Part 11

greed, nepotism, corruption, or anything similar, then such behaviour is without

doubt a disbelief that is ʹless than disbelief.ʹ

However, what has befallen the Muslims in modern times is that our

rulers have pushed the Shariʹah of Allah aside, describing it as backward and

reactionary, and claiming that it is ill‐suited to modern life and the technological

age. This is, in fact, a new kind of rejection of faith that has arisen in the life of the

Furthermore, these ignorant claims do not just end here; rather these

rulers have pursued them totally, and have replaced the Shariʹah with French,

English and American law, and with ʹsocialist humanismʹ or its like, drawn from

the myriad variations of ignorant disbelief, exchanging a pearl for a glass bead.

The proofs against them are overwhelming, not the least of which is what has

just been quoted from Ibn al‐Qayim who states,

ʹThis is real disbelief about which there is no doubt in anyoneʹs mind.ʹ

Indeed there is no disagreement at all about it: to put the Shariʹah aside

with the claim that it is lacking and deficient, and then to claim that some other

law is superior to it, and so to water it down to suit the fashion of the times, is

Ibn al‐Qayim also states that the ruler who does not stick to the letter of

the law or who neglects it in some way, but who is otherwise ʹdevoted to Islam

and to the observance of its Shariʹahʹ commits lesser disbelief. This ʹdevotedʹ

ruler is the one to whom we apply the ruling of ʹlesser disbelief. But this is clearly

not the case of the ruler who replaces the Shariʹah with his own law.

Then there is the matter of legislation regarding the things that the

Shariʹah permits or forbids. Our ulamaʹ, both past and present, are all agreed that

this is the exclusive preserve of Allah, Who holds all creation in His hand.

Whoever claims this right for himself has claimed one of Allahʹs Divine

Attributes and has set himself up as an object worthy of worship along with

Him. We will examine this point in more detail later.

To override the Divine law and to impose instead of it the fleeting desires

of man, is one of the acts that our ulamaʹ have always said takes a person out of

Islam; and this could not be otherwise. No one can deny this.

"Truly the Creation and the Command are His." (7:54)

Thus we all recognise that it is Allah Who determines our faith and our

disbelief. He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of all power

and authority, and governance and leadership. 77

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al‐ash‐Shaykh explains the words of Imam

Ahmad which were mentioned earlier ‐ ʹThis is real disbelief about which there is

no doubt in anyoneʹs mindʹ ‐ saying,

ʹClearly the greatest disbelief is to elevate a secular profanity to the

position of the Revelation brought by the hand of Gabriel, upon whom be

peace, to the heart of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him

peace, so that his voice should ring out across the world.ʹ 78

Ibn al‐Qayim also says, ʹThe fact of the matter is that the phrase, ʺrule by

other than what Allah has revealed", refers to all disbelief, both greater and

lesser, according to the circumstances. If a ruler understands the obligation to

rule in accordance with what Allah has revealed, but refuses to do so out of

77 See Sayid Qutubʹs comments on this ayah in his Fi Dhilal al‐Quran, (3/1297). See also Tafsir Ibn

disobedience, while knowing full well that this exposes him to the threat of

punishment, then this is a case of lesser disbelief.

ʹBut if he believes that this is not an obligation and that he is able to

choose this or that, when he knows that the only option is the rule of Allah, then

this is greater disbelief. Finally, if his error is because of ignorance, then the

ruling that applies to him is the same as for anyone else who makes a mistake.ʹ 79

ʹThere is no doubt that whoever does not believe in the obligation to rule

by what Allah has revealed to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and

grant him peace, is a disbeliever. Whoever sanctions another to rule a

people in whichever way he pleases, without reference to what Allah has

revealed, is a disbeliever. He may claim to be just, but there is no people

who would not claim to be just, even if this justice were only discernible to

ʹIndeed many of those who like to call themselves Muslims still rule

according to the traditions of their people, traditions which have nothing

to do with the Revelation of Allah, such as the ancient Bedouin codes of

honour. Their princes were to be obeyed and they thought that their

traditions were more appropriate to their people than the Shariʹah

revealed by Allah. This is disbelief. Many people have accepted Islam yet

rule only by force of habit which, like an addiction, demands its own

continued observance. If any of them come to realise that it is not

permitted for them to rule by anything other than by what Allah has

revealed, yet still refuse to do so, and endorse a rule that is against what

Allah has revealed, then they are disbelievers.ʹ 80

In his commentary on the ayah:

By Allah, truly we were clearly wrong when we made you equal with

the Lord of the Worlds. (26:97‐98)

80 Majmuʹat at‐Tawhid, ch. 12.

ʹThey were compared to Allah in terms of love, deference and obedience

to their will, not in terms of creative dynamism, omnipotence or divinity.

As for equality, it is as Allah says in the ayah:

Praise be to Allah, Who has created the heavens and the earth,

and Who has appointed darkness and light. Yet those who

disbelieve ascribe rivals to their Lord. (6:1)

ʹThis means that they set up others as equals or rivals to Him, loving

them, serving them, and sanctifying them, as they should serve Allah and

glorify Him. They do not believe that a human being is really equal to

Allah in terms of actions or attributes, but they nevertheless ascribe to a

human being these Divine characteristics. And while they do this,

conferring upon a human being the same love, devotion, and reverence as

they should to Allah, they also know that there is a difference between

them and Allah. The answer to this paradox lies in the declaration of faith,

ʺThere is no god but Allahʺ.ʹ

Our scholars have mentioned five categories of disbelief by conviction,

rather than by action. These should clarify the status of someone who replaces

the Shariʹah; they include denial, pride, evasion, doubt and hypocrisy.

First, disbelief by denial is the belief that the Messengers were liars. These

people are actually rather few, since Allah always assisted His Messengers,

granting them proofs and signs of their truthfulness that provided them with

irrefutable evidence and deprived any whom they met of any excuse for denying

them. Allah says of Pharaoh and his people:

And they denied them (Allahʹs signs), even though their selves

acknowledged them, out of ignorance and arrogance. (27:14)

And He said to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

In truth they do not deny you (O Muhammad), but wrongdoers flout the

Second, disbelief through haughtiness and pride is like the disbelief of

Satan and of those who knew the Messenger and never found fault with him, but

who turned away conceitedly. This is the most common type of disbelief

amongst the enemies of the messengers; Allah says, relating the words of

Shall we put faith in two human beings like ourselves, and whose

people are our slaves? (23:47)

The disbelief of Abu Talib was also like this. He trusted the Prophet, may

Allah bless him and grant him peace, and had no doubt as to his truthfulness,

but was overcome by zeal for his clan, fearing to offend them by recognising the

Third, disbelief by evasion is to turn away from the Prophet, may Allah

bless him and grant him peace, and his message. These people neither listen to

him, nor believe him; they do not deny him, associate with him, oppose him, or

pay the slightest attention to anything that he says at all. This is like the disbelief

of one of the Bani Abd Yalil who told the Prophet, ʹBy God, I will just say this to

you. If what you say is true you are the most noble person I would ever oppose,

and if you are lying you are the most odious person I can imagine speaking

Fourth, disbelief through doubt is that which neither affirms nor denies

the trustworthiness of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,

but which raises some doubt about it. It is not possible to maintain this position

for very long. Either people turn totally away from the clear signs of the

truthfulness of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, or they

turn to it and commit themselves to belief; but in either case doubt does not

Fifth, disbelief through hypocrisy is when people say that they believe,

while concealing denial in their hearts; this is the greatest form of hypocrisy.

As for Shirk, it is of two types: greater, which takes one out of the

community, and lesser, which does not. With regard to Greater Shirk, Allah says:

81Muhammad Hamid al‐Faqi notes here that many of those who call themselves by Muslim

names and follow the Jews and the Christians, giving one another great respect and claiming in

their ignorance and foolishness that the way to progress and civilisation is in modernisation and

westernisation, are in this category of disbelief. Madarij as‐Salakin, 1/228/ margins.

Surely Allah does not forgive it when partners are ascribed to Him. He

forgives everything except this for whomever He wishes. (4:116)

Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab has explained that there are four kinds of

Greater Shirk: these can occur when asking for help; in acts of devotion; when

offering obedience; and in extending love towards something other than Allah,

in a manner which should only be directed to Allah.

Allah speaks of supplication with these words:

And when they sail on ships they pray to Allah, making their faith pure

for Him only; but when He brings them safe to land, then they ascribe

About the Shirk of those who devote themselves to something other than