Part 25

As a gift for you, and as stated in another Aayah, "As provision for you and your cattle" [surah 'Abasa (80):32] Meaning, do not set up rivals for the One Who created you, and created those before you, and made the earth a resting place for you and the sky a canopy, and sent down rain from the sky for you, and produced fruits and produce for you, so do not set up for Him rivals which you worship just as you worship Allaah, or which you love just as you love Allaah, since that is not fitting for you, neither according to sound intellect, nor according to Revelation. I.e. when you know that He has no rival, and that creation, provision and control of the affairs is in His Hand alone, so do not set up any partner along with Him in worship. Ibn Katheer, [65] rahimahullaah, said: "The creator of these things is the One Who deserves to be worshipped." All the types of worship which Allaah commanded [66] - like Islaam (submission and obedience to Allaah), eemaan (true Belief comprising belief of the heart, speech of the tongue and action of the limbs), and ihsaan (perfection of worship), and from that is invocation/supplication (dua), reverential fear (khawf), hope and longing (rajaa), trust and reliance (tawakkul), fervent desire (raghbah), dread (rahbah), reverence and humility (khushoo'), awe (khashyah), turning repentantly (inaabah), appealing for aid and assistance {isti'aanah), seeking refuge (isti'aadhah), seeking deliverance and rescue (istighaathah), sacrificing (dhabfi), vows (nadhr) and the rest of the types of worship commanded by Allaah, all of them are to be done exclusively for Allaah, the Most High. ________________________________________________________ He is 'Imaaduddeen Abul-Fidaa' Ismaa'eel ibn 'Umar al-Qurashee, al-Haafidh, the famous author of the Tafseer and Taareekh (al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah). He was one of the students of Shaykh-ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, and died in the year 774H. Having made clear that it is obligatory upon us to worship Allaah, alone, giving no share of worship to anyone besides Allaah, the author, rahimahullaah goes on to explain some of the different types of worship. So he said: "And all the types of worship... like Islaam, eemaan and ihsaan." These three: Islaam, eemaan and ihsaan are the Religion (Deen), as occurs in the narration reported by Muslim from the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab, radiyallaahu 'anhu, who said: "Whilst we were sitting with Allaah's Messenger one day, a man came having very white clothes and very black hair. No trace of having travelled could be seen upon him, and none of us knew him. So he sat down before the Prophet and joined his knees with his knees, and placed his palms upon his thighs and said: "O Muhammad, tell me about Islaam." So Allaah's Messenger said: "Islaam is that you testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; that you establish the Prayer; pay the zakaat; fast Ramadaan; and make pilgrimage (hajj) to the House if you are able to do so." He said: "You have spoken correctly." He (i.e. 'Umar) said: 'So we were amazed at how he asked, and then told him that he had spoken correctly. ‘He said: "Then tell me about eemaan," He said: "It is that you have true faith in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that you have true faith in pre-decree (alqadr), its good and its evil." He said: "You have spoken correctly." He said: "Then tell me about ihsaan." He said: "It is that you worship Allaah as if you were seeing Him, and even though you do not see Him, yet He certainly sees you." He said: "Then tell me about the Hour." He said: "The one who is questioned about it knows no better than the one who is asking.” He said: "Then tell me about the signs." He said: "That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see the barefooted, naked, and destitute, shepherds competing in building tall buildings." Then he went off. Then he (i.e. the Prophet) remained for a long while, then he said: "O 'Umar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allaah and His Messenger know best." He said: "He was Jibreel, he came to you to teach you your Religion (Deen)."" So the Prophet declared all of these things to be the Religion, and that is because they comprehend all of the Religion. The proof for this is the Saying of Him, the Most High: [67] "And the places of Prayer are for Allaah alone, so do not invoke anyone along with Allaah" [surah al-Jinn (72): 18]. Anyone who directs any part of that to anything besides Allaah, then he is a mushrik (associationist), an unbeliever (kaafir), and the proof is the Saying of Him, the Most High, "And whoever worships along with Allaah any other object of worship has no proof for that; his reckoning will be with his Lord. Indeed the unbelievers will never prosper" [68] [surah al-Mu'minoon (23):117]. ________________________________________________________ Meaning that all types of worship, those mentioned by the author and all other types also, are exclusively for Allaah alone, and there is no partner for Him, so it is not permissible to direct them to anyone other than Allaah, the Most High.