. JJ (cont.)

,I.-- ;:.J ~ .,.~ G!:- Y-1, 'J;P' " ... and strive all-together for the forgiveness from your lord .. .'' [Ao/ 'lmraan (3): 133] The grave sin, Shirk, like acts of worship, can be done with the heart, the tongue, or the limbs. However, we will only deal with those aspects of Shirk which are committed by the tongue herein. Supplicating to Other Than Allaah He, the Glorious, says: [ ~:}J ~ 'G§~~ "Supplicate to Me and I will answer you ... " [Ghaafir (40): 60] The Messenger ~ said: ~;~1 ~ H~.:UI "dua' (supplication) is worship itse/f."l71J Since dua' is the essence and main element of worship, as it is the seeking of help from a supernatural source, it must be directed to the Creator and Sustainer, Allaah ~ Himself. It is precisely for this reason that, Allaah, the Sublime, warns: [71] Abu Dawood. Guarding the Tongue ~~:-~ .q ~ ~\ ~~ ~ E0 .q~~ ,£~\ ::.; ~1 ~ .. .,;..... u ..... t "And supplicate not to any other than Allaah, that which can neither profit nor harm you, but if you do so, then certainly you will be from among the transgressors.'' [ Yun us (10): 106] Yet, we would find Muslims going to graves of seemingly pious people, supplicating to them to fulfil their needs. It is also commonplace for some Muslims to make dua' through the name of the Prophet ~ as well as other righteous people. However, all supplications must be directed towards Allaah, Alone. To do otherwise constitutes Shirk, - pure and simple. Kufr, Ni'mah: Disbelief Manifesting Itself in Ungratefulness for Allaah's Blessings or Favours. Allaah ~ says: ~~~\ ~)b;~ lf__,~ ;j ~\ ~.::~ 0;_;~ "They recognize the bounty (blessings) of Allaah, yet they deny it and most of them are disbelievers." [An-Nahl (16): 83] Instead of praising Allaah ~ for the bounties He bestows upon us, we deny them and sometimes feel it is by our own hands that we have achieved whatever Allaah ~ has blessed us with. The correct attitude would be to acknowledge, that all that we have is only from Allaah ~ , the Almighty. This should help us to feel less independent, and make us more grateful to Allaah ~ , the Sublime. This, in turn, will cause us to receive more of Allaah's blessing (fnshaa Allaah). Golden Advice Series 04 He, the Glorious says: "And if you are thankful, I will increase (My blessings) to you." [lbraheem (14): 7] Visiting Fortunetellers; Psychics; etc. "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him anything, Allaah will not accept his Prayers for forty days."f.721 This is the punishment for going to him and seeking his help. However, if a Muslim believes in what the fortune-teller says, the harm is even greater. The Messenger ~ said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was brought by Muhammad (i.e. ls/aam)."f.731 This hadith clearly declares, that to believe anything from the fortune-teller is disbelief. These experts at deception have [72] Muslim. [73] Ahmad. Guarding the Tongue deceived many people, and extracted from them much wealth. Yet, many Muslims frequent them. May Allaah assist and guide us from such practitioners of evil. Swearing By Other Than Allaah ''Al/aah prohibits you from swearing by your fathers, so whoever swears, let him swear by Allaah or shut up."f.741 It is stated in another hadith of the Prophet ;I that: ~~f .ill~\~ w1;. ~ ~ ~ "Whoever swears by other than Allaah has committed Shirk. '1751 Swearing is allowed in lslaam, but a person can only swear by Allaah ~ - If he swears by anything else, then this is an aspect of Shirk. To swear by the moon or the star or any of Allaah's creation, is Haraam. What is even more heinous is to swear by Allaah ~ while knowing fully well that one is lying. Allaah ~ can swear by whatever He wants to, but we can only swear by Him. [74) Bukhaaree & Muslim. [75) Ahmad. Golden Advice Series 04 Denying a Name or Description of Allaah or Changing its Apparent Meaning This occurs when someone denies any Name or Attribute of Allaah that He affirmed for Himself, or that His Messenger ~ affirmed for Him, the Most High. For example, to deny or cast doubt on the fact that Allaah has Two Hands, or that He hears, or that He is above the heavens, are aspects of Shirk which fall within this category. To seek to explain the Hands of Allaah as His Mercy, Strength, Power, etc., falls into the above category also. This type of explaining of Allaah's Attributes is also prohibited in lslaam. It must be noted that the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamaa'ah regarding Allaah's Names and Attributes is: "That Muslims must believe in all of Allaah's Names and all of His Attributes that are found in the Qur'aan and the authentic Sunnah. They must accept them exactly and literally as they are." The above demands the following: a) Not seeking to explain any of them by similitude (i.e.