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Is
everyone who claims to be a muslim, really a muslim according to the law of
Allah subhana wa ta’ala?
Does
Allah accept the worship of everyone who claims that he worships Allah subhana
wa ta’ala?
We
find in every age of history, from the time of Nuh, peace be upon him, to our
present day many people claiming that they are on the right path and claiming
that they worship Allah as well as professing to be believers but Allah did not
accept their belief that they professed nor their worship that they carried out
because it was not as He wanted. Hence Allah passed a verdict of disbelief and
misguidance upon them despite them claiming belief and worship.
Allah
subhana wa ta’ala sent messengers to them making clear the belief that is
required of them together with the worship that is acceptable as well as
informing them that the mere professing of belief and worship of Allah does not
benefit them according to Allah if it is not in accordance with what Allah
requires and what He has revealed.
Indeed
the value of a person according to Allah is not judged by the abundance of
worship which he has no proof of from Allah upon him but is judged by the great
amount of worship which pleases Allah and which He has ordered. How many people
engage in numerous amounts of worship but they do not weigh even the value of a
mosquito’s wing according to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. The worship that they
performed is nothing according to Allah because they did not carry it out as
Allah required and as He ordered.
The
jews in the time of the Prophet , may Allah bless and grant him peace, engaged
in abundance of worship and claimed they were upon the truth as well as that
they were the chosen people of Allah. Likewise the Christians also engaged in
abundance of worship and professed belief but Allah subhana wa ta’ala did not
accept their worship nor their faith and pronounced upon them the ruling of kufr
(disbelief), misguidance and shirk (polytheism).
Thus
Allah subhana wa ta’ala says:
Say:
‘O people of the scripture
(jews
and Christians), you are not on the right path until you act according to the
Torah and the Injeel, and what has been sent down to you from your Lord.’
‘Verily that which has been sent down to you (Muhammad)
from your Lord increases in many of them their obstinate rebellion and
disbelief. So be not sorrowful over the people who disbelieve. (5:68)
The
polytheists (mushriks) at the time of the messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless and grant him peace, believed in the existence of a creator of this
world, that created them and created this world. They also believed that this
deity is their sustainer who gives life and death and in spite of all this Allah
still called them disbelievers and polytheists. If they remained and died on
this way they would enter the Hell fire and remain there forever. So listen to
what Allah subhana wa ta’ala says about these mushriks and what they believed.
Say:
“Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein? If you know!
They
will say: “It is Allah’s” Say: “Will you not then remember?”
Say:
“Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the great throne?”
They
will say: “Allah” Say: “Will you not then fear Allah” Say: “In whose
hand is the sovereignty of everything and He protects (all)
while against whom there is no protector, if you know”
They
will say: “To Allah” Say: “How then are you deceived and turn away from
truth?”
Nay,
but We have brought them the truth and verily, they are liars.
(23:84-90)
Indeed
Allah does not accept belief nor Islam nor worship except if it is as He
requires and as He has ordered as well as sincerely for His sake only.
If
a person performed an act of worship and his intention was sincerely for Allah,
will Allah accept this sincere worship if he did not do it according to how
Allah wants it?
Likewise
if a person sincerely believes in Allah but his belief is not as Allah ordered
it to be, will Allah accept the faith of such a person?
Without
a doubt Allah does not accept his faith nor his action except if it is on the
form that he requires it to be.
Allah
subhana wa ta’ala says:
Whoever
submits to Allah and performs good deeds then he has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold (Laa-ilaha-illa-Allah)
and to Allah return all matters for decision. (31: 22)
If
this is the case then what exactly is the belief that pleases Allah and that He
has ordered us with?
What
is the Islam that pleases Allah and He has ordered us with?
What
is the worship that pleases Allah and He accepts it?
Where
are we able to know all these aspects from and where has Allah made it clear to
us and whom do we follow regarding these aspects in order that we are true
muslims and true believers when we meet Allah subhana wa ta’ala?
There
is no doubt that these aspects Allah has made absolutely clear to us wherein
there is no obscurity and has ordered us not to follow anything except which He
has revealed in order that we may gain His pleasure and His paradise. Allah
subhana wa ta’ala says:
Follow
what has been sent down unto you from your Lord
(the
Qur'an and Sunnah), and follow not any
Auliya' (protectors and helpers
who order you to associate partners in worship with Allah).
Little do you recollect! (7: 3)
Allah
jalla wa a’laa also says:
It
is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His messenger have decreed a
matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys
Allah and His messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error. (33:36)
And
in whatsoever you differ, the decision thereof is with Allah (He
is the ruling judge). (42:10)
The
Prophet, may Allah bless and grant him peace, told us in the last sermon:
I
leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you
hold fast to them you will never go astray.
(Bukhari
and Muslim)
The
Prophet, may Allah bless and grant him peace, also said:
None
of you has believed until his desires are in accordance with what I have come o
you with.
(Muslim)
The
messenger of Allah said:
Whoever
does a deed that is not in accordance with what we ordered, it is invalid.
(Bukhari and Muslim)
So
Allah has made it clear to us in Quran and Sunnah the belief and the Islam He
requires from us and the worship He accepts from us and whatever is besides that
or contradictory to that is in vain and unacceptable no matter how sincere
one’s intentions to Allah are.
If
that is the case then what is Imaan and what is Islam according to the Quran and
Sunnah?
What
is the worship that Allah accepts and has ordered, which He has made clear in
his Book and the Sunnah of His messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him?
These
issues are the subject of this discussion of ours and it is what we want to
explain to people until it becomes clear to them where they stand in relation to
Quran and Sunnah.
Thus
whoever’s Imaan and Islam is according to Quran and Sunnah then he has
succeeded and whoever’s is according to his desires and the desires of people
but he wants to follow the truth then he must return to Quran and Sunnah as
there is still time to return. Allah accepts repentance as long as there is
still a soul in the body.
Therefore
I decided to clarify that so that those who were to be destroyed (for rejecting
the faith) might be destroyed after a clear evidence and those who were to live
(i.e. believers) might live after a clear evidence.
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