The Oneness of Allah and its Categories Transgressions

26 Pages·2015·0.78 MB·English

Department of  The Ministry of Endowments 
Fatwa  & Islamic Affairs

The Oneness
of Allah and its
Categories

Transgressions
Warned About in
Islam

Islamic Research Team
Department of Fatwa
State of Kuwait
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent
the Most Mercful
The Oneness of Allah and its
Categories
The first obligation required for a Muslim is to know and
attain faith in Oneness of Allah. According to Allah, there is no
salvation for the slave without attaining it, acting according to
its dictates and applying it. Faith in the Oneness of Allah is the
first thing the slave will be asked about in his grave and on the
Day of Judgment upon meeting Allah; and for this reason Allah
the Exalted revealed the Scriptures, and sent all the Messengers
(peace be upon them) t invite to it, as He stated in the Quran:

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“And we did not send any messenger before you but we inspired
him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped
but I (Allah)], so worship me (alone and none else).” [21:25]
In this chapter we will clarify the definition of Tawheed, its
branches, virtues, the meaning of the declaration of the
Oneness of Allah- “There is no deity worthy of worship but
Allah”-, its conditions, and what negates faith in the Oneness
of Allah, such as ascribing partners to Allah and its numerous
forms. We will then conclude with a look at what constitutes a
major sin, the difference between the major and minor sins and
their effects in this world and the Hereafter.
First: Who is Allah the Exalted?
He is Allah the One and Only who has not given birth, nor
was He born; the one described with Attributes of perfection
and majesty; the one who is free from any defect or deficiency
who does not resemble anyone from His creation; the Creator
of the universe and the one who arranges its affairs. He is the
one from whom nothing on earth or in heaven it is hidden and
nothing happens without His permission. Allah is full of
favour and bounties towards His slaves, who is alone in
(2)
deserving of all acts of worship, and who will gather His slaves
for judgment on a Day about which there is no doubt.
Second: The Definition of Faith in the Oneness
of Allah
It is the belief that Allah is alone in His Lordship, His
divinity and His perfect Names and Attributes.
Third: The Categories of Faith in the Oneness of
Allah
There are three categories of faith in the Oneness of Allah,
and they are:
i) Faith in the Oneness of the Lordship of Allah
ii) Faith in the Oneness of the Divinity of Allah
iii) Faith in the Oneness of the Perfect Names and
Attributes of Allah
First: Faith in the Oneness of the Lordship of
Allah
It is to single out Allah the Exalted in regards to His actions
such as creation, sovereignty, His independence in acting and
control, and to believe that Allah is Lord and owner of
everything; he is the one who controls the world and acts
independently in it, He is the creator of all creation, provides
their sustenance, and is the one who grants them life and death,
as Allah has stated in the Quran:
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“Allah is He who created you, then provided food for you, then
will cause you to die, then (again) He will give you life (on the Day
of Resurrection). Is there any of your (so-called) partners (of Allah)
that do anything of that? Glory be to him and Exalted be He above
All that (evil) they associate (with Him).” [30:40]
So there is no Creator, Sovereign, provider or Controller
except Allah the Most High, as we find stated in the Quran:
(3)
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“His is the creation and Commandment.” [7:54]
And Allah said:

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“Know you not that it is Allah to whom belongs the dominion of
the heavens and the earth?” [2:107]
This category of Oneness for Allah was accepted by the
disbelievers in general at the time of the Prophet Mohammed
(peace be upon him) and most religions do not contradict this
in principle, as Allah the Exalted has stated in the Quran:
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“Say “Who provides for You from the sky and from the earth?
or who owns hearing and sight? and who brings out the living from
the dead and brings out the dead from the living? and who disposes
the affairs?” they will say: “Allah.” say: “Will You not Then be
afraid of Allah's punishment (for setting up rivals In Worship with
Allah)?” [10:31]
Therefore, belief in the Oneness of the Lordship of Allah by
itself is not sufficient for one to enter into Islam without
accepting the other categories of Oneness because whoever is a
Lord, Creator, Sustainer, Sovereign and Controller is
necessarily a single deity with no partner and acts of worship
are not diverted except to Him. It is for this reason that the
establishment of faith in the Oneness of the Lordship of Allah
in general among the polytheist Arabs was not sufficient, rather
Allah ordered and sought from them to single Him out in
worship, and it is faith in the Oneness of the Divinity of Allah.
Allah made it clear to them that their establishment of Allah
alone as the Creator, Sovereign and Controller while
worshipping others beside Him was incompatible, as He said in
the Quran:

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(4)
“And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say:
“Allah”. How then are they turned away?” [43:87]
In other words, how can you turn away from the worship of
Allah alone, without partners?!
Second: Faith in the Oneness of the Divinity of
Allah, or Faith in the Oneness of Worship
It is to single out Allah the Exalted for worship and to have
the required conviction that He is the only deity deserving of
worship and anything else worshipped beside Him is false. It is
to believe that He is the one who deserves to be singled out
with worship, submission, and absolute obedience, and to not
associate any partners with Him in that, no matter who-
whether Jesus (peace be upon him) or any other prophet or
noble angels, as Allah has said in the Quran:

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“Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship.” [4:36]
Therefore all forms of worship are to be diverted to Allah
alone including actions of the heart such as fear, hope and
reliance, actions of the tongue, such as calling upon and
seeking refuge, as well as the physical actions such as the five
daily prayers, Hajj and fasting. So there is no one we should
fear, have hope in, rely on, supplicate to, seek refuge in, pray
to, fast, or make pilgrimages for except Allah the Almighty, as
He has stated in the Quran:
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“Say (O Mohammed): “Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice,
my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamîn
(mankind, jinns and all that exists). “He has no partner and of this
I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.” [6:162-
163]
And this category of faith in Oneness is the one that the
disbelievers past and present have rejected, as Allah has quoted
them saying in the Quran
(5)
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“Has He made the âliha (gods) (all) into one Ilâh (God - Allah).
Verily, this is a curious thing!” [38:5]
For this reason, Allah sent messengers and revealed Holy
Books to invite them back to faith in His Oneness, and to
single Him out with worship, as He stated in the Quran:

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And verily, we have sent among every nation a messenger
(proclaiming): “Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from)
all false deities.” [16:36]
Third: Faith in the Oneness of the Perfect Names
and Attributes of Allah
It is to believe in every name and attribute that Allah has
affirmed for Himself in the Quran or that which was affirmed
by the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in authentic
narrations. This faith means having the required conviction that
Allah alone possesses the best names and highest attributes,
that He is the only one described with ‘Attributes of
Perfection’, He is free of any attribute indicating deficiency,
and out of all beings, He is alone in possessing all of that, as
Allah the Exalted has said:

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“There is nothing like unto him, and He is the All-Hearer, the
All-Seer.” [42:11]
And He said:
P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A {

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“Say (O Mohammed, He is Allah, (the) One Allah-us-Samad
(the Self-Sufficient master, whom all creatures need, He neither eats
nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none
co-equal or comparable unto him.” [112:1-4]

  

(6)
Transgressions Warned
About in Islam
Firstly: Magic
1) The definition
It consists of blowing on tied knots, polytheistic
incantations, unintelligible speech or writings of a magician, or
something done indirectly to the victim of magic affecting his
body, heart or mind.
What they call ‘prestidigitation’ is also a part of magic. It is
the slight-of-hand where one sees something and thinks that it
is real however it is not.
2) Aspects of magic
Magic is divided into two parts: A) tricks, sleight of hand,
illusion and things which are not real, or which are real
however people cannot grasp unless the situation is disclosed
to them; and B) magic which is real, exists, and has an effect
on the body, thus it provokes the affliction of sickness and
harm in the victim of magic.
3) The ruling on performing and studying magic
Magic is among the actions which Islam prohibits, and
indeed all revealed laws prohibited it, and it is among those
things which invalidate a person’s claim to Islam. It is among
the great major sins, and its prohibition has been stipulated by
the Quran, Prophetic traditions, and by consensus of the
Muslims. Allah the Exalted said:

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“That which they have made is only a magician's trick, and the
magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of
skill) he may attain. ” [20:69]
And Allah the Glorified said:
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“…but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men
magic.”[2:102]
On authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with
him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
(7)
‘Keep away from the seven mortal sins’. The Companions
said: ‘Oh messenger of Allah, what are they?!’ He said:
‘Polytheism, magic…’ to the end of the narration.(1)
Thus the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared magic to be
from among the major sins which are required to keep away
from and whose practice is prohibited.
Based on this we know that studying magic is prohibited
and it is one of the doors which lead to disbelief and joining
partners with Allah the Exalted. Magic would not be like that
unless one did certain matters by which he disbelieved, like
establishing relationships with Jinn and demons and seeking
their assistance.
Predominantly magic is not used except in afflicting others
with harm and causing discomfort, and Allah the Exalted has
called attention to that by saying:
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“And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause
separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm
anyone except by Allah's Leave. And they learn that which harms
them and profits them not.”[2:102]
Slight-of-hand and tricks are a type of magic that fall under
the prohibition since it is a type of magic. The Prophet of Allah
Musa (peace be upon him) censured the magicians of Pharaoh
and described them as ‘criminals’, as Allah the Glorified said:
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“Then when they had cast down, Moses (Musa) said: "What you
have brought is sorcery; Allah will surely make it of no effect.
Verily, Allah does not set right the work of Al-Mufsidun (the evil-
doers, corrupts, etc.).”[10:81]
Considering that what they brought was deceptions and
illusions, Allah said:

(1) Transmitted by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
(8)
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“[Moses] said: "Nay, throw you (first)!" Then behold, their
ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though
they moved fast.”[20:66]
Even if it was not magic in reality, it had a resemblance to
the performance of magic, and it left an effect in the minds and
hearts of onlookers due to the artifice and slight-of-hand.
4) The ruling of going to magicians
People go to magicians for one of two reasons:
a) To request from a magician a cure for a sick person; or
b) To work magic for the purpose of afflicting harm on
someone, to get close to an object of affection, or to investigate
about something lost.
No matter the reason, going to magicians is prohibited in
the religion of Allah due to what was transmitted from
Abdullah ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
‘Whoever goes to a fortune teller, magician, or soothsayer
and believes what he says, then he has disbelieved in what has
been sent down to Mohammed (peace be upon him)’.(1)
And it was transmitted on authority of Imran ibn Husayn
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
‘He who tells fortunes, has his fortune told, reads auguries
or has his augury read is not from us’ and I think he said:
‘…performs magic or has magic performed for him’.(2)
And it was transmitted on authority of Jabir (may Allah be
pleased with him): ‘The Prophet (peace be upon him) was
asked about incantations and he said:
‘It is from the work of Satan’.(3)
Al-Hasan said: ‘Incantations are part of magic, and what it
means here is to undo magic with magic’.

(1) Transmitted by Abu Yala.
(2) Transmitted by At-Tabarani.
(3) Transmitted by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.
(9)
Besides being clearly prohibited, people going to a magician
for the aforementioned purposes contains an element of attaching
to others besides Allah that which is in His Hands of the ability to
benefit and harm; there is also an element of approval of the
magician for his work and what he practices of disbelief, and this
is not suitable coming from a Muslim who believes in Allah the
Exalted.
Secondly: Soothsayers and Fortune Tellers
1) The definitions:
Soothsaying is reporting about unseen matters whether
about the past or the future, by means of mixing with Jinn. The
one who does that is called a ‘soothsayer’.
Fortune telling is the claim to knowledge of the unseen by
means of lines in the ground, reading palms, and other
methods, and whoever does that is called a ‘fortune teller’.
Astrology is the claim of being able to read the movement
of the stars and that it has an effect on the world below. The
astrologer is the one who studies the stars and planets claiming
that they have an effect on worldly events from the rains to the
wind, hot and cold, good and evil, and happiness and misery.
2) The ruling on soothsaying and fortune telling
Soothsaying and fortune telling are prohibited in the
religion of Allah the Exalted they are from the major sins, and
are doors that lead to disbelief in Allah the Exalted. So it is not
permissible for a Muslim to learn soothsaying and fortune
telling, to practice them, or to go to people who practice them.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) declared the gravity of these
actions on the belief of people and their righteous deeds. It was
transmitted on authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be
pleased with him) that the messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) said: ‘Whoever goes to a soothsayer or fortune teller and
believes him in what he says, then he has disbelieved in what
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