Friday 23 January 2015

The first & Foremost Call - to Tawheed - Imam ibn baz رحمه الله

The Rectification of Society–Imaam Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz (rahimahullaah)

The first affair carried out by the Messenger (عليه الصلاة والسلام), and the first foundation he established was the call to single out Allaah in worship and to worship Allaah (The Most High) sincerely.  This is the first affair and the first fundamental he spoke about, proclaimed and adhered to.  He called the people to single out Allaah in worship and guided them to its details. The statement clarifying this is: [لا إله إلا الله] ‘’None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah.’’ This is the firm foundation alongside the testimony [محمدا رسول الله ] ”Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah.”  These two important fundamentals and foundations are the basis of Islaam and the basis for the rectification of this Ummah.
Therefore, whoever adheres to these two affairs and is steadfast upon them in action, knowledge and Dawah whilst exercising patience, his affair will be upright and Allaah will rectify the Ummah through him based on the level of his striving and strength, and the (sound legislated) means he (employs upon such a path). And whoever neglects both or one of them, he will be ruined and destroyed.
When Allaah sent His Prophet (عليه الصلاة والسلام) and revealed the Qur’aan, the first (soorah) revealed to him was Iqrah and then Muddath-thir; so he (عليه الصلاة والسلام) stood amongst the people to warn them (against shirk) and called them to Tawheed. He warned them about Allaah’s (The Mighty and Majestic) anger, saying: O people! Say [لَا إله إلا الّله –None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah] and you will be successful (i.e. testify with your tongues that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah; sincerely believe in your heart and direct all acts of worship to Allaah alone).
The polytheists became haughty and rejected this (call) because it was not an affair they were ready (to accept). It was not an affair they heard from their predecessors and because of this they rejected it. [Allaah informed us that] they said: أَجَعَلَ ٱلۡأَلِهَةَ إِلَـٰهً۬ا وَٲحِدًا‌ۖ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَشَىۡءٌ عُجَابٌ۬- “Has he made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God – Allah). Verily, this is a curious thing!’’ [1]
[And Allaah informed us that] they said: وَيَقُولُونَ أَٮِٕنَّا لَتَارِكُوٓاْ ءَالِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ۬ مَّجۡنُونِۭ–‘’And (they) said: “Are we going to abandon our aliha (gods) for the sake of a mad poet?’’[2] And prior to this statement Allaah said: إِنَّہُمۡ كَانُوٓاْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ–‘’Truly, when it was said to them: La ilaha ill-Allah “(none has the right to be worshipped but Allah),” they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. denied it).’’[3] Therefore, Allaah replied to them (saying): بَلۡ جَآءَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَصَدَّقَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ-“Nay! he (Muhammad) has come with the truth (i.e. Allah’s Religion – Islamic Monotheism and this Qur’an) and he confirms the Messengers (before him who brought Allah’s religion – Islamic Monotheism).’’[4]

However, due to the lackadaisical (attitude) of many of the scholars, the students of knowledge and the individuals amongst the people of Islaam–those who possess an understanding of Islamic monotheism—towards this solid foundation, shirk spread in many lands and the graves and its inhabitants (i.e. the dead in the graves) are worshipped besides Allaah. Many acts of worship which should be carried out for sake of Allaah alone are (instead) carried out for these graves and their inhabitants. So this one invokes the inhabitant of a grave and that one beseeches him for help; this one vows to him and that one seeks assistance from him, just as the Quraish and other than them used to do during Al-Jaahiliyyah with Al-Uzza; and just as others used to do with Al-laat, Manaat and other idols; and just as the polytheists do in every era with their idols and images worshipped besides Allaah—exalting, invoking, beseeching and stroking them; seeking blessings and assistance from them. This (behaviour) is from the plots and plans of shaytaan because the thing he is most eager for is to pull people away from their (sound) creed and religion, and distance them from it through every means.

Therefore, it is obligated on the students of knowledge–and they are the hope of the Ummah after Allaah with regards to guiding the Ummah in future, and they the men of the future from any university they  graduated– to navigate the ship (i.e. carry the call to Tawheed and Islaam) with wisdom, sincerity and truthfulness. They have to give concern to this foundation and should know that the one and only great thing which must be firmly implanted and by way of which other affairs are established is to give concern to the Tawheed of Allaah-sincerely worshipping Him (alone). (Likewise) to believe that Muhammad (عليه الصلاة والسلام) is truly the Messenger of Allaah and that it is obligatory to follow his path.

(Likewise) to believe that the companions of the Prophet (عليه الصلاة والسلام) are the best in this Ummah and the most virtuous. It is obligatory to have a good suspicion of them and to believe that they are all trustworthy, and that they are the best in this Ummah after the Messenger of Allaah (عليه الصلاة والسلام). It (is obligatory to believe that) they were the carriers of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, and that their methodology has to be followed. It (is obligatory) to declare that Allaah was pleased with them and that they are the best of all people after the prophets; just as it has been reported in the Saheehayn (Bukhari and Muslim) on the authority of Ibn Mas’ood (radiyallaahu-anhu) that the Prophet (عليه الصلاة والسلام) said: ‘’The best of the people are those living in my generation; then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter’’ [5] and there are other narrations indicating to this affair. The companions of the prophet are the best people after the prophets and the most virtuous. They are on different levels in virtue- the most virtuous of them are the rightly guided khulafaa; then the ten who were guaranteed paradise, and then the remaining companions in their various levels of virtuousness and knowledge.
Therefore, it is obligatory to give concern to this foundation–calling the people to Tawheed and sincerity in worship. We should not exaggerate about the graves of the Prophets and the pious friends of Allaah, and thus worship them alongside Allaah. We should not direct acts of worship to them, such as supplication, fear, hope and what is similar to that.
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[Abridged and slightly paraphrased Source: ‘Awaamil Islaah Al-Mujtama’a’ pages 10-14]
References
[1] Qur’aan 38:5;
[2] Qur’aan 37:36;
[3] Qur’aan 37:35;
[4] Qur’aan 37:36;
[5] Bukhari. Number: 2652] [Muslim. Number 2533]

http://salaficentre.com/2014/07/2-the-rectification-of-society-imaam-abdul-azeez-bin-baaz-rahimahullaah/

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