Source: Fatawa of the Scholars of Hadith, Volume 09
Jāhiliyyah refers to the state of ignorance and heedlessness before embracing Islam and faith. It is the era when people were unaware of divine guidance and the teachings of the Prophets. The term literally means ignorance or lack of knowledge, indicating a deficiency in understanding and awareness of divine truth.
Kufr means to reject the truth, specifically the oneness of Allah, the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, the Qur’an, or any essential element of the Islamic faith.
Types of Kufr include:
✔ Kufr Iʿtiqādī (Doctrinal Disbelief):
Denial of fundamental beliefs in Allah, His Messenger, or essential aspects of the religion.
✔ Kufr ʿAmalī (Practical Disbelief):
Deliberately abandoning an obligation of Islam, such as neglecting prayer or fasting.
✔ Major Sins:
At times, the term kufr is also used for major sins (kabāʾir) such as lying, fornication, or consuming alcohol, when these actions manifest a disregard for divine commandments.
Shirk means associating partners with Allah in any aspect of belief or worship. It is considered one of the gravest sins in Islam.
Forms of Shirk include:
✔ Shirk in the Essence (Shirk fī al-Dhāt):
Believing anyone to be equal to Allah in His being.
✔ Shirk in Attributes (Shirk fī al-Ṣifāt):
Ascribing Allah’s unique attributes to others.
✔ Shirk in Worship (Shirk fī al-ʿIbādah):
Worshipping or supplicating to anyone besides Allah.
✔ Shirk in Obedience (Shirk fī al-Ṭāʿah):
Following the commands of someone in opposition to Allah’s revealed laws.
All these are types of shirk, which the Qur’an and Sunnah have identified as the most severe transgression.
Bidʿah is defined as introducing new practices into the religion that were not present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Every newly introduced matter (in religion) is a bidʿah, and every bidʿah is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to Hell."
(Muslim, al-Nasāʾī)
Bidʿah refers to adding unsubstantiated rituals or practices into religion that contradict the principles of the Sharīʿah and lack evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
➊ Jāhiliyyah: A state of ignorance before embracing Islam.
➋ Kufr: Denial of Allah or any fundamental aspect of the faith.
➌ Shirk: Associating partners with Allah in belief or worship.
➍ Bidʿah: Introducing unverified and baseless practices into religion, which the Prophet ﷺ condemned as misguidance.
It is essential to avoid all these deviations and adhere purely to the Qur’an and Sunnah in belief and practice.
❖ Jāhiliyyah (State of Ignorance)
Jāhiliyyah refers to the state of ignorance and heedlessness before embracing Islam and faith. It is the era when people were unaware of divine guidance and the teachings of the Prophets. The term literally means ignorance or lack of knowledge, indicating a deficiency in understanding and awareness of divine truth.
❖ Kufr (Disbelief)
Kufr means to reject the truth, specifically the oneness of Allah, the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ, the Qur’an, or any essential element of the Islamic faith.
Types of Kufr include:
✔ Kufr Iʿtiqādī (Doctrinal Disbelief):
Denial of fundamental beliefs in Allah, His Messenger, or essential aspects of the religion.
✔ Kufr ʿAmalī (Practical Disbelief):
Deliberately abandoning an obligation of Islam, such as neglecting prayer or fasting.
✔ Major Sins:
At times, the term kufr is also used for major sins (kabāʾir) such as lying, fornication, or consuming alcohol, when these actions manifest a disregard for divine commandments.
❖ Shirk (Polytheism)
Shirk means associating partners with Allah in any aspect of belief or worship. It is considered one of the gravest sins in Islam.
Forms of Shirk include:
✔ Shirk in the Essence (Shirk fī al-Dhāt):
Believing anyone to be equal to Allah in His being.
✔ Shirk in Attributes (Shirk fī al-Ṣifāt):
Ascribing Allah’s unique attributes to others.
✔ Shirk in Worship (Shirk fī al-ʿIbādah):
Worshipping or supplicating to anyone besides Allah.
✔ Shirk in Obedience (Shirk fī al-Ṭāʿah):
Following the commands of someone in opposition to Allah’s revealed laws.
All these are types of shirk, which the Qur’an and Sunnah have identified as the most severe transgression.
❖ Bidʿah (Innovation)
Bidʿah is defined as introducing new practices into the religion that were not present during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Every newly introduced matter (in religion) is a bidʿah, and every bidʿah is misguidance, and every misguidance leads to Hell."
(Muslim, al-Nasāʾī)
Bidʿah refers to adding unsubstantiated rituals or practices into religion that contradict the principles of the Sharīʿah and lack evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Summary
➊ Jāhiliyyah: A state of ignorance before embracing Islam.
➋ Kufr: Denial of Allah or any fundamental aspect of the faith.
➌ Shirk: Associating partners with Allah in belief or worship.
➍ Bidʿah: Introducing unverified and baseless practices into religion, which the Prophet ﷺ condemned as misguidance.
It is essential to avoid all these deviations and adhere purely to the Qur’an and Sunnah in belief and practice.
