THE THREE FOUNDATIONS | SHAYKH’UL ISLÂM MUHAMMAD BIN ABD’IL WAHHÂB RAHIMAHULLÂH

[Mudâfa’at’ut Tawhîd]

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The Text:

THE THIRD FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE: KNOWING YOUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam

He Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam is Muhammad the son of Abdullâh the son of Abd'ul Muttalib the son of Hâshim. Hâshim is from Quraysh. Quraysh are from the Arabs. The Arabs are the descendants of Ismâ'îl the son of Ibrâhîm al-Khalîl. May the best peace and blessings be upon (Prophet) Ibrâhîm and our prophet (Âmîn)!

The Prophet Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam's lifespan was sixty-three years, forty of it before his prophecy and twenty-three years as a Prophet Messenger. He became a Prophet with "Read!"¹ and he became a Messenger with "the one enveloped in garments"².

His homeland is Makkah and he migrated to al-Madînah. Allâhu Taâlâ sent him to warn against Shirk and call to Tawhîd.

The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments! Arise and warn! And magnify your Lord (Allâh)! And purify your garments! And keep away from ar-Rujz (the idols)! And give not a thing in order to have more. And be patient for the sake of your Lord!" (al-Muddaththir 74/1-7)

The meaning of the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Arise and warn!" is, "He warns against Shirk and calls to Tawhîd."

"Magnify your Lord (Allâh)!" meaning, "Glorify Him with Tawhîd."

"Purify your garments!" meaning, "Cleanse your actions from Shirk."

"Keep away from ar-Rujz (the idols)!" (the meaning of the word) "ar-Rujz are the idols."

"Keeping away" is shunning the idols and staying away from them and its people.³

Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam persevered upon this command, calling to Tawhîd for ten years. After ten years, he ascended to the skies (Mi'râj). There the five daily prayers were prescribed upon him. He performed the prayers in Makkah for three years, and then, he was commanded with performing Hijrah (migration) to Madînah.

Hijrah: Is to migrate from the abode of Shirk to the abode of Islâm. Hijrah from the abode of Shirk to the abode of Islâm is prescribed upon this Ummah and is permanent until the establishment of the hour.

The evidence for this is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Indeed, those whom the angels take (in death) while wronging themselves – (the angels) will say: In what (condition) were you? They will say: We were oppressed in the land. The angels will say: Was not the earth of Allâh spacious (enough) for you to emigrate therein? For those, their refuge is Jahannam (Hell) - What an evil destination! Except the oppressed ones among men, women, and children who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way. For those it is expected that Allâh will pardon them, and Allâh is Oft-Pardoning and Oft-Forgiving." (an-Nisâ, 4/97-99)

Also, the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"O My servants who have believed, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me." (al-Ankabût, 29/56)

Al-Baghawî (d. 516) Rahimahullâhu Taâlâ said, "The revelation reason for this verse was due to the Muslims who were in Makkah and did not migrate." Allâh calls them by the title of Îmân (in the form, "O My slaves who believe!")

The evidence for migration from the Sunnah is Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam's statement,

"Migration shall not end until repentance ends, and repentance shall not end until the sun rises from the west."⁴

So when Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam settled in Madînah, he was enjoined with the rest of the prescriptions of Islâm such as the Zakâh, fasting, pilgrimage, Jihâd (fighting for the cause of Allâh), Adhân, recommending good and prohibiting from evil, and the other prescriptions of Islâm. He Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam remained in this condition (in Madînah) for ten years and after this, he died may the Peace and Blessings of Allâh be Upon Him. His religion is everlasting.

This is his religion. There is no good except that he has guided his Ummah (nation) to it, and there is no evil except that he warned his Ummah against it. The good which he guided to is Tawhîd (the creed of worshiping Allâh alone) and everything that Allâh loves and is pleased with. The evil which he warned from is associating partners [to Allâh]⁵ and everything that Allâh dislikes and rejects.

Allâhu Taâlâ has sent him to all people, and He has enjoined upon the two races of mankind and jinkind that they obey him. The evidence for this is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Say: O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Rasûl (Messenger) of Allâh..." (al-A'râf, 7/158)

And Allâhu Taâlâ has completed the religion with him. The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"...This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islâm as religion..." (al-Mâ'idah, 5/3)

The evidence for the death of Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Verily you (O Muhammad) will die, and verily they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord." (az-Zumar, 39/30-31)

All humanity will be resurrected after death. The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"From it (the earth) We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We shall raise you up once again." (Tâ-Hâ, 20/55)

And the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"And Allâh has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth? Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth (again on the Day of Resurrection)." (Nûh, 71/17-18)

After Resurrection, they will be reckoned and compensated for their actions.⁶ The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"So that He gives punishment to evildoers for what they did, and gives good reward to those who did good." (an-Najm, 53/31)

Whoever denies resurrection has disbelieved. The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"The disbelievers deem that they will never be resurrected. Say: Yes, by my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, and then you will be told about what you did. That is so easy for Allâh." (at-Taghâbun, 64/7)

Allâh has sent all the messengers as bearers of good tidings and warners. The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"(We sent) messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allâh after the messengers..." (an-Nisâ, 4/165)

The first of the Messengers is Nûh Alayh'is Salâm and the last of the Messengers is Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam.⁷

The evidence for Nûh Alayh'is Salâm being the first Messenger is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Surely, We have revealed to you as We have revealed to Nûh and to the prophets after him." (an-Nisâ, 4/163)

^1- Al-Alaq, 96/1.

^2- Al-Muddaththir, 74/1.

^3- Al-Âlûsî Rahimahullâh narrated the following after this statement,

"Distancing from them and its people, and having enmity towards it and its people..."

^4- Abû Dâwûd, Hadîth no. 2479.

^5- The addition in brackets is found in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah.

^6- After this expression, in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah, the following addition is found,

"If their actions are good, then they will be compensated with good, and if it is bad, they will be compensated with bad."

^7- After this expression, in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah, the following addition is found,

"And he is the seal of the prophets. There is no prophet after him. The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allâh and the last of the Prophets." (al-Ahzâb, 33/40)

[Mudâfa’at’ut Tawhîd]

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Explanation:

The Prophet Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam is the seal of all prophets and messengers, the Messenger of Allâh to all jinn and mankind, and the intermediary between Allâh and His creation in the conveyance of His religion and message.

His Kunya is Abu'l Qâsim, and he was known as as-Sâdiq and al-Amîn before he was sent as a prophet. He has several names among them are Ahmad, al-Hâshir, al-Mâhî, al-Âqib, al-Muqaffî, the Prophet of Mercy, and the Prophet of al-Malhamah. He was from the tribe of Quraysh, the most noble of the Arabs. He Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam as among the elite from them, from Banû Hâshim.

He was born in the Year of the Elephant, the year wherein Abrahah, the ruler of Yemen, came with a magnificent elephant to destroy the Ka'bah.

He was born in Makkah, and was suckled amongst Banû Sa'd by his wet nurse Halîmah as-Sa'diyyah. His father Abdullâh died before he was born, then his mother died a short time after his birth. Hence, he was taken care of by Umm Ayman al-Habashiyyah, whom he had inherited from his father, and he went to the care of his grandfather. Then his grandfather Shaybah, known by the nickname Abdul-Muttalib died, so he was transferred to the care of his paternal uncle, Abû Tâlib.

He avoided the worship of idols and the consumption of intoxicants. He would not do what the people of the Pre-Islâmic Days of Ignorance used to do. Rather, he used to go out to the cave of Hirâ and worship therein for a number of days; he would worship Allâh upon the religion of Ibrâhîm, upon Tawhîd. When he had reached forty years of age, the revelation descended upon him by way of the angel Jabrâ'îl, also known as Jibrîl Alayh'is Salâm who came to him in the cave of Hirâ and said to him, "Read!" This was the beginning of his prophethood.

Then he went to his home, trembling in fear, because he had encountered an unknown, frightening affair. There, he found his wife Khadîjah so she covered him and comforted him, saying to him, "No, by Allâh, Allâh will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, take care of the poor, feed your guests, and assist in incidents of truth." So, she prepared him and took him to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawfal; he was a man who was devoted to worship, and he used to read the previous scriptures, worshiping Allâhu Taâlâ by this means. When the Prophet Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam informed him of what he saw, he said, "This was an-Nâmûs," meaning Jibrîl Alayh'is Salâm "who descended upon Mûsâ." He was sent as a Messenger with the revelation of Sûrat'ul Muddaththir, when he was forty years old.

He remained in Makkah for thirteen years calling the people to Tawhîd and abandoning the worship of idols.

Three years before the Hijrah, he was taken by night to Bayt'ul Maqdis (al-Isrâ), and he ascended to the heavens (al-Mi'râj); and five prayers were made obligatory upon him. Thereafter, he met a group of people from the Ansâr, and he called them to Allâh and His religion. They accepted the call and pledged allegiance to him. They in turn called their people to Allâh after returning from Hajj. The Messenger Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam migrated to al-Madînah after the first and second Pledges of al-Aqabah. He stayed in al-Madînah for ten years after his migration. Then he died at the age of sixty-three.

Allâhu Taâlâ revealed the following verse during the Farewell Pilgrimage on Friday while Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam was standing at Arafah,

"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islâm as religion." (al-Mâ'idah 5/3)

A short time after the revelation of this verse, the Prophet Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam passed away, however, his religion remains everlasting until the establishment of the Hour. By way of him, Allâh has completed and perfected the religion and the heavenly messages were sealed; therefore, there will be no prophet sent after him until the Day of Judgement. May peace and blessings be upon him.

After stating that Hijrah is leaving Dâr'ul Kufr for Dâr'ul Islâm and that the ruling of Hijrah is continuous until the end of time according to the opinion of the majority of the people of knowledge, Ibnu Qudâmah Rahimahullâh divides people into three categories with regards to Hijrah.

1. Those whom it is obligatory upon to migrate. This is a person who is able to migrate and who is unable to manifest his religion or his religious obligations while residing amongst the Kuffâr. It is obligatory upon this person to migrate.

2. Those whom it is not obligatory upon to migrate. These are those who are incapable of migrating due to an illness or due to being coerced to stay, or those who cannot migrate because of a weakness like women, children, and the like. Migration is not an obligation upon them.

3. Those whom it is recommended to migrate, but is not obligatory upon. These are those who have the means to migrate, but can manifest their religion while residing in the land of Kufr. In this case, it is recommended for them to migrate in order to have the opportunity to wage Jihâd against the Kuffâr and to increase the number of Muslims and to help them. Again, it is recommended for them to migrate in order to be freed from increasing the number of Kuffâr, mingling with them, and being a witness to the evils performed among them. It is not obligatory for this person to migrate because he has the opportunity to fulfill the obligations of his religion without migrating.<sup>1

1-</sup> Excerpt from Ibnu Qudâmah, al-Mughnî, Turkî, 13/149-151.

[Mudâfa’at’ut Tawhîd]

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The Text:

Rejecting the Tâghût and Believing in Allâh

And Allâh sent a messenger to every nation, since the time of Nûh Alayh'is Salâm until Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam, to command them to worship Allâh alone and to forbid them from worshiping the Tâghût.

The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allâh (Alone), and avoid (worshipping) the Tâghût." (an-Nahl, 16/36)

Allâh ordered all the slaves to reject the Tâghût and to believe in Allâh.

Ibn'ul Qayyim Rahimahullâhu Taâlâ said,

"[The meaning of]¹ Tâghût is all that which causes the slave to exceed the limits with regards to what is worshipped, followed, or obeyed.²

The Main Types of Tâghût

The Tawâghît (pl., Tâghût) are numerous, but their main types are five:

1- Iblis (satan) May Allâh Curse Him;

2- Those whom are worshiped and are pleased with it;

3- Those who call people to worship themselves;

4- Those who claim to know anything from the knowledge of the Ghayb (unseen);

5- Those who rule by other than what Allâh revealed.

The evidence is the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,

"There is no compulsion in the Dîn (religion). Ar-Rushd (the right path) has become clear from al-Ghayy (the wrong path). So whoever disbelieves in the Tâghût and believes in Allâh has grasped the Urwat'ul Wuthqâ (firmest handhold)..." (al-Baqarah, 2/256)

This is the meaning of La Ilaha Illallâh. Narrated in the Hadîth,

"The head of every matter is Islâm, its supporting pillar is the Salâh, and its highest point is Jihâd in the way of Allâh."³

And Allâh knows best!

May Allâhu Taâlâ send abundant peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions (Âmîn!)

^1- The addition in brackets is found in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah.

^2- Ibn'ul Qayyim's statement is found in I'lâm'ul Muwaqqi'în, 1/40.

^3- Al-Marwazî, Ta'dhîmu Qadr'is Salâh, 1/200, no. 197. With similar wording, at-Tirmidhî, Hadîth no. 2616.

[Mudâfa’at’ut Tawhîd]

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Explanation:

From the first to the last all the messengers, called people to Tawhîd, which is unifying Allâh in worship and prohibited from Shirk.

The word Tâghût is derived from the word at-Tughyân. It means exceeding the bounds. When water rises above its tide, it is said, "The water has gone beyond the bounds." Tâghût is that regarding which the servant exceeds boundaries. As Ibn'ul Jawzî Rahimahullâh said,

"Tawâghît, are idols. Tughyân (exceeding boundaries) was attributed to them because they are the reason. That which is intended are its worshippers (exceeding in boundaries is actually the attribute of those who worship the idols)."¹

Ibn'ul Jawzî Rahimahullâh also said,

"(It is stated in the Hadîth,) "Do not take oaths by the Tawâghît and your fathers."

The word "Tawâghî" (which is mentioned in the Hadîth) is the plural of "Tâghiyah", which is "Tawâghît (pl. Tâghût)". These are idols worshipped during the era of Jâhiliyyah (pre-Islâmic era). In reality, "Tughyân" (excessiveness) is attributed to those who worship them. However, when idols were the cause for Tughyân, Tughyân was attributed to them (the idols), so they were called "Tawâghî", meaning, "Mutghâ fîhâ (that which was exceeded because of)". As Allâhu Taâlâ's statement,

"They have indeed led astray many among mankind." (Ibrâhîm 14/36)

The origin of "Tughyân" is to exceed the boundaries (overcoming the limits) in sinning. (For example,) it is said, "Tagha'l Bahr (the sea overflew)..."²

The servant has a boundary; this is because he is a servant. Allâh sets boundaries for him, and it is obligatory upon him to stop at these boundaries. If he transgresses them, he becomes a Tâghût.

The Mushrik is a Tâghût because he has transgressed the boundaries in worship, and he worships other than Allâh along with Him, and he worships other than the One who deserves worship. Likewise, he who is worshipped, is pleased with being worshipped, and directs people to worship himself is a Tâghût.

The first Tâghût mentioned by the Shaykh Rahimahullâh is iblîs. Iblîs, may Allâh curse him, is the head of the Tâghût. This is because he is the one who commands others to worship other than Allâh, to follow other than the Messenger, and to obey other than Allâh in making things lawful and unlawful. Therefore, iblîs is the origin of evil and he is the head of the Tâghût.

The second Tâghût mentioned by the Shaykh Rahimahullâh is the one who is worshiped while being pleased with being worshipped. Shaykh Sulaymân bin Abdillâh Rahimahullâh said,

"Imâm Mâlik Rahimahullâh said, "Tâghût is everything which is worshipped besides Allâh."

I say: Although this definition is correct, it is inevitable to make the person who is not pleased with being worshipped an exception from it."³

Thus, those who are not pleased with being worshipped such as Îsâ Alayh'is Salâm, Uzayr Alayh'is Salâm, and the angels, are outside of the definition of Tâghût. The mutual call of all Prophets was Tawhîd, and they rejected being worshipped themselves.

The third Tâghût mentioned by the Shaykh Rahimahullâh is he who calls the people to worship himself. Such person is from the heads of the Tâghût, whether he is dead or alive. One who calls others to worship a created being other than himself is also amongst the Tâghût. These are the callers to Shirk.

The fourth Tâghût mentioned by the Shaykh Rahimahullâh is the one who claims to have knowledge of the unseen. Magicians, astrologists, fortune-tellers, soothsayers, and all those who claim to have knowledge of the unseen are within this category.

The fifth Tâghût mentioned by the Shaykh Rahimahullâh is the one who rules by other than what Allâh has revealed. The one who legislates, says that it is permissible to rule with man-made laws, policies of the pre-Islâmic era, or tribal customs, deeming that this is permissible, equivalent to, or better than what Allâh has revealed, or mocks or belittles what Allâh has revealed, then such person is among the Tâghût.

As for the one who refrain from ruling with what Allâh has revealed merely due to following his desires without legislating, legalizing his act, mocking and belittling the Sharî'ah and while affirming that it is obligatory to follow what Allâh has revealed, that it is the truth and it is not falsehood, and that what he is ruling by is falsehood, then such an individual is considered to be someone who has disbelieved with minor Kufr, which does not expel one from the religion. However, he is in great danger and treading a path that may lead him to the Kufr that takes one out of the fold of the religion.

As for a jurist who is qualified to make Ijtihâd (deductive reasoning) who errs in his Ijtihâd, thereby unintentionally ruling by other than what Allâh revealed, then such person will be forgiven.

The essence of the religion of Islâm is submitting to Allâh with Tawhîd, yielding to Him in obedience, and disassociating oneself from Shirk and its people. An individual does not enter the fold of Islâm unless he brings the two testimonies together in statement, knowledge, action, and belief. Whoever opposes this has opposed what the prophets came with from the religion of Allâh Subhânahû wa Taâlâ.

It is obligatory to sincerely worship Allâh alone without associating any partners, because the first thing that Allâh commanded His servants with was to believe in Allâh and to disbelieve in the Tâghût. In the 256th verse of Sûrat'ul Baqarah, Allâh mentioned disbelieving in the Tâghût before mentioning believing in Allâh, because belief in Allâh only benefits after disbelieving in the Tâghût, as the belief of one who believes in Allâh and does not disbelieve in the Tâghût will not benefit him. It is necessary to disbelieve in the Tâghût, which means to reject them, to believe that they are false, and to distance and disassociate oneself from them and their people/adherents. This is necessary to maintain ones faith.

Allâh knows best. May abundant peace and blessing be upon our prophet Muhammad, his family, and companions. Âmîn!

^1- Ibn'ul Jawzî, Gharîb'ul Hadîth, 2/34.

^2- Ibn'ul Jawzî, Kashf'ul Mushkil, 1/490.

^3- Sulaymân bin Abdillâh, Taysîr'ul Azîz'il Hamîd, p. 31.