ONE TYPE OF DISBELIEF (KUFR) IS DISBELIEF BECAUSE OF DOUBT

ONE TYPE OF DISBELIEF (KUFR) IS DISBELIEF BECAUSE OF DOUBT

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THURSDAY 27TH SAFAR 1439 AH- 16TH NOVEMBER 2017 CE

Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu.

Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam) is His slave and Messenger.

1.0 ONE TYPE OF DISBELIEF (KUFR) IS DISBELIEF BECAUSE ONE DOUBTED THE AYAT OF ALLAH

Whoever has doubts about Allah, the angels, the messengers, the resurrection, Paradise, Hell, or anything that has reached him of what Allah said (in the Qur’an) or that was conveyed by His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is a disbeliever.

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And he entered his garden while he was unjust to himself. He said, ‘I do not think that this will perish – ever.And I do not think the Hour will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.’His companion said to him while he was conversing with him, "Have you disbelieved in He who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you [as] a man’”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Kahf 18:35-37].

Muslim (27) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah. No one will meet Allah with this (twin declaration of faith), not doubting it, but he will enter Paradise.”

Al-Bukhaari (86) and Muslim (905) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It was revealed to me that you will be tested in your graves; it will be said: What do you know about this man? The believer or the one who has certain faith will say: He is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah; he came to us with clear signs and guidance, and we responded and followed (him); he is Muhammad – three times. Then it will be said to him: Sleep the sleep of the righteous, for we knew that you believed with certain faith in him. As for the hypocrite or the doubter, he will say: I do not know, I heard the people saying something so I said it.”

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ar-Raajihi (may Allah preserve him) said:

The doubter is regarded as a disbeliever if he has doubts about Allah, or about the angels or the books or the messengers or Paradise or Hell, and he says: I do not know whether there is a paradise or not, or whether there is a hell or not. He becomes a disbeliever if he doubts in this manner. End quote. Ref. https://saaid.net/Minute/m51.htm

On this basis we may understand the report narrated by Ibn Maajah (4268) from Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who said: “The dead person ends up in his grave, then the righteous man is made to sit up in his grave with no fear or panic … And the evil man is made to sit up in his grave with fear and panic. It is said to him: ‘In what [condition] were you?’ He says: ‘I do not know.’ It is said to him: ‘Who is this man?’ He says: ‘I heard the people saying something and I said it too.’ Then a window to Paradise is opened to him, and he looks at its beauty and what it contains. It is said to him: ‘Look at what Allah has diverted from you.’ Then a window to Hell is opened for him, and he sees it, parts of it destroying others, and it is said to him: ‘This is your place. You were doubtful; in this state you died and in this state you will be resurrected, if Allah, may He be exalted, wills.’”Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

As-Sindi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

This hadith indicates that whoever has certain faith in this world will usually die in that state, and the same applies to one who has doubt. End quote from Haashiyat as-Sindi ‘ala Ibn Maajah (2/568)

So whoever doubts one of the fundamental beliefs and dies in a state of doubt is a disbeliever who will abide in Hell forever, for Allah does not accept anything from His slave except certain faith.

2.0 IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO PROSTRATE TO ANYONE OTHER THAN ALLAH, EVEN IF IT IS ONLY BY WAY OF VENERATION AND SHOWING RESPECT

The Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to honour him and venerate him, and venerate his Sunnah. In the early days of Islam, when some of them saw that the People of the Book prostrated to their bishops and patriarchs, they thought that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was more deserving of that, out of respect for him and veneration of him. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade them to prostrate to him.

Ibn Maajah (1853) and al-Bayhaqi (14711) narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa said: When Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal came from Syria, he prostrated to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who said, “What is this, O Mu‘aadh?” He said, I went to Syria and saw them prostrating to their archbishops and patriarchs, and I wanted to do that for you. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not do that. If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone other than Allah, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no woman can fulfil her duty towards Allah until she fulfils her duty towards her husband. If he asks her (for intimacy) even if she is on her camel saddle, she should not refuse.”

This version was narrated by Ibn Maajah, and was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

Abu Dawood (2140) and al-Haakim (2763) narrated that Qays ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I went to al-Heerah and saw them prostrating to a noble of theirs (i.e., a courageous knight who was prominent among them). I thought: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is more deserving that people should prostrate to him. So I came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: I went to al-Heerah and saw them prostrating to a noble of theirs, but you are the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and are more deserving that people should prostrate to you. He said: “Do not do that. If I were to instruct anyone to prostrate to anyone, I would have instructed women to prostrate to their husbands, because of the rights that Allah has given them over them.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. Also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Ibn Hibbaan (4162) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered one of the gardens of the Ansaar, where he saw two restless camels. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) draw close to them and they knelt down and lay their necks on the ground. Those who were with him said: They have prostrated to him. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is not appropriate for anyone to prostrate to anyone else. If it were appropriate for anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have instructed the wife to prostrate to her husband, because of the great rights that Allah has given him over her.”Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (7/54)

Thus the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained to them that prostration should only be to Allah, and that venerating people and honouring them should not be done by prostrating to them.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Prostration is for Allah alone, and the law of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the most perfect and most complete of laws, according to which it is not permissible to prostrate to anyone or anything other than Allah, either by way of greeting or by way of worship. As for worship, it cannot be devoted to any except Allah alone, according to all laws and teachings, but in the past prostration was used as a greeting and by way of honouring people, as the parents and brothers of Yoosuf did, and as the angels did to Adam. This was by way of greeting and showing respect, not by way of worship. But according to the law of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has forbidden that and has made prostration for Allah alone, may He be glorified and exalted; it is not permissible to prostrate to anyone else, either the Prophets or others, to the extent that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade anyone to prostrate to him and stated that prostration is for Allah alone, may He be glorified and exalted. End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb (4/112-113)

Islam Q&A, 211400

3.0 DOES PROSTRATING OR BOWING BY WAY OF GREETING COME UNDER THE HEADING OF SHIRK?

Prostration – and also bowing – is of two types:

3.1 PROSTRATION BY WAY OF WORSHIP

This type of prostration is done by way of expressing humility, submission and worship, and cannot be done for anyone except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. Whoever prostrates to anyone other than Allah by way of worship has committed an act of major shirk.

3.2 PROSTRATION BY WAY OF GREETING

This is done by way of greeting, showing respect and honouring the person to whom the prostration is done. This kind of prostration was permissible in some of the laws revealed to Prophets before Islam, but then Islam prohibited and forbade it. So whoever prostrates to any created being by way of greeting has done a prohibited act, but he has not fallen into shirk or disbelief.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: Prostration is of two types: prostration by way of pure worship, and prostration by way of honouring and showing respect. As for the former, it can only be done for Allah. End quote in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/361)

And he said: The Muslims are unanimously agreed that prostration to anyone other than Allah is prohibited. End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/358)

And he said: The texts of the Sunnah and the consensus of the Ummah indicate that it is prohibited to prostrate to anyone other than Allah according to the law brought by our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), whether by way of greeting or worship, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal to prostrate to him when he came from Syrian and prostrated to him by way of greeting. End quote from Jaami‘ al-Masaa’il (1/25)

Al-Qurtubi said: With regard to this prostration that is prohibited, the ignorant extreme Sufis have taken it as a custom in their gatherings (when they begin their dhikr and nasheeds), and when they enter upon their shaykhs and pray for forgiveness. So you see one of them, when he is overcome with ecstasy – as they claim – prostrating by putting his forehead to the ground, because of his ignorance, whether he is facing towards the qiblah or otherwise, out of ignorance on his part. May they be doomed! End quote from Tafseer al-Qurtubi (1/294)

Secondly:

With regard to the view that prostration to anything other than Allah is shirk in all cases, because prostration in and of itself is an act of worship that cannot be directed to anyone other than Allah, this is a weak view. This is indicated by the following:

1.0 Allah commanded the angels to prostrate to Adam; if merely prostrating was shirk, Allah would not have commanded them to do that.

At-Tabari said: “…then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him” [Holy Quran Chapter al-Hijr 15:29] – this refers to the prostration of greeting and honour, not the prostration of worship.

Ibn al-‘Arabi said: The ummah is unanimously agreed that the angels’ prostration to Adam was not a prostration of worship. End quote from Ahkaam al-Qur’an (1/27)

Ibn Hazm az-Zaahiri said: There is no difference of opinion among any of the Muslims that their prostration to Allah, may He be exalted, was a prostration of worship, and their prostration to Adam was a prostration of greeting and respect.End quote from al-Fasl fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’ wa’n-Nihal (2/129).

2.0 Allah has told us about the prostration of Ya‘qoob and his sons to Yoosuf (peace be upon him). If it were shirk, the Prophets of Allah would not have done it.

We cannot say that this was part of the religious teachings of those who came before us, because shirk has never been permitted in the teachings of any of the Prophets at all, and the teachings and symbols of Tawheed (affirmation of the oneness of Allah) have not changed from the time of Adam until the time of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). At-Tabari said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the verse, “and they fell down before him prostrate” [Holy Quran Chapter Yoosuf 12:100]:

That was a prostration by way of honouring and showing respect, as the angels prostrated to Adam by way of honouring and showing respect; it was not a prostration of worship.

Rather with regard to the one who said that their prostration was a greeting among them, what he meant was that it was a custom on their part and was not by way of worshipping one another, and what may support this view is the fact that this custom continued to be practised by people for a long time, and was not done by way of worshipping one another. End quote from Jaami‘ al-Bayaan (13/356)

Ibn Katheer said: This was allowed in their laws and teachings: when they greeted an elder, they would prostrate to him. This remained permissible from the time of Adam until the teachings of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him), but this is prohibited for this Ummah, and prostration is only for the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. End quote from Tafseer al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem (4/412)

Al-Qaasimi said: What there can be no doubt about is that it was not a prostration of worship or humility; rather it was a prostration of respect only, beyond a doubt.End quote from Mahaasin at-Ta’weel (6/250)

3.0 Mu‘aadh prostrated to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he returned from Syria. If it were shirk, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would have explained that to him, but the most that happened in that regard was that he explained to him that it was not permissible to prostrate to him.

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa said: when Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal came from Syria, he prostrated to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, who said, “What is this, O Mu‘aadh?” He said, I went to Syria and saw them prostrating to their archbishops and patriarchs, and I wanted to do that for you. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not do that. If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone other than Allah, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no woman can fulfil her duty towards Allah until she fulfils her duty towards her husband. “Narrated by Ibn Maajah (1853); classed as hasan by al-Albaani

Shaykh al-Islam said: It is well known that he did not say: If I were to command anyone to be worshipped.End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/360)

Adh-Dhahabi said: Do you not see that the Sahaabah, in their great love for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), said: Shouldn’t we prostrate to you? And he said no. If he had given them permission, they would have prostrated to him by way of honouring and showing respect, not by way of worship, as the brothers of Yoosuf (peace be upon him) prostrated to Yoosuf.

Something similar may be said about the Muslim prostrating to the grave of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by way of veneration and respect: he does not commit an act of disbelief thereby; rather he is sinning. So he should be told that this is not allowed, and the same applies to praying facing towards the grave. End quote from Mu‘jam ash-Shuyookh al-Kabeer (1/73).

4.0 It is proven in some hadiths that some animals prostrated to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). If merely prostrating constituted shirk, this would not have happened in the case of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).

Shaykh al-Islam said: Animals used to prostrate to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and animals do not worship any but Allah, so how can it be said that prostrating to something implies worship thereof? End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/360)

5.0 “Mere prostration” is one of the shar‘i rulings which may change from one set of laws to another, unlike matters of Tawheed which is to be established in the heart; it is fixed and does not change.

Shaykh al-Islam said:

With regard to humility and devotion in the heart, acknowledgement of Lordship and servitude, this can never be to anyone except Allah alone, may He be glorified and exalted, and if directed towards anyone other than Him, it is prohibited and invalid.

As for prostration, it is something that has to do with laws and decrees, because Allah, may He be exalted, has commanded us to prostrate to Him. If He had commanded us to prostrate to any of His creation other than Him, we would have prostrated to that other one, in obedience to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, if He wanted us to venerate the one to whom we prostrated. If He had not obliged us to prostrate, it would not be obligatory to do it at all.

The angels’ prostration to Adam was an act of worship to Allah, in obedience to Him and as a means of drawing closer to Him. For Adam it was an honour and a token of respect.

The prostration of the brothers of Yoosuf to him was a form of greeting. Do you not see that when his parents prostrated to him by way of greeting, Yoosuf did not object to that.End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/360)

6.0 Differentiating between prostration by way of greeting and prostration by way of worship is the view of the majority of scholars of different madhhabs. Fakhr ad-Deen az-Zayla‘i said:

What they do of kissing the ground before the scholars is haraam, and the one who does that and the one who approves of it are sinning, because it resembles idol worship.

As-Sadr ash-Shaheed stated that he does not become a disbeliever by doing this prostration, because what he intends thereby is a greeting.End uqote from Tabyeen al-Haqaa’iq (6/25)

Ibn Nujaym al-Hanafi said: Prostration to tyrants constitutes disbelief, if what is intended thereby is worship, but not if what is intended thereby is a greeting, according to the view of the majority.End quote from al-Bahr ar-Raa’iq (5/134).

An-Nawawi said: What many of the ignorant do of prostrating before shaykhs is definitely haraam, in all cases, whether it is facing towards the qiblah or otherwise, and whether the intention is to prostrate to Allah, may He be exalted, or it is done out of heedlessness. In some cases it constitutes disbelief or almost does. May Allah, the Most Generous, pardon us. End quote from al-Majmoo‘ Sharh al-Muhadhdhab (4/69)

Shihaab ad-Deen ar-Ramli said:

Merely prostrating before the shaykhs does not mean that venerating the shaykh is like venerating Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in the sense that he is worshipped. It only constitutes disbelief if that is the intention. End quote from Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj ila Sharh al- Minhaaj (1/122)

Ar-Ruhaybaani said: Prostrating to rulers or the dead with the intention of worship constitutes disbelief, and this is agreed upon unanimously by the Muslims. Greeting a human being by prostrating to him is a grave major sin.End quote from Mataalib Ooli an-Nuha (6/278)

Ash-Shawkaani said:

It is essential to clarify this by noting that if this prostration is done with the intention of affirming the Lordship of the one to whom one prostrates, then by prostrating in this manner he has ascribed a partner to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and affirmed that there is another god with Him.

But if his intention is only to show respect, as happens often with those who enter upon foreign (non-Arab) kings, where they kiss the ground in veneration of the king, this does not constitute disbelief at all. All scholars are agreed that labelling a specific person as a disbeliever is a very serious matter and is not to be taken lightly. End quote from as-Sayl al-Jaraar (4/580)

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem said: Bowing when greeting is haraam, if the intention is to greet the person. If it is intended by way of worship, then it constitutes disbelief. End quote from Fataawa wa Rasaa’il ash-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem Aal ash-Shaykh (1/109)

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ‘Abd al-Lateef said: it is well-known that prostration by way of worship, which is based on humility, submission and veneration to Allah alone, is part of Tawheed (affirmation of the Oneness of Allah), to which all the Messengers called. If it is directed to anyone other than Allah, then it is shirk and ascription of rivals to Allah.

But if a person prostrates to his father or a scholar and the like, and his intention is to offer a greeting and show respect, then this comes under the heading of prohibited matters that are less than shirk. But if the intention is to show submission and humility, then this constitutes shirk. End quote from Nawaaqid al-Eemaan al-Qawliyyah wa’l-‘Amaliyyah (p. 278)

To sum up all of the above: prostration to anyone other than Allah does not constitute disbelief unless it is done by way of worship. But if it is done by way of greeting, it is a major sin but it is not disbelief.

Islam Q&A, 229780

4.0 WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE ANGELS PROSTRATING TO ADAM AND YOOSUF’S BROTHERS PROSTRATING TO HIM?

Prostrating is of two kinds:

It may an act of veneration and drawing closer to the one to whom one prostrates. This kind of prostration is worship, and should only be done for Allaah, according to the laws of the Prophets.

The second type is a kind of greeting and honouring a person. This is the kind of prostration which Allaah commanded the angels to do in the case of Adam, so they prostrated to him as an act of honouring him. It was an act of worship towards Allaah on their part, because they were obeying His command to prostrate to Adam.

The prostration of Yoosuf’s parents and brothers was also a prostration of greeting and honouring, which was permissible according to the law (of Allaah) at that time. But according to the sharee’ah brought by the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it is not permissible to prostrate to anyone at all except Allaah. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If I were to have commanded anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their husbands.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade Mu’aadh to prostrate to him when he (Mu’aadh) said that the People of the Book prostrated to the great ones among them, and he mentioned the hadeeth quoted above. The prohibition in this sharee’ah against prostrating to anyone at all except Allaah is an aspect of its perfection in achieving true Tawheed. It is the perfect sharee’ah whose perfection is manifested in all its rulings. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” [Holy Quran Chapter al-Maa’idah 5:3]

Written by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak, Islam Q&A, 8492

And Allah knows best.

SOURCES

https://saaid.net/Minute/m51.htm

Islam Q&A, 211400, Islam Q&A, 243974

Islam Q&A, 229780, Islam Q&A, 8492