Importance of Hajj

Hajj started with Ibraheem (Peace be upon him) who left his legacy
both in the Hanifiyah, the pristine religion of Islam and in Hajj. The
legacy of Ibraheem (A) was his millah, way, of true submission to
Allah. He was the first one who used the word "Islam". He named anyone
holding to the same faithas him a Muslim meaningthe one that
surrenders and submits to the will ofthe Creator, Allah. We read in
Surat al-Hajj,
"And strive in His cause asyou ought to strive, (withsincerity and
under discipline). He has chosenyou, and has imposed no difficulties
on you in religion; it is the way of your father Abraham. It isHe who
has named you Muslims, both before andin this (Revelation); that the
Messenger may be a witness for you, and you are witnesses for mankind!
So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to
Allah! He is your Protector, the best to protect and the Best to
help!" (22:78)
His submission and total surrender to the Will of Allah is related to
his establishment of Hajj. Even if Ibraheem (A) did not remain in
Makkah to the end of his life, he laidthe foundations of the Ka'bah in
the middle of Makkah valley as well as the principles of Tawheed,
genuine monotheism, in the heartof his son Ismaeel (A). The latter was
also a prophet and a messengerof Allah, who kept the promise to
preserve and guard Ka'bah as well as the Islamic faith. Later on, one
of his descendents through Kedar – the second son ofIshmael as
prophesied in Genesis 25:13 and a few other places – Muhammad (S), who
was also a Hanif, rejected the idolatry and paganism brought to Makkah
and called to the same faith as his forefathers Ibraheem (A) Ismaeel
(A). He was chosen by Allah tobe the last Messenger sent as Mercy to
the world. He restored that legacy, Islam, and preserved the Ka'bah
from the alien beliefs and practices. He reminded people of the
religion of Ibraheem (S) and its tenets and called everyone to the
religion of Ibraaheem (Peace be upon him).
The building of the Ka'bah was by Ibraaheem and his son Ismaeel (Peace
be upon them). This house was named "Ka'bah" after its cubic shape. It
is the center point for Muslims all over the world. When a Muslim
wants to pray, he, or she, must face Qiblah – the direction towards
Makkah. Hajj also cannot be performed except in Makkah and its
vicinity. The al-Masjid al-Haraam, holy mosque, was the first mosque
built in the world. It is today the most visited place on earth and
that is why it iscalled al-Bayt al-'ateeq meaning the ancient house.
One prayer in this mosque equals one hundred thousands prayers
elsewhere as stated in a few authentic hadiths.
When Ibraaheem (A) finished the construction of Ka'bah, he called
people to Hajj and prayed to Allah to bless Makkah and its vicinity
and to make people come visit it until the Dayof Judgement though it
was remote and in the desert.
"Remember Abraham said: "O my Lord! Make this city one of peace
andsecurity: and preserve meand my sons from worshipping idols. "O my
Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind; he then who
follows my (way) is of me, and he that disobeys me, but You are indeed
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. "O our Lord! I have made some of my
offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred
House; in order, O our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer:
so fill the hearts of some among people with love towards them, and
feed them with Fruits: so that they may give thanks." (14:35-7)
Allah (swt) always relates the story of Hajj and Ibraheem to Tawheed
and Islam, which is the way of Ibraheem, Muhammad, and all the
prophets (Peace be upon them).
"Remember We made theHouse a place of assembly for men and a place of
safety. And take the Station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We
covenanted with Abraham and Isma'il, thatthey should sanctify My House
for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or
prostrate themselves (therein in Prayer). And remember Abraham
said:"My Lord, make this a Cityof Peace, and feed its People with
fruits' such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day." He said:
"(Yes), and such as reject Faith, for a while will I grant them their
Pleasure, but will soon drive them to the torment of Fire, an evil
destination (indeed)!" And remember Abraham and Isma'il raised the
foundations of the House(with this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this
service)from us: for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. "Our
Lord! Make of us Muslims bowing to Your Will); andof our progeny a
people Muslim, bowing to Your (Will); and show us our places for the
celebrationof (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for You are
the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. "Our Lord! Send amongst them a
Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Your Signs to them and
instruct them in Scriptureand Wisdom, and sanctifythem: for You are
the Exalted in Might, the MostWise." And who turns away from the
religion of Abraham but such as debase their souls with folly? Him We
chose and rendered pure in this world: and he will be in the Hereafter
in the ranks of the Righteous. Behold! His Lord said to him: "Bow
(your will to Me):" he said: "I bow (my will) to the Lord and
Cherisher of the Universe." And this was the Legacy that Abraham left
to his sons, and so did Jacob; "O my sons! Allah has chosen the Faith
for you; then die not except in the state of submission (to Allah)"
(2:125-32)
And talking about the first call to Hajj, Allah (swt) says,
"Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the (Sacred) House,
(saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify
My House forthose who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or
prostrate themselves (therein in prayer). And proclaim thePilgrimage
among people; they will come toyou on foot and (mounted) on every kind
of camel, lean on accountof journeys through deep and distant mountain
highways. Thatthey may witness the benefits (provided) for them, and
celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days Appointed, over the
cattle which He has provided for them (for sacrifice): then eat
thereof and feed the distressed ones in want. Then let them complete
the rites prescribed for them, perform their vows, and (again)
circumambulate the Ancient House. Such (is the Pilgrimage):
whoeverhonors the sacred rites ofAllah, for him it is good in the
sight of his Lord" (22:26-30)
As we see here, Hajj was practiced before ProphetMuhammad (S) came,
butthe latter removed the false worshipped idols and ended all pagan
beliefs and practices, which had changed gradually the way of Ibraheem
and Ismaeel (A)as well as the Ka'bah's sanctity. Many rituals were
innovated by people over time, but Prophet Muhammad (S) showed his
companions with every detail how to perform the best pilgrimage. He
(S) said,
"O people! Learn from methe way how to perform your Hajj rituals for I
do not know if I will be able to make Hajj next year ornot." [Muslim,
An-Nassaa'i, Abu Dawud, and Ahmad].
Hajj: A station of Commemorations:
When we perform Hajj, we should relate the rituals to our forefathers
and ancestors in faith: Ibraheem, Ismaeel, Haajar, and Muhammad (S) as
well as the first generations of Muslims. In Hajj, we commemoratethem
as well as their sacrifice, sincerity, dedication and patience, which
constitute the main elements of their legacy. We should not perform
Hajj only physically, but spiritually as well. We should try to
understand the meaning of every thing we do andsee what lessons we can
draw. The following points are some reflections on the pillars of Hajj
and some other rituals:
- In the state of Ihram wewear for a couple of daysa seamless garment,
which is exactly like a shroud. It is a symbol of total renunciation
of worldly life in order to get purified and to raise the soul to a
high spiritual level of consciousness of Allah and the Eternal life.
It makes the pilgrim humble, equal to others, and helpless as if it is
the Day of resurrection.
The restrictions of the state of Ihraam are very rigorous in terms of
the way the pilgrim behaves with others, with himself,and with Allah
and also in terms of using regular worldly things such as putting
perfume, cutting one's hair…etc. This makes Hajj a school of
discipline, taqwah and self-control. A school, which can produce
righteous, decent, honestand hardworking peopleas the five daily
prayers and the fasting of Ramadan and the pillars of Islam do.
- In Tawaaf – Circumambulating around Ka'bah- the pilgrims walk fast
to commemorate the first generation of Muslims who came with the
Messenger of Allah (S) to perform Hajj. When the Polytheists of Makkah
started saying that the Prophet's companions were sick because they
were effected by the fever of Madinah, the Prophet (S) wanted to
disappoint them and show the opposite. That is why men almost jog with
short steps in the first three circumambulations and uncover their
right shoulders during all the tawaaf.
We also imitate the angels who circumambulate around al-bayt
al-Ma'amour – thefilled house – above in the seven Heaven as reported
in many authentic hadiths.
When we kiss the Black Stone, which was brought from Jannah,
weremember the other life and pray to Allah that Paradise will be our
abode. In the Hadith , theProphet (S) said that when the Black Stone
was brought from Jannah., it was very white, but it darkened and
became black because of the sins of human beings. We kiss it because
we saw the Prophet (S) doing it and it is simply an act of following.
The stone cannot bring any benefit or harm to us. All the rituals, the
pillars of Islamand our lives should be established by following the
best. If we understand deeply the meaning of "I bear witness that
Muhammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah" as following the
pattern of the model chosen by GodAlmighty, we will certainly reach
Jannah through the straight path, which is drawn by that model
practically.
- In as-Safaa and al-Marwah we commemorate Haajar (Peace be upon her),
the mother of Ismaeel (A) and the wife of Ibraheem(A). She performed
Sa'y when she was looking for water for her son. After she relied on
Allah and assured Ibraheem that Allah won't leave them without help
(he left with them some dates and water but soonit was finished after
a couple of days…). She was certain that Allah would not forsake her
and her son. In that remote place, water sprung out from under the
feet of Ismaeel the baby. After the certitude she had, her strong
faith in Allah, her sacrifice of searching for water by going back and
forth between as-Safaa and al-Marwah, Allah answered her du'aa and
blessed her with a water that run and never stopped in an arid and
rocky land. She left a great legacy in sacrifice, piety, trust in
Allah, and patience. Allah wants us to learn from her to the point
that he made Sa'y between as-Safaa and al-Marwah one of the pillars of
Hajj and Umrah.He says,
"Behold! As-Safa and al-Marwah are among the Symbols of Allah. So
ifthose who visit the Housein the Season or at other times, should
compass them round, it is no sin inthem. And if any one obeys his own
impulse toGood, be sure that Allah is He Who recognizes andknows."
(2:158)
- In Arafaat we commemorate the Success of Muslims over the pagans of
Makkah. It was the success of truth over falsehood. There, the Muslim
remembers that truth always prevailsno matter how long it takes for
falsehood and delusion to last and deceive. 'Arafaat is also the
symbol of unity and solidarity because it is a pillar of Hajj that
should be done by all the pilgrims in the same place and at the same
time following the same way. The day of Arafah reminds us also of the
Day of Judgement when we will all stand up waiting for the Just
Judgement of Allah Almighty.
Arafaat is also another symbol of manifestation of Tawheed in terms of
the unified collective standing of all the pilgrims at the same timein
the same place. Moreover, when Prophet Muhammad (S) performed Hajj he
stood on Arafaat as his forefather Ibraheem used to do instead of
standing on Muzdalifah as the Quraish pagans used to do because they
believed they should not go beyond al-Haram boundaries. This was
alsoanother example of the distortion of the religion of Ibraheem and
Ismaeel(A).
- In the Stoning at al-Jamaraat, we commemorate Ibraaheem (A) and
remember how strong and firm he was against Shaytan – our enemy since
the time of Adam (A). We should rememberhow Satan does his utmost
effort to distract us from doing what we're supposed to do to become
closer to Allah and to enter Paradise. Allah has told us that Satan is
our enemy and that we should be constantly in this life in a state of
war with him,
"Then We said: "O Adam! Verily, this – Satan – is an enemy to you and
your wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that you
are landed in misery." (20:117)
"Verily Satan is an enemyto you: so treat him as anenemy. He only
invites his adherents, that they may become companionsof the Blazing
Fire." (35:6)
We also reflect on the great sacrifices and trials Ibraahem had to
undergo such as offeringhis son Ismaael that he had to wait for his
birth for many decades. In the middle of joy and happiness for
becoming a father, Allah wanted to see how strong was his commitment
to Him. He ordered him to offer the most valuable thing he had; his
only son at that time. Ibraheem and Ismaeel did not fail in that very
difficult test and earned the pleasure of Allah. Allah called this
trial a great one when Hesaid, "For this was obviously a great trial."
"So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had
laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to
him, "O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision!" thus indeed
do We reward those who doright. For this was obviously a trial. And We
ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice" (37:103-07)
The most important thingwe should keep in our minds is that Allah
knowsbetter than we do even ifwe sometimes think that a certain action
is not clear to us or does not make a sense to us and why do we have
to perform it. Of course Allah orders only what is good and just for
us and all mankind. We should accept and submit to Allah. As a matter
of fact, one of the meanings of Islam is acceptance.
In commemorating this, the pilgrim should think whether he, or she, is
ready to offer the dearest thing to his, or her, heart for the sake of
Allah. This religion cannot survive in the hearts of people without
sacrifices, devotion, sincere love, commitment, and dedication. Allah
(swt) says,
"By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely)
of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth Allah knows
it well." (3:92)
Lessons and Reflections:
- Hajj is an act of Worship– not tourism or promenade – which requires
a physical and spiritual preparation.
- It is a station of renewing Iman as many other stations where
sinsare wiped out by forgiveness and where faith, trust, and love of
Allah, His Messengers, and the believers increase. The pilgrim
getspurified and comes out of his sins like a newbornbaby.
- It is a school of training for Taqwah – consciousness of one's
duties towards Allah -, good character and discipline like in the
other schools of the pillars of Islam.
- It is a manifestation of brotherhood, equality and Unity. The
Muslims are like different branches but from one tree. In Hajj, we
learn how to develop the Spiritof Unity.
- It is an annual Muslim convention attended by Muslims from different
horizons, colors, races, and tongues… They exchange ideas and news and
celebrate their unity in faith and diversity in culture.
They meet in their center-point Makkah (Qiblah). Muslims always have
to have a center-point and should be constantly focused on their noble
goals.

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Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as-Sahmi - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

History would have by-passed this man as it had bypassed thousands of
Arabs before him. He, like them, would have had no claim to attention
or fame. The greatness of Islam, however, gave to Abdullah ibn
Hudhafah the opportunity to meet two world potentates of his
time--Khusraw Parvez the King of Persia and Heraclius, the Byzantine
emperor.
The story of his encounter with Khusraw Parvez began in the sixth year
of the hijrah when theProphet decided to send some of his Companions
with letters to rulers outside the Arabian peninsula inviting them to
Islam.
The Prophet attached great importance to this initiative. These
messengers were going to distant lands with whom there was no
agreement or treaty. They did not know the languages of these lands
nor anything about the ways and disposition of their rulers. They were
to invite these rulers to give up their religion and forsake their
power and glory and enter the religion of a people who shortly before
were almost their subjects. The mission was undoubtedly hazardous.
To make known his plan, the Prophet called his companions together and
addressed them. He started by praising God and thanking Him. He then
recited the Shahadah and went on:
"I want to send some of you to the rulers of foreign lands but don't
dispute with me as the Israelites disputed with Jesus, the son of
Mary. "O Prophet of God, we shall carry out whateveryou wish," they
responded."Send us wherever you desire."
The Prophet commissioned six of his Sahabah to carry his letters to
Arab and foreign rulers. One of these was Abdullah ibn Hudhafah. He
was chosen to take the Prophet's letter to Khusraw Parvez, the Persian
king.
Abdullah got his camel ready and bade farewell to his wife and son. He
set out, alone, and traversed mountains and valleys until he reached
the land of the Persian.
He sought permission to enter into the king's presence informing the
guards of the letter he was carrying. Khusraw Parvez thereupon ordered
his audience chamber to be made ready and summoned his prominent
aides. When they hadassembled he gave permission for Abdullah to
enter.
Abdullah entered and saw the Persian potentate dressed in delicate,
flowing robes and wearing a great, neatly arrangedturban. On Abdullah
was the plain, coarse clothes of the bedouin. His head though was held
high and his feet were firm.The honor of Islam burned fiercely in his
breast and the power of faith pulsated in his heart.
As soon as Khusraw Parvez saw him approaching he signal led toone of
his men to take the letterfrom his hand.
"No," said Abdullah. 'The Prophet commanded me to hand over this
letter to you directly and I shall not go against a command of the
Messenger of God."
"Let him come near to me," Khusraw said to his guards and Abdullah
went forward and handed over the letter. Khusraw then called an Arab
clerk who originally came from Hira and ordered him to open the letter
in his presence and read its contents. He began reading:
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful. From Muhammad, the
Messenger of God, to Khusraw the ruler of Persia. Peace on whoever
follows the guidance . . ."
Khusraw only heard this much of the letter when the fire of anger
burst within him. His face became red and he began to perspire around
the neck. He snatched the letter from the clerk's hand and began
tearing itto pieces without knowing whatelse it contained and
shouted,"Does he dare to write to me like this, he who is my slave".
He was angry that the Prophet had not given him precedence in his
letter. He then commanded Abdullah to be expelled from hisassembly.
Abdullah was taken away, not knowing what would happen to him. Would
he be killed or would he be set free? But he did not want to wait to
find out. He said, "By God, I don't care what happens to me after the
letter ofthe Prophet has been so badly treated." He managed to get to
his camel and rode off.
When Khusraw's anger had subsided he commanded that Abdullah be
brought before him.But Abdullah was nowhere to befound. They searched
for him all the way to the Arabian peninsula but found that he had
gone ahead.
Back in Madinah, Abdullah told the Prophet how Khusraw had torn his
letter to pieces and the Prophet's only reply was, "May God tear up
his kingdom".
Meanwhile, Khusraw wrote to Badhan, his deputy in the Yemen, to send
two strong men to "that man who has appeared in the Hijaz" with orders
to bringhim to Persia.
Badhan dispatched two of his strongest men to the Prophet and gave
them a letter to him in which he was ordered to go with the two men to
meet Khusraw without delay. Badhan also asked the two men to get
whatever information they couldon the Prophet and to study his message
closely.
The men set out, moving very quickly. At Taif they met some Quraysh
traders and asked them about Muhammad. "He is in Yathrib," they said
and they went on to Makkah feeling extremely happy. This was good news
for them and they went around telling other Quraysh,"You will be
pleased. Khusraw is out to get Muhammad and you will be rid of his
evil."
The two men meanwhile made straight for Madinah where they met the
Prophet, handed him the letter of Badhan and said to him, "The king of
kings, Khusraw, has written to our ruler Badhan to send his men to get
you. We have come to take you with us. If you come willingly, Khusraw
has said that it will be good for you and he will spare you any
punishment. If you refuse, you will know the power of his punishment.
He haspower to destroy you and your people."
The Prophet smiled and said to them, "Go back to your mounts today and
return tomorrow."
On the following day, they came to the Prophet and said to him,"Are
you prepared to go with us to meet Khusraw?"
"You shall not meet Khusraw after today," replied the Prophet. "God
has killed him andhis son Shirwaih has taken his place on such a night
and on such a month."
The two men stared in the face of the Prophet. They were completely dumbfounded.
"Do you know what you are saying?" they asked. "Shall we write about
this to Badhan?"
"Yes," replied the Prophet, "and say to him that my religion has
informed me about what has happened to the Kingdom of Khusraw and that
if he should become Muslim, I would appointhim ruler over what he now
controls".
The two men returned to the Yemen and told Badhan what had happened.
Badhan said, "If what Muhammad has said is true, then he is a Prophet.
If not then we shall see what happens to him."
Not long afterwards a letter from Shirwaih came to Badhan in which he
said, "I killed Khusraw because of his tyranny against our people. He
regarded as lawful the killing of leaders, the capturing of their
women and the expropriating of their wealth. When this my letter
reaches you, take the allegiance of whoever is with you on my behalf."
As soon as Badhan had read Shirwaih's letter, he threw it aside and
announced his entry into Islam. The Persians with him in the Yemen
also became Muslim.
That's the story of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah's meeting with the Persian
king. His meeting with the Byzantine emperor took place during the
caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab. It too is an astonishing story.
In the nineteenth year after the Hijrah, Umar dispatched an armyto
fight against the Byzantine. Init was Abdullah ibn Hudhafah. News of
the Muslim force reached the Byzantine emperor. He had heard of their
sincerity offaith, and their willingness to sacrifice their lives in
the way of God and His Prophet. He gave orders to his men to bring to
him any Muslim captive they might take alive.
God willed that Abdullah ibn Hudhafah should fall captive to the
Byzantines and he was brought before the Emperor. The Emperor looked
at Abdullah for a long time. Suddenly he said, "I shall make a
proposal to you."
"What is it?" asked Abdullah. "I suggest that you become a Christian.
If you do this, you will be set free and I shall grant you a safe
refuge." The prisoner's reaction was furious: "Death is preferable to
me a thousand times to what you ask me to do."
"I see that you are a bold man. However, if you respond positively to
what I propose to you, I will give you a share in my authority and
swear you in as my aide."
The prisoner, shackled in his chains, smiled and said, "By God,if you
give me all that you possess and all that the Arabs have in exchange
for giving up the religion of Muhammad, I shall not do so."
"Then I shall kill you."
"Do what you want," answered Abdullah.
The emperor then had him put on a cross and ordered his soldiers to
throw spears at him, first near his hands and then near his feet, all
the while tellinghim to accept Christianity or at least give up his
religion. This herefused over and over again to do.
The emperor then had him taken down from the wooden cross. He called
for a great pot to be brought. This was filled with oil which was then
heated under a fierce fire. He then had two other Muslim prisoners
brought and had one of them thrown into the boiling oil. The
prisoner's flesh sizzled and soon his bones could be seen. The emperor
turned to Abdullah andinvited him to Christianity.
This was the most terrible test that Abdullah had to face up till now.
But he remained firm and the emperor gave up trying. He then ordered
that Abdullah too be thrown into the pot. As he was being taken away
he began to shed tears. The emperor thought that he had at last
beenbroken and had him brought back to him. He once more suggested
that Abdullah become a Christian but to his astonishment, Abdullah
refused.
"Damn you! Why did you weep then?" shouted the emperor.
"I cried," said Abdullah,"because I said to myself 'You will now be
thrown into this potand your soul will depart'. What I really desired
then was to have as many souls as the number of hairs on my body and
to have all of them thrown into this pot forthe sake of God."
The tyrant then said, "Will you kiss my head? I will then set you free?"
"And all the Muslim prisoners also?" asked Abdullah.
This the emperor agreed to do and Abdullah said to himself,"One of the
enemies of God! I shall kiss his head and he shall set me and all
other Muslim prisoners free. There can be no blame on me for doing
this." He then went up to the emperor and kissed his forehead. All the
Muslim prisoners were released and handed over to Abdullah.
Abdullah ibn Hudhafah eventually came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and told
him what had happened. Umar was greatlypleased and when he looked at
the prisoners he said, "Every Muslim has a duty to kiss the head of
Abdullah ibn Khudhafah and I shall start." Umar then got up and kissed
the head of Abdullah ibn Hudhafah .

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Disbelief/Kufr

"Allah is not satisfied with disbelief for his servants." (Sura Az-Zumar39:7)
"Surely, Allah does not forgive that a partner is ascribed to Him, and
He forgives anything short of that for whomsoever He wills. Whoever
ascribes a partner to Allah commits a terrible sin." (Sura the women
4.48)
We need to know about disbelief to protect ourselves from it and not
to accuse others of it.
In the Arabic language Kufr means to cover up or hide. A farmer is
known as a kafir becausehe covers seeds in the ground.
In the sacred law kufr/disbelief is to deny anything that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought, with the condition
that it is definite and two to deny or refuse something that is
definite
This is either something well known about the religion to the Ashari's
orsomething that is just definite to the Maturidi's.
Others say it is to deny something that is well-known by Islam, for
example to deny fasting during Ramadan
Something definite is something that is in the Quran or widely
transmitted hadith.
The Ashari's and the Maturidi's are two groups of Sunni theological
belief and themain groups of this time
There is major and minordisbelief:
Major is disbelief as described above
Minor is when someone is an ingrate about blessings
The conditions for disbelief/kufr are:
1. Sanity: a person has to be sane, an insane persons is not taken to task
2. Awake: if they say it in their sleep, it does not count
3. Forced: if someone is forced then it does not count
The definition of faith/Imam is acceptance of the heart with
affirmation on the tongue
With the conditions:
1. Not to do an action of disbelief.
2. And not to jest about it. (jest about religious matters)
The levels of disbelief/kufr are:
1. Kufr Inkari/ Denial disbelief: denies belief
2. Kufr 'Inadi/ beliefs inside but rejects on his tongue like Abu Jahl
3. Kufr juhudu/ungrateful disbelief: knows the beliefs and rejects
4. Kufr Nifaq/hypocrisy disbelief: no belief but hesays he is a believer
Action does not take one out of Islam as action is not included in
faith according to the Maturdi's.
To disbelief in Allah someone has to give him human attributes
Disbelief in the Prophets (upon them peace) is to deny their
prophethoods which have been accepted by consensus. Examples which are
not accepted by consensus are Dhulqarnan, Dhulqifal, Luqman and Khidr.
Disbelief about religion isto say something is halal/permissible when
itis prohibited/haram. For example to say fornication is halal without
marriage
Disbelief about the companions is say that a companion is going to
hell when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said
they are going to paradise, like the ten promised paradise and the
Bayat ul-Ridwan/the oath of acceptance. Cursing the companions does
not constitute to disbelief but denying that Abu Bakr as a companion
does, because he mentioned inthe Quran during the migration to Medina.
Alsoto say that the Angel Gabriel made a mistake and should have gone
to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) instead.
Disbelief about scholars iswhen someone hates a scholar without valid
reason. Also to make fun of the circles of knowledge or to say
something else is better than Islamic knowledge.
Black magic is a major wrong action but is not disbelief unless you
thinkthat it has a power on its own.
A person can fall into disbelief but disbelief does not fall onto a person
A word of disbelief does not mean that the personleaves Islam and the
only person who judge this is a Judge/Qadi. The Qadi has to know one
school correctly, some information of other schools and he has to be
close to someone who can derive his own rulings a mujtahid.
It is not permissible for an average person to call another Muslim a
disbeliever because the hadith prevents us. "If a man calls his
brother a disbeliever then one of them deserves the description." (Key
to Paradise page 78 hadith from Bukhari 6045, 6103 and Muslim 60, 61)
The prophetic narration, "The difference between a man and disbelief;
is leaving prayer." (Muslim) Ibn Abbas was asked about this and he
said this was about kufr an-Na'ma/ingratitide of blessings; minor not
major disbelief.
No one can guarantee that they will die on Islam
A person who has pronounced the words ofdisbelief must:
1. Repent to Allah
2. Repeat testification of faith: "There is no deity except Allah…"
3. Reject previous position
4. Re-marry if necessary
5. Repeat necessary actions like Hajj – disbelieve will destroy all
their previous actions
To protect ourselves fromdisbelief you can say the following:
اللهم إني أعوذُ بِك ان أُشركَ بِك شيئٌ وأنا أعلمُوأستغفرُكَ لِما لا
أعلم وأنتَ علام الغيوب
O'Allah I seek refuge withyou; if I have associated with you anything;
and I know; and I seek forgiveness to what I do not know; and you know
the unseen.
Allahumma inni aa'du bikan urshrika bik shayyan wa ana a'lamu wa
astaghfiruka lima la a'lamu wa anta 'alam al-ghayub

polytheism or idolatry

ar son do not associate partners to Allah, Truly idolatry is a great
injustice." Luqman 31:12
"Allah does not forgive idolatry, yet he will forgive other than that,
to whomever he pleases." The Women 4:48
Shirk in the Arabic language means to co share or to share
In the sacred law it means to make a partner to God, in essence or worship
There are six types of Shirk:
1. Shirk Istqlal: Autonomous idolatry – tobelief in separate deities
i.e. Zoroastrians
2. Shirk Tab'ad: separate idolatry – to say God is one of three
3. Shirk Taqrib: approximate idolatry – tosay that they are
worshipping idols to get closer to God.
4. Shirk Taqlid: Imitative idolatry – to follow fathers
5. Shirk Falsafa: idolatry of the philosophers – to believe that there
is a power other than God
6. Shirk Al-Gharad: idolatry of intention – this is carry out actions
for other God, in intention
The first four are considered as disbelief/kufr
The fifth: we have to findout: a) if he believes that something has
independence power then it is kufr, b) if they believe that they have
a power by God then this isinnovation/Bi'da
The sixth is a sin
Shirk/idolatry is minor and major.
One to five are major idolatry and number six in minor because of the
hadith that it is minor idolatry when the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) warned the companions. The Prophetsaid, "I only
fear for you minor idolatry." The companions asked, "What is minor
idolatry?"He replied, "Ostentation."(Imam Ahmed Musnad 23119)
According to other scholars they state idolatry is three kinds:
1. Idolatry in Lordship/Rububiyyah by two things: a) to deny God and
say he is created, b) to say someone can create other than God.
2. Idolatry in Uluhiyyah: this is worship of other things, this is
major and the minor shirk has been explained before
3. Idolatry in names and attributes of God, this is of two types: A)
to consider something similar to God, someone can forgive other than
him. B) To make god similar to creation