In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Shaikh Abdullaah Bin Abdur Rahmaan Abaa Batayn [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said:
The entire religion enters into worship, so when a person knows, is certain regarding what ‘Al Ilaah’ means – that it means something worshipped and he knows the reality of what worship is, then it will become clear to him that the one who devotes an act to worship to other than Allaah has indeed worshipped that thing and taken it as a god, even if he runs away from naming it an object of worship or a god, and then calls it Tawassul, intercession or what is similar. [Listen here regarding At-Tawassul: https://soundcloud.com/salafi-publications/tawassul-seeking-a-means-of ]
A polytheist is a polytheist, whether he accepts or denies it, just as a usurer is a usurer whether he accepts or denies it, even if he does not call what he does usury. The drinker of alcohol is a drinker of alcohol, even if he calls it other than its name. It has been reported in a hadeeth that the Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, ”Indeed, a people from my Ummah will drink alcohol giving it other than its (real) name”. [Ref 1]
Al-Allaamah Zayd Bin Haadee Al-Madkhalee [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, ”This hadeeth contains a Prophetic miracle in relation to the information given by the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] about an affair of the unseen and that this will definitely occur. What the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] stated that alcohol will be given a name other than its real name will definitely occur. Indeed – in our era – alcohol has been given another name to deceive the people and urge them towards it, such as the name Mashroob Roohee [i.e. (The sprightly drink or the drink that makes you lively)], instead of giving its real name Khamr (i.e. alcohol) as it is said, ‘Al-Khamru Takh’murul Aql – Alcohol veils (or obscures) the intellect’. And they have given it other names as well, but it does not isolate it from the fact that it is khamr (alcohol) and it is forbidden”. [Ref 2]
Changing names cannot change the reality of the person (or something) nor does the ruling that apply ceases. When Adee Bin Haatim [may Allaah be pleased with him] heard the statement of Allaah: [ٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ أَحۡبَارَهُمۡ وَرُهۡبَـٰنَهُمۡ أَرۡبَابً۬ا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ – They have taken their priests and monks as lords besides Allah] [Surah At-tawbah. Aayah 31], he said to the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him], ”We did not worship them”, so the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said to him, ”Do they not forbid what Allaah has made lawful and you make it forbidden, and they make lawful what Allaah has forbidden and you make it lawful?” He said, ”Certainly”, so the Messenger said, ”That is your worship of them”. Therefore, Adee [may Allaah be pleased with him] did not think that being in agreement with them in such an affair was tantamount to worshipping them, so the Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] informed him that it was tantamount to worshipping them, even though they did not believe that it was an act of worship devoted to them. Must read the detail explanation of this subject matter on this link: http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm/sad/…/images/frm/downloads/pdf/frm/nbq/nbq/sad/downloads/pdf/sp.cfm?subsecID=MNJ05&articleID=MNJ050004&articlePages=1
Likewise, that which the grave worshippers do, such as invoking the inhabitants of the graves [i.e. the dead], asking them to fulfil their needs, to remove their suffering, seeking closeness to them by offering sacrifices to them and vowing to them, then this is tantamount to worshipping the inhabitants of the graves, even if those who commit such acts do not name it as such or do not believe that it is worship.
Likewise, those who said to the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him], “Set up a Dhaat Anwaat (i.e. a lote-tree in whose vicinity the idolaters used to stay and hang their weapons to seek blessings) for us” did not think that their statement was similar to the statement of the Children of Israel, ”Make for us a god”. They [i.e. those new Muslims who were with the Prophet at the Battle of Husnayn] did not think that such statement was tantamount to deifying other than Allaah which negates the statement, ”There is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah”, for indeed they did testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah and knew its meaning because they were Arabs, however this affair [i.e. the real implication of the statement ”Set up for us a Dhaat Anwaat”] was hidden from them because they were new in Islaam until the Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said to them, ”Allaahu Akbar! This is a path that has proceeded (from the people of the past). By Allaah in whose Hand my soul is! You have stated just as the children of Israel said to Moosaa [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him], ”O Moosaa! Make for us Ilaahan (a deity) as they have Aalihah (deities)!” He (Moosaa) said, ”Verily, you are a people who know not (the Majesty and Greatness of Allah and what is obligatory upon you, i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone, the One and the Only God of all that exists)”. You will follow the way of those who came before you”.
If it is said, ”Indeed, the prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] did not make declare those new Muslims to exited the fold of Islam”, so we say, ”This shows that the one who utters a statement that is tantamount to disbelief or out of being ignorant of its meaning, he is to be notified and he becomes aware and has not disbelieved; but there is no doubt that if they took the Dhaat Anwaat as [an object of worship besides Allaah] after the disapproval of the Prophet, then they would have disbelieved”. [Ref 3] Must read refer to further details on this subject matter- Principles of Takfeer [Rules Applied By Scholars Before Declaring a Muslim to Be Outside The Fold of Islaam http://www.salafipublications.com/sps/sp.cfm?secID=MNJ&subsecID=MNJ09&loadpage=displaysubsection.cfm
[Ref 1: Al-Intisaar Li-Hizbil Allaahi Al-Muwahhideen 13-14. Maktabah Ibn al-Jawzee 1305AH]
[Ref 2: At-taleeqaat Al-Maleehah Alaa Silsilah Al-Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah. Vol 1. Page 338. Slightly paraphrased]
[Ref 3: Al-Intisaar Li-Hizbil Allaahi Al-Muwahhideen 13-14. Maktabah Ibn al-Jawzee 1305AH]
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