The third principle - the shirk of various people has the same ruling

From: MSN NicknameUmm_Amatillaah (Original Message) Sent: 10/17/2005 4:07 PM

Bismillaah wal hamdulillaah was salaatu was salaamu 'alaa rasoolihil kareem, wa ba'd!



"The third principle is that the Prophet (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) encountered people differing in their worship. Amongst them were people who worshipped the angles, some who worshipped the Prophets and the righteous men and others who worshipped stones, trees, the sun and the moon. The Messenger of Allaah (sall Allaahu 'alayhi sallam) fought them and did not differentiate between them.

Explanation: So the mushrikeen differed in their worship but the Prophet (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) fought them all and did not differentiate between them. He fought the idol worshippers, the Jews, the Christian's, the Magians, those who worshipped the angles, the awliyaa and Saaliheen. In fact, he fought all the mushrikeen and did not say, "The one who worships and idol is not like the one who worships a righteous man or an angel. This is because the mushrikeen worship stones, trees, and inanimate objects. As for the one who worships a righetous man or a wali of Allaah, then he is not like the one who worships an idol."

These people intent to say that the one who worships the graves in our times has a different ruling from the one who worships an idol. So they do not declare him to be a disbeliever nor consider this action of his to be shirk and they do not permit fighting him.

So we say, "The Prophet (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) did not diffrentiate between them, rather he considered all of them as mushrikeen and permitted shedding their blood and taking their property. Then there were those who worshipped al-Maseeh, the messenger of Allaah,but despite this he (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) fought them. And the Jews worshipped Uzair, who was from their Prophets and righteous men, but the Messenger of Allaah (sall Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) fought them and did not differentiate between them. So withing shirk there is no distinction between a mushrik who worships a righteous man, an idol, a stone or a tree, since shirk is the worship of other than Allaah, whatever or whoever it may be. And because of this He, the Most High, said:

Worship Allaah and join none with Him worship [an-Nisaa (4):36]

And the word 'none' here is mentioned in the context of the negation. It covers and includes everything that is associated along with Allaah, the Might and Majestic, such as the angles ,the Prophets, the righteous, the awliyaa, stones and trees."

Excerpt from Explanation of the four fundamental principles p. 27,28-29

Of Shaykhul-Islaam Muhammad Bin 'Abdul-Wahhab

Explanation by: Ash Shaykh Saaleh al-Fawzaan