Extracted from the book "Shirk ke Chaur Darwāze" by Abu Hamzah Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi and Hafiz Mahmood al-Khudri
They were honored in the world due to their Islam,
But we were humiliated for abandoning the Qur'an.
Sayyiduna Qazman ibn Harith fought fiercely during the Battle of Uhud. He killed six or seven polytheists singlehandedly. Yet, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared:
أَمَا إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ
"Indeed, he is among the people of Hellfire."
Why? Because his fight was not for the cause of Allah, but for the name and honor of his nation and tribe. He openly confessed before the Companions:
وَاللَّهِ مَا قَاتَلْنَا إِلَّا عَلَى الْإِحْسَابِ
"By Allah! We fought only for tribal honor and nobility."
(Al-Isābah by Ibn Ḥajar, 5/335, Entry: 7123)
If one who fights for family pride is destined for Hell, then what about the one who fights merely for the supremacy of his homeland?
Indeed, defending the homeland is essential, but only when the intention is to exalt the word of Allah and seek His pleasure alone. Guarding the borders of a Muslim land is a vital responsibility—when the goal is to repel the enemies of Islam and protect the faith and belief of Muslims.
Thus, the noble Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ قَاتَلَ لِتَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَل
"Whoever fights so that the Word of Allah remains supreme is (truly) fighting in the cause of Allah."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-‘Ilm, Ḥadīth: 123)
"Love for the homeland is part of faith."
However, this narration is fabricated (mawḍū‘). Shaykh al-Albānī stated in Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍa‘īfah (1/110, Ḥadīth: 36) that the narration is unauthentic, as also confirmed by al-Ṣaghānī (p. 7) and others.
Moreover, the meaning is also flawed. Love for one's homeland is a natural human emotion, just like the love for life and wealth. But such emotions do not qualify as attributes of faith (īmān), nor are they praised. Isn't it evident that both Muslims and disbelievers generally love their respective homelands? Hence, it cannot be a standard for īmān.
❖ The Trial of Nationalism
Nationalism is one of the covert doorways to shirk (associating partners with Allah). It marks the death of faith. When a nation becomes engulfed in the fitnah (trial) of nationalism and adopts the ideology that "nations are formed by lands" and indulges in the worship of soil and homeland, it essentially embraces the curse of shirk and incurs the displeasure of its true Creator. From that moment, its decline begins, and it ruins its Hereafter.They were honored in the world due to their Islam,
But we were humiliated for abandoning the Qur'an.
Sayyiduna Qazman ibn Harith fought fiercely during the Battle of Uhud. He killed six or seven polytheists singlehandedly. Yet, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared:
أَمَا إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ
"Indeed, he is among the people of Hellfire."
Why? Because his fight was not for the cause of Allah, but for the name and honor of his nation and tribe. He openly confessed before the Companions:
وَاللَّهِ مَا قَاتَلْنَا إِلَّا عَلَى الْإِحْسَابِ
"By Allah! We fought only for tribal honor and nobility."
(Al-Isābah by Ibn Ḥajar, 5/335, Entry: 7123)
If one who fights for family pride is destined for Hell, then what about the one who fights merely for the supremacy of his homeland?
Indeed, defending the homeland is essential, but only when the intention is to exalt the word of Allah and seek His pleasure alone. Guarding the borders of a Muslim land is a vital responsibility—when the goal is to repel the enemies of Islam and protect the faith and belief of Muslims.
Thus, the noble Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ قَاتَلَ لِتَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا فَهُوَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَل
"Whoever fights so that the Word of Allah remains supreme is (truly) fighting in the cause of Allah."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-‘Ilm, Ḥadīth: 123)
⚠ Objection Raised by Nationalists
To justify their ideology, nationalists often quote a famous narration:"Love for the homeland is part of faith."
Refutation of the Fabricated Narration
However, this narration is fabricated (mawḍū‘). Shaykh al-Albānī stated in Silsilat al-Aḥādīth al-Ḍa‘īfah (1/110, Ḥadīth: 36) that the narration is unauthentic, as also confirmed by al-Ṣaghānī (p. 7) and others.Moreover, the meaning is also flawed. Love for one's homeland is a natural human emotion, just like the love for life and wealth. But such emotions do not qualify as attributes of faith (īmān), nor are they praised. Isn't it evident that both Muslims and disbelievers generally love their respective homelands? Hence, it cannot be a standard for īmān.
