Place: Al-Khafji, Saudi Arabia

Date: 03-02-2010

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The Glorious Quran are the very words of our Lord and Creator, Who in His Mercy, has sent us this book for our guidance.   Not only did He send us this Quran for our guidance, but He also sent us His Last Messenger (saws) to live the life acceptable and pleasing to Allah, and to give us a practical example of how to live a complete Islamic life.  

Whatever misconceptions we might hold in understanding the Quran, the Quran is and will always remain the words of Allah that He has revealed for our guidance. We assume that the Holy Quran is difficult to understand, but Allah says in the Quran that He has made it easy for us to understand!  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:

“We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2:

“Alif. Lam Ra. These are the verses of the Book that makes its object perfectly CLEAR.  We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic, so that you may UNDERSTAND it well”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:

“We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 97:

“O Mohamed, We have made this Quran easy, and sent it down in your tongue so that you should give good news to the pious and warn the stubborn people”

The best way to understand the Holy Quran is to determine, ‘How did the Messenger of Allah (saws) receive and obey the commandments of the Glorious Quran?’  Once we are able to determine that, then, Insha Allah, we will be on the guidance and way followed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his companions.  If we try to determine other meanings of the aayahs of the Holy Quran which is in contradiction to what the Messenger of Allah (saws) understood from the aayah, then we are bound to go wrong.   

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:

“We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allah’s witness suffices for this.  Whoever obeys the Messenger, in fact obeys Allah, and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his deeds.  Anyhow, we have not sent you (O Mohamed) to be a guardian over them”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:

“Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me.  Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.”  Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.”  And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger”

Whenever the aayahs of the Glorious Quran were revealed, the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to ask him what it meant, to increase their knowledge and understanding, and the Messenger of Allah (saws) would respond to their query.   Even the non-believers in Makkah and the hypocrites in Medina would try to find faults and contradictions in the Holy Quran, and would sarcastically ask the Prophet (saws) regarding a particular aayah, and the Messenger of Allah (saws) would respond to their query.  

Thus when the aayahs regarding the establishment of prayers were revealed, the Prophet (saws) declared the times and the exact way to pray, and the true believers will follow that Sunnah until the Day of Judgement, Insha Allah.  Similarly, when the aayahs regarding zakaat, fasting, Hajj, etc. were revealed, the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself demonstrated how each commandment should be followed, and everything that the Prophet (saws) said and did are well documented in the books of ahaadith.  Allah has blessed and honored the muslims with a light-giving Book; Allah has blessed and honored the muslims with His Last Messenger (saws); Thus Allah, The All Merciful, has not left the Ummah of Islam to wander around blindly, but has blessed us with His Book of guidance and a Noble Messenger (saws).   Now if one refuses to read and understand the Book of Allah, and follow his whims and conjectures himself, or follow the self-made leaders and self-proclaimed holy men blindly, then he will have no one to blame except himself in the Court of Allah!

Yes, there are a few things in the Glorious Quran, which are beyond our comprehension, like the broken alphabets, Alif Laam Meem, Yaa Seen, Haa Meem, etc., Although we are unable to comprehend its exact meanings, nor did somebody ever ask the Prophet (saws) regarding them, we believe in these words because they are from Allah.  But most of the Holy Quran is very clear in its guidance and commandments and any person who understands Arabic as a language can get enough guidance to lead a proper Islamic life.  

Some of us try to find out a few aayahs which are beyond our comprehension, and say, “see, we just cannot understand the Quran!”   These people then just leave the whole Quran because of these few aayahs they cannot understand, and live life according to their own whims and fancies, with their own sets of laws and customs!   These people are indeed unjust to themselves, as well as to the guidance and mercy received from their Lord.

Allah uses the word ‘Ta’aweel’ in the Holy Quran in Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 7:

“It is Allah, Who sent down this Quran to you.  (There are two kinds of verses in the Book.)   In it are verses Basic or Fundamental (of established meanings which can be easily understood), and they are the essence or foundation of the Book.   And the other verses are Allegorical or Ambiguous.   Those in whose hearts is perversity will always go for the Allegorical or Ambiguous verses, seeking discord and trying to search for their hidden meanings.  None, except Allah, knows their real meanings!  In contrast to them, those who are firmly grounded in knowledge, say: “We believe in them all, because all of them are from our Lord”

- O Allah, help us, guide us, and forgive us our sins. 
- O Allah, open our hearts to the understanding of the Glorious Quran.  
- O Allah, make the Quran a witness for us on the Day of Judgment, not a witness against us!  
- O Allah, guide us to the Siraat al Mustaqeem.  
- O Allah, forgive us our sins, and disgrace us not on the Day, when nothing but Your Mercy will be between us going to the eternal Gardens of Bliss,  or the everlasting torture of the fire of Hell.  You indeed are the Most Merciful, Oft Forgiving, Owner of the Glorious Throne.  You indeed are the All Mighty, the All Powerful.   Blessed and Glorified is Your Name.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Siraat al-Mustaqeem

Unlike one’s natural instinct and desire for the love of the accumulation of wealth, or attraction to women, or the love of children, or love of life and this transitory world…to fear, worship and do deeds only for the sake and Pleasure of Allah is something which one needs to choose to strive and develop and train one’s soul to do; and therein lies the test of life which has been ordained and decreed by Allah Subhanah for mankind:

Whoever amongst mankind controls his soul towards the temptations of this short and transient world in preference for His Promises and Rewards of the eternal Gardens of Bliss in the Everlasting life of the Hereafter? 

The ones who choose to fear Allah, control their souls from lower desires, and of their own choice submit their will to the Will of their Lord, will pass the test ordained by their Lord; and the ones who choose to run after the transient and temporary luxuries and pleasures of this world and refuse to submit their will to the Will of their Creator will miserably fail their ordained test of life.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 79 Surah Naziat verses 34-41:

“Therefore when there comes the Great Overwhelming (Event, ie: The Day of Judgment!)
The Day when Man shall remember (all) that he strove for
And Hell-Fire shall be placed in full view for (all) to see
Then for such as had transgressed all bounds
And had preferred the life of this world
Their Abode will be Hell-Fire;
And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord’s (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from Lower Desires
Their Abode will be the Garden”

To develop ‘taqwa’ or ‘fear’ of Allah’, the absolute first thing one needs to do is to recognize who exactly is his Lord and Creator, why has He created everything in existence, why has He created you on this earth, what deeds are Pleasing to Him, what deeds bring about His Wrath and Anger, what exactly are His Rewards promised for His righteous and obedient slaves, and what punishments await those who deny and disobey Him?

The Lord Creator is not only All-Mighty and All-Powerful, He is also The Most Merciful, and The All-Wise!  He did not create man and leave him alone to find out the answers to these questions by themselves, but in His Supreme, Sublime, and Infinite Mercy, He Himself revealed the answers to all these questions in His Glorious Book of Guidance, The Al-Quran!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 2-5”

“This (Quran) is the Book; in it is guidance sure without doubt to those who fear Allah.
Who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.
And who believe in the Revelation sent to thee and sent before thy time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter.
They are on (true) guidance from their Lord and it is these who will prosper”

Thus the absolute best way to recognize one’s Lord Creator and the substance of one’s short test of life in this transient world is to read, understand, obey, follow and completely submit to the Blessed and Noble Message revealed for our guidance by our Lord Most Merciful, Most Gracious. 

Once you determine and submit to the guidance of the Glorious Quran, all the questions regarding faith and the substance of the test of life will be answered in detail and in a crystal-clear format which only behoves the Lord All-Knowing, All-Wise requires from His believing slaves.  Once you recognize the Lord Who created you, and the reason for your existence, and once you submit your will to His Will in return for His Promised Everlasting and Eternal Gardens of Paradise in the life of the Hereafter; your whole life will become a meaningful strive towards a beautiful mission called ‘Paradise’! 

And once you make up your mind to tread the path that would earn you the eternal and everlasting Rewards of Paradise, the world with all its luxuries, pleasures, and temptations will look worthless and insignificant; and all your striving will be towards that Inevitable Reality of the Hereafter. 

This state of consciousness of standing in the Presence of the Majestic and Supreme Lord One Inevitable Day is what Allah calls ‘taqwa’ or piety in His Quran; and it is this ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you all your life towards doing deeds that would earn you the Eternal Pleasure and Good Will of your Lord, and it is this same ‘taqwa’ which will inspire you to abstain from doing anything which would bring about His Unbearable Wrath and Anger. 

- Taqwa means to abstain from doing anything that would bring about the Wrath and Displeasure of the Lord All-Mighty; and to do deeds of righteousness which are commanded by Allah and His Messenger (saws). 

- Taqwa is to live every moment of ones life with the solemn belief that One Inevitable Day every soul will be brought forth in the Presence of the Majestic Lord to give a full accounting of every one of his deeds.
 
- Taqwa is to determine before doing anything whether the Lord Most Merciful will be Pleased or Dis-pleased with the deed; if one determines that the Lord will be pleased with the deed, he must do it wholeheartedly; and if one determines that the deed would bring about the displeasure and Wrath of Allah Subhanah, he must immediately abstain from it. 

- Taqwa is to live every moment of one’s life consciously striving to do deeds which would earn him the Pleasure and Good Will of the Lord Most Merciful, and abstain from doing deeds which would bring about His displeasure and Wrath.

If one studies the Glorious Quran, one would realize that more often than not, wherever Allah Subhanah Promises His slaves the Eternal Gardens of Paradise, the manifestation of the term ‘taqwa’ is almost always associated with it!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 133:

“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth; prepared for the ‘Muttaqeen’”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 50 Surah Qaaf verses 31-33:

“And the Garden will be brought nigh to the ‘Muttaqeen’, no more a thing distant.
(A voice will say:) “This is what was promised for you, for everyone who turned (to Allah) in sincere repentance who kept (his law).
“Who feared (Allah) Most Gracious unseen and brought a heart turned in devotion (to Him):”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 52 Surah Tur verses 17-18:

“As to the ‘Muttaqeen’ they will be in Gardens and in Happiness
Enjoying the (Bliss) which their Lord hath bestowed on them and their Lord shall deliver them from the Penalty of the Fire”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 68 Surah Qalam verse 34:

“Verily for the ‘Muttaqeen’ are Gardens of Delight in the Presence of their Lord”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 31:

“Gardens of Eternity which they will enter: beneath them flow (pleasant) rivers: they will have therein all that they wish: thus doth Allah reward the ‘Muttaqeen’”

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 15-16:

“Say: “Is that (fire) better or the eternal Gardens promised to the ‘Muttaqeen’? For them that is a reward as well as a goal (of attainment).
“For them there will be therein all that they wish for: they will dwell (there) for aye: a promise to be prayed for from thy Lord”

Thus, in conclusion, my dear and beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

- the absolute best way to bring about his reformation in our hearts to get close to the Remembrance of our Lord Who Created us; and the best way to Remember our Lord is to read, understand, obey, follow and completely submit ourselves to His Glorious Message which He Himself revealed for our guidance, The One and Only Glorious and Noble Quran! 

Allah is our witness, one who sincerely submits himself to the Glorious Message of their Lord will find that his whole life will become a life spent in the worship and praise of His Lord; his prayers, his fasts, his zakat, his Hajj, his work, his relationship with fellow man, in fact, his every single deed will be aligned to earn the Pleasure and Good Will of His Lord Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

May Allah Subhanah bless you and us, have mercy on you and us, and bestow upon you and us and all the believers the wisdom and the courage to choose and prefer this Straight Path of Rigtheousness that leads to the Mercy and Rewards of our Lord, and abstain from all deeds that lead to His Anger and His Wrath.  Ameen.

Place : Al-Khafji Dawah and Guidance Center, Saudi Arabia

Date : 29-05-2008

Each people have their own culture and days of celebrations.  And Allah and His Messenger (saws) have ordained the two Eids and every Friday as a day of celebration for the believers.    That is the culture of Islam; and every believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, must adopt the culture of Islam and celebrate the days which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have ordained for them to celebrate.

Besides, the Islamic New Year is the first of Moharram; and that too, is not dedicated as a day of celebration!  Thus, it does not behove a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to celebrate a holiday of the pagan or western culture; especially when we have our own rich and proud culture of Islam. To celebrate a day of another culture, is in fact to accept their culture… and although it may not sound like a big deal, it may just be a start for the person to start accepting foreign cultures and in time it might have an effect on his own culture.

It is indeed true that the Gregorian New Year has no religious significance; and seems harmless …  but for a believer, it should not constitute a day of celebration ….as it has nothing to do with Islam and its teachings and guidance.

Besides, one should realize that the pagans celebrate the advent of the New Year with nothing more than parties of mixed-sexes, singing, dancing, free flowing of alcohol, etc., which are all prohibited in Islam anyways!    It just does not behove a believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to sacrifice his high Islamic morals and culture, in exchange for a pagan celebration of the mixing of sexes, dancing, music, singing, alcohol, etc. 

It is not permissible to greet or congratulate the non-muslims on the occasion of Christmas, New Year or any of their other holidays and greeting on these occasion is an affirmation and approval of them.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah: “Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to them is haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If the one who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of those who have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensiveness of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah.”

If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, and because they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]
It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations.

Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”

Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem:

“Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that one is pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliate and mislead the weak”

And Allaah knows best.

The Last Messenger of Allah (saws) was sent to the people of Makkah, and Allah says in the Glorious Quran that they committed shirk.   Just give a moments thought to what was it exactly is this ‘shirk’.

These ‘mushriks’ were the custodians of the Sacred House of Allah Subhanah, the Kaabah.   These ‘mushriks’ performed the tawaaf (circumambulation) of the Sacred House!  These ‘mushriks’ perfomed the pilgrimages of Umrah and Hajj!   These ‘mushriks’ believed sincerely that they were following the ‘millah’ or path of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.)!  They even chanted and pronounced the same ‘talbeeyah’ that the believers pronounce today in Hajj and Umrah, with only a little ‘addition’.

The Talbeeyah taught by Prophet Mohamed (saws) to the believers, and which is still declared today by the muslims, is: 

Labbayk Allah humma Labbayk!  (Here I come,  O Allah,  Here I come!)

Labbayka La Shareeka laka Labbayk!  (Here I come.  You Have No Partners, Here I come!)

Innal Hamda, Wan-Nehmata, Laka wal Mulk! (All Praise is for You, and All Blessings from You, Sovereignty belongs to You!)

Laa Shareeka Lak! (You have no partners).

The mushriks used to pray the above exact same Talbeeyah during Umrah and Hajj, but used to add this statement in the end to justify their shirk….

Illa Shareekan Tamlekohu,  wama malak!  (Except those partners, whose ‘Maalik’ are You, and You are also the Maalik of their possessions!)

It was not as if these ‘mushriks’ of Makkah did not believe in Allah as their Lord and Creator!   They believed in Allah as their Creator and the Creator of everything that was in existence.  They believed that Allah ordained life and death.   They believed that Allah gave the rains and their produce.   They believed that Allah created the sun and the moon, the heavens and the earth, and everything that exists in between.  They even worshipped Allah… believed in the Prophets Ibrahim (a.s.) and Ismail (a.s.)…..believed that they were on the path of these noble Prophets…..they believed in the Sacred House of Allah … did its tawaaf in worship…performed pilgrimages of Umrah and Hajj to the Sacred House of Allah in worship…..bowed down to Allah in worship…..

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Muminoon verses 84-90:

Ask them (these mushriks, O Mohamed), “Tell me, if you know, Whose is the earth and all who dwell in it?”  They (the mushriks) will surely say, “Allah’s!”   Ask them, “Then why do you not understand this?”  Ask them, “To Whom do the seven heavens and the Glorious Throne belong?”  They will surely say, “To Allah!”  Say, “Then why do you not fear Him?”   Say to them, “Tell me, if you know, Whose is the Sovereignty over everything?  And Who is that Being Who gives protection while none can give protection against Him?”  They will surely say,  “This Power belongs to Allah Alone!”  Say,  “How then are you so deluded?”   The fact is that We have brought the Truth before them, and un-doubtedly these people (the mushriks) are liars!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankaboot verse 61-63:

If you (O Mohamed) ask them (the mushriks),  “Who has Created the earth and the heavens, and Who has subjected the moon and the sun?”   They will surely say,  “Allah!”   How are they then being deceived?   Allah it is Who gives abundantly to those of His servants He pleases, and sparingly to those He Wills.  Surely Allah knows everything.   If you ask them, “Who sent down rainwater from the sky, and thereby raised the dead earth back to life?”  They will surely say, “Allah!”   Say,  “Praise be to Allah” Yet most of them do not use their commonsense!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 38:

If you (O Mohamed) ask them (the mushriks), “Who Created the heavens and the earth?”  They will say,  “Allah!”   Ask them, “When the fact is this, do you think that if Allah wills harm for me, those whom you invoke instead of Allah, will avert His harm from me?   Or, if Allah wills to show me mercy, will they be able to withhold His Mercy?”  Therefore, tell them,  “Allah is enough for me!  In Him do those who trust, repose their trust.”

BUT!!!!!!!!!!!,

They believed that Allah was too distant and would not hear or answer their prayers, if they did not go through one or more of His pious holy slaves….!!   Thus, they created idols and images in the names of some of the pious holy men who had passed away, and put them in and near the Sacred House of Allah … and believed that Allah would only answer their prayers, if they went ‘through’ one of these idols or images.   These idols were nothing but images they had created of the pious holy men who had died amongst them, or before them…. It is reported from Ibn Abbas that some of these idols were the images of the pious believers who were saved by Allah along with Prophet Noah in his Ark, from the destruction of the people of Noah! 

To make these idols pleased with them, these ‘mushriks’ of Makkah would sacrifice in these idol’s name, feed the poor in their name, do ‘niyaaz’ and ‘nazr’ in these idol’s names, celebrate their birthdays and death-days as festivals, and serve them devotedly….only to get closer to Allah,  as they believed that these idol’s had some sway or influence over the decisions of Allah Subhanah!   

None of these ‘mushriks’ believed that any of these idols was their Creator, and/or the Creator of the heavens or the earth!    Their only belief was that these idols were somehow very close to Allah; and Allah would only accept their prayers, if they invoked one of these idols, and told them to take their messages and prayers to Allah!  

This invocation and this serving of the idols, this sacrifice, and niyaaz, and nazr, and celebration of certain days of the idols… is exactly what Allah Subhanah wa Taala calls ‘SHIRK’ in the Glorious Quran!!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3:

So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively.   Beware!  Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah.  As for those who have taken other ‘auliyas’ (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): “We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.”   Allah will surely judge between them concerning all that in which they differ.   Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:

These people serve beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!”  (O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?”  He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the SHIRK  that they commit.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66:

Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah.   And those who invoke partners besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!  

These mushriks of Makkah believed and worshipped Allah; but they also invoked and worshipped and sacrificed and did rites and rituals to please their gods, along with Allah!  This is exactly what Allah Subhanah has termed ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!!!!

They invoked and worshipped Allah; but along with Allah they also invoked and worshipped their idols, and images, and gods and goddesses… which were nothing but images made in the name of their holy priests and saints who had passed away!    This is exactly what Allah Subhanah has termed ‘shirk’ in the Holy Quran!!!

They worshipped Allah, but did not worship Him Alone!!!   They invoked Allah, but they did not invoke Him Alone!!!   They invoked and worshipped their deities with Allah!   And this is exactly what Allah has called ‘shirk’ all over the Quran!   Having worshipped and invoked Allah with any thing, or being, or deity, or god, or goddess,  or name … is like not having worshipped Allah at all!!!!!   

And this sin of ‘shirk’ is so grave, and so heinous, and so horrible, and so monstrous… that Allah Subhanah has declared it as the only unforgivable sin on the Day of Judgment, and has Himself promised that He has made Paradise ‘haraam’ for those who die in the state of ‘shirk’!!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72:

Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah), Allah shall forbid for him Paradise, and Hell shall be his abode.  And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48:

Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this.  For whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin

If one prays all his life, and keeps fasts, and performs Hajj and Umrah every year, and gives his whole wealth in charity, and spends his whole life in doing good works…but is a committer of ‘shirk’…. Allah has declared that all his deeds will be worthless on the Day of Judgment, and this person will be thrown in the fire of Hell!!!   This is how serious is this sin of ‘shirk’!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 65-66:

If you commit ‘shirk’ all your works will be rendered vain and you will be among the losers.  Therefore, you should worship Allah Alone, and be among His grateful servants.

The Glorious Quran is nothing but the Words of Truth from none other than the Truthful Lord!  

Now, sincerely ask let us ask within our heart… what is the difference between the mushriks of Makkah and what happens in our sect today?

They made images and idols of clay and mud of their holy men and priests who died before them; Our people made graves, tombs, and shrines over our dead holy men, and pious slaves of Allah!

They fed the poor in the name of their deites, did nazr, did niyaaz, did sacrifice in their name, celebrated their birth and death days, and served them devotedly to please them; our people do the exact same thing!

They spent their lives trying to please their deities, so that these deities may take their prayers to Allah and help them to get it answered; our people do exactly the same thing!

They bowed down to their deities, and they also bowed down to Allah; our people do exactly the same things!

They named themselves the slaves of their deities, like Abdul-Manat, Abdul-Laat, Abdul-Uzza, etc.   Our people do exactly the same thing and name themselves Abde-Syedna, and Abde-Ali, and Abdul-Hussain, and Abdul-Nabi!

They never ever believed that their deities were their creators.   They only served them because they believed that these deities were very close to Allah and if they could somehow please the deities, Allah would be pleased with them and answer their prayers; our people too, don’t ever believe that Mohamed (saws), or Ali (r.a.), or Fatema (r.a.), or Hussain (r.a.), or the Imams (r.a.) or the Dais are the creators of the heavens or the earth!   But, they believe exactly as the mushriks of Makkah believed, that if they served these noble and pious slaves of Allah, and invoked their names with Allah, and did rites and rituals in their names….Allah will be pleased with them and answer their prayers!   

Shirk is the same… whether it was practiced 1400 years ago at the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws)… or it is practiced today!    Some rites,  rituals,  manners,  and styles of deities may change… but the concept remains exactly the same!!!!!!

If one looks and contemplates closely, he will realize that these idols, or graves, or images, etc… these deities that they have invented…. Do not speak to them, neither guide them, nor can give them a Book that guides!   But each of these idols and graves have a group of unscrupulous supposedly religiously-clad pandits and maulas behind them, whose discreet slogan always is:  Worship these deities, and obey and follow us!!!!!

And that is exactly what is shirk!

And what Allah is guiding towards in the Quran… is that He is the All-Seeing (therefore He Alone sees everthing), He is the All-Hearing (therefore He Alone hears everything), He is the All Powerful (no one has any power or strength besides Him),  and He Alone is the Master of the Day of Judgement (therefore,  none can influence His Decision or Decree in the least!).   He Alone is the Creator of everything in the heavens and the earth….  Therefore, He Alone deserves our worship…and He Alone must be obeyed and followed!   

And that is the Message of Tawheed!

Some of us may say that,  We of course love Awliyas, our Shiakhs and Peers but not to be confused with ‘worship’.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 31:

They have made their scholars and their monks as their Rabbss besides Allah!

It is reported in an authentic narration,  that when Hadrat Adi bin Hatim Tai,  who was formerly a Christian,  came before the Prophet of Allah (saws) to embrace Islam,  and asked the Prophet (saws) regarding the above verse of Surah Taubah and said:

“This verse accuses us of making our scholars and our monks Rabbs besides Allah,  but we never ever worship our scholars and monks.”  The Messenger of Allah (saws) replied: “Is it not a fact that you accept as haraam whatever they declare haraam;  and halaal whatever they declare halaal?”   Adi bin Hatim Tai (r.a.) admitted that they did.    The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, “What is that,  other than worshipping them?”.  

In light of the above aayah of the Quran and the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (saws),  it is evident that those who set limits to the haraam and halaal,  without the authority from Allah Subhanah,  assume for themselves the rank of godhead;  and those who acknowledge this right of their scholars and monks,  have made them their rabbs;  and those who believe and follow the commands of the scholars and monks of halaal and haraam blindly,  without any authority from Allah Subhanah,  are in truth their worshippers.

Some of us may say that,  U say that ‘shirk’ means ‘ invoking other than Allah’ whereas our understading is that Shirk means ‘association of partners besides Allah.

The Quran uses two words to describe the concept of shirk… invoking others besides Allah, and worshipping others besides Allah!   Both are direct manisfestations of the heinous crime of ‘shirk’ according to the Quran!

The Quran uses the Arabic word  ‘a’bod’ for worship. And it uses the word ‘ad-ou’ for the term invoke!    

Both of these terms are used extensively all over the Glorious Quran as forms of shirk, when used to invoke or worship others besides Allah!  

Almost all the people who today call themselves muslims and also commit ‘shirk’, will never admit that they are involved in ‘shirk’!    If only they knew and understood the clear aayahs and teachings of the Glorious Quran, they would immediately understand what exactly does Allah call ‘shirk’….but alas!   They are conveniently kept by their unscrupulous leaders, priests, and holy men away from understanding the clear Message of their Lord and Creator!   It is only by reading the Quran with understanding,  can one realize what exactly is this heinous crime of ‘shirk’ and what are its manifestations!   If these people knew that they were committing shirk, they would abstain from it immediately!   And because of their ignorance of the guidance of the Revelations of Allah, they believe that they are on the Right Path of Islam; but in reality, they are heavily involved in the rites, and rituals, and beliefs, of shirk!   

We humbly implore you, for your own sake… read the Glorious Quran, even only once, from the first to the last Surah with understanding!  The whole Quran revolves around the concept of Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and the refutation of the concept of Shirk (associating, invoking and worshipping others with Allah)!!!  Nothing clarifies the concept of Tawheed and Shirk like the very words of our Merciful Lord and Creator!!!!   

Please do bear in mind, that Allah Subhanah will accept absolutely no excuses for committing this most heinous and monstrous of crimes…after He has revealed unto mankind His Very Book of Guidance….The Holy Quran!   Read it with understanding, and then decide what is Tawheed, and what is Shirk!  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:

Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds?   They are those, all whose edeavours in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed!   Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him.   Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Reserruction.  Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verses 52-53:

We have brought to these people a Book which gives details based on knowledge and which is a guidance and blessing for those who believe.  Now, are these people waiting for anything other than the consequence of which they  have been warned in the Book?   When the consequence will come before them, those very people who aforetime had disregarded it, will say, “Indeed, the Messenger of our Lord had come with the Truth.   Shall we have, then, any ‘shufaa’ who will intercede for us?  Or could we be sent back that we might do deeds different from those we did before?”  They have, indeed, incurred heavy loss upon themselves, and all the false things they had invented have forsaken them today.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66:

Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah.   And those who invoke partners besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!  

From Allah we have all come, and to Him is our ultimate return.

The literal meaning of the term ‘barzakh’ is something of a barrier or a veil, or something which is kept hidden.   The period between one’s death and when one will be granted life again by Allah on the Day of Judgement, is known as ‘barzakh’.

From the various narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws) it is evident that the life of Barzakh  is a life full of bliss and pleasure, or pain and grief;  depending on the deeds that the person has done in this worldly life.   The life of Barzakh is basically a pre-cursor of what would happen to the person after the Day of Judgement.   If the person was a righteous person, then he will be shown his place and some of the rewards he is about to receive in Paradise; and he stays happily in the anticipation of reaching his destination.   But if the person was wicked and a rebel to Allah Subhanah, then he will be shown his place in Hell Fire and his punishment and torment would start immediately.   This person would get some of the torments and his life in Barzakh will be miserable and full of pain and agony, for he knows that what is coming ahead for him after the Day of Judgement is far far worse than what he is experiencing in Barzakh!

The Prophet (saws) said,

“The angels are present with one who dies, and if a believer dies, they say,  ‘Come out, good soul, which was in the good body; come out praiseworthy and be happy with rest and provision and a Lord Who is not angry.’   That continues to be said to it till it comes out.   It is then taken up to Heaven and the door is opened for it.  The angels are asked who this is and reply that he is so and so, whereupon these words are spoken:  ‘Welcome, good soul, which was in the good body; enter praiseworthy and be happy with rest and provision and a Lord Who is not angry.’   That continues to be said to it till it comes to the Heaven where Allah is.   But when it is a disbeliever it is said,  ‘Come out, wicked soul, which was in the wicked body; come out blameworthy and be grieved by a boiling liquid, one dark and intensely cold, and other kinds of its type.’   That continues to be said to it till it comes out.  It is then taken up to Heaven, and the door is asked to be opened for it.   The question will be asked who this is and the reply given that it is so and so, whereupon these words are spoken:  ‘There is no welcome for the wicked soul which was in the wicked body; go back blameworthy, for the gates of Heaven will not be opened for you.’   It will then be sent away from Heaven and come to the grave.”

The Prophet (saws) said:

“Verily the grave is the first step in the stages of the Hereafter. If one finds salvation at this stage, the succeeding stages become easy for him.  And if he does not find salvation at this stage, what follows this stage is very hard upon him.  I have never seen a site more horrible than that of the grave.”

The Prophet (saws) said: 

“The grave is one of the gardens of Paradise, or one of the pits of Hell.”

The Prophet (saws) said:

“A day does not come to the grave without its saying, ‘I am the house of exile, I am the house of solitude, I am the house of dust, I am the house of worms.’ When a believer dies the grave says to him,  ‘Welcome and greeting; you are indeed the dearest to me of those who walk upon me.  I have been given charge of you today.  You have come to me, and you will see how I shall treat you (with dignity and honor).’   It will then expand for him as far as the eye can see and a door to Paradise will be opened for him. But when the disbeliever is buried the grave says to him,  `No welcome and no greeting to you.  You are the most hateful to me of those who walk upon me. I have been given charge of you today.   You have come to me, and you will see how I shall treat you.’ Seventy dragons will be put in charge of him, of such a nature, that if one of them were to breathe on the earth, it would produce no crops as long as the world lasted, and they will bite and scratch him till he is brought to the Day of Reckoning.”

The Prophet (saws) said: 

“When a believer is buried in the grave two angels will come to him (Munkar and Nakir, both have dark faces and blue eyes), make him sit up,  and ask :  ‘Who is your Lord?’  He will reply:  ‘My Lord is Allah.’   They will ask him:  ‘What is your religion?’   He will reply:  ‘My religion is Islam.’  They will ask him:  ‘What is your opinion about the man who was sent on a mission among you?’  He will reply:  ‘He is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).’   They will ask: ‘ Who made you aware of this?’   He will reply:  ‘I read Allah’s Book, believed in it, and considered it true.’  Then a crier will call from Heaven:  ‘My servant has spoken the truth.    So spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him from Paradise, and open a door for him into Paradise.’  Then some of its air and perfume will come to him, and a space will be made for him as far as the eye can see.   At the death of the unbeliever   his soul will be restored to his body in the grave.  Then two angels will come to him. They will make him sit up and ask him:  ‘Who is your Lord?’  He will reply:  ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’   They will ask him:  ‘What is your religion?’   He will reply:  ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’   They will ask:  ‘Who was the man who was sent on a mission among you?’    He will reply:  ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’   Then a crier will call from Heaven: ‘He has lied, so spread a bed for him from Hell, clothe him from Hell, and open for him a door into Hell. Then some of its heat and burning hot wind will come to him, and his grave will be compressed, such that his ribs will be crushed together.   An angel who is blind and dumb will then be placed in charge of him, having a sledge-hammer, such that, if a mountain were struck with it, it would become dust.  He will give him a blow with it, which will be heard by everything between the east and the west except by men and jinn, and he will become dust.  Then his soul will be restored to him (again).

It is beyond our comprehension to understand the exact nature of the life of Barzakh, as it is a life completely different from our worldly lives of flesh and blood.    Indeed, the soul is something completely different from the body.  After separation from their bodies, souls do experience and feel far more pleasure and pain than they experienced when they were joined together.  They are subject to confinement, pain, punishment, sickness, and grief as they are to various states of joy, rest, bliss, and freedom.  There are four abodes of the soul, and each abode is bigger and greater than the previous one.

The soul’s first abode is the womb of the mother, where there is confinement, compression, seclusion, and three layers of darkness. The second abode is its earthly habitat where it grows, does good and evil, and accumulates blessings for its ultimate success or failure.  Its third abode is the abode of barzakh, which is more spacious and immense than the abode of this world.  The fourth abode is the abode of eternity, either Paradise or Hell. There is no other abode after these.  Allah causes the soul to pass through these abodes in stages, until it reaches the abode most suitable for it, an abode that only it deserves and for which it is uniquely suitable, because this abode was created for it, and the soul was given the ability to perform the deeds that lead precisely to this abode.

The guidance of the Glorious Quran is clear and anyone who wants to leave aside his bias and prejudice, can obtain guidance from the Book.  The Quran is a not a book of hints and riddles, whereby the names of people are hidden deep inside the aayahs of the Quran!  People who claim this using the Quran as a tool to further their own cause and create fitnah in the Ummah of Islam.

The Holy Quran speaks about the seen, like the skies, the earth, the animals, the vegetation, etc.   The Holy Quran also speaks about the unseen, like the Heavens, the grave, the Hell Fire, the Angels, the Day of Qiyaamah, etc.  Thus there are many things which we are not able to comprehend today, and Allah has called such aayahs ‘mutashabehaat’(ambigious)  in the Holy Quran.   

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 7:

It is Allah, Who sent down this Quran to you.  (There are two kinds of verses in the Book.)   In it are verses Basic or Fundamental (of established meanings which can be easily understood), and they are the essence or foundation of the Book.   And the other verses are Allegorical or Ambiguous.   Those in whose hearts is perversity will always go for the Allegorical or Ambiguous verses, seeking discord and trying to search for their hidden meanings.  None, except Allah, knows their real meanings (Ta’aweel)!  In contrast to them, those who are firmly grounded in knowledge, say: “We believe in them all, because all of them are from our Lord.

Allah Himself states that the basic or fundamental aayahs of the Quran are the foundation of the Book.  These are enough for the guidance of mankind.  Then there are the Allegorical or Ambiguous aayahs, whose meanings are known to Allah Alone!   Allah has not made it our duty to figure out the meanings of these Ambiguous aayahs.   But the ones who have perversity and disease in their hearts, Allah says, will ALWAYS go after the ambiguous verses in search of their hidden meanings!     Allah says the true believers are those who obey and follow the clear verses, and believe in the whole Quran because it is indeed from their Lord.

But to claim that the whole Quran is ambiguous is mis-guidance.  The people who do that are those who have never taken the time and effort to understand the Quran; they just sit there and point fingers at the ambiguous or allegorical aayahs and give the verdict that since these cannot be understood, the Quran cannot be a Book of guidance!   They then go and appoint a human being as their guide, and obey, follow and invoke him instead of invoking and worshipping Allah Alone!  hese are the ones who have bartered away guidance for mis-guidance!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 29 Surah Ankaboot verse 38:

Shaitaan made their deeds fair-seeming to them and misled them from the right path, although they were sensible people.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 28 Surah Qasas verse 86-88:

You never hoped that the Book would be sent down to you.  Only through your Lord’s Mercy (has it been sent down to you), therefore, do not be a helper of those whose who do not believe!   And let it never happen that the unbelievers should divert you from Allah’s ‘aayahs’(Revelations) after they have been sent to you.  Invite towards your Lord and do not join those who invoke others with Allah, nor invoke any deity other than Allah. There is no deity but He.   Everything is perishable except Him!  Sovereignty is His, and to Him will all of you be returned.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha Meem As Sajdah verses 4-5:

Yet most of these people have turned away from it (The Quran), and they pay no heed.  They say, “Our hearts are covered with veils from that to which you are calling us; our ears have become deaf; and between us and you there is a curtain, so do as you please, and we shall do as we will!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 82:

But if they turn away, your only responsibility is to convey the plain Message of Truth!  They recognize the blessing of Allah, yet they deny it, for the majority of them are not inclined to accept the Truth!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:

Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds?  They are those, all whose endeavors in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing,  was rightly directed!  Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him.  Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection.  Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 26-30:

The Real Kingdom on that Day will belong only to the Merciful.   And it will be a very hard Day for the disbelievers.   The unjust man will bite at his hand and say, “Would that I had stood by the Messenger!  Oh, woe to me!  Would that I had not chosen so and so for a friend!   For it was he, who had deluded me to reject the Admonition which had come to me.  Shaitaan has proved indeed very treacherous to man.”  And the Messenger will say, “O my Lord, my people had made this Quran the object of their ridicule.”

May Allah give us the wisdom and the knowledge to read and understand the Quran, which He Himself has revealed for our guidance.  

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44:

So, hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you, you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem.  The fact is that this book is a great honor for you and your people, and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.