رِسَالَةٌ فِي الْمَسَائِلِ الْخَمْسِ (الْوَاجِبَةِ مَعْرِفَتُهَا)
A Treatise Regarding the Five Issues (That Are Compulsory to Know)1
Shaykh'ul Islâm Muhammad bin Abd'il Wahhâb Rahimahullâh
Again, -may Allâhu Taâlâ sanctify his soul and brighten his grave- Shaykh'ul Islâm Muhammad bin Abd'il Wahhâb has a treatise with these phrases:
Five issues are compulsory upon you to know:
The First
The first statement that Allâhu Taâlâ revealed to Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam once He sent him with "guidance and the true religion." (at-Tawbah, 9/33; Saff, 61/9) was the following,
"O you enveloped in garments! Arise and warn! And magnify your Lord (Allâh)!" (al-Muddaththir, 74/1-3)
The meaning of Allâhu Taâlâ's statement, "warn," is "warning against associating partners with Allâh."
The Mushrikûn had made Shirk a religion through which they get close to Allâhu Taâlâ. Alongside this, they committed countless transgression and odious actions knowing they are sins.
Astonished will be whosoever fully comprehends that before warning against fornication and marriage to mothers and sisters, Allâhu Taâlâ ordered Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam to warn against their religion through which they came close to Allâhu Taâlâ with and recognizes the reality of the Shirk they were committing. Especially when one recognizes that their Shirk is inferior than what many people nowadays are committing!
For Allâhu Taâlâ said,
"And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord (Allâh alone), turning to Him in penitence, but when He bestows a favour upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he called upon before, and he sets up rivals to Allâh, in order to mislead others from His Path. Say: Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!" (az-Zumar 39/8)
The Second
When he warned them against Shirk, he enjoined upon them Tawhîd. Tawhîd is exclusively devoting the religion to Allâhu Taâlâ.
This is the meaning of the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,
"And magnify your Lord (Allâh)!" (al-Mudaththir, 74/3) meaning, "Exalt Allâhu Taâlâ sincerely."
The intent here is not the Takbîr of the Adhân or something similar, for these were prescribed in Madînah.
When one recognizes that abandoning Shirk will not benefit except by wearing the garment of sincerity and when he fully comprehends sincerity, and when he recognizes that the claim the majority of the people make regarding sincerity (unifying Allâh in Ibâdah) and abandoning calling upon the righteous people to be decreasing their rank is alike to the Christians saying, "Verily, Muhammad Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam reviles Îsâ Alayh'is Salâm," once he mentioned that Îsâ is the slave of Allâh, His messenger, and that he is not to be worshipped alongside Allâhu Taâlâ...
Whosoever comprehends this will recognize the strangeness of Islâm. Especially if he ponders deep in his heart about what those who allege to be scholars do, from having enmity towards this issue [the people of this issue]2, declaring Takfîr upon those who made this their religion, fighting against them (people of Tawhîd) with the worshippers of the mausoleum of Abû Tâlib and its likes, the mausoleum of Kawwâz and its likes, them passing verdicts that our blood and wealth is permissible because we left what they are upon, and them saying, "These reject your religion..."
You will not understand this issue or the prior one except by pondering deeply in your intellect your knowledge of their actions towards the people of this issue (Tawhîd) and their actions towards the Mushrikûn...
Then will you recognize that "the religion of Islâm is not merely compromised of recognizing", for Iblîs and Fir'awn recognized Islâm, likewise the Jews "...know him (the prophet) as they know their own sons..." (al-Baqarah, 2/146), (however they were not considered Muslim). Islâm is only (recognizing, then) acting upon it, loving and hating, and abandoning taking fathers and sons as allies regarding this.3
The Third
Pondering deeply with your heart that Allâh Subhânahu did not send the Messenger Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam except to be affirmed and followed and he was not sent to be belied and disobeyed.
When you ponder upon the affirmation of Tawhîd by those who claim to be scholars, and their affirmation that it is the religion of Allâh and His messenger, however, whosoever enters it is from the Khawârij whose blood and wealth is lawful and whosoever hates it, reviles it, and diverts people from it is upon the truth, likewise, their affirmation of Shirk and their statement, "We do not have a mausoleum that we worship," and their affirmation that their Jihâd alongside the people of the mausoleums is the well-known Jihâd and that whoever differs with them, his blood and wealth is lawful to take...
When one recognizes this third issue as is required and understands that - even if it was for one day- the following came together in his heart and his heart accepted their (the Mushrikûn's) statement, "Tawhîd is the religion of Allâh and His messenger, however, it is inevitable to have enmity towards it and hate it. The worshippers of the mausoleum are upon Shirk; however, they are the majority, and are upon the Truth," and he does not say that they commit Shirk; thus, these contradictions coming together in his heart is from the greatest might of Allâhu Taâlâ, even though this is worse than insanity. It is also from the greatest of things that will make you recognize Allâh and yourself. Whosoever knows himself and His Lord, his affair is complete. (If it is such a big issue for these two contradictions to be found in a heart for even one day,) then what is the state when you know that these two contradictions came together in the hearts of Sâlih, Hayawân4, and their likes for more than twenty years?
The Fourth
You know that Allâhu Taâlâ revealed the following to His Rasûl Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam,
"And it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate (anything) with Allâh, your deeds would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers." (az-Zumar, 39/65)
With this, the Mushrikûn attempted to make Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam say a word of Shirk or an action of Shirk once, while promising him that they will enter Islâm [you can see this too. Rather,]5 if you recognized that the one who is the most prevailed amongst the people of sincerity and the one who has the most good deeds (Rasûlullâh Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam), when he says a word of Shirk whilst he dislikes it to make others enter Islâm, "his actions would be in vain and he would be amongst the losers," (if this is the case,) then what is the situation of one who manifests being from them, speaks one hundred words (of Shirk) because of gains of business, or gains of performing Hajj, since they have prevented the Muwahhidûn from performing Hajj as they had prevented the Prophet Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam and his companions until Allâh opened Makkah?
Whoever properly comprehends this, he will grasp the knowledge of the importance of Tawhîd in the sight of Allâh Azza wa Jalla and of Shirk. However, if you comprehend this after four years, then what a bounty this is for you! I mean by this: full comprehension, as you comprehend that if one drop of urine comes out -even if it is unintentional-, it will void ablution fully!
The Fifth
It was mandated to fully believe in what the Rasûl Sallallâhu Alayhi wa Sallam came with without distinction. So, whosoever believes in a part of it and disbelieves in another, he is truly a Kâfir. Rather, it is inevitable to believe in the Book entirely.
When you recognize that; (know that) amongst the people are some who pray, fast, and avoid most of what is impermissible, however, they do not give inheritance to women, and deem that this is what is supposed to be followed. Actually, if one of them contradicts their customs and gives inheritance to the women, their hearts will detest this. Or they reject the period the women is to stay in the house of her spouse (after divorce), although they know the statement of Allâhu Taâlâ,
"Do not expel them from their houses, nor should they go out, unless they come up with a clearly shameless act." (at-Talâq, 65/1)
They also deem that leaving her in the house of her spouse is not appropriate, and taking her out of the house is what is supposed to happen. Or they detest greeting by the Salâm although they know that Allâh ordained it, since they love the greetings of Jâhiliyyah because they are used to it. Takfîr is declared upon these people, for they have believed in a part of it and disbelieved in another. This is in contradiction to the person who commits sins or abandons what is compulsory, like the one who commits adultery and abandons good conducts towards parents while confessing that he is wrongful and what Allâhu Taâlâ ordered is correct.
Know that I have given you these three examples so that you follow them. For there exists many things of this genre amongst people which contradict what Allâhu Taâlâ legislated in the Qur'ân. According to them, what they are accustomed to is what is Ma'rûf. If one of them acts upon what Allâh commanded (in His book) and abandoned the customs, they will detest him and designate him to be foolish. This is in opposition to the one who acts or abandons although he confesses that he is mistaken and believes in what Allâh mentioned (in His book).
Know that because of the strangeness of Islâm, this fifth issue is the most dangerous for the people in our era. And Allâh knows best!
1- Al-Jawâhir'ul Mudhiyyah, 9-12 (the copy in Majmû'at'ur Rasâ'il wa'l Masâ'il'in Najdiyyah, 4/9-12); also ad-Durar'us Saniyyah, 1/120-124.
2- This addition in brackets is found in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah.
3- As Allâh said in the following verse,
"O you who have believed, do not take your fathers or your brothers as Awliyâ (pl. Walî; allies) if they have preferred Kufr over Îmân. And whoever does so among you - then it is those who are the wrongdoers." (at-Tawbah, 9/23)
4- These must be individuals who lived during the era of the Shaykh Rahimahullâh. And Allâh knows best.
5- This addition in brackets is found in ad-Durar'us Saniyyah.
