Worship of Allah

1. Worship of Allah by Abu Imaan & Umm Imaan

2. Two Main Groups of People • The adherents to Islam and possessors of faith, guidance, tawhid, sincerity, knowledge, divine legislation, those who follow the Prophets and Messengers • Those possessing shirk, ignorance, misguidance, innovation from amongst the polytheists and those who resemble them from the adherents of the different religions

3. The worship of those possessing Imaan, tawhid and knowledge • They do not worship anything except Allah. Allah (SWT) says: فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاء رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا “And whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner”. [al-Kahf 18:110] Shirk is the most severe and unforgivable sin which causes a person to stay in the fire of hell forever if he dies without repenting from it. Allah (SWT) says: إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللّهُ عَلَيهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ “Lo! whosoever ascribes partners unto Allah, for him Allah has forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evildoers there will be no helpers”. [al-Ma’ida 5:72]

4. They do not worship except in the manner that He has prescribed in Shari'ah, and not by means of bid'ah (innovation) ‏عن ‏عائشة ‏أن رسول الله‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏‏قال:‏ ‏من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو‏ ‏رد Aisha (RA) narrated that the Messenger (SAAS) said: “Anyone who has done something that we have not approved of, that will be rejected” [Muslim] Allah (SWT) describes the Messenger (SAAS) as: مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى "Your companion (Muhammad) is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only the Revelation with which he is inspired." [an-Najm 53:2-4]

5. Obedience to Allah and the Messenger • Indeed every Messenger of Allah (SWT) said to his people: إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينفَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ "Lo! I am a faithful messenger unto you, so fear Allah, keep your duty to Him and obey me." [ash-Shu`araa 26:108] • Allah (SWT) said: وَيَقُولُونَ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالرَّسُولِ وَأَطَعْنَا ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أُوْلَئِكَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ "They say: 'we have believed in Allah and His Messenger and we obey' then a party of they turn away thereafter, such are not the believers." [an-Nur 24:47]

6. Allah (SWT) said: إِنَّمَا كَانَ قَوْلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذَا دُعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن يَقُولُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَوَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَيَخْشَ اللَّهَ وَيَتَّقْهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ "The only saying of the faithful believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say: 'We hear and obey,' such are the successful. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, fears Him and keeps his duty to Him such are the victorious." [an-Nur 24:51-52] • Allah has appointed obedience to Him and the Messenger. • He has appointed fear and taqwa for Him Alone. • Allah and His Messenger are the point of reference.

7. وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ "Whatsoever the Messenger gives you then take it and whatsoever he forbids you from then abstain from it. And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal." [al-Hashr 59:7] The halal is what Allah and His Messenger made halal and the haram is what Allah and His Messenger made haram وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوْاْ مَا آتَاهُمُ اللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللّهِ رَاغِبُونَ "Would that they were contented with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and had said, 'Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His Bounty and His Messenger. To Allah do we turn our hopes." [at-Tawbah 9:59]

8. This is the Straight Path that was traversed by the pious predecessors of this Ummah, as well as their Imams. These were the first three generations of Muslims and those who followed them in righteousness. We understand Islam as they understood it due to the saying of Rasoolullah (SAAS): ‏عن ‏ ‏عبد الله ‏ ‏رضي الله عنه ‏عن النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏قال: ‏خير الناس قرني ثم الذين يلونهم ثم الذين يلونهم “The best of mankind is my generation, then those who follow them, and then those who follow them” [Saheeh al-Bukhari] Indeed, the latter part of this nation will not be rectified except by that which rectified the former of them; and that is none other than following the Book and the Sunnah and abandoning all that opposes them.

9. The Worship of those possessing shirk, ignorance and innovation • Those who worship idols, angels, saints, the Jinn, trees, stones amongst other things. • Such people have not responded to the call of the Messengers, rather they have opposed them and have gone against them just as the Quraysh and the Arab tribes at the time of our Prophet (SAAS) did. • The pagan Arabs would ask their idols to fulfill their needs, to cure their sick and to grant them victory over their enemies. • They would go to them sacrificing to them and taking oaths by them.

10. When commanded to make their worship sincerely for Allah alone, They said: أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ "Has he made all the gods into one god? Indeed, this is a strange thing!” [Saad 38:5] • He Prophet (SAAS) did not cease to call them to Allah and warn them against associating partners with Allah. • He (SAAS) explained to them the reality of tawhid. • The religion of Allah was made triumphant over all other religions. • The situation changed and ignorance prevailed through their over-exalting the prophets and the pious. • They would supplicate to them, ask them for aid and relief and commit other types of shirk! • They did not know the meaning of لاإله إلا اللهwhile even the pagan Arabs at the time of the Prophet (SAAS) knew its meaning!

11. Shirk continued to spread amongst the people until our time because of the predominance of ignorance. • The doubts of these later people are the same as those of the former peoples [the polytheists of Makkah]. They said, [as Allah tells us in the Qur’an]: مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى "We worship them only so that they may bring us closer to Allah.[az-Zumar 39:3] • Allah has refuted this doubt/error and has explained that whoever worships other than Him, no matter what it may be has indeed associated partners with Him and has disbelieved! Allah the Most High says: وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ مَا لاَ يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَـؤُلاء شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِندَ اللّهِ "And they worship besides Allah things that do not hurt them, nor profit them and they say: these are our intercessors with Allah.” [Yunus 10:18]

12. Allah the Most High replies to them by saying: قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللّهَ بِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلاَ فِي الأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ "Say: Do you inform Allah about that which He does not know in the heavens or on earth? Glory be to Him! And He is far above [the partners] they associate [with Him]." [Yunus 10:18] In these verses, Allah is explaining that to worship other than Him, such as the prophets, the pious, or other than them, is major Shirk, even if the one who does it calls it something else. Allah (SWT) says: أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاء مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ “Surely, Pure religion is for Allah only. And those who choose protecting friends beside Him (say): We worship them only that they may bring us near unto Allah. Lo! Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Verily, Allah guides not him who is a liar, a disbeliever.” [az-Zumar 39:3]

13. Sufis believe that some of those whom they call Awliyaa (Allies) have a share in regulating and controlling the affairs of the world with Allah. They call them al-Aqtaab (Pivots), al-Awtaad (Stakes), and al-Aghwaath (Helpers) amongst other names • The noble scholar Shaykh Abdul-Azeez ibn Baaz (Rahimahullah – May Allah have mercy on him) said: This is the vilest form of Shirk in the Lordship of Allah and it is more evil than the Shirk of before the advent of Islam! This is because the mushriks of Quraysh did not commit Shirk in Allah's Lordship but rather they committed Shirk in regards to their worship. They committed this type of Shirk only in times of ease. When they were in times of distress and hardship, they would make their worship sincerely for Allah alone. Allah says: فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا فِي الْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ "And when they embark on the ships, they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him only. But when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others!” [al-Ankaboot 29:65

14. As for Lordship, then they used to acknowledge that this is for Allah Alone, as He (SWT) says: وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ "And when you ask them who created them, they will surely say Allah.” [az-Zukhruf 43:87] قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالأَرْضِ أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ والأَبْصَارَ وَمَن يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيَّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَمَن يُدَبِّرُ الأَمْرَ فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللّهُ فَقُلْ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ "Say: Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who rules and regulates all affairs? They will say Allah. Say: Will you not then be afraid (about setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?” [Yunus 10:31]

15. Those who commit Shirk from amongst the later people have exceeded the earlier ones from two perspectives: • Firstly, some of them have committed Shirk in Lordship as we just saw. • Secondly, they commit Shirk in times of distress as well! One who lives amongst them, examines their affairs, and sees what they do at the graves of Husayn and Badawee and others in Egypt knows this. Of what they do at the graves of Haadee in Yemen, of Ibn 'Arabee in Syria, of Shaykh 'Abdul-Qaadir al-Jilaani in Iraq, and at other famous graves. In all such places the general masses have gone to extremes and have directed many of the rights of Allah towards them. We ask Allah (SWT) to return them to guidance and to increase the callers to guidance amongst them. We ask Him also to grant the ability to the leaders of the Muslims and the scholars to combat this Shirk. Indeed, He is the One Who Hears and is close.

16. رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا بِمَا أَنزَلَتْ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ”Our Lord! We believe in that which You have revealed and we follow the Messenger. So enroll us among those who bear witness (to the truth)”. [Al-Imran 3:53] We thank you all for attending and listening to our presentation Jazaakumullahu Khayran