بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

NB: In this article, a mentioned is made regarding the fact that to devote acts of worship to other than Allaah is Shirk and it nullifies a person’s Islaam; however, declaring that a Muslim has left the fold of Islaam has principles attached to the subject matter. Therefore, we have added footnotes from Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] to detail some of the acts of worship mentioned, which have been detailed by Shaikh Saaleh Al-Fawzaan [hafidhahullaah] in his other works, as well as clarification by Shaikh Saaleh Al-Fawzaan [hafidhahullaah] regarding ‘Takfeer and the Excuse of Ignorance’.  [Salaficentre.com Admin]

Shaikh Saalih al Fawzaan حفظه الله comments on the statement of Allaah:

“وَلَا يَأۡمُرَكُمۡ أَن تَتَّخِذُواْ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ أَرۡبَابًاۚ أَيَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلۡكُفۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ”

“Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to Allah’s Will?”

Surah Aal-E-Imran, Ayah 80

What can be taken from this verse is that whoever worships the Awliya (the friends of Allaah) or righteous people, claiming that they are intercessors for him with Allaah and that they are an intermediary for him with Allah, seeking closesness to them with acts of worship such as sacrificing, vowing, seeking rescue and supplicating to them after their death, then he has certainly disbelieved after he submitted to Islaam (Ref 1), due to His [Allaah’s] statement تعالى :

“وَلَا يَأۡمُرَكُمۡ أَن تَتَّخِذُواْ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ أَرۡبَابًاۚ أَيَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلۡكُفۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ”

“Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to Allah’s Will?”

Surah Aal-Imraan, Ayah 80

So this verse proves that whoever supplicates to other than Allaah, or seeks rescue from the dead and from those who are not present, or he sacrifices to other than Allaah, or vows to other than Allaah, then indeed he has disbelieved after being upon Islaam, even if he testifies that ‘There is no true deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’, because if he directs an act of worship to other than Allah such as to the Awliyaa, the righteous people, graves, tombs, trees, stones, then he has disbelieved. His testimony that ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’ will not benefit him, because he has nullified his testimony by way of his actions and beliefs, and what his tongue stated; for indeed these two testimonies that ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah’ necessitate sincerity in worshipping Allaah [alone] and abandon the worship of other than Him. (Ref 2)

When he says ‘There is no true deity worthy of worship except Allaah’, then it means that he dissociates himself from all that is worshipped besides Allaah and that he performs all acts of worship for Allaah alone; but if he opposes this statement through sacrificing to other than Allaah (Ref 3), or vowing to other than Allaah, or seeking rescue and supplicating to the dead and seeking help from them, then he has nullified his statement that ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah’, so it becomes the case that he has stated with his tongue that which is not applied in his deeds and actions.

So the one who says ‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah’, it is obligated on him to abandon the worship of all things besides Allaah and to sincerely worship Allaah alone, because when it is said to many of these people, “This is shirk and this is disbelief, or this is false”, they reply saying, “‘No, they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, so how can you declare them to be disbelievers?!” We say to them, “Allaah has declared them to be disbelievers (Ref 4), just as is found in this verse:

“وَلَا يَأۡمُرَكُمۡ أَن تَتَّخِذُواْ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ أَرۡبَابًاۚ أَيَأۡمُرُكُم بِٱلۡكُفۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أَنتُم مُّسۡلِمُونَ”

“Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to Allah’s Will?”‘

Surah Aal-Imraan, Ayah 80

So this verse proves that if the Muslim does these types of things (directing acts of worship to other than Allah), then he has disbelieved in Allaah. [Ref 5] [End of quote: Source: Min Ahkhaam Al-Qur’aan by Shaikh Salih al Fawzaan حفظه الله  vol.1 pgs 32 – 33]

Important Footnotes: 

Ref 1: Supplicating to other than Allaah, Takfeer and Excuse of Ignorance:

Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said: So whoever called upon anyone besides Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, requesting something which none but Allaah has power over, then he is a Mushrik (one who worships others besides Allaah), an unbeliever (kaafir), whether the one he calls upon is living or dead. Whoever requests a living person for something which he is able to do, such as the saying: ‘O so and so give me food’ or ‘O so and so give me a drink,’ then there is no harm in that. But whoever asks a dead person or someone who is absent for that, then he is a Mushrik, since the deceased or the absent cannot possibly do that. So in such a case his supplicating to them shows that he believes that they have some control over the creation, and he is therefore a Mushrik. [Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. English Translation By Shaikh Abu Talhah [may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife]. Page 44 onwards] Takfeer: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the excuse of ignorance and Barriers to takfir: http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm

Ref 2: Seeking Rescue From Other Than Allaah, Vowing to Other Than Allaah, Takfeer and The Excuse of Ignorance:

Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said: To seek rescue and deliverance from severe difficulty and destruction, and is of various types: (i) Seeking deliverance and rescue from Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is one of the most excellent and most perfect deeds, and it was the continual practice of the messengers and their followers. The evidence for it is what the Shaykh, rahimahullaah, mentioned, “When you sought aid and deliverance of your Lord and He responded to you that He was sending you a thousand angels in succession to assist you.” [Soorah al-Anfaal (8):9] This occurred at the battle of Badr when the Prophet (#1) saw the mushriks numbering a thousand men, whist his companions were a few more than three hundred and ten. So he entered the palm grove calling earnestly upon his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, raising up his hands and facing the qiblah, and saying: “OAllaah fulfil that which You have promised me. O Allaah if this small group who are the people oflslaam are destroyed you will not be worshipped upon the earth.” Then he continued calling upon his Lord earnestly, with his hands raised such that his cloak fell from his shoulders. So Aboo Bakr, radiyallaahu ‘anhu, took up his cloak and cast it back upon his shoulders and embraced him from behind and said: “O Prophet of Allaah, your earnest supplication to your Lord will be sufficient for you since he will fulfil what He has promised you,” so this Aayah was sent down. [Reported by Muslim (Eng. transl. 3/960/no.4360)] (ii) Seeking rescue and deliverance, either from the dead or from those who are living but are not present and able to give aid and rescue, then this is shirk. This is so because it will not be done except by one who believes that those people have some unseen control over the creation, and they have therefore attributed to them a share of the Lordship that is for Allaah, the Most High, alone. Allaah, the Most High, says, “Or is that which you falsely worship along with Allaah better than He Who responds to the one in distress when he calls Him; who removes the harm; and who makes you to succeed those who came before you?! Is there anything that is worshipped besides Allaah that can do these things for you?! Little do you consider the greatness of Allaah and His favours upon you, and the clear proofs He has given you, so you therefore associate others in worship with Him.” [Soorah an-Naml (27):62] (iii) Seeking aid and rescue from those who are alive, aware of the situation and capable of assistance and rescue. It is permissible to seek aid and rescue from them: Allaah, the Most High, says in the story of Moosaa: “So the man who was upon the same Religion as Moosaa sought the aid of Moosaa against his enemy the Copt, so Moosaa struck him forcefully and killed him.” [Soorah al-Qasas (28):15] (iv) Seeking rescue and aid from a living person who is not capable of assisting him, without believing that he has some hidden power. For example that a drowning person calls for rescue from a person who is paralysed. This is futility and is a mockery of the one whom he seeks rescue from, and is therefore prohibited for this reason. A further reason for its prohibition is that anyone who saw him seeking rescue from the paralysed man may be deceived into thinking that the paralysed man must have some hidden power enabling him to rescue people. [Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. English Translation By Shaikh Abu Talhah (may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife). Page 44 onwards]

Takfeer: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the excuse of ignorance and Barriers to takfir: http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm

Vowing to Other Than Allaah, Takfeer and Excuse of Ignorance:

Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said: The evidence that vows are worship is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “They fulfil their vows and they fear a day whose evil is widespread.” [Soorah al-Insaan (76):7] 84 The Aayah is a proof since Allaah praises them for fulfilling their vows, which shows that Allaah loves that and every action that is beloved to Allaah is worship. This is further supported by the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “…they fear a day whose evil is widespread.” [Soorah al-Insaan (76):7] The fulfilling of vows which Allaah, the Most High, has praised are all acts of worship which Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has obligated. This is because when a person starts any of the obligatory acts of worship, then he has become duty bound to fulfil and complete them. The proof for this is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “Then let them complete the duties of their hajj, and fulfil their vows (e.g. the sacrifice), and let them perform the tawaaf of ifaadah around the ancient House.” [Soorah al-Hajj (22):29] Vows by which a person makes a pledge and thus obligates himself to do something or other, or makes some act of obedience to Allaah, that is not obligatory, binding upon himself, then this is disliked, and some of the scholars declared it to be forbidden. This is because the Prophet (0) forbade making vows and said, “It does not bring good, it merely causes the miserly person to spend” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 8/448/no.684) and Muslim (Eng. transl. 3/871/no.4019)].

Yet even so, if a person does go ahead and vow that he will do some act of obedience to Allaah, then it becomes obligatory upon him to perform it as the Prophet (3|§) said, “Whoever vows to act in obedience to Allaah, then let him obey Him” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 8/449/no.687)]. So in summary vows {an-nadhr) applies to the obligatory acts of worship in general, and to making vows in specific, which is that a person obliges himself to do something for the sake of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. The scholars divide the vow into various categories and these are laid out in the books of fiqh (details of Islamic law and regulations). [Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. English Translation By Shaikh Abu Talhah (may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife). Page 44 onwards] Takfeer: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the excuse of ignorance and Barriers to takfir: http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm

Ref 3: Sacrificing Animals For Other Than Allaah, Takfeer and The Excuse of Ignorance:

Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said: Sacrifice is to kill by spilling the blood of the animal in a particular manner, and is done for a number of reasons: (i) That it is done as an act of worship, such that he intends by it veneration of the one for whom he sacrifices, and intends it as an act of submission to him and a means of nearness to him. So this may not be done except for Allaah, the Most High, and has to be done in the manner which Allaah, the Most High, has prescribed. Directing it to other than Allaah is major shirk and the evidence (as mentioned by the author) is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “Say, O Muhammad, indeed my Prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are all purely and solely for Allaah, Lord of all creation. There is no share of any of that for other than Him’ [Soorah al-An’aam (6):162-3] (ii) That it is done out of hospitality for the guest, or for as wedding feast (waleemah) or the like, then this is something commanded, either as an obligation or a recommendation, as he said “Whoever truly believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then let him treat the guest honourably” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 8/99/no. 156) and Muslim (Eng. transl. 3/935/no. 4286)]. He said to ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Auf, “Give a wedding, feast (waleemah) even if it is only with a single sheep” [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 7/72/no.96)]. (iii) That it is done to provide food charitably, or to sell the meat and so on, then this falls under that which is permissible and is in principle according to the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “Do those mushriks who worship others along with Allaah not see that We have created for them, from what our Hands have created, cattle which they are in charge of, and We have made the cattle subservient to them: so from them are those which they eat the meat of.” [Soorah Yaa Seen (36):71-2] [Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. English Translation By Shaikh Abu Talhah [may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife]. Page 44 onwards]

Ref 4 and 5: Takfeer and the Excuse of Ignorance: Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan on the excuse of ignorance and Barriers to takfir: http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm

Seeking Help From Other Than Allaah, Takfeer and The Excuse of Ignorance

Shaikh Uthaymeen [rahimahullaah] said: Is to appeal for assistance, and it is of various types: (i) Appealing for aid and assistance from Allaah – this is an appeal for aid and assistance that comprises complete humility of the servant before his Lord, and to submit and entrust the affair to Him, and to be certain that He is fully sufficient for him. This is not to be except for Allaah, the Most High, alone, and the evidence is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “O Allaah You alone we worship, and to You alone we appeal for aid.” [Soorah al-Faatihah (1):5] The fact that this is to be for Allaah, the Most High, alone is shown by the fact that He mentions the word upon which the verb acts before the verb itself, and according to the principles of grammar of the Arabic language, in which the Qur’aan came down, bringing forward that which usually comes afterwards indicates restriction and particularisation. So directing this type to other than Allaah, the Most High, is shirk which takes a person out of the Religion. (ii) Seeking the help of a person from the creation, in something which he is capable of helping in. Then this will be in accordance with the action in which help is sought. If it is a good action then it is permissible for the person to seek help upon it, and prescribed for a person to help in that, as Allaah, the Most High, says, “And assist one another upon righteous actions and avoidance of sins.” [Soorah alMaa’idah (5):2] If it is a sinful thing, then it is forbidden for the person doing it and for the one who assists, as Allaah, the Most High, says, “And do not assist one another in abandoning what Allaah has commanded and upon transgressing the limits laid down in the Religion.” [Soorah al-Maa’idah (5):2] If it is something permissible, then it is allowed for the person to seek help and to be assisted, and the one who is helping may be rewarded for kind treatment and thus it becomes something prescribed for him as Allaah, the Most High says, “And do good, indeed Allaah loves those who do good.” [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 195] (iii) Seeking the help of a person from the creation who is alive and present, except that it is something which he is incapable of, then this is futile and useless. For example that he seeks the help of a weak person in order to carry something very heavy. (iv) Seeking the aid of any deceased person, or the aid of the living in a matter of the hidden and unseen, which they cannot reach. Then this is shirk since it will only be done by a person who believes that those whose help he seeks have some hidden control over the creation. (v) Seeking help by performing deeds that are beloved to Allaah, the Most High. This is something that is prescribed due to the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “And seek assistance through patience and Prayer.” [Soorah al-Baqarah (2):45] The author, rahimahullaah, uses as evidence for the first type the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, “O Allaah You alone we worship, and to You alone we appeal for aid.” [Soorah al-Faatihah (1):5] And the saying of the Prophet saying: “If you seek help then seek the help of Allaah” [Explanation of the Three Fundamental Principles of Islaam. English Translation By Shaikh Abu Talhah (may Allaah have mercy upon him and his wife). Page 44 onwards] al-Fawzan on the excuse of ignorance and Barriers to takfir: http://www.manhaj.com/manhaj/articles/obkwf-takfir-and-the-excuse-of-ignorance-shaykh-saalih-al-fawzaan.cfm