ISLAM & SHIRK ARE
COMPLETE OPPOSITES
An excerpt from the book “The Forgotten Monotheism”
Abu Hamzah al-Afghani
TheTrueTawheed Media
ISLAM & SHIRK ARE COMPLETE OPPOSITES
The meanings of Islam and shirk are explained absolutely clearly in the
Qur’an and Sunnah. So he who commits shirk does not fulfill the fundamental
principle of Islam. How can he then still be defined as a Muslim? One is either
Muslim or mushrik, a third group does not exist!
Islam means “to completely submit oneself under the Will of Allah”, including
humility, submission and obedience. Allah (swt) says:
{ لِل َوه َُو مُحْ سِ نٌ َفلَ ُه أَجْ ُرهُ عِ ن َد َر ِّب ِه َوالَ َخ ْوفٌ َعلٌَ ِْه ْم َوالَ ُه ْم
ِ ّ ِ َبلَى َمنْ أَسْ لَ َم َوجْ َه ُه
َ } ٌَحْ َز ُن
ون
“Yes, but whoever submits his face (whole self) to Allah and he is a Muhsin
then his reward is with his Lord (Allah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they
grieve.”1
At-Tabari narrates from some of the Salaf as follows:
َ َ َ ُ َث َنا إِسْ َح: َقا َل،َك َما َح َّد َثنًِ ْال ُم َث َّنى
" :ٌع ِ َع ِن الرَّ ِب،ِ َعنْ أ ِبٌه، ث َنا ابْنُ أ ِبً َجعْ َف ٍر: َقا َل،اق
ت ُ َوأَسْ لَ ْم:ْن ُن َفٌ ٍْلِ لِل " َو َك َما َقا َل َز ٌْ ُد بْنُ َع ْم ِرو ب ِ َّ ِ صَ َ أَ ْخل:ُلِل} ٌَقُول ِ َّ ِ { َبلَى َمنْ أَسْ لَ َم َوجْ َه ُه
ت لِ َطا َع ِة َم ِن اسْ َتسْ لَ َم َ ِ ٌَعْ نًِ ِب َذل. لَ ُه ْالم ُْزنُ َتحْ ِم ُل َع ْذبًا ُز َال َال... ت
ْ اسْ َتسْ لَ َم:ك ْ َوجْ ِهً لِ َمنْ أَسْ لَ َم
{ َبلَى َمنْ أَسْ لَ َم:َِّللا ُ َج َّل َث َناؤُ هُ ِب ْال َخ َب ِر َعمَّنْ أَ ْخ َب َر َع ْن ُه ِب َق ْولِه
َّ َّ َو َخص.َُت َله ْ لِ َطا َع ِت ِه ْالم ُْزنُ َوا ْن َقاد
،ُار ِح ِه َوجْ ُهه ِ ْن آ َد َم َو َج َو
ِ ضا ِء اب َ ْار ِحهِ؛ ِِلَنَّ أَ ْك َر َم أَع َ لِل} ِبإِسْ ََل ِم َوجْ ِه ِه لَ ُه ُد
ِ ون َسائ ِِر َج َو ِ َّ ِ َوجْ َه ُه
ض َع ِل َشًْ ٍء َوجْ ُه ُه الَّذِي ه َُو أَ ْك َر ُم أَجْ َزا ِء َج َس ِد ِه َعلَ ٌْ ِه َ َفإِ َذا َخ،َو ُه َو أَعْ َظ ُم َها َعلَ ٌْ ِه حُرْ َم ًة َو َح ًقّا
ك َت ْذ ُك ُر ْال َع َربُ فًِ َم ْنطِ ِق َها ْال َخ َب َر َ ِ َولِ َذل.ُض َع لَه َ ون أَ ْخ َ َف َغ ٌْ ُرهُ مِنْ أَجْ َزا ِء َج َس ِد ِه أَحْ َرى أَنْ ٌَ ُك
َبلَى: َو َتأْ ِوٌ ُل ْال َك ََل ِم...س ال َّشًْ ِء َو َع ٌْ َن ُه َ ًِ َتعْ نًِ ِب َذل
َ ِك َن ْف َ َع ِن ال َّشًْ ِء َف ُتضِ ٌفُ ُه إِلَى َوجْ ِه ِه َوه
ك ِ َّ ِ ص َطا َع َت ُه
َ ِلِل َوعِ َبا َد َت ُه لَ ُه مُحْ سِ ًنا فًِ فِعْ لِ ِه َذل َ ََمنْ أَ ْخل
1
Qur’an, al-Baqarah, 112
1
ISLAM & SHIRK ARE COMPLETE OPPOSITES
“That they said, “he who submits his whole self to Allah” means akhlasa lillah.
Like Zaid ibnu Amr ibni Nufail2 also said: “I have surrendered my face (my whole
self) to Him, to Whom the clouds carrying pure water also surrendered.” This means,
“I have submitted myself to His obedience, to Whose obedience the clouds have
also submitted and Whose orders they follow.” In this verse Allah (swt) mentions
those who submit their faces exclusively for Allah. Mentioning the face here has
been given preference to over the rest of the body because the most precious,
important and worth protecting part of the body is the face. When a person submits
his face – the most precious part of his body – to something or someone then the
rest of the body naturally follows in submission. For the Arabs it was logical
(linguistically) that when they mentioned the face it meant the body as a whole. So
the verse means “Nay, whoever obeys and worships Allah purely (free from shirk) for
Allah alone and carries it out in the best manner…”.”3
Islam means to surrender oneself in the worship of Allah alone with
submission without associating anything with Him. Whosoever does not practice this
can never be a Muslim. And how else can it be? Let us demonstrate this by means
of an example: A man never rides a horse and never did ride a horse in the past. He
always travels by foot. How can a rational and reasonable thinking person call him a
horseman?
Similarly, a person who never submitted himself to Allah alone, someone who
attributed others to Him, someone who never worshipped Him sincerely and still
does not, such a person cannot be described as a Muslim. His deeds are not
according to the deeds of a Muslim and he does not possess the characteristics
required in Islam which would make him to a Muslim. No one with a common sense
would define him as a Muslim.
2
He was one of the Hunafa (the people who followed what was left of the true Deen of Ibrahim (as).
3
Jaami’u-l-Bayaan ‘an Ta’wiili Aayi-l-Qur’an, 2/432,433
2
ISLAM & SHIRK ARE COMPLETE OPPOSITES
Ibnu Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) says:
. ٌعبد غٌره فٌكون مشركا، فَلبد أن ٌكون عابداً لغٌره،كل من لم ٌعبد َّللا وحده
أو من خلط هذا بهذا كالمبدلٌن من، أو مشرك، بل إما موحد،ولٌس فً بنً آدم قسم ثالث
المنتسبٌن إلى اإلسَلم،أهل الملل؛ النصارى ومن أشبههم من الضَلل
“And so anyone who does not worship Allah, must undoubtedly be
worshipping something other than Him: he worships someone other than Him and is
therefore a mushrik. Among the sons of Adam there is no third type. There is only
muwahhid and mushrik or those who mix both parts like the distorters of the
followers of different religions and the Christians and those who have gone astray
who consider themselves to be in Islam.”4
The one who reflects over this passage, will find that Ibnu Taymiyyah says
five times, each time in a different way that someone who commits shirk can never
be a Muslim. Is there something clearer than that? Therefore, all the mutashaabih
(the plurivalent statements) from Ibnu Taymiyyah should be explained with this plain,
excellent and transparent statement of his!
Shaykh Abd ur-Rahman ibnu Hasan (rahimahullah) and Shaykh Abd ul-Latif
(rahimahullah) say:
فمتى وجد، فقد ترك التوحٌد ؛ فإنهما ضدان ال ٌجتمعان، فإن من فعل الشرك
.ً انتفى التوح، الشرك.
4
Majmuu’ al-Fataawa 14/ 282, 284.
3
ISLAM & SHIRK ARE COMPLETE OPPOSITES
“He who commits shirk, leaves tawheed. For they are two opposites which
never come together. When shirk is found (in a person his) tawheed becomes
nonexistent".5
5
Ad-Durar: 2/ 204.
4
