( Partnership)

 

Hence, lingusitically Shirk means " recognizing a person or an istitution to be a partner, Companion, or mix with another"

 

 

For Shirk to take place we need:

 

1. Partners.

2. Property.

3. Sovereign to arbitrate dispute between partners.

4. Law, set by the Sovereign.

 

 

In Islam, Allah owns the universe and its contents, by virtue of creation, Allah is the only one with a recorded claim on the entire Universe. He does not have partners, nor is He taking any suggestions to consider investors, as He alone owns the property and the Finance ( sustenance- RIZQ). Allah is Sovereign in that He depends on no one, while everything else of His creations depend on Him for sustenance and exisitence. He sent wise men known as Messengers and Prophets to warn mankind not ascribe partners with Him, and to devote to Him alone, because ascribing human or object partners with Allah is the absolute injustice committed on earth known as SHIRK.

 

 

Thirdly: Idolatry

 

The Dictionary gives the following definitions of Idol, root for Idolatry.

 

1. An image of a god, used as an object or instrument of worship

 

2. In monotheistic belief, any heathen deity

any object of ardent or excessive devotion or admiration

 

3. A false notion or idea that causes errors in thinking or reasoning.

 

4. Archaic anything that has no substance but can be seen, as an image in a mirror.

 

 

Democracy fits all above definitions:

 

 

1. Image of A God: Democracy challenges Allah's power on regulating people's affairs, so it practically sets itself as a God.

 

2. Excessive Devotion: Billions of Dollars are spent on elections every four years to select a clown controlled by an interest group, while meanwhile, millions sleep hungry and crying in many homes on our planet. People set huge parliaments to worship this Democracy GOD, there are more worshippers at parliaments than Churches and Synagogoes combined ( I cant say the same about Masjids ( Mosques), al hamdulillah they are increasingly being populated by victims of Gearoge Bush's War On Islam.) It was reported by Tabari the following Hadeeth:

 

Adi Ibn Hatim ( Christian convert) said: "I came to the Messenger of Allah wearing on my neck a golden cross, the (Messenger of Allah) said to me, " O Adi, take off this Idol from your neck", then I took it off, and as he read the verse in Surah Baraa'ah, "They ( Christians and Jews) have made their Priests and Rabbis, Lords other than Allah" upon hearing that verse, I said, " O Messenger of Allah, we ( Christians) do not worship them ( our Priests), He ( the Messenger of Allah) said " (Dont they legislate contrary to what Allah has legislated), making forbidden what Allah permitted, and making permitted what Allah forbade, and you ( Christians) follow them in that?" I said " Yes", ( the Messneger of Allah) said:" That is how you worship them ( your Priests and Rabbis) (instead of Allah). Which is SHIRK!

 

3. False Notion or Idea: The falsehood, all in its name ( People's Power ), people have no power, and what looks like power is stolen by by their politicians.

 

4. Archaic: It has no substance, like the Budha Idol, it sits majestically speechless on high hills, adorn by followers for what it does not own, nor owe to anyone. ( In hiya illaa asmaa'un sammeytumuuhaa antum wa aabaa ukum, maa anzala Allah bihaa min sultaan) thats the Quraan's meaning of Archaic.

 

 

Lastly, you ask:

 

"And could you explain why you placed muslims in quotes."

 

 

Juts like I put quotes around "Terrorists" which you have never asked me why.

 

 

Nur

[Naden]

Nur, yes, this is a good spot to continue our previous discussion. I will be back tomorrow for a detailed response, walaal.

 

P.S. The above quotes from the old thread are from Malika, not me.

[Nur]

Naden sis

 

You are right, its sister Malika's, not yours, will edit my post.

 

 

Nur

[Naden]

Nur,

 

The problem with comparing a system of governance and a religion is that you are not really comparing similar things. We’ve gone into a previous lengthy discussion (that went nowhere, unfortunately) about the concept of shura within Islam and the main principle of voting behind democracy. Those two may have been close enough to compare, but even that needed the discussion to advance had we not differed on the definition/applicability of shura.

 

For now, perhaps we can skip this juncture for a later attempt and consider your latest assertion that democracy is somehow akin to idol worship. Your primary support for this is that giving people the power to develop laws is an affront to God’s supremacy over human-governing laws, as you've written. Am I correct?

 

Let’s examine your first support for this assertion as I find points 2 through 4 to be highly jumbled and weak on substance, though they seem to be based on passionate belief.

 

“Democracy challenges Allah's power on regulating people's affairs, so it practically sets itself as a God.”

How does the democratic process do this? More importantly, how does Allah regulate people’s affairs without people on the ground executing them? From what I understand of your Islamic ideal of governance, there are layers of executives and figures of authority who are versed in Islamic law and who write all legislation. You also believe that some of these figures are chosen by the people.

 

I’m not certain how this is different from the democratic principle of electing governing officials. If it is the matter of laws written by man, that is certainly inevitable given the wide range if interpretations present in muslim societies. If members of a society hold similar beliefs, wouldn’t their choice of elected officials and adopted laws largely reflect that?

 

Juts like I put quotes around "Terrorists" which you have never asked me why

The reason I had never questioned your placement of quotes around the word terrorist is that I understood it to express your disagreement with its use in much of today’s media. Surely you don’t mean to say that a muslim who does not see democracy as shirk is somehow a dubious muslim or a non-muslim altogether? If yes, you would not be the first to remove people with whom you disagree from the folds of Islam.

[Nur]

Naden sis

 

you write:

 

"The problem with comparing a system of governance and a religion is that you are not really comparing similar things"

 

 

We need to translate the word Religion to Arabic first, we find it as NIXLA. NIXLA IS DIFFERENT than DEEN. Afterwards we need to find definition of Deen in the Arabic language, which I have given many times in many threads, for now, it simply means a way of life, or a system to govern human life on earth, the issuer is Allah, while other systems of governance are issued by humans for humans. My point is that Democracy is challenging Allah's authority by governing themselves in denial of his sovreignty, for which they have no right, since they are His creatures.

 

 

You write:

 

 

"For now, perhaps we can skip this juncture for a later attempt and consider your latest assertion that democracy is somehow akin to idol worship. Your primary support for this is that giving people the power to develop laws is an affront to God’s supremacy over human-governing laws, as you've written. Am I correct?

 

 

Naden sis.

 

Democracy as practiced today fits Idolatory in 4 counts of which you think 2 and 4 are not holding water, which is subjective, as I see it to be true and you dont, because of your preconceptions of the merits of Democracy and you "believe" as in any faith, that its a good governance system for mankind, which I disagree with respect.

 

As for the point 2 which you do not accept, let us ask, does Democracy have Devotees?

 

Here is what the dictionary says about its meaning:

 

DEVOTION:

 

Synonyms: adherence, adoration, allegiance, attachment, commitment, consecration, dedication, enthusiasm, faithfulness, fanaticism, fidelity, hero worship,idolatry, infatuation, love, loyalty, passion, piety, prayer, religion, religiosity, reverence, sanctity, veneration, worship, zeal, zealotry

 

 

How many synonyms do they share above?

 

 

As for the fourth one, which you think is far fetched, I said that Democracy is a false notion, if its not please prove that it is not, that it gives people absolute power as Democracy claims. I am all ears (or eyes in this case).

 

 

Naden sis, I said:

 

"Democracy challenges Allah's power on regulating people's affairs, so it practically sets itself as a God."

 

I did not say nor implied anywhere that Allah gave people the power to develop laws on their own without his guidance, Allah says in Quraan " Laa yushriku fii xukmihi axada" " he does not allow anyone to share his LEGISLATIVE POWER ( XUKMIHI) creatures"

 

Before we go any furher, let us agree on my justifications 1, 3, which you have not contested their validity. Do they make any sense to support my statement? please be clear on this question, its pivotal to the entire discussion.

 

 

Nur