Part 20

Allaah, the Most High, says, "Indeed whoever associates anything in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode will be the Fire; and for the transgressors who worship others besides Allaah there will be no one to help and save them from Allaah's punishment on the Day of Resurrection." [surah al-Maa'idah (5):72] tawhid is the greatest commandment given by Allaah since it is the foundation upon which the whole Religion is built. Therefore the Prophet began with it in his call to Allaah, and he ordered those whom he sent out as callers to begin with it also. The most serious thing that He forbade is shirk, which is to invoke others besides Him, along with Him. The proof is His Saying, the Most High: "Worship Allaah alone, making all worship purely for Him, and do not associate anything in worship along with Him." [39] [surah an-Nisaa (4):36] ________________________________________________________ The most serious of all that Allaah forbade is shirk, and this is because the greatest of all rights are the rights of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. So if a person violates the right of Allaah, then he has violated the greatest of all rights, which is the tawhid of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. Allaah, the Most High, says, "Shirk is the greatest transgression." [surah Luqmaan (31):13] "Whoever associates partners in worship along with Allaah has invented a tremendous sin." [surah an-Nisaa' (4):48] "And whoever associates any partner in worship along with Allaah then he has strayed far from the correct way." [surah an-Nisaa'(4): 116] "Indeed whoever associates anything in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode will be the Fire; and for the transgressors who worship others besides Allaah there will be no one to help and save them from Allaah's punishment on the Day of Resurrection." [surah al-Maa'idah (5):72] "Allaah does not forgive association of anything in worship with Him, but He forgives what is lesser than shirk to whomever He pleases." [surah anNisaa'(4):48] The Prophet said: "The greatest sin is that you set up a rival to Allaah when it is He who created you” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 9/458/no.611) and Muslim (Eng. transl. l/50/no.l56)). He also said in the hadith reported by Muslim from Jaabir, radiyallaahu 'anhu: "Whoever meets A llaah not associating anything in worship with Him will enter Paradise, and whoever meets Him associating anything in worship along with him will enter the Fire" [sahih Muslim (Eng. transl. l/54/no.l68)]. The Prophet further said: "Whoever dies while still calling upon a rival to Allaah will enter the Fire." [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 6/21/no.24)] As evidence for Allaah, the Most High's, command that He alone should be worshipped, and for His prohibition of shirk, the author, rahimahullaah, quotes the Saying of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, "Worship Allaah alone, making all worship purely for Him, and do not associate anything in worship along with Him." [surah anNisaa' (4):36] So He, the one free of all imperfections and the Most High, commanded that He alone be worshipped and He forbade shirk. So this order affirming worship for Him alone means that one who does not worship Allaah is a haughty and obstinate unbeliever {kaafir); and that one who worships Allaah and worships others besides Him as well is an unbeliever {kaafir) and a polytheist {mushrik); and that one who worships Allaah alone is a pure Muslim. Shirk is of two types: Greater shirk (shirkun akbar) and lesser shirk {shirkun asghar). So the first type: Major shirk, which is unrestricted shirk termed as such in the Sharee 'ah, which causes a person to leave the Religion. The second type: Lesser shirk is every action or saying defined by the Sharee'ah as being shirk, but which does not take a person out of the Religion. A person must beware of shirk, both major and lesser, since Allaah, the Most High, says, "Allaah does not forgive association of anything in worship with Him, but He forgives what is lesser than shirk to whomever He pleases." [surah an-Nisaa' (4):48] Some of the scholars have said that this threat covers all shirk, even lesser shirk. So if it is said to you: What are the three principles [40] ________________________________________________________ Principles or fundamentals (usoof) are that upon which other things are built. From this is the foundation of a wall (aslul-jidaar), and the trunk of a tree (aslush-shajarah) from which the branches spring. Allaah, the Most High, says, "Do you not consider the example of a good word (i.e. the testification that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah) which is like a goodly tree, its trunk {ash is firmly rooted (i.e. the testification is firmly rooted in the heart of the Believer), and its branches reach towards the sky (i.e. the Believers actions are raised up through that to the heavens)." [surah Ibraaheem (14):24] which a person must know?, [41] then say the servants knowledge of His Lord [42] ________________________________________________________ The author, rahimahullaah, introduces this matter in the form of a question, and this is so as to attract ones attention to its importance, since it is of extreme importance and what he discusses are very great and fundamental principles.