How To Know The Religion of Truth (2/9)

The Pillars of Islam

Islam is based on the following (five principles). No one can claim to be a Muslim unless he believes in these five essential rules and practices them sincerely:

1- To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.

2- To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.

3- To pay Zakath (i.e. obligatory charity.)

4- To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

5- To perform Hajj Whenever one is capable. [1]

To testify that there is no god save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger has a specific meaning which the Muslim should not only know, but also practice sincerely. Whoever utters this testimony (shahadah) without knowing its  meaning, or without binding himself by it in his behaviour will gain no use from it.

This testimony means that there is none on the earth nor in the heavens deserving to be worshipped save Allah alone. Allah is the One True God. All other deities, whatever they may be, are false. Therefore, whoever worships any deity besides is an unbeliever and an idolater even if what he worships is a prophet, a saint or a holy man, under the pretext that this deity will be his intercessor to Allah. The unbelievers, against whom Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, carried a continuous fight, had used this false pretext to justify worshipping their prophets and pious men. Seeking to gain the consent of Allah, or asking for His help cannot be achieved by worshipping others than Allah, but it can only be attained by serving Allah alone, glorifying Him by His names and Attributes, and by performing the good deeds that He had commanded us to do, such as prayer, fasting, fighting for His cause, pilgrimage and kind treatment to the parents.... etc.

Worshipping takes different forms, and one of them is supplication which means, to ask for something that no one can ever grant except Allah. The fall of the rain, recovery of a patient, relief from misfortunes, asking for salvation from Hell-Fire and dwelling in Paradise... etc., in all these cases and other similar cases, one should ask Allah alone to grant such blessings.

Whoever asks a mortal being to grant him such things is indeed worshipping this being. Allah ordered His bondsmen to supplicate Him alone for whatever they may need: -

“And your Lord said: "invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (Surah Ghafir, 40: 60)

Allah instructed us that mortal beings whom idolaters supplicate, are deprived of power; they can never cause harm or bring any benefit to any one:

“Say: (O Muhammad [may Allah's peace be upon him]): "Call upon those-besides- Him-whom you pretend [to be gods like angels, 'Isa (Jesus) 'Uzair (Ezra), and others.] They have neither the power to remove the adversity from you nor even to shift it from you to another person". (Surah Al-Isra’, 17: 56)

The Qur’an states also:

“And the mosques are for Allah (Alone): so invoke not any one along with Allah.” (Surah Al-Jinn, 72: 18)

Offering sacrifices and votive offerings are services which should be consecrated for Allah alone. Whoever offers a sacrifice or makes a vow for a dead pious man, for the jinn or for anyone other than Allah, is an idolater cursed by Allah. The Qur’an states:   

“Say: (O Muhammad [may Allah's peace be upon him]): "Verily, my Salat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims." (Surah Al-An’am, 6:162-163)

Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“May Allah curse whoever offers a sacrifice to anyone other than Him”, If a person says: "I vow to offer a sacrifice to this in the examination, or if I am relieved from a disease etc.” This kind of vow is certainly a form of idolatry, because vows should be consecrated to Allah alone and absolutely not to anyone else, other than Allah. The right vow in such cases is to say:  “I vow to offer a sacrifice to Allah, or I vow to Allah that I will pay to the poor this sum of money, or will give the needy so and so, if I succeed in the examination, or be relieved from disease.”

Calling for help, asking for refuge and invoking for support are also among the forms of divine services. One should not call for help, ask for refuge or seek for support from anyone else, other than Allah. The Holy Qur’an has stated:

“You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).” (Surah Al-Fatihahh, 1: 5).

The Holy Qur’an states also:

“Say: I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil of what He has created.” (Surah Al-Falaq, 113:1-2)

Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Call me not for help, but call Allah your Lord.” The Prophet said also: “If you ask for anything ask for it from Allah Alone, if you seek for help, seek it from Allah Alone.”

It is permissible for a person to ask for his fellow brother's help or support if the matter for which he asks for help is within the scope of human ability. But if such a matter is beyond the scope of human ability, man must not ask for help from any one save Allah. In all cases, it is strictly forbidden to ask for help or support from a dead man or an absent person, even if he were a prophet, a saint or an angel.

As for those who pretend to know that which is invisible, or foresee what is hidden in the future, they are unbelievers and flagrant liars. Even if what they foretell happens, it only happens by chance. Both Imam Ahmad and Al-Hakim related that the Prophet had said: “Whoever goes to a diviner or a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, disbelieves in what had been revealed to Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.”

Trust, submissiveness “Tawakul”, and hope (Raja) are also among the forms of worshipping. Man should never trust, hope or submit to anyone save Allah. It is regrettable that many of those who belong to Islam still commit idolatry and invoke others than Allah “i.e.: notable men of authority, dead pious men.... etc.” They circumambulate the graves of dead pious men invoking them for help or to attain their needs. There is no doubt that this is a form of idolatry and whoever performs such an action is not a Muslim, even if he utters the testimony of Islam and performs all the fundamental duties of Islam.

Allah stated in the Qur’an:

“And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad [may Allah's peace be upon him]), as it was to those (Allah's Messengers) before you: "If you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.” (Surah Az-Zumar, 39:65)

The Qur’an states also:

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode”. (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5: 72)

(Continued)