Essential Lessons For Every Muslim

In the name of All, The Most Gracious, The most Merciful and may Allah's peace and blessings be upon the final Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions and upon whomsoever follows their way. Lesson: Four The Categories of Tawhid Tawhid has three categories: 1. Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah, or Oneness of the Lordship of Allah. This means that Allah is the only Lord of all the worlds. He is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Planner, the Organizer, the One Who gives life and causes death, etc. 2. Tawhid Al-Uluhiyyah, or the Oneness of the worship of Allah. This means that no one has the right to be worshipped but Allah. 3. Tawhid Al-Asma’i Was-Sifat, or the Uniqueness of the Names and Attributes of Allah. We must believe in all of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes; none can be named or given Allah’s Attributes which He has stated in the Qur’an or mentioned through His Messenger Muhammad, without changing them, ignoring them completely, twisting their meanings, or likening them to any of those of His creatures. Shirk also has three categories. They are: 1. Shirk Akbar, or major Shirk 2. Shirk Asghar, or minor Shirk 3. Shirk Khafiyy, or hidden Shirk The major Shirk is bound to cause the good works of those who commit it to be vain and fruitless. It is also bound to cause those who commit it to remain in Hell-fire for all eternity, as the Qur’an says: (ولو أشركوا لحبط عنهم ما كانوا يعملون) (الأنعام:88) “But if they were to join others with Allah in worship, all that they used to do would be of no benefit to them.” (6:88) (ما كان للمشركين أن يعمروا مساجد الله شاهدين على أنفسهم بالكفر أولئك حبطت أعمالهم وفي النار هم خالدون) (التوبة:17) “It is not for those who join others with Allah in worship to maintain the mosques of Allah while they witness against their own souls to disbelief. The works of such are in vain, and in Fire shall they dwell.” (9:17) (إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء) “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases.” (4:48) (إنه من يشرك بالله فقد حرم الله عليه الجنة ومأواه النار وما للظالمين من أنصار) (المائدة:72) “Verily, whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, Allah will forbid him Paradise, and the Fire will be his abode. The polytheists and wrongdoers will have no helpers.” (5:72) This type of Shirk is an unpardonable sin and includes, among other things, such acts as seeking assistance from the dead and the idols, supplicating them, making vows in their names and offering sacrifices to them. The minor Shirk includes such things as showing off certain religious acts of worship, swearing by other than Allah, and one’s saying “If Allah and so-and-so wills.” At-Tabarani and Al-Baihaqi reported on the authority of Mahmud bin Labid Al-Ansari, with a good chain of narrators, that the Prophet said: (أخوف ما أخاف عليكم الشرك الأصغر) “What I fear for you most is the minor Shirk.” When he was asked about what he meant by the minor Shirk, he replied, “Showing off.” The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (من حلف بشيء دون الله فقد أشرك) “Whoever swears by other than Allah has indeed committed Shirk.” Imam Ahmad authentically narrated this tradition on the authority of ‘Umar, radiyallaho ‘anhu’ Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi also authentically reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar radiyallahu ‘anhu, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (من حلف بغير الله فقد كفر أو أشرك) “Whoever swears by other than Allah has indeed disbelieved or committed Shirk.” Abu Dawud also authentically reported on the authority of Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman, radiyallahu ‘anhu, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (لا تقولوا: ما شاء الله وشاء فلان، ولكن قولوا: ما شاء الله ثم شاء فلان) (Do not say, ‘What Allah wills and so-and-so wills’; you should rather say, ‘What Allah wills, then what so-and-so wills.” To commit this type of Shirk does not take one out of the fold of Islam, nor does it cause those who commit it to abide in the Fire forever. It rather goes against the ideal principles of Tawhid. The evidence for the third category of Shirk, namely Shirk Al-Khafiyy, or the Hidden Shirk, comes from the prophetic tradition in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: (ألا أخبركم بما هو أخوف عليكم عندي من المسيح الدحال؟) (الشرك الخفي: يقوم الرجل فيصلي، فيزين صلاته، لما يرى من نظر الرجل إليه) “Shall I not inform you about what I fear more for you than Antichrist?” The Companions replied, “Yes, O Allah’s Messenger.” Then he said, “It is the hidden Shirk. A person stands up in prayer and tries to make it perfect when he realizes that others are looking at him.” (Imam Ahmad reported this Hadith on the authority of Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, radiyallahu ‘anhu) Shirk can also be divided into two categories only, namely, the major Shirk and the minor Shirk. The hidden Shirk can occur in them both. It can be found in the major Shirk, like the type of Shirk committed by the hypocrites, who reveal belief while concealing their false beliefs for fear of being killed. It can also occur in the case of minor Shirk in the form of showing off, as evidenced by the above mentioned Hadith reported on the authority of Mahmud bin Labid.