Karim Abuzaid – Know Your Lord Audio Book 03 03 – Polytheism in Allah’s Lordship
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The concept of polytheism shirls in Islam is broadly discussed, with some believing that the creator is the only true Lord of all creation and others believing in the creator is the only true creator. Some believe that individuals can only be revealed through actions and attributes, while others believe in the stars and the presence of the creator's attributes. The potential consequences of polytheism are discussed, including false accusations of knowledge and desire, people claiming to know the creator's attributes, and people believing in the stars. The importance of knowing and using the Lord's attributes for securing and protecting one's worship is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Chapter 3
polytheism
shirk
in Allah's
lordship.
The study of monotheism
is incomplete
without the study of its opposite
polytheism.
It is a critical failure
and infidelity
and consequently
a topic of importance
which Allah attested to in the Quran.
Allah said,
verily
Allah forgives not that partners should be set
up with him in worship,
but he forgives except that anything else to
whom he pleases.
And whoever sets up partners with Allah in
worship,
he has indeed invented
a tremendous sin.
Linguistically
shirk means a partnership,
sharing
or associating
from the Arabic roots
shraaka.
Islamically
it refers to the act of assigning partners
to Allah
in whatever form it may take,
whether implicit
or explicit.
The meaning in common English usage
is as a transitive
verb
to go stealthily
or to evade
the performance of an obligation
for the purpose of calling others to Allah.
This is useful
as mankind
has a responsibility
to fulfill in asserting monotheism,
implementing its benefits in our lives
and calling to it with patience.
Polytheism
shirk enrobobiya
is to believe that others
besides Allah
create or share control
over his creation.
This belief means that someone other than Allah
can bring them benefit
or protect from harm.
A simple example of this type of polytheism
is to believe an item or object brings
good luck.
People often have good luck rings
or similar items
they think will instigate good in their lives.
Others tie unique strings around themselves
or their children
believing that if they recite the Quran
over the strings
the talisman
will protect them from evil.
However
only Allah
can protect us
from what we identify
as evil and we must seek his protection
in ways he mentioned in the Quran.
Or the means which the prophet
taught us in the sunnah. Prophetic tradition because
seeking protection
is an act of worship. Types
of polytheism
shirk in rubobia.
One must identify
2 categories
of polytheism
concerning rububia.
They are
as follows
1, polytheism
shirk by negation
tateel.
This is to deny
the existence of Allah
either explicitly
or implicitly.
In some cases atheism
is the expression
by an individual
of purported
non existence of Allah while the reality
of his existence may be internalized
in the individual.
In other instances
his existence is claimed
but how an individual assimilates
an understanding of Allah negates his existence
such as in pantheism
this is apparent in the saying mother nature
or actions based on perceived luck, divination
or astrology.
Polytheism
by negation
exists
in assertations
of the European philosophical traditions
in those who subscribe to them and the
nihilism
and infidelity
that resulted.
They build various intellectual innovations
on the premise
that attributes ascribed
by theists
to God are attributes derived either from human
consciousness
or from nature and that God has no
existence apart from the existence
of human consciousness
and of nature. In essence
this belief is the human worship of self.
There are a few ancient religious systems in
which God does not exist. Buddhism today has
more than 500,000,000
adherents.
It is a movement
that evolved
from Hinduism
with social reform characteristics.
It was founded in the 6th century BC
during the same period as Jainism.
In the 3rd century BC
it became the state religion
but was assimilated
by Hinduism
as an act to reduce the Hindu loss
of social political influence.
Buddha himself
then became one of the idols in the
Hindu pantheon.
Buddhism disappeared from India
but became dominant in China and other regions
of Asia. Most forms of Buddhism
are built on the doctrine
that there is no permanent creator
who superintends
creation
and takes care of his creatures.
A doctrine
of fundamental importance within Buddhist religious
philosophy
rather than a mere accretion acquired
through historical accident.
The pharaonic model is a negation of Allah
by an individual claimant
who has the material power and influence to
install upon his or herself
the rights of Allah.
Allah
mentioned in the Quran
that pharaoh negated the existence of God and
claimed to prophet Musa,
Moses
and the people of Egypt that he was
the only true Lord of all creation. He
said to prophet Musa, Moses
pharaoh said, If you take a god other
than me, I will surely place you among
those
imprisoned
And said,
I am your most exalted Lord.
Polytheism
shirk by association
is to believe that God
or a supreme being exists
while believing
that other lesser gods,
spirits,
mortals,
heavenly bodies
or created objects share in his dominion
or partner
in his function.
Such beliefs are commonly referred
to
by the theologians and philosophers as either monotheistic,
having one God or polytheistic,
having more than one God.
Although both forms are partnerships
without right, polytheism
by association
is apparent in many subtle examples.
1 The Arab Polytheists
Mushrikun
The polytheists
of Arabia believed in Allah
as the sole creator
and inherited his foundation from Prophet Ibrahim
Abraham But they thought that intermediaries,
idols,
could bring them closer to Allah. Allah
told us that they said,
we only worship them
that they may bring us nearer to Allah
in position.
Indeed Allah will judge between them concerning that
over which they differ.
Indeed
Allah does not guide he who is a
liar and confirmed
disbeliever.
2
Hinduism.
Hinduism
recognizes
a supreme being
whom they name
as Brahman.
He is omnipresent,
omnipotent,
but impersonal
and abstract
to the point of being unapproachable.
Assuming Brahman
is a name in reference
to Allah, Hinduism falls into infidelity
of polytheism,
shirk
in by describing
and delegating Allah's creative,
destructive,
and preservative powers
to a trinity
of Brahma,
Shiva
and Vishnu.
As for Hindu,
polytheism
shirk in worship.
They assert
that comprehension
and approach of divinity
can only be through intermediaries
because Brahmin
is incomprehensible
to human capability.
Swami
Sivananda said, the mind which knows the external
objects
through the avenues
of the senses
cannot know the Atman
or Brahman
because Brahman is the source for the mind
also
and the mind is gross,
inert and finite.
How can the finite know the infinite?
The gross impure mind cannot approach Brahmin.
Hindus
use idols or lesser Gods as a means
of approaching
an unapproachable divinity
and the means of focusing in worship on
what is uncontainable
by the intellect and unfathomable
by human reference.
3,
Christianity.
Christianity
has many permutations
which divide Allah
into several entities
shaking in duality or trinity.
Stricter monotheistic
sects identify Allah as 1 and
indivisible
but ascribe to him a son
who inherits divinity.
This is of course polytheism
shirk.
4
extreme mystic Sufis.
The veneration of saints,
Auliya
is not too far removed from Hindu beliefs
through their statement and actions.
These extremists
establish
that individual saints among the most pious
can create life,
decree death
and govern the earth
and the universal functions along with Allah.
Some of these extremists believe
the souls of dead saints
and other righteous humans can affect
the affairs of this world
even after their deaths.
Adherents call upon the souls of the saints
to fulfill their needs,
remove calamities
and render aid to the supplicant.
Their claim
is that as individuals who are not pious,
the means of approaching Allah is done through
the pious whether dead or alive.
5,
grave worshipers.
Grave worshipers
deserve
this epithet
because of their veneration
of the inhabitants of the grave.
This deviant belief is common in Hinduism,
Christianity
and extreme sufis
who attribute
to a human soul the divine ability to
cause events
in this life
even from its grave.
Grave worshipers
call on the dead and attribute to them
knowledge
and ability which only Allah can possess.
The dead
are unable
to help their own selves.
As for helping the affairs of the living,
Allah does not need
any intermediaries
to hear or respond to the cause of
his supplicants.
Furthermore
what the grave worshiper ascribes to the dead
of sentient awareness
and interaction
with the living
is false.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said,
and not equal
are the living and the dead.
Indeed
Allah causes to hear whom he wills,
but you cannot make here those in the
graves.
6.
The deserve the label of polytheists
because they remove from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
some of his attributes
and ascribe it to humanity.
This is a deviation
in the area
of preordainment.
The methodology in the first consists
of negating preordainment
over the actions of the servant
and they say that human desire and ability
are independent
of the ability of Allah.
Their head was Ma'bad ibn Abdullah
al Juhani
from Kufa
in the last part of the praised era.
The era of the first three praised generations.
He learned denial
of predestination
Al Qadr
from Majin
Majusi,
a man from Al Basra.
The Qadariya
were 2 main groups that become more than
22 sects.
1 group denies Allah's knowledge
and the other believes
that everyone creates his own acts.
This is contrary to what Allah said,
while Allah created you and that which you
do.
To Allah belongs everything,
the good
and that which we identify as bad.
They have been described
as similar to the Magins,
Majusi,
because of the duality
which they use to describe the good and
evil from preordainment.
7,
people who claim the knowledge of the unseen.
The claim of knowledge of the unseen is
an act
of polytheism.
Shirk because
an individual
ascribes for his or herself an attribute
that only Allah could have. They have given
themselves
some part of divinity.
The prophet
described involvement
with a fortune teller
as an affront to the natural order and
he disassociated
himself.
He said, whoever
has *
with a menstruating woman or with a woman
in her rear or who goes to a
fortune teller and believes what he says,
he has disbelieved
in that which was revealed to Muhammad.
This person
has earned a share of disbelief
by transgressing
what Allah affirmed in the Quran. That the
knowledge of the unseen, ghaib, is exclusive to
him. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, say none
in the heavens and earth
knows the unseen except Allah and they do
not perceive
when they will be resurrected.
Unseen
refers to knowledge of the created things
that we cannot see in this life
such as angels
and knowledge of the unseen
future
which belongs only to Allah. The claim
of having knowledge of the unseen
is so serious
that if a Muslim consults
an individual
who claims this attribute
his
or her worship may be nullified.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, whoever
goes to a fortune teller
and asks him about something
his prayer
will not be accepted for 40 nights.
This warning comes in a statement
that does not contain the condition
that the Muslim asks
and believes the fortune teller.
8. The belief in the stars.
Zayd bin Khalid
reported from the prophet
that Allah said,
This morning some of my servants believe in
me and some disbelieve.
As for the one who said, we got
rain by the bounty and mercy of Allah,
he is a believer in me
and a disbeliever in the stars. But as
for the one who said we got rain
by virtue of such and such a star.
He is a disbeliever in me and a
believer in the
stars.
9. Worship of jinn. Allah referred to the
crime of establishing the worship of jinn as
a partner alongside the worship of Allah in
the following verses.
A yat.
On the day he gathers them all together
he will say to the angels,
was it you these people worshiped? They will
reply,
may you be exalted,
You are our supporter against them.
Really, they worship the jinn. Most of them
believed in them.
10,
other forms.
Many other acts of forms of worship are
considered part of polytheism
because of violation
of such as reading horoscopes,
coffee cup readings,
palm readings
and belief in luck
or omens.
In the absence of knowledge,
unfortunately,
every culture produced its own set of mediums
which indicate their polytheism
shirk in Allah's lordship.
The monotheistic
position.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
said, Allah has not taken any son nor
has there ever been with him any deity.
If there had been
then each deity
would have taken what it created
and some of them would have sought to
overcome others.
Exalted as Allah above what they describe
concerning him.
This exceptional argument
has bright and precise wording.
The true God must have the attributes of
creating and doing, giving benefit to his servants
and protecting the servant from harm. If there
were another god with Allah
sharing his kingdom
then it too would be creating and doing.
In this case
the partnership
would be unacceptable.
A power struggle
would ensue
in which one
would be dominant
or one would withdraw
with his part of creation as the kings
of the earth do when retreating
and fortifying the lands they control.
Then this scenario
requires one of 3 possibilities
that each god
withdraws with his creation and authority.
2, that one of them defeats the others.
3,
that any and all lesser creators
would be under the control
of one who does with them as he
wills,
and the others would have no say in
the matter.
1 would be their God and there would
be his servants,
lorded over and subdued
in every sense of the word.
Such possibilities of partnerships or hierarchies in divinity
which are suggested
in the man made and deviant religions mentioned
above which certainly result in chaos,
disorder
and instability
in all of creation.
The creation however
has an order, intricate balance
and no uncertainty.
Instead
everything is perfectly administered
with a singular purpose.
Administration of the affairs of the creation is
evidence
of the might and power of Allah.
It is also evidence
that there is no God of creation other
than him.
The creator of the universe is 1 Al
Khalak. There is no Lord other than him
and no god equal to him.
Just as the world
can't have 2 similar creators
it is also inconceivable
that there would be 2 gods to be
worshipped.
Assertion
of oneness of lordship
necessitates
that we worship our Lord
without associating any partners in worship of him.
Among the greatest means of securing and protecting
Tawhid ar Rubbia
and establishing monotheism,
Tawhid
of worship is to know and use our
lords names
and understand
his attributes.