Kashf Ush-Shubuhaat the Removal of the Doubts (2)

7/30/2019 Kashf Ush-Shubuhaat the Removal of the Doubts (2)

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Readings in K ashf ush-Shubu haat: Th e Second Study

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Readin gs in Kashf ush-Shubu haat (Rem oval of the Dou bts) :Th e Secon d Stu dy

INTRODUCTION

All Praise is du e to Allaah, we praise Him , seek H is aid an d H is Forgiveness. W e seek refuge

in Allaah from th e evils of our sou ls and th e evils of our action s. W h om soever Allaah guides

th ere is n on e to misguide an d who msoever Allaah m isguides there is n on e to guide. I bear

witn ess that th ere is n on e worthy of worship except Allaah , alon e, withou t an y partn ers an d

I bear witn ess that Mu h amm ad is His servant and m essen ger.

To proceed: this is the treatise of the Shaikh ul-Islaam, Establisher of Tawheed, and Reviver

of the Religion, Muh amm ad bin Abdul-W ahh aab entitled the Removal of the Dou bts and

it is on e of the mo st essential an d fun dam ental writings on th e sub ject of Tawheed and what

is conn ected to it. Th e translation of the text has been taken from the work of Muh amm ad

bin Abdur-Rahmaan al-Khumayyis who has added some brief explanatory notes and some

addition al footn otes pointing out some oth er doub ts that the enemies of Tawheed u se and

spread amongst the people. The whole book is serialised in sections and explanatory titles

h ave been given to each p ortion of the text to aid un derstandin g, stud y and revision.

W e pray th at Allaah revives th e light of Tawheed an d th e Sun n ah an d th at H e removes whatremains of the darknesses of Shirk and Bidah, and that He corrects the affairs of the

U mm ah, by grant ing them success in correcting th eir own souls, following in all of that th e

Meth odo logy of the In heritors the Prop h ets in every gen eration, th at of Im aam Maalik, that

of the Prophets and Messengers themselves.

To p roceed: Th e Second Study


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The Second Study: The True Nature of the Tawheed That the Messengers

Called To

Th e Shaikh o f Islaam, Muh amm ad bin Abdul-W ahh aab con tinued:

2.1 [What t he Messenger Fought For]

And when you h ave com e to kn ow that th e Messen ger of Allaah fou gh t th em on accou n t

of this Shirk [that they fell into] and he invited them to make their worship purely and

sincerely for Allaah alone, just as He, the Most High, said, So do not call upon anyone

alongside Allaah (Surah Jinn 72:18). And He also said , For Him (Alone) is the Word of

Truth (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped but He). And those whom they invoke,

answer them with nothing (Rad 13:14). An d when you h ave established th at th e

Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) fought them so that all of invocation (dua)

would be for Allaah [alone], likewise making oaths for Allaah alone, [ritual] sacrificing

(dhabh) for Allaah alone, seeking aid [in times of hardship] from Allaah alone, and all the

various forms of worship for Allaah alone.

2.2 [What Constitutes Shirk]

And when you h ave come to kn ow that th eir [m ere] affirm ation o f Tawheed ur-Ru boob iyyah

did not enter them into Islaam, and that their seeking the Angels, or the Prophets, or the

Righ teous, seekin g their int ercession and seeking nearn ess to Allaah th rou gh all of th at was

th e reason th at mad e their blood an d wealth lawful.

2.3 [The True Nature of the Tawheed of the Messenger(s)]

[When you have come to know all of these affairs], then you will have come to know [the

tru e n ature] of th e Tawheed which the Messengers invited to and which th e Mu shriks

refused to affirm an d accept. And th is T awheed is the m ean in g of Laa ilaaha illallaah

(There is non e which h as the right to b e worsh ipped except Allaah alone). For a deity (ilaah)

in the view of the Mushriks is the one who is sought for the sake of these affairs (that is

intercession and n earness to Allaah ), whether it be an Angel, a Proph et, a tree, a grave or a

jin n . Th ey d id n ot in ten d or m ean that a deit y (ilaah) is the C reator, Sustainer or R egulator

(Mudabbir), for they knew that this is only for Allaah alone as has preceded but what

they meant by ilaah what the Mu shriks of our time in ten d by the word sayyid (master,

lord).

2.4 [The Meaning, Not th e U tterance]

So the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) came to them to invite them to the word of

Tawheed, Laa ilaaha illallaah. And what is required from this word is its actual meaning,

n ot m erely its utteran ce [up on the to n gue].

2.5 [Th e Ignor ant U nbelievers U nd erstood t he Reality of Tawheed]

The ignorant Unbelievers know that the intent of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)

by this word was the singling out of Allaah, the Most High, in attachment to Him (at-

taalluq) [with all forms of worship] and disbelieving in whatever is worshipped besides him,

and freeing oneself from that. For when he said to them, Say Laa ilaaha illallaah, they


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replied, Has he made the liha (gods) (all) into One Ilh (God - Allh). Verily, this is a

curious thin g! (Sad 38:5).

2.6 [The Muslims Stooped in Ignorance of the Reality of Tawheed]

So wh en you h ave com e to kn ow that th e ign oran t amo n gst th e U n believers kn ew all of this,

then it is amazingly strange that one who claims Islaam for himself yet he does not even

know the explanation of this word (the Kalimah) which even the ignorant amongst the

Unbelievers knew. Rather, he even thinks that it merely involves the utterance of its letters

with out th e h eart believing in an y of its meanin gs. Even th e intelligent and sh rewd amon gst

th em (the on es who claim Islaam) thin k th at its mean ing is th at n on e creates or sustain s and

nourishes but Allaah, and none controls the affairs except Allaah. So there can be no

goodness in a person when the ignorant ones amongst the Unbelievers are more

knowledgeable than him of the meaning of Laa ilaaha illallaah.

En d of Sh aikh ul-Islaams words.


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Point s to Note

2A. Th e two verses qu oted at th e open ing of the passage (Jinn 72:18, Rad 13:14) both

ind icate that supp lication or in vocation (dua) is for Allaah alone an d th at calling oth ers

alongside Allaah con stitut es Sh irk. There are m any oth er verses with t his mean ing. Refer to

Mu min oon 23:117, Furqaan 25:68, Shu araa 26:213, Q asas 28:88.

2B. T h e Mushriks called u pon tho se besides Allaah with duaa (invocation) in order to solicit

their intercession an d to seek n earness to Allaah throu gh them . Bearing in min d that th ey

affirmed the Ruboobiyyah of Allaah, denied it for their own objects of worship, actually

worshipped Allaah an d called u pon H im alone at times1, then it is clear that the nature of

th eir Shirk was setting up interm ediaries between th emselves and Allaah and callin g up on

th em and soliciting them . So th eir worship was not exclusive worsh ip of Allaah alon e, rather

alongside that t hey worshipped oth ers by callin g upon them .

2C . All of this indicates th e tru e n ature o f the Tawheed of th e Messengers, which is makingall th e various types of worship, intern al and external, tho se of the h eart, tongue an d limb s,

for Allaah alon e. And it is th is m ean ing which ch aracterises the ph rase Laa ilaaha illallaah.

2D. The Mushriks understanding of the word ilaah (deity, object of worship) was that it

m eans on e who is sought for th e sake of intercession and for n earness to Allaah. Th is is what

the Quraan indicates, that the Mushriks, when it is the case that they do not commit Shirk

in Ruboobiyyah, that they deny Ruboobiyyah for other than Allaah, worship Allaah,

remember h im, and call upon H im alone at times, and that th eir argum ent for calling upon

1DO UBT ALERT NO . 3: THE MU SHRIKS ON LY PRAYED TO IDOLS AND BELIEVED TH E IDOLS

COU LD SAVE THEM AND BENEFIT T HEM!!

An d th e Q uraan has falsified this by describing the state and con dition o f th e Mu shriks when their lives are at

risk:

He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships and they sail with

them with a favourable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to

them from all sides, and they think that they are encircled therein, they invoke Allh, making their Faith

pu re for H im Alone, saying: "If You (Allh) deliver u s from th is, we shall tru ly be of the grateful." (Yun us

10:22)

And when th ey embark on a ship, they invoke Allh, m aking their Faith pu re for H im on ly, but when H ebrin gs th em safely to land, beh old, th ey give a share of th eir worship to other s. (Al-'Ankabu t 29:65)

And when a wave covers them like shades (i.e. like clouds or the mountains of seawater), they invoke Allh,

making their invocations for H im on ly. But when H e brings them safe to land, th ere are among them those

that stop in the middle, between (Belief and disbelief). But none denies Our Signs except every perfidious

ungrateful. (Luqman 31:32)

And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except

Him (Allh Alone). But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever

ungrateful. (Al-Isra 17:67)

And all of this indicates that the Mu shriks did n ot com mit Shirk in Rub oobiyyah since th ey knew th at Allaah

alone can save them , and so in situations like these they made th eir supp lication and worship for Allaah alone.

Knowing that those whom they call upon at oth er times canno t help them o r benefit them.


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oth ers was that th ey bring th em closer to Allaah an d offer th em in tercession , then all of this

indicates that their understanding of ilaah was anyone who will bring them closer to Allaah

by way of intercession , wheth er it is an Angel, Proph et or Righteous person , Jinn , and evenstones, ido ls and trees2. Hen ce, we un derstand the m eaning of the word ilaah as used in the

Q uraan, th at it refers to wh atever is called u pon , revered an d ad ored.

2DOUBT ALERT NO. 4: THE MUSHRIKS ONLY CALLED UPON THE IDOLS BUT DID NOT

INVOKE THE RIGHT EOU S PEOP LE!!

And this is falsehood since the Q uraan affirms that th e Mushriks called u pon hum an beings:

And who is mor e astr ay th an on e who calls (invokes) besides Allh, th ose who will not answer him till the

Day of Resurr ection, an d who are (even) un aware of t heir calls (invocations) to th em? (Al-Ahqaf 46:5).

In the above verse the relative pronoun man (whoever) is used in the phrase man laa yastajeebu lahu, and

this pronou n is not used for non -rational or inanimate beings. In other places in the Q uraan Allaah u ses the

relative pronoun maa (whatever) which relates to non-rational and inanimate beings.

In fact, in th e verse prior to t he above verse Allaah says:

Say (O Muhammad to these pagans): Think! All that you invoke besides Allh show me! What have they

created of th e earth? Or have they a share in (th e creation of) the heavens? Brin g me a Book (revealed before

th is), or some trace of knowledge (in suppor t of your claims), if you ar e tru thfu l! (Al-Ahqaf 46:4)

H ere the relative pron oun m aa is used in the ph rase araaytum maa tadoona min doon illaah. So Allaah, in

these two verses, used both maa and man to indicate both rational and non-rational beings were called

upon.

Then even when the Mushriks called upon the idols, then these idols were actually representations of dead

righteou s people, and hen ce they were not actually invoking the idols in and of them selves but th ose that th ey

represented . Reflect u pon the following:

And recite to them the story of Ibrhim (Abraham). When he said to his father and his people: What do you

worship? They said: We worship idols, an d to th em we are ever devoted. H e said: Do t hey hear you

(yasmaoonakum), when you call (on th em)? O r do they benefit you (yanfaoonakum ) or do they harm (you)

(yadurroon )? (Ash-Shu'ara 26:69-73).

Note the u se of the m ale plural form of th e verb in reference to th e idols. If the actual idols were meant in and

of them selves then th e female singular form would have been used (tasmauku m, tan faukum , tadur r).

And what all of this indicates is that Allaah often uses the word man and maa and refers to whatever is

worshipped besides Allaah with the male plural forms of verbs, in order to cover all the various manifestationsof the Shirk that is being com mitted . This is because when th e Mu shriks worship th ose besides Allaah th ey

actually worship a number of things. Firstly, the pious person that is at the root of this worship (i.e. seeking of

intercession, nearness etc.), then whatever surrounds and is central to all that such as a tomb, or a gravestone,

or a statue that represents the d ead person.

And amo ngst the clearest of proofs for all of what has preceded is the saying of Allaah:

If you invoke (or call upon) them (tadoohum), they hear not (laa yasmaoo) your call, and if (in case) they were

to h ear (wa law samioo), they could n ot grant it (your requ est) to you (ma-stajaaboo lakum). And on the Day of

Resurrection, they will disown (yakfuroona ) your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O

Mu ham mad ) like H im W ho is the AllKnower (of each an d everythin g). (Fatir 35:14).

Notice first of all the male plural pronoun at the beginning (hum), then the use of four verbs in the male plural

form to refer to those that are called upon with dua!! This is not in reference to mere idols, O intelligent one!!


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2E. The meaning of the Kalimah was understood by the ignorant ones amongst the

U n believers, they kn ew and un derstood well th e reality of the Tawheed that they were b ein g

called to. This is why they replied, in their amazement, Has he made the liha (gods) (all)

into One Ilh (God - Allh). Verily, this is a curious thing! (Sad 38:5), and they meant by

th is that shou ld Allaah be th e on ly on e that sho uld b e called u pon alone?, not th at isAllaah alon e th e C reator, O wner an d Provider?, as has already preceded.

2F. Th e affairs have reached such p ropo rtion s that m any amon gst the Mu slims have becom e

stooped in ignoran ce about th e reality of th e Tawheed o f the M essen gers, and th ey are less-

knowledgeable of the actual meaning and requirement of what they profess with their

ton gues (th e Kalimah ) than th e mo st ign oran t of the U n believers, who kn ew what th ey were

bein g called to an d rejected it with th is perfect kn owledge of what th ey were being called to.

2G . Even worse is th at even th e mo st shrewd an d in telligent on es am on gst th ose who profess

Islaam h ave becom e con fused between t he Ru boob iyyah of Allaah and H is U looh iyyah, and

so they have thou ght th at wh at is m eant by the Kalimah is th at Allaah is the C reator, O wner

and Provider. And this has become the situation of many of the groups and parties today,

th at they do n ot differentiate between th e meanin g of Rabb and th e meanin g of Ilaah.

2H . Th e Proph et (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) did n ot distin guish b etween any of th e various

types of Mushriks and fought them all. That is regardless of whether they directed this

invocation an d supplication (dua) to an Angel, Proph et, Righ teous Person, Jin n , ston e, tree

or idol, he fought them all since the nature of their Shirk was the same, that is taking

interm ediaries between th emselves and Allaah and soliciting their in tercession and claiming

to attain nearness to Allaah th rough th em.

And th ere are many other proofs of this nature in th e Q uran, m ay Allaah grant us and you success in

un derstanding th e realities of Tawheed.


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Action P lan of the Muwahh id

1. Memorise the verses Jinn 72:18, Rad 13:14 which related to Allaahs sole right to be

invoked and the other similar verses if your are capable.

2. Understand well the meaning of the word ilaah and note that it is not the same as rabb

and understand that an ilaah is anything that is invoked besides Allaah, be it an Angel,

Proph et, Righteou s person , Jinn , ston e, idol, tree or an ythin g else from th e creation. Be able

to explain th e difference between a rabb and an ilaah by quoting verses you have learned in

th is an d th e previous lesson .

3. Memorise the verses which mention that the Mushriks would call upon Allaah alone in

times of distress and would aban don th ose they would invoke besides Allaah.

4. U n derstand well that the attach men t of the M ushriks to th ose besides Allaah was for t hepu rpose of seekin g in tercession and seekin g nearness to Allaah th rou gh th em.

5. Mem orise the verses in wh ich th e male plural pron ou n s are used for th ose wh o are called

upon, and which prove that it was not the idols, in and of themselves that were being

invoked, bu t th ose that they represented from the righteous and dead people.

6. Mem orise to th e best of you r ability the eight poin ts above which explain th e passage and

extract the various impo rtan t poin ts from it.

7. Think, ponder and reflect over all of this. Then, when you are satisfied with yourun derstand ing and acquisition, th en pro ceed to Part 3, seeking Allaahs aid and assistance in

all of th at.

And may the prayers and p eace be up on Allaahs Messenger, his family, h is com pan ions an d

th ose wh o follow him up on Tawheed an d t he Sun n ah till th e affair is established.

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Kashf Ush-Shubuhaat the Removal of the Doubts (2)