The Albaani Site

Translation from the Works of the Reviver of this Century

Tag: aqidah

April 30, 2012

The Shaikh’s Advice to Learn the Correct Aqidah


Questioner: We hear a lot about the Ash’aris but we don’t know about them or their actions except that they misinterpret the Attributes [of Allaah], so could you tell us more about them?

Al-Albaani: The Ash’ari madhhab is a madhhab in aqidah, likewise is the Maaturidi madhhab. They share with the People of Hadith the fact that they believe in some of the Attributes in opposition to the Mu’tazilah, so they are with the [Ahlus]-Sunnah in some things and with the Mu’tazilah in others.

And I advise the students of knowledge not to busy themselves with becoming acquainted with opinions that oppose the Sunnah, on the contrary, I advise them to learn the Sunnah and the correct aqidah. After that, if the opportunity arises and they are able to become acquainted with the madhhabs that oppose that of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Hadith and are able to refute them and defend the madhhab of Ahlus-Sunnah, then they do so, and if not, then it is enough for them to know the madhhab of the truth and it is not upon them, after that, to become acquainted with what opposes this madhhab.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 384.

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April 18, 2012

When Can You Exclude Someone from Ahlus-Sunnah or Call Him an Innovator? | 1 | Someone Who Sincerely Seeks the Truth But Then is Mistaken, Even in Aqidah or Usool, is Excused and Receives One Reward


This sitting was concluded on the 22nd of Dhul-Qa’dah 1413 which corresponds to 12th May 1993.

Questioner: All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds, and may prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah, his family, Companions and whoever followed him in good until the Day of Judgement.

Your eminence, Shaikh, may Allaah reward you with good. I have some issues which I and others from the people of Medinah have found to be problematic, if you could please and with thanks from us, may Allaah reward you with good, give us an answer, in the detail that we [have come to] expect from you.

From these issues is [the question]: when is a person emitted from Ahlus-Sunnah? Is it when he believes as creed something different to their creed? And when he does fall into things which oppose the Ahlus-Sunnah, is it allowed to declare him to be an innovator straight away or after establishing the proof against him? And if it is not easy to establish the proof against him, either due to the death of that person or because of it being such a long time ago, or because it is [just] not possible to meet him in order to establish the proof against him [what do we do?].

So advise us [of the answer], and we thank you [for that].

Al-Albaani: Your question, may Allaah bless you, contains many [different] questions. If you would split between one question and the next, or put the paper in front of me so I can give you the answers to these parts which make up that one question.

Questioner: Okay, O Shaikh, I will repeat it point by point.

Al-Albaani: Point by point.

Questioner: Okay.

Al-Albaani: The first question?

Questioner: The first question: when is a person emitted from Ahlus-Sunnah, is it when he believes a creed other than their creed or when he falls into a few things which oppose their creed?

Al-Albaani: Yes. I say, and I ask Allaah the Mighty and Majestic for success in being correct in what I say:

It has become common amongst the scholars of the past and those of today that when a Muslim makes a mistake in what the scholars call the subsidiary issues [furoo] he is excused, but that if he makes a mistake in the fundamentals [usool], in aqidah, he is not—we believe that, firstly, this differentiation does not have any proof in the Legislation, and that secondly, it is obligatory upon a Muslim to, always and forever, seek to know the truth in that which the people have differed, whether that is connected to the fundamentals or the subsidiary issues or in aqidah or in the ahkaam.

So if he expends all his effort to come to know the truth in that which the people have differed and is correct then he has two rewards and if he is mistaken then he has one, as is well-known from the hadith of the Prophet reported in the Sahih, “If a judge passes judgment and makes Ijtihad and he is right then he will have two rewards.  And if he makes a mistake he will have one,” this is the basis/foundation.

Secondly, if a Muslim was eager in wanting to know the truth yet made a mistake, even if it is in aqidah or the fundamentals, then, firstly, he is not held to account for that—rather he is rewarded one time for his mistake, and secondly, due to what was previously mentioned [just above].

This is confirmed by the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم which occurs in the Saheeh from the hadith of Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan and other noble Companions, [where they reported] that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said, “Amongst the people preceding your age, there was a man who had never done any good. While he was on his death-bed, he called his sons and said, ‘What type of father have I been to you?’ They replied, ‘You have been a good father.’ He said, ‘I have sinned against my Lord and if Allaah has power over me, He will punish me severely. So when I die, burn me and scatter half of the resulting ashes in the sea and half in the wind.’ His sons did accordingly, but Allaah the Mighty and Majestic said, ‘Be so and so,’ and so he became a fully formed man. Then He said to him, ‘What made you do so?’ He replied, ‘Fear of you.’ So Allaah said, ‘I have forgiven you.’”

So Allaah the Mighty and Majestic forgave this person even though he had fallen into disbelief and shirk, [and he fell into this disbelief and shirk] through this will of his, which may not, amongst all of the wills that we have known or come across, have an equivalent in terms of its injustice and oppression. [But] Allaah did not take him to account, in fact He forgave him, because He knew that he didn’t leave that unjust will except out of [his] fear of Him.

Thus, the Muslim … [and] now comes the summary of the answer … when a Muslim seeks Allaah the Mighty and Majestic’s Face in all that he holds as religion before Him and takes as creed concerning Him, but then misses the truth, then there is no doubt that Allaah the Mighty and Majestic will forgive his mistake—in fact he will be rewarded for it one time.

This is what we hold as religion before Allaah and this is the fatwa we give–always and forever.

And the summary of that is: that it [i.e., believing otherwise] is in opposition to the foundation and principle that Allaah does not hold a person to be accountable for what he is mistaken in but only for that which he wilfully intended, and secondly, due to [the reasons given when explaining] this authentic hadith [mentioned above].

What’s next?

Questioner: Next is that the Shaikh of Islaam [Ibn Taymiyyah] may Allaah have mercy on him, mentioned in [his book], Al-Iqtidaa, he mentioned that a man may be rewarded for his presence at the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday or for an innovation depending on his purpose and intention, what do you say about that?

Al-Albaani: This is not a question … this wasn’t read out just now, you read a question which included many others.

Questioner: Yes …

Al-Albaani:So maybe you have taken a leap like that of a gazelle!

Questioner: Yes, I leapt.

Al-Albaani: Why did you jump?

Someone else: Go back to the first.

Questioner: Shall we go back to the first?

Al-Albaani: We said that your first question was composed of [many different] questions, so just now you repeated the first part of it and I gave you the answer, because you based many questions upon the first which was whether he leaves the Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah …

Questioner: Okay.

Al-Albaani: Yes?

Questioner: Now … would you like me to …

Al-Albaani: Ya’ni, there are things you jumped over …

Questioner: Yes, O Shaikh.

Al-Albaani: I don’t know, maybe if you are not in need of them then that is up to you, but I feel as though you are in need of the rest of the answers.

Questioner: Yes, we said, ‘When is a man …

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January 28, 2012

Al-Albaani asked about Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb | 14 |


 

Questioner: May Allaah bless you, we want the legislated, balanced evaluation of some of the Islamic callers of the past about whom much has been said, like Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb, because opinions have clashed concerning them with some people saying that Shaikh Naasir [i.e., al-Albaani] says such and such, and others say that Shaikh Naasir says such and such.  We want the legislated, scholarly, evaluation which your eminence holds to be true concerning Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb?

Al-Albaani: Yes.  Based upon His Saying, the Blessed and Most High, “… and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness …” [Maa’idah 5:8] [I say that] we do not withhold a caller his due, and what we believe about him is done so without falling short or going to extremes.

I believe that Hasan al-Banna had a good influence on many of the Muslim youth who were lost in [different forms of] amusement and Western habits like places of entertainment and cinemas.  He banded them together–and it was a hizbi bloc that they formed which we are not happy with because … [tape is unclear here] …– but he called them to follow the Book and the Sunnah and to cling to the Islaam that he knew, so through him Allaah caused there to be as much benefit as He wanted and his call spread to the Islamic lands.  This is what we hold to be true before Allaah regarding his call.

But we do not go to extremes regarding him as those who are partisan to him do–for he, regretfully, did not have knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah and was not a caller to the Book and the Sunnah upon the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih.

And we just said [in previous sittings] that no group or faction on the face of the earth will be found which denies clinging to the Book and the Sunnah. In fact, every group no matter how misguided they are like, for example, the Shee’ah and the Khawaarij, say, ‘We are on the Book and the Sunnah,’ let alone Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb and those who followed them, these too call to holding firmly to the Book and the Sunnah.

But, most unfortunately, to this day the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon do not openly proclaim that they cling to the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih but instead suffice with calling to Islaam, to the Book and the Sunnah, generally.

For this reason, we know through experience that the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon tread on the path of Hasan al-Banna in calling to Islaam, and even if it is connected to the Book and the Sunnah their call is general and does not include detail even in that which is related to aqidah.

So they do not openly declare clinging to the aqidah of the Salaf as-Saalih in detail, they may say it generally, but what we see actually taking place in many countries in which the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon party has spread is that they are satisfied with everyone who holds onto Islaam in whatever shape or form that may be, so the Ikhwaan gather between the Salafis and the Khalafis, i.e., between those who align themselves to the Salaf and those who align themselves to the Khalaf, indeed they will gather and add people who may be Shee’ah to their ranks.

And I know through personal experience that the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon, because their da’wah is general and not detailed and is not on the methodology of the Salaf as-Saalih, [because of this] you will find that the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon in one country differ from the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon in another even though they are both Ikhwaanees, but their fiqh and their aqidah differs greatly.

So I’ll give you a very sensitive and precise example: unquestionably it is Sayyid Saabiq’s book called Fiqhus-Sunnah.  In reality, I advise the Muslim youth to read it, those who have not studied the fiqh which is followed in one of the four madhhabs, as is the case with most of the youth today–they do not study fiqh.  Because they go through formal education which only teaches very, very little fiqh.

When they want to learn fiqh, I advise these youth to learn it from Sayyid Saabiq’s book [called], ‘Fiqhus-Sunnah.’  For it, in reality, opened a door for the rigid blind-followers who do not know Islaam except within the limits of their madhhabs which they studied and lived according to or which they found their fathers and forefathers on–it opened a way for them to stick to fiqh issues which have been authentically reported in the Sunnah. I advise the youth to read this book, even though I had some points to make about it, and this is something natural, for this reason I wrote a book called, Tamaam al-Minnah fit-Ta’liq alaa Fiqhis-Sunnah, [which is a four hundred and seventy three page checking of Sayyid Saabiq’s book].

I say: in some institutions in the Islamic countries this book is studied because it is easy to grasp and understand and because it is not fanatical towards any one of the four madhhabs followed today–whilst in other countries, it is thrown to the side just as a [worthless] seed is by a group of the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon [themselves] even though the book’s author is from the heads of the Ikhwaan al-Muslimoon and from the students of Hasan al-Banna, may Allaah the Blessed and Most High, have mercy on him.

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July 17, 2011

Is the Hadith, “Every Prophet has a Pool [Hawd] except Saalih. For his Pool was his camel’s udder,” authentic?


Translated by Ahmed Abu Turaab

Question: It was mentioned in As-Sunnah of al-Barbahari …

Al-Albani: As-Sunnah of who?

Questioner: Al-Barbahari, this manuscript, it’s a book.

Al-Albani: For that reason it seemed foreign to me, I wasn’t aware of this book. Tayyib.

Questioner: He was speaking about the Pool of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said that every Prophet has a Pool except for Saalih, for his Pool was his camel’s udder.[1]

Al-Albani: This is something strange! Did he attribute it as such without a mention of the chain of narration?

Questioner: His book will be printed soon.

Al-Albani: It will be printed soon?

Questioner: Printed soon, yes.

Al-Albani: Okay. This is the manuscript?

Questioner: It’s been checked, this is the book.

Al-Albani: Okay. Did he mention it with a chain of narration?

Questioner: Shall we read it?

Al-Albani: Al-Barbahari, he has been spoken about in relation to the Attributes [of Allaah], he is a Hanbali …

Questioner: Abu Muhammad al-Hasan.

Al-Albani: He is a Hanbali.

Questioner: Was he from the fourth century?

Another questioner: From the fourth century, possibly …

Al-Albani: As far as I recall he has been spoken about concerning his excessiveness concerning the Attributes [of Allaah]. Is it as such? Al-Barbahari.

Questioner: When the [manuscript’s] verifier spoke about him he mentioned the sayings of the scholars [about him] … he was regarded as the Imam of Ahlus-Sunnah in his time.

Al-Albani: He is praised for the fact that he used to wage war against the innovators and it is [indeed] correct that he would hold firm to the Sunnah and the Salafi Creed. But in many such cases there is excessiveness.

Like Ibn Battah al-Hanbali for example, author of Al-Ibaanah, he is of this type … but in his Ibaanah itself he narrates all types of hadiths [i.e., including those which may not be authentic] even those relating to the Attributes [of Allaah].

So this is a very important point. Not everyone who writes about the Attributes is a verifier concerning the narrations that he mentions.

Whatever the case, this is the first time that I have heard this exception that was mentioned [in the hadith in question]. And I do not think it is authentic in relation to the mutawaatir hadiths about the Pool. And in Ibn Abi Aasim’s book, As-Sunnah, there is a large group of narrations about the Pool, and there is no mention of this exception. So at the very least that which can be said about it is that it is gharib. And it is befitting that we refrain from being certain about it until it comes from a path through which the proof is established.

Questioner: Okay. In his book, Al-Ibaanah as-Sughraa, should we take from Ibn Battah regarding the Names and Attributes for example. You mentioned Al-Ibaanah, did you mean Al-Ibaanah as-Sughraa or Al-Kubraa?

Al-Albani: I don’t recall right now. With us in the Dhaairiyah Library in Damascus is a handwritten manuscript of Al-Ibaanah whose order is mixed up. Some water had damaged it such that a lot of what was written was effaced. I benefitted by it in many things, and it [also] became apparent to me that he was from the Hanbalis who have some excessiveness in affirming the Attributes. They may affirm an Attribute which has been reported through narrations whose chains of narration are not authentic, and [some narrations which] even if they are authentic then it is [still] not correct to attribute them to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم because they are either mowquf or maqtoo’, yes.

And similar to this is Ad-Daarimi in his refutation of al-Mareesi … this can be found in him too.

The reality is that this is an extremely important topic and it is befitting that the weak narrations are filtered out and expelled from the correct Islamic creed. This is what I tried to do when I summarised [the book] Al-Uluww lil-Aliyyil-Ghaffaar or lil-Aliyyil-Adheem of Imaam adh-Dhahabi. So although Imaam adh-Dhahabi, as you know, was an Imaam in this regard he [still] was lenient in mentioning certain narrations.

From them, for example, is the narration of Mujaahid that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, will make the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم sit with Him on His Throne. And many of the scholars in whose aqeedah we trust, accepted this narration as though it was a marfoo hadith raised back to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Whereas had Mujaahid said concerning a fiqh issue, ‘The Prophet of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said …’ such a hadith would have been regarded as mursal and no fiqh ruling would be established through it–so what is the case when, firstly, he did not raise it back to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم [i.e., it is not marfoo]? And, secondly, it is regarding creed [aqidah] and not fiqh and along with that they accepted it as though it was a sound narration.

So the reality is that we have to be cautious in matters such as these.

[1] The compiler said, “Fabricated. Mentioned by al-Uqaili in Ad-Du’afaa (3/64-65) and Ibn al-Jawzi from him in Al-Mowdu’aat (3/244) and he said, “It is a fabricated narration which has no basis.””

Mawsoo’atul-Allaamah, al-Imaam, Mujaddidil-Asr, Muhammad Naasirid-Deen al-Albaani, of Shaikh Shady Noaman, vol. 9, pp. 354-356.

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July 1, 2011

A Discussion Concerning the Difference of the Companions in Creed [Aqidah] | 2


 

Continuing from the first post.

Shaikh al-Albaani continues, “And a group called the mufowwidah can be found which is between these two.

They [incorrectly] do not believe or accept the apparent meaning of the proofs from the Book and the Sunnah which are connected to the Attributes [of Allaah] while declaring Him free of any likeness to His creation and not ascribing the qualities of the creation to Him [tanzeeh]. They do not perform ta’weel as the Khalaf do about whom we spoke earlier and who are the ones who say, ‘Indeed the madhhab of the Salaf is safer, but the madhhab of the Khalaf has more knowledge and is more precise.’

So the disagreement [with these groups] is not in the [subsidiary] parts, it is not possible to escape that, but rather in the foundational principle.

What is the rule that the Salaf go by?

It is to have that faith in everything reported from Allaah and His Messenger which includes believing in the apparent, clear, linguistic meanings [of the words reported] in the texts while declaring Him free of any likeness to His creation and not ascribing the qualities of the creation to Him [tanzeeh], as occurs in the Most High’s Saying–and this is a proof which is often used, “There is nothing like Him. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” [Shooraa 42:12]

So in this sentence our Lord the Mighty and Majestic firstly mentioned, “There is nothing like Him …” declaring Himself free from having any likeness to His creation and then He followed this negation of likeness with an affirmation, which is His Saying, “… And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.”

So now, when we want to tread upon the path of the Salaf, [we find that] they did not differ whatsoever in understanding [the meaning] of “… the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” For the belief they held was that the attribute of Hearing is not like that of Seeing and that [in addition to this] both of the attributes are just like the rest of the Divine Attributes: we affirm them as they have been reported while differentiating between each one and while declaring Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, to be free of any likeness to anything from His creation [tanzeeh].

What is the stance of the Mu’tazilah, the ones who negate the Attributes? They take the first part of the aayah, “There is nothing like Him …” [believing in it] declaring Allaah to be free of any likeness to His creation and not ascribing the qualities of the creation to Him [tanzeeh]–but they went to extremes in this tanzeeh and they [ended up] negating the meaning. So they said the meaning of, “… And He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer,” is ‘The All-Knowledgeable.’

Thus they negated these two Attributes, because humans can hear and see and so they thought [that by affirming this it would mean that] they were the same [as Allaah]. And they thought that by fleeing from affirming these two Attributes they were performing tanzeeh without ta’teel [negation of the Attribute], but they didn’t notice that the thing which they thought they were fleeing from is what they fell into …

So there is, as the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, an association in the wording but no such real association [between Allaah and the creation] in the meaning.

The Attributes of Hearing and Seeing and the Eye, are three Attributes which our Lord, the Blessed and Most High, has been described with in the Quraan just like [He has been described with] the other Attributes mentioned in the Quraan.

But that does not mean that a person’s hearing, seeing and knowledge is like the Hearing, Seeing and Knowledge of Allaah.

For this reason, when the Mu’tazilah fled to this incorrect interpretation of the Hearing, Seeing and Knowledge [of Allaah], it is said to them that they negated two true and real Attributes from the Attributes of Allaah, the Blessed and Most High.”

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June 30, 2011

A Discussion concerning the Difference of the Companions in Creed [Aqidah] | 1


باب الكلام حول خلاف الصحابة في العقيدة

Chapter Being a Discussion of the Difference of the Companions in the Islamic Creed [Aqidah]

Questioner: In the Name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. [All] praise is [due] to Allaah, Lord of the worlds and may the peace and praise of Allaah be upon the Messenger of Allaah.

As for what follows:

The questioner says, ‘Noble Shaikh! You claim that creed is a matter which the Righteous Predecessors were united upon, yet along with that we find that there is difference between them in affirming an Eye or two Eyes.

Al-Albaani: Firstly, [what did you say], ‘You …’ what?

Questioner: You claim.

Al-Albaani: Claim, ok. Would that he worded it slightly more softly.

Questioner: … that creed is a matter which the Salaf were united upon yet along with that we find that there is a difference [of opinion] amongst them in affirming an Eye, or two Eyes, and the Shin. For it has been reported from Ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with them both, that he interpreted the Saying of Allaah the Most High, “The Day when the Shin shall be laid bare.” [Al-Qalam 68:42] to mean hardship and the suffering [of that Day].

The same is said about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم seeing his Lord, the Majestic and Most High. Whoever affirms it then it is obligatory upon him to believe that, and whoever negates it then it is obligatory upon him to believe that which the negation means.

So what should our stance be, may Allaah reward you with good?

Al-Albaani: It was befitting that the question [be posed] without this warning, since I don’t think the questioner was relating my opinion and [thus] building the direction of his question upon that. That is because we are the ones who hold it to be religion that there is no difference between what is called usool and between what … [part of the recording is lost here]

… that they should be in agreement and united when they are able to. As for when it is possible that that may not be the case in the usool let alone the furoo [subsidiary issues] then the affair goes back to the mujtahid: if he had striven to come to the Truth and was correct he has two rewards, and if he made a mistake then he has one. As we said there is no difference in that between the usool and the furoo.

As for the claim that there is unity in all of the usool in contrast to the subsidiary issues [furoo] then I do not believe that this is something which a scholar would say with absolute certainty.

The most we can say is that the Salaf agreed that the foundation regarding the Attributes of Allaah which occur in the Book or the Sunnah is that they be taken as they are without any ta’weel–this is what it is possible to say they were united upon … but this does not negate the fact that some difference can occur in some of the issues connected to this methodology.

And it is true that difference occurred concerning the example which the questioner mentioned regarding the interpretation of the Shin.

But is there difference amongst these [people from the Salaf] who may have differed in some of those parts connected to creed or tawheed, is there difference amongst them in the principle foundation [al-asl] of the rule?  The answer is no.

And this is the difference between the followers of the Salaf and the followers of those who came later [the Khalaf]. For this is the rule with the Salaf, i.e., to believe in everything that has been reported from Allaah and His Prophet without making ta’weel and without ta’teel.

As for the Khalaf, then the rule with them is ta’weel which is not submission/or the rule with them is not submission.

Click forherethe second part.

 

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May 1, 2011

Al-Albaani on Ahmed Deedat


 

With regard to Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, some people say, and we asked about his methodology, and, inshaa Allaah naturally it will be from the good methodologies, so some people say, the methodology is not important, the important thing is that he is a Muslim … so if you could clarify this for us O Shaikh, and may Allaah reward you with good.

Shaikh al-Albaani: We truly hope that Shaikh Ahmed is on the Salafi methodology of old, who believe in Allaah and worship Him as He truly ought to be worshipped.

But we need to always remember [generally] that just because a person believes in the presence of a creator of this universe this does not mean that he has become a believer. Two fundamental conditions must be met:

The first: that he bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah.
The second: that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.

The first condition, that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah does not only mean that the Creator of the universe is One, because it is possible that faith and disbelief come together in one person, faith and disbelief may come together in one person. The one who says, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah,’ [then] naturally this saying has prerequisites, these prerequisites being connected to these two testimonies.

So if we were to picture a person who bears witness that, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah,’ but [at the same time] he says that the Quraan is deficient … if we were to picture a person who bears witness that, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah,’ but [at the same time] he says that the Quraan is deficient, then the testimony of Laa ilaaha illallaah has not benefitted this person, because it is like honey poured on to something bitter, ruining it.

And in the same way belief and disbelief gathers in a person, for this reason He, the Most High, said about the early polytheists, “And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.” [Yusuf 12:106]. This aayah shows us that these people are believers but that at the same time they are polytheists, and most of them believe not in Allaah except that their condition is this, that they are polytheists.

So, faith and disbelief can be present in a person, I gave you an example of a person who testifies that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah but [he says], “The Quraan is deficient,” this is shirk, but [the person who said this] believes in Allaah and believes in the Messenger of Allaah, so His Saying, the Most High, applies to him, “And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.”

To be precise in this topic, i.e., that it is possible that faith and disbelief be present in a person, faith and tawheed and shirk, the Saying of our Lord, “And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him,” applies to most of the people even in this time [of ours].

Let us take a look at the reality, those Muslims who pray, fast, perform Hajj and give charity, they go to a certain place, or to a grave of the Allies of Allaah [Awliyaa], to seek intercession from them, to seek well-being from them, these people [are from those to whom the Saying of Allaah applies], “And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him.”

They know that Allaah exists, but they worshipped others along with Him, whereas Allaah had said [in the Quraan], “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything),” [Al-Faatihah 1:5], so they sought the aid of other than Him, the Most High.

For this reason, the verifying scholars categorised tawhid into three types:

1 Tawhid ar-Ruboobiyyah (Maintaining the Unity of Lordship)
2 Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Singling out Allaah with worship)
3 Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Maintaining the Unity of Allaah’s Names and Attributes)

Namely that Allaah is One in His Essence, One in the fact that He is the only One who deserves to be worshipped, none other than Him is to be worshipped, and that He is One in His Attributes, “There is nothing like unto Him,” [Ash-Shuraa 42:11]. This does not mean that Allaah exists and that’s it! No, [but rather that] Allaah exists and nothing from His Creation resembles Him.

So for example, in their celebrations the Christians spread these pictures, you will see pictures of their lord, an old Shaikh, with a long white beard, is that the Lord of all Creation whom nothing resembles?

The Jews and the Christians believe that this universe has a creator, so they believe in the first type of tawhid, what is it called? Tawhid ar-Ruboobiyyah (Maintaining the Unity of Lordship), i.e., that this universe has a creator.

Questioner: Is the one who says this an atheist?

Shaikh al-Albaani: They differ from the atheists or naturalists, those who say there is no creator and no creation, the Jews and the Christians say that Allaah is the One who created the universe so they are monotheists in Tawhid ar-Ruboobiyyah, but when it comes to tawhid al-uluhiyyah, the tawhid of worship, then the Jews worshipped Uzair and the Christians worshipped Jesus.

These people disbelieved in the tawhid of worship, so they do not say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,’ and if they have said it, then it is either out of hypocrisy or ignorance as to its true meaning, for if not, if they said it believing in it, they would not have worshipped Jesus, nor would they have submitted to him, or prostrated to him and so on, nor would they have placed his image and that of his mother Maryam in the churches.

These people are believers from one angle, and disbelievers from another since they are not like the atheists who say there is no god, no, they do say that Allaah exists, but look what is the benefit of that saying when they liken Allaah to His Creation?

Questioner: Or when they worship others alongside Him?

Shaikh al-Albaani: Or when they worship others alongside Him, ah, here is the [main] point from [all of] this talk–many of the Muslims, and I do not only mean their general masses, but many of their scholars or students of knowledge too, say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,’ but they worship other than Allaah, and they disbelieve in Him as regards His Attributes.

Now for example, we know that many of them other than those we just pointed to, [we know that] they call on the dead and the righteous, submitting to them, praying by them and so on, they say that Allaah exists in all places, [but indeed] Allaah is greater than all things, and He was in existence when there was nothing other than Him, so what/how is it that you went and put Him and the universe together [as one]? To such an extent that some of them said, “And Allaah in relation to these Shaikhs …  is but as a snowflake in water.”

Can you differentiate between snow and water? This is Allaah in the eyes of these people, this is disbelief.  In the Noble Quraan it says that Allaah is Self-sufficent and in no need whatsoever of His Creation, [but] these [people] have gathered Him [in the same category as] the creation like a silkworm which harms itself, it digs itself in and becomes strangulated and dies–[but the reality is that] Allaah is in no need of the worlds whatsoever, so these people have believed from one angle and disbelieved from the other.

For this reason, and in reality it matters to us that Shaikh Ahmed [Deedat], may Allaah reward him with good, has fulfilled a great obligatory action, but this undertaking and this exertion [jihaad] will only benefit him if he believes in Allaah as one Lord, as [the only] One who is worshipped, [i.e., fulfilling all requirements of tawhid like all Muslims should] and what is not meant by [this saying], ‘that He is the only One worshipped,’ [is to restrict it to only mean] that he prays just to Him, no, for if he called upon Khidr in a time of need then he would not have worshipped Allaah alone, since supplication is part of worship, he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Du’aa is worship.”

So we hope that he [i.e., Deedat] has studied the correct tawhid in his land so that he is a muwahhid [monotheist, who] singles Allaah out solely in His Essence, in His worship, a muwahhid of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, in relation to His Attributes, [i.e., the] three [categories of tawhid], and then his jihaad would be something about which we could say that he has performed an obligatory duty that all of the [other] Shaikhs did not carry out.

Questioner: Allaahu Akbar.

Shaikh al-Albaani: Yes, by Allaah.  May Allaah reward him with good.

Questioner: May Allaah bless you, our Shaikh, may Allaah bless us by [allowing us to benefit from] your life, inshaa Allaah.

Shaikh al-Albaani: May Allaah protect you.

Questioner: Please carry on, our Shaikh.

Shaikh al-Albaani: What is meant byTawheed ar-Rububiyyah is that the Muslim decisively believes that the Creator of this universe and all that it contains is one in His Essence, having no equal/opponent, no partner.

The Magians believe that there are two gods, a god of evil and a god of good, they committed shirk in [the first category] Tawhid ar-Rububiyyah, do you understand?

So if the Muslim, Allaah forbid, were to believe that there are Allies of Allaah [Awliyaa] and righteous people who can harm and benefit along with Allaah, and who can give life and death, and who can feed and give provisions, [then] he would have disbelieved in tawhid, tawhid ar-Rububiyyah, and would have associated partners with Him, because [through this belief of his] he would have held there to be two creators: [he would have held that] Allaah creates the good and evil and that likewise the Allies of Allaah [Awliyaa] and the righteous people give provisions, give life and death, and for this reason he [such a Muslim] goes to them, seeking blessings from them.

Question: There are many women who cannot get pregnant who take themselves and go to a tree under which there is the grave of a wali and so she will tie things above [the grave on the tree] and so on, yes.

Shaikh al-Albaani: Allaahu Akbar, this is shirk in rububiyyah. Shirk in Lordship [uluhiyyah] is shirk in worship, and it is that someone worships other than Allaah while believing that Allaah is One in His Essence but [at the same time] he slaughters for such and such wali, this is shirk in worship, he calls upon so and so the wali, [even though] that wali has become dust in his grave, a man from mankind, [but this Muslim] believes that he can hear and save him, and harm and benefit, this would then have become shirk in worship.”

Mawsoo’atul-Allaamah, al-Imaam, Mujaddidil-Asr, Muhammad Naasirid-Deen al-Albaani, of Shaikh Shady Noaman, vol.2, pp. 59-64.

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April 23, 2011

The Definition of Creed [Aqeedah] and the Importance of Calling to it


[1] Chapter: The Definition of Creed [Aqeedah]

The Imaam said, “Creed is everything that is connected to the world of the Unseen to which a ruling regarding actions is not connected.”

[2] Chapter: The Importance of Calling to Creed

“My opinion is that we must talk about creed in all of the Islamic world, and [talk about] the failure of the entire Islamic world in turning away from [the affairs of] creed and from clarifying it to the people.  The greatest proof is that the well-known Islamic sects, [which have] large numbers and have been around rallying for a long time, hold that busying oneself with calling to Allaah and correcting [people’s] views is a mistake.

And we have had many unfortunate experiences [in this matter].  More than thirty years ago when I was in Madeenah, we were sitting in a gathering exactly like this one, but we were sitting as they do in an Arabic gathering, on the floor, and I was sitting in the place where this brother Maneer is sitting, i.e., [I was] the last one.

A man entered who was an eloquent orator [khateeb] and the head of an Islamic group which was well-known in some lands.  So he gave salaam and started to shake [everyone’s] hand.  I noticed his facial features started to change [i.e., he was upset and started to frown] as occurs in the hadith.  And the reason was that nobody stood up for him, and there is no doubt that this is something which is not common in such gatherings, [especially] for someone entering [who is] of his standing in society.

[He carried on] until he reached me and I was the last one sitting there, right next to the door, so I said [trying] to [console] him, “O Ustaadh! As we say in Syria, ‘[You are] honourable without [anyone even having to] stand up,’” [I said this] because I felt that he felt something in himself due to these people not having stood up for him.  He had hardly heard these words when he exploded and said, “O Ustaadh! We now want to busy ourselves with such details and such and such …” and he was boiling as they say in the Arabic language [yahdur]: boiling … and he was a khateeb, [and he was saying], “And we have to be united, and we are living with the Ba’athists and the Shi’ites and …” and so on.

So I left him until he finished and then said, “O Ustaadh! Does it suffice me to say based upon what I have heard from you that it suffices us to unite upon [the declaration of faith], ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,’ without understanding?” He said, “[Yes], even without understanding.”

What do you think?  The head of an Islamic group!

And I know that these sects live on this principle.  They are satisfied that the generality of the Muslims say, ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,’ even if they have not understood that this declaration of faith or that these good words demand disbelieving in the false objects of worship [taaghoot].  But not [just] disbelieving in the false objects of worship which only refer to the present day meaning, because this too is from the present-day calamities–[that] many of the Muslim youth nowadays [hold that] the false object of worship [taaghoot] is the ruler who does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, whereas [the reality is that] there are many different types of false objects of worship … these vows and oaths and supplications directed to other than Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, these negate the declaration [that], ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah …’ in the eyes of the one who understands [that], ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah,’ means tawhid al-uluhiyyah and tawhid al-ibaadah.

The Islamic world lives like this, for this reason it is upon the callers to Islaam to truly gather, not only on good technique, which their talk is always centred on, but rather [to gather on] correct knowledge from the Book and the Sunnah along with that, this is what the Islamic world is in need of …”

Mawsoo’atul-Allaamah, al-Imaam, Mujaddidil-Asr, Muhammad Naasirid-Deen al-Albaani,  of Shaikh Shady Noaman, vol. 1, p. 169-170.

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