Summary

Tauhid of Worship and Ritual:

This means making Allah alone the object of all worship, deification and ritual turning to Allah alone with all forms of worship whether spoken or acted. This includes love, glorification, desire, fear, repentance, hope, reliance, supplication, seeking of relief, sacrifice or slaughtering of animals, oaths, bowing, prostration and others.

Du'a

1. Du'a of Needs: This is asking for that which benefits or the avoidance of something harmful. It is itself a form of worship.

2. Du'a of Worship: This is all forms of worship or trying to please and come closer to Allah Most High such as mentioning Allah, reciting Qur'an, prayer, etc. Although nothing is asked for directly, the intention is to receive Allah's blessing and mercy and so it is du'a in that sense.

Seeking Relief:

This means to ask for relief from some hardship which one is suffering. It is a special case of du'a and only applies to one who is in hardship and is asking for relief. This cannot be asked from a created being except for that of which that being is capable. Obviously, this can only be from living, present humans since the dead are not capable of anything and seeking aid from the Jinn is forbidden. Other than that, it can only be asked of Allah Most High.

Three Levels of Innovated Du'a:

1. Supplicating other than Allah such as dead or otherwise absent human beings. This is shirk - worshipping others beside Allah.

2. Asking for the du'a of those incapable either of hearing the request or of fulfilling it such as the dead or otherwise absent. This is an innovation (bid'a) never practiced by the Prophet (sas), his companions or the two generations after them. Some scholars also called this major shirk like the first category.

3. Asking Allah through or based on the stature of one of the righteous ones - living or dead. It is known as tawassul or "seeking of means". This, too, is an innovation never practiced by the Prophet (sas), his companions or the two generations after them. If it is not shirk in and of itself, it is witout doubt an innovation and is a clear gateway to major shirk. It is quite widespread in this Ummah, unfortunately.

Seeking of Means (tawassul) in Islam:

1. Seeking means to Allah via His Beautiful Names and Attributes. Practiced by the Prophet (sas).
2. Seeking means to Allah via the doing of good deeds. The tafsir of the word waseela in Qur'an.
3. Seeking means to Allah by requesting du'a of righteous Muslims who are alive and present. Practiced by the Companions.

Seeking Refuge (Al-Isti'aadha):

This is a form of worship which Allah has instructed us to practice. Thus, if anyone directs this to other than Allah and seeks refuge in other than Allah, they have committed shirk because anything which is worship when directed to Allah becomes shirk when directed to other than Allah. Not included in this, of course, is asking living beings for a form of protection or shelter of which they are capable as long as one knows that Allah is the ultimate protector.

Fear of Allah:

Fear of Allah is one of the highest states of consciousness and a high form of worship which Allah has ordered us to direct solely to Him. There are three kinds of fear:

1. Ultimate fear of the heart - fear of that which truly controls harm and benefit. This must be directed exclusively to Allah Most High.
2. Disobeying Allah by committing some haraam or neglecting some wajib out of fear of people. This is forbidden.
3. Natural or biological fear. This is something naturally present in human beings and it varies from individual to individual. It is nothing to do with shirk and there is no sin upon anyone for having these feelings.

Love of Allah:

1. Love of Allah is the foundation of faith and of Islam. Worship is the completeness of love, humility and submission to Allah Most High. Thus, if anyone loves other than Allah as they love (or should love) Allah, they are among those who have taken partners with Allah.
2. Love of others for the sake of Allah has nothing to do with shirk and is fact obligatory. Muslims are required to love who Allah loves and to hate those who Allah hates. This is the principle of Al-walaa' wa al-baraa' (who we are bound to and who we are innocent of).
3. Loving other along with Allah - and we mean here that love which includes glorification, magnification or belief in the power to harm or benefit - is one of the forms if shirk. An example of this is that by pleasing a certain individual one can get us closer to Allah Most High.
4. The natural love for another human being has nothing to do with this discussion unless that love drives one to obey that other in disobedience to Allah Most High.

Vows or Votive Offerings:

Oaths (an-nadhar) which may include an act of giving are allowed in Islam and fulfilling them is obligatory and an act of worship. Therefore, oaths or offerings to other than Allah are major shirk because of the glorification of that other and seeking their pleasure instead of Allah and based on the general principle that "anything which is worship when directed to Allah become shirk when directed to other than Allah.

Sacrifice or Slaughtering Animals:

Killing of food animals in the Name of Allah is one of symbols of Islam and an act of worship - whether the animal killed is given in charity or just for consumption. The Prophet (sas) was "prolific in prayer and prolific in sacrifce". Sacrifice to other than Allah is major shirk which brings the wrath and rejection of Allah Most High.

Sorcery:

Sorcery (as-sihr) in the language means that whose cause is not apparent. In the terminology, as-sihr is various incantations, objects and rituals which have effects on the hearts and bodies of others. It is real and can have real effects according to the Qur'an, the Sunnah and the mainstream of the Muslims. Those who rejected this fact have contradicted the Qur'an and the Sunnah. It is a creation of Allah and only occurs by His permission.

Sorcery is forbidden without any difference of opinion in that and was forbidden by all of the messengers of Allah Most High. If the sorcery commits some act of shirk or kufr in the course of his sorcery, he can be killed as an apostate. If he uses sorcery to kill another, he can be killed for murder. If he does neither of these two things, the scholars have differed. Some said he is a disbeliever for practicing sorcery and can be killed and others said as long as their is no specific kufr or shirk that he has committed a major sin, but has not left Islam. Sorcery is of different types:

1. That which occurs with aid from the Jinn. This aid is invariably sought with some act hateful to Allah Most High.
2. That which involves star or planet worship.
3. Sometimes it refers to trickery and sleight of hand - this has nothing to do with shirk but may be sinful if it involves trickery, deception and taking of people's money.
4. Fighting off the effects of sorcery (called an-nashra). If this is done with du'a, reciting of Qur'an, seeking refuge in Allah, etc. it is lawful and is a good deed. If it is done with sorcery (to repel sorcery), it is the subject of some difference of opinion among the scholars, the correct opinion being that it is forbidden.
5. Astrology is forbidden and is a fruitles pursuit because Allah has informed us that there is no relation between astronomical events and human events.

Review Questions

1. Tauhid of worship and ritual include:

   1. belief that Allah alone provides and controls events.

   2. directing love, glorification, hope, fear and supplication exclusively to Allah.

   3. submission to the orders of Allah in the shari'a.

   4. all of the above.

2. Explain how excesses regarding the righteous ones has historically been the origina of shirk among mankind.

3. What are the two types of du'a and what is the relationship between them?

4. Which is correct?

   1. Every supplication is seeking of relief but not every seeking of relief is a supplication.

   2. Supplication and seeking of relief are synonymous.

   3. Seeking of relief should only be directed to Allah Most High.

   4. Du'a can only be directed to Allah, but seeking relief (al-istighaatha) may be lawful when directed to a created being.

5. Mention the reasons for which Allah rebuked the disbelievers for directing du'a to other than Him and mention the verses of Qur'an associated with each.

6. Mention the three levels of innovated du'a and the rulings regarding each.

7. Mention the legitimate forms of seeking means (tawassul) and evidence for each.

8. What is the meaning of isti'aadha (seeking refuge)? Can it be directed to other than Allah?

9. Which is correct:

   1. Fear is a natural fact and has nothing to do with worship.

   2. Fear of Allah is one of the highest states in Islam.

   3. Fear is a form of worship only for human beings.

   4. Fear of Allah is something liked in Islam - whoever wishes can engage in it and whoever wishes can leave it.

10. Discuss the three types of fear and the rulings regarding each.

11. Discuss the importance of love in Islam. What is the difference between love for the sake of Allah and love along with Allah?

12. Under which category of love does love for ones family and property fall?

13. Why are oaths and animal sacrifices shirk when directed to other than Allah?

14. What is the meaning of sorcery (as-sihr) in the Arabic language and in the terminology?

15. Discuss the judgement regarding the practitioner of sorcery.

16. What is an-nashra, its types and the rulings regarding them?

17. What is lawful and unlawful when it comes to study of the stars and planets?

18. When are incantaions for cure lawful?

19. What are amulets? Are they lawful? What if they only contain verses from Qur'an?

20. Is it ever lawful to swear by other than Allah? Is it lawful to swear by the Qur'an? Explain.