THE MOSLEM IS PROHIBITED TO THE CRHISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR

 Compiled By Ali Wafa Aboo Sulthon

In the world today many Muslims, especially those residing in Western countries are exposed to the evil celebration, Christmas.  Many take part in the festive celebrations by exchanging cards, gifts, decorating homes, having Christmas turkey dinners & congratulating one another for the coming of season etc. For many the practice is viewed as harmless amusement & pleasure for young & old.

The build up to Christmas is aggressively promoted; businesses deploy every possible tactic to captivate the masses in every spectrum of society, in shopping centres, high streets, television, radio, magazine & newspapers.

Even though Christmas has been taken hostage by Capitalist to increase business revenues, many still practice this corrupt celebration as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus, who is considered as ‘the incarnation of God’  second third of the trinity, hence it is a celebration of the birth of divinity.

Though the date 25th December is taken by Christians as the birth of Jesus, the origins of this date can be linked to the birthday of the Hindu god Khrishna, & the Greek god of light, Mithra.  This evil celebration is from many angles of origin is a deeply rooted practice of Shirk (worshipping along with the Creator [i.e. Allah], a crime which Allah will never forgive.

“Verily, Allâh forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, & whoever sets up partners with Allâh in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin” [4:48]

How can a Muslim possibly approve or participate in such a practice that bases itself on the notion that Allah has an offspring?

Allah (swt) said,

"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be' & it is" [19:34-35]

If the prophet of Allah, Jesus (Isa the son of Maryum, peace be upon him) was to return now, he would never tolerate such accusations being levied against him.  Rather when he was born his first proclamation was clarifying his status as slave & messenger of Allah & nothing more.

He (Jesus) said: ‘Verily! I am a slave of God; He has given me the Scripture & made me a Prophet; “[19:29-30]

The very concept of Christmas contradicts & conflicts with the foundation of Islam, & that is the testimony of faith, “La Ilaha Ila Allah – None has the right to be worshipped but Allah”.  Any person with basic knowledge of Islam could never accept or tolerate such a false accusation against Allah.  Allah is free from having any offspring or being an offspring, for He (swt) said,

"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, & there is nothing comparable to Him!" [112:1-4]

Even though this practice is heavily glamorised & practiced by the majority, it is paramount for every worshipper of Allah to avoid following the masses in this evil celebration, Allah (swt) said,

“If you obey most of those upon the earth, they will lead you away from the way of Allaah.” [6:116]

It is the ruling of Allah & His Messenger, that those who imitate anyone in dress, manner, behaviour, speech or even celebration becomes part of that community, for the messenger of Allah (swt) said,

“Whoever imamates a group of people he is one of them”. [Reported in Abu Dawood]

Every Muslim has a responsibility to protect his family from the misguidance of Christmas, because its observance will lead to hellfire (a punishment which is seventy times hotter than the fires of this world).

“O you who believe! save yourselves & your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men & stones..” [66:6]

Know dear Muslim, to offer Christmas cards, attend any Christmas events, to congratulate others (i.e. by saying “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” etc), Decorating the house, purchasing Christmas trees, or having Christmas turkey meals are completely prohibited by Allah.  Protect your Paradise from being taken away from you & your family; protect yourself & your family from Christmas.

The Glory of A Mother in Islam

Compiled By Ali wafa Aboo Sulthon

To be kind to one's parents is: to obey them when they order you to do something, unless it is something which Allah has forbidden; to give priority to their orders over voluntary acts of worship; to abstain from that which they forbid you to do; to provide for them; to serve them; to approach them with gentle humility and mercy; not to raise your voice in front of them; nor to fix your glance on them; nor to call them by their names; and to be patient with them. (Ibn al-Jawzî, Birr al-Wâlidayn)
The Qur'an emphasizes the great struggles the mother goes through for her child, to highlight the need for one to reciprocate their parents sacrifice for them:

"And We have enjoined on man [to be good] to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and his weaning was over two years. Be thankful to Me and to your parents, unto Me is the final destination."[Noble Quran 31:14]

The renowned exegete, Shaykh Abdur-Rahman As-Sa'di (d. 1956), says about this verse:
{And to your parents} meaning, be kind to your parents, shower on them love, affection and piety, both in words and deeds, treat them with tender humility, provide for them and never harm them verbally nor physically. [...] Then, Allah mentions the reason why we should be kind to our parents, when He says {His mother bore him in travail upon travail}, that is, the mother bore constant suffering; in pain and hardship from the first moment she felt the child moving in her womb to the worst pangs during the time of delivery. And {his weaning is for two years}, that is, during these two years the mother breast-feeds her child and looks after him/her. So after all the years of suffering, hardship, love and care, could we not, at least, compensate our mothers for what they have done for us and pay them back their rights? (Taysîr al-Karîm ar-Rahmân fî Tafsîr al-Kalâm al-Manân)
The Qur'an repeats its mention of the struggles of the mother in yet another passage:

"And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, "My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims." [Noble Quran 46:15]

In connection to this passage, the late Grand Mufti of Pakistan, Shaykh Muhammad Shafy (d. 1976) wrote:
Mother has more rights than father
Although the first part of this verse is a command to do good to both the parents, the second sentence refers only to the hardships suffered by the mother, because they are unavoidable, and no child can be born without them. Every mother has to go through the problems of pregnancy and severe pains of delivery. As against this, it is not necessary for a father that he suffers any hardship in bringing up and educating the child, if he can afford to pay somebody else for these services. This is why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has given more rights to the mother than anybody else. According to a hadîth he has said,
"Do good to and serve your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then the near relatives and then those who come after them."[Mazhari]

"And his carrying and his weaning is in thirty months"[Noble Quran 46:15]

This sentence too describes the hardships suffered by the mother for her baby. It points out that even after suffering hardships during pregnancy and the severe labor pains, the mother does not get respite from toils, because the natural food of the infants is in her breasts, and she has to suckle them. (Shafy, Ma'âriful Qur'ân [Eng. trans.], vol. 7, pp. 795-796)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) continually used to remind his followers of the status of the mother and the obligation of being good to one's parents. The following narration is a beautiful example of the noble position of the mother:

A man came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah! Who from amongst mankind warrants the best companionship from me? He replied: "Your mother." The man asked: Then who? So he replied: "Your mother." The man then asked: Then who? So the Prophet replied again: "Your mother." The man then asked: Then who? So he replied: "Then your father." (Sahîh Bukhârî 5971 and Sahîh Muslim 7/2)

Commenting on this hadith, Shaykh Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi notes:
This hadith confirms that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave precedence to kind treatment of one's mother over kind treatment of one's father (Al-Hashimi, The Ideal Muslimah, IIPH 2005, p. 165)
Likewise, the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Abdul-Azîz Ibn Bâz (d. 1999) comments on this hadith saying:
So this necessitates that the mother is given three times the like of kindness and good treatment than the father. (Majmoo' Fataawaa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi'ah)
He also writes:
The secret of her importance lies in the tremendous burden and responsibility that is placed upon her, and the difficulties that she has to shoulder - responsibilities and difficulties some of which not even a man bears. This is why from the most important obligations upon a person is to show gratitude to the mother, and kindness and good companionship with her. And in this matter, she is to be given precedence over and above the father.[...] And I have no doubt that my mother - may Allah shower His mercy upon her - had a tremendous effect upon me, in encouraging me to study; and she assisted me in it. May Allah greatly increase her reward and reward her with the best of rewards for what she did for me. (Majmoo' Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi'ah)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also said in a famous narration:

'Paradise lies at the feet of your mother' [Musnad Ahmad, Sunan An-Nasâ’i, Sunan Ibn Mâjah]

What can be greater evidence of honoring women than this? Islam has effectively placed the ultimate reward for human beings in their devotion to their mothers.
Shaykh Ibrahîm Ibn Sâlih Al-Mahmud writes:
Treat your mother with the best companionship, then your father; because paradise is under the mother's feet. Never disobey your parents, nor make them angry, otherwise you will live a miserable life in this world and the hereafter, and your children will treat you likewise. Ask your parents gently if you need something. Always thank them if they give it to you, and excuse them if they do not, and never insist on a matter if they refuse to give you something. (Al-Mahmoud, How to be kind to your Parents, p.40)
It is related from Talhah ibn Mu'âwiyah as-Salamî who said:

I came to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I want to perform Jihad in the way of Allah. He asked, "Is your mother alive?" I replied, "Yes." The Prophet then said: "Cling to her feet, because paradise is there." (at-Tabarânî).

Shaykh Nidhaam Sakkijihaa comments:
Cling to her feet means to submit yourself to her, be close to her, protect her, serve her because in this is Paradise and with her satisfaction you will enjoy the good blessings of Allah. (Sakkijihaa, Honoring the Parents, p. 52)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) showed us the importance of serving one's parents in the following narration reported by Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud:

I asked the Prophet, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the best deed?' He replied 'Prayer offered on time.' I asked, 'What is next in goodness?' He replied, 'To be dutiful and kind to one's parents.' I further asked, 'What is next in goodness?' He replied, 'Jihad in the Allah's cause. [Sahîh Bukhârî, Sahîh Muslim]

Just as the Prophet said that kindness to one's parents was of the best deeds, he also said that disobedience to them was amongst the major sins:

"The greatest sins are to associate partners in worship with Allah, to be undutiful or unkind to one's parents, to kill a soul forbidden by Allah and to bear false witness." [Sahîh Bukhârî]

Even after the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Muslim scholars continued to stress the importance of being dutiful to one's mother. By examining the conduct and teachings of the early Muslim scholars, one may see how the direct recipients of the Islamic message understood the command to be dutiful to one's parents. Their behavior towards their parents shows Muslims how one is to implement the teachings of the Prophet on honoring parents.
Abdullah Ibn Abbâs (d. 687CE), a companions of the Prophet and a great scholar of Islam, considered kind treatment of one's mother to be the best deed for strengthening or rectifying one's relation with God. He said:

I know of no other deed that brings people closer to Allah than kind treatment and respect towards one's mother. [Al-Adab al-Mufrad Bukhârî 1/45]

An even more powerful example is found in the statement of another one of the Prophet's companions, Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (d. 692CE), who was also a great scholar of Islam. It has been related that:

Abdullah Ibn 'Umar saw a Yemeni man performing Tawâf (circumambulating the Ka'bah) while carrying his mother on his back. This man said to Abdullah Ibn 'Umar, "I am like a tame camel for her! I have carried her more than she carried me. Do you think I have paid her back, O Ibn 'Umar?" Abdullah Ibn 'Umar replied, "No, not even one contraction!!" [Al-Adab al-Mufrad Bukhârî 1/62]

SubhânAllah (Glory be to God)! The efforts of a man who carries his mother on his back while performing tawâf cannot even repay his mother for a single contraction that she went through for him. Wise indeed was Ibn 'Umar's reply to this man to show him how massively indebted he was to his mother. This is the tremendous value and prestigious position of mothers in Islam!
Yet another example is found in the following prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):

There will come to you with reinforcements from Yemen a man called Uways ibn 'Âmir of the clan of Murâd from the tribe of Qaran. He had leprosy but has been cured of it except for a spot the size of a coin. He has a mother and he has always treated her with kindness and respect. If he prays to Allah, Allah will fulfill his wish. If you can ask him to pray for forgiveness for you, then do so. [Sahîh Muslim 16/95]

Indeed, later on 'Umar ibn al-Khattâb met Uways who was exactly as the Prophet described, and upon 'Umar's request Uways prayed for him. Commenting on this narration, Shaykh Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimî writes:
What a high status Uways reached by virtue of his kindness and respect towards his mother, so that the Prophet recommended his Sahabah [companions] to seek him out and ask him to pray for them!
All of this indicates the high status to which Islam has raised the position of motherhood, and given the mother precedence over the father. At the same time, Islam has given importance to both parents, and has enjoined kindness and respect to both. (Al-Hashimi, The Ideal Muslimah, IIPH 2005, p. 167)
So great was the Islamic emphasis on parents, that the Muslims considered a great opportunity to attain paradise in service to one's mother. Iyâs Ibn Mu'âwiyah was a famous Islamic scholar from the second generation of Muslims. When his mother died, Iyâs Ibn Mu'âwiyah cried. He was asked, "Why do you cry?" He said, "I used to have two gates open to Paradise, now one of them is closed."
Zayn al-'Abidîn (d. 713CE) was the great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and also a renowned scholar. He used to treat his mother with so much kindness and love as seen in the following narration:

Once he was asked, 'You are the most kind person to his mother, yet we have never seen you eating with her from a single dish.' He replied, 'I fear that my hand would take the what her eyes have already seen in the dish, and then I would be disobeying her'. [At-Tartushi, Birr al-Wâlidayn]

In other words, he was so careful not to disobey his mother that he would even avoid eating out of the same plate as her; He thought that she would see a morsel and intend to take it, but before she did he might unknowingly take that same morsel and eat it. This is how careful he was to obey his mother in the most minute details.
Another early Islamic scholar, Sa'îd Ibn Al-Musayyib (d. 709CE), was asked about the meaning of the verse "but address them in terms of honor" (17:23). Sa'îd Ibn Al-Musayyib replied:
It means that you should address them as a servant addresses his master.
Muhammad Ibn Sirîn (d. 729CE) used to speak to his mother in a very soft voice, out of respect for her. He was also often seen in the company of his mother and looking after her. (Ibn al-Jawzî, Birr al-Wâlidayn)
All that has preceded shows how the status of mothers - and consequently that of women - is elevated to the highest position in Islam. The honor Islam has given to mothers is beyond that found in any other religion, ideology or culture. This is clear proof of the lofty status of Muslim Women.

Prohibitions on Terrorism, and Exhortations to Living with Mercy, Compassion and Patience in the Qur'an

compiled By Ali Wafa Aboo Sulthon

Whosoever kills an innocent human being, it shall be as if he has killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. (5:32)

Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and in the race for a garden wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous- (the righteous are) those who spend whether in prosperity or adversity, who restrain anger and who pardon all people. For God loves those who do good. (3:133 –134)

Invite all to the way of your God with wisdom and beautiful preaching. And argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. For your God knows best who have strayed from his path and who receive guidance. And if you do respond to an attack, respond no worse than they did. But if you show patience, that is indeed the best course. Be patient- for your patience is from God . . . Indeed, God is with those who restrain themselves and those who do good. (16:125-128)

O You who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor, for God can best protect both. Follow not the cravings of your hearts, lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily God is well acquainted with all that you do. (4:135)

To those who persevere in doing good is a reward more than in measure. No darkness nor shame shall cover their faces. They are companions of the garden where they will live forever. But those who have earned evil will have a reward like evil. Humiliation will cover their faces. They will have no defender from God. (10:26-27)

The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree), but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God, for God does not love those who do wrong. But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong done to them, against such there is no cause of blame. The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice, for such there will be a penalty grievous. (42:40-43)

Islam Rejects For The Darwinism Theory

 Quoted by Ali Wafa

Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for having confidence in us and we hope our efforts, which are purely for Allah’s Sake, meet your expectations.

As regards your question, it's a plain fact that what the Darwin theory wants to prove runs in sharp contrast to the divine teachings of Islam, and even to all the teachings of all heavenly revealed religion. Thus, it's totally a sign of disbelief for one to claim that the origin of man is a non-human creature because; this negates the facts imbedded in Allah's words about the creation of Adam, and the creation of man in general.

This point is further clarified in the following:

"As far as the creation of humankind is concerned, Darwin believed that "probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from one primordial form, into which life was first breathed" (The Origin of Species, 455).

This is incompatible with the Qur'anic account of creation. Our first ancestor was Prophet Adam, peace and blessings upon him, who was created by Allah in Paradise and not on earth. Adam was also created in a particular way that Allah describes to us, saying: "And (mention) when your Lord said to the angels, 'Truly, I will create a man from clay. So when I have completed him, and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down prostrate to him.' And the angels prostrated, one and all. Save for Satan, who was too proud to, and disbelieved. He said to him, 'O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating to what I have created with My two hands? Are you arrogant, or too exalted?' He said, 'I am better than he; You created me from fire and created him from clay.' " (Sad: 71-76).

The God of Islam is transcendently above any suggestion of anthropomorphism, and Qur'anic exegetes like Fakhrud-Deen Ar-Razi explain the above words "created with My two hands" as a figurative expression of Allah's Special Concern for this particular creation, the first human, since a sovereign of immense majesty does not undertake any work "with his two hands" unless it is of the greatest importance. (Tafsir Al-Fakhr Ar-Razi, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut. 1405/1985 (26) 231-32)

I say "the first human," because the Arabic term bashar used in the verse "Truly, I will create a man from clay" means precisely a human being and has no other lexical significance.

The same interpretive considerations (of Allah's transcendence above the attributes of created things) apply to the words and "breathed into him of My spirit". The Qur'an unequivocally establishes that Allah is Ahad or "One," and not an entity divisible into parts. Exegetes say this "spirit" was a created one, and that its attribution to Allah ("My spirit") is what is called in Arabic idafat al-tashreef, "an attribution of honor," showing that the ruh or "spirit" within this first human being and his descendants was "a sacred, exalted, and noble substance". (ibid. 228) A "part of Allah" as such could not enter into Adam's body, and this surmounts to unbelief.

Similar attributions are frequent in Arabic, just as the Ka`bah is called bayt Allah, or the “House of Allah”, meaning Allah's honored house. It does not mean that it is His address. The she-camel sent to the people of Thamud was called naqat Allah, or "the she-camel of Allah," meaning Allah's honored she-camel. It signifies its inviolability in the Shari`ah of the time and does not mean that He rode it.

All indicate that according to the Qur'an human beings are intrinsically at a different level in Allah's eyes than other terrestrial life (by their special nature, celestial provenance in paradise, and spirit or soul) whether or not our bodies have certain physiological affinities with them. This is the prerogative of the Maker to create.

As far as other species are concerned, change from one sort of thing to another does not seem to contradict revelation, for Allah says: "O people: Fear your Lord, who created you from one soul [Adam, peace and blessings be upon him] and created from it its mate [his wife, Hawwa’], and spread forth from them many men and women." (An-Nisa': 1)

Concerning the metamorphosis of a disobedient group of the Children of Israel (Banu Isra`il) into apes, Allah Almighty says: "When they were too arrogant to [desist from] what they had been forbidden, We said to them, 'Be you apes, humiliated.’" (Al-A`raf: 166)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "There shall be groups of people from my community who shall consider fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments to be lawful: groups shall camp beside a high mountain, whom a shepherd returning to in the evening with one of their herds shall approach for something he needs, and they shall tell him, 'Come back tomorrow.' Allah shall destroy them in the night, bringing down the mountain upon them, and transforming others into apes and swine until the Day of Judgment." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Beirut, Dar al-Jil, 7, 138: 5590)

Most Islamic scholars have understood these transformations literally, which shows that Allah changing one thing into another (again, other than the origin of man) is not traditionally considered to be contrary to the teachings of Islam. Indeed, the daily miracle of nutrition, the sustenance Allah provides for His creatures, in which one creature is transformed into another by being eaten, may be seen in the food chains that make up the economy of our natural world, as well as our own plates.

If, as in the theory of evolution, we conjoin with this possibility the factors of causality, gradualism, mutation, and adaptation, it does not seem to add anything radically different to these other forms of change.

The Islamic tenets of faith do not deny causal relations as such. But the view that causes have effects in and of themselves is like ascribing partners to Allah in His Actions. Whoever believes in the latter causality (as virtually all evolutionists do) is an unbeliever without a doubt. "Whoever denies the existence of ordinary causes has made the Wisdom of Allah inoperative, while whoever attributes effects to them has associated partners (shirk) to Allah Most High." (Al-Hashimi, Miftah al-Jannah fi Sharh 'Aqidat Ahl al-Sunnah, Damascus: Matba`a al-Taraqi, 1379/1960, 33)

Muslims believe that Allah alone creates causes, Allah alone creates effects, and Allah alone conjoins the two. In the words of the Qur'an: "Allah is the Creator of everything." (Ar-Ra`d: 16)

A Muslim should pay careful attention to this point, and distance himself from believing either that causes (a) bring about effects in and of themselves; or (b) bring about effects in and of themselves through a capacity Allah has placed in them. Both of these negate the Oneness (wahdaniyyah) of Allah.

Allah alone is Master of Existence. He alone causes all that is to be and not to be. Causes are without effect in themselves, but rather both causes and effects are created by Him. The causes and the effects of all processes including those through which plant and animal species are individuated are His work alone. To ascribe efficacy to anything but His action, whether believing that causes (a) bring about effects in and of themselves; or (b) bring about effects in and of themselves through a capacity Allah has placed in them, is to ascribe associates to Allah.

Such beliefs seem to be entailed in the literal understanding of "natural selection" and "random mutation," and other evolutionary concepts, unless we understand these processes as figurative causes, while realizing that Allah alone is the agent. This is apart from the consideration of whether they are true or not.

Thus, the claim that man has evolved from a non-human species is unbelief, even if we ascribe the process to Allah or to "nature," because it negates the truth of Adam's special creation that Allah has revealed in the Qur'an.

Humankind is of special origin, attested to not only by revelation, but also by the divine secret within him and the capacity for knowledge of the Divine that he alone of all things possesses. By his God-given nature, man stands before a door opening onto infinitude that no other creature in the universe can aspire to. Man is something else.”

THE DECLARATION OF FAITH

compiled by  Ali Wafa Abu Sulthon

THE DECLARATION OF FAITH

What the Declaration of Faith Confirms and What it Denies
The meaning of the first part of the declaration of faith, 'There is no god but Allah', is that nothing other than Allah is worthy of worship. This denies the attribution of divinity to all other things, and affirms it as a quality which belongs to Allah alone. (Shaykh Abdar-Rahman ibn Hassan, Fath al-Majid, p.36)

Ibn Taimiyah said: "The heart will not find complete happiness except by loving Allah and by striving towards what is dear to Him. It is not possible to achieve this love except by rejecting all things that compete with it. This is what the words, 'There is no god but Allah' mean; this is the spirit of the deen of Ibrahim and of that of every other prophet." (Ibn Taimiya, Majmu' al-Fatawa, vol 28, p.32, Riyadh)
When someone says, 'There is no god but Allah', he has denied one thing and affirmed another. With these words the believer first denies all those who reject faith, worship created things, obey the tyrant, rule by injustice or remain content under oppression; and then he affirms his allegiance to Allah, to His deen, to His Book, to His righteous servants, and to the Sunnah of His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace : "Whoever rejects false deities and believes in Allah has grasped a firm handhold which will never break." [2:256]
As for the second part of the declaration, 'Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', this means that we do what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has told us to do, and stop doing what he has told us not to do. According to Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, "No one truly believes until he rejects the forces of disbelief." This is supported by ayah 2 :256 just cited. The declaration of faith is a declaration of complete loyalty to the Shari'ah : "Follow that which is sent down to you from your Lord, and follow no protecting friends beside Him. Little do you recollect!" [7:3]; and : "So set your purpose (O Muhammad) for the deen as a man by nature upright - the natural way of Allah, in which He has created man." [30:30]
You must also denounce the rule of Ignorance: "Is it the judgement of the time of ignorance that they seek? And who is better than Allah for judgment for a people who have certainty (in their belief)?" [5:50] Indeed you must deny all other religions: "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter." [3:85]
The declaration of faith is thus a denial and an affirmation. In fact, it denies four things and affirms four others. It denies false deities, the tyrant, intermediaries, and ordained authorities, who are bogus. If you think a thing can help you or protect you from harm then you have taken it as a god. A tyrant demands that you worship and adore him. An intermediary, whether family, community or property, distracts you from faith: "And from among mankind are some who take for themselves (objects of worship as) rivals to Allah loving them as they should only love Allah." [2:156]
Bogus authority advises you to act against truth and to disobey Allah: "They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks." [9:31]
It also affirms four things: that the object of your worship is Allah; that glorification and love are for Allah alone; that hope and fear are due only to Allah; and that you are aware of Allah's power and might, this awareness is taqwa. The single and unique goal of the believer is to worship Allah and none other than Him. Thus, the believer's love is for Allah alone: "And those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah." [2:156] Hope, too, is exclusively in Allah and one fears nothing but Him: "If Allah afflicts you with some hurt, there is no one who can remove it except Him; and if He desires good for you, there is no one who can repel His bounty. He strikes with it whom He wishes of his servants. He is the Forgiving, the Compassionate." [10:107]
Lastly, the believer is conscious of Allah and aware of the danger of His displeasure and of His wrath. It is taqwa that causes a person abandon disbelief and disobedience, to devote himself entirely to Allah and to obey His law and His command. Ibn Mas'ud said: "When you act in obedience to Allah, in the light of Allah, you hope for Allah's reward. When you abandon disobedience of Allah, in the light of Allah, you fear Allah's punishment." (Majumu'at ar-Rasa'il wal-Masa'il al-Najdiyya, Muhammad Rashid Rida, eds. vol4, p.99)
Whoever recognises these things must sever all links to anything other than Allah and free his heart from falsehood. Thus Allah tells us that Ibrahim, as well as our own Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be on them, smashed the idols that their people tood as gods and rejected all who worshipped them: "There is a good example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they told their people: Surely we disassociate ourselves from you and all that you worship beside Allah. We have done with you. And there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate forever until you believe in Allah only." [60:4]
>From beginning to end the Qur'an is a clarification of the meaning of the words, 'There is no god but Allah'. This statement is both a denial of shirk and of those who commit it, and an approval of sincerity and of those who strive for it. Every word and every deed that is dear to Allah is in some way connected to this declaration. It is the source of all noble action, its definition and its guide. This is why Allah has called it the 'declaration of fear'.
The Prophet's Companions and the Declaration of Faith
The following account illustrates the Companions' understanding and experience of the Kalima. In 170 AH someone asked Imam Sufiyan ibn Uyaynah al-Hillali * about faith. He said:
"It is in both speech and action." "But does it increase of decrease?" asked the man. "It increases as Allah wishes, and it decreases as He wishes until no more of it than this remains," and held out his hand. The man said,"So what should be our attitude towards those among us who assert that is is speech and not action?"
"This is what people used to say before the nature and limits of faith had been made clear. Of course Allah, Glorious and Mighty is He, sent his Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to all of humanity to tell them that there is no god but Allah and that he is the Messenger of Allah. Once they had accepted this, the security of their money and their lives was assured and they became accountable to Allah alone."
"When Allah was satisfied with their sincerity, He commanded His Prophet to order them to pray. He ordered them to do this and they did it. By Allah, had they not done this their first act would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their prayers, He told His Prophet to order them to migrate to Madinah. By Allah, had they not done this neither their first act nor their prayers would have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this, He commanded them to return to Makkah to fight their fathers and their brothers until these said the Word which they had said, established the same prayer and joined the same migration. He commanded them to do this and they did it. One of them even came with the head of his father and said,'O Messenger of Allah, here is the head of a leader of the disbelievers.' By Allah, had they not done this their first act, their prayers and their migration would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this, He told His Messenger to order them to complete the rite of tawaf and to shave their heads in humility, which they did. By Allah, had they not done this their first act, their prayers, their migration and their combat with their fathers would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied with the sincerity of their hearts in this He told the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to take a part of their money by which to purify themselves. He commanded them to do this and they did, giving much and giving little. By Allah, had they not done this their first act, their prayers, their migration, their combat with their fathers and their tawaf would not have helped them."
"When Allah was satisfied withe the sincerity of their hearts which were now in harmony with the nature and limits of faith, He said to them: "This day I have perfected your deen for you and have completed My blessings to you, and have chosen for you as your deen al-Islam [5:3]."
Imam Sufiyan continued: "Whoever abandons any part of faith is a disbeliever as far as wer are concerned. If this from neglect we would correct him, but he would be lacking in our eyes. This is the Sunnah. Relate it on my behalf to whoever may ask about it." (Al-Shar'a, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Hussain al-Ajari, p.104)
* Imam Sufiyan ibn Uyaynah al-Hillali (107-198 AH): Imam Shafi'i said of him: "Were it not for Imams Malik and ibn Uyaynah, the learning of the Hijaz would have been lost." Imam Ahmad said, "I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable in the Sunnah than ibn Uyaynah."

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