Excerpt from: “ʿAqīdah Tawḥīd par Jalālī ke Shubuhāt kā Izālah” by Shaykh Sayyid Tauseefur Raḥmān Rāshidī
Ashraf Jalālī uses a definition of shirk (polytheism) taken from Imām Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī’s Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid. However, before accepting this definition, it is crucial to scrutinize Taftāzānī’s own positions and associations.
Taftāzānī wrote a commentary on al-Kātibī’s philosophical treatise, a student of Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī — the infamous Rāfiḍī who facilitated the fall of Baghdad, the massacre of Muslims, and the desecration of their lands. It is astonishing that someone claimed to be a Sunni scholar would write a commentary on a Rāfiḍī’s intellectual legacy.
① Permissibility of Teaching Magic
Taftāzānī writes in Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid:
ولا كفر فى تعليم السحر بل فى اعتقاده
“Teaching magic is not disbelief (kufr); kufr lies in believing in it.”
❖ The Qur’an refutes this:
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ ٱلسِّحْرَ
“But the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic.”
—
[al-Baqarah: 102]
Implying: Teaching magic is kufr, contrary to Taftāzānī’s claim.
② Insult Against the Companions
Taftāzānī writes:
Some of the Companions left the truth and committed acts of oppression and transgression due to jealousy, hatred, and worldly desires.
This is a Rāfiḍī tone and contradicts Ahl al-Sunnah’s firm belief in the integrity of the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم.
③ Undermining the Oneness of God
Commenting on the verse:
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا
— “If there were other gods besides Allah, both [heaven and earth] would be corrupted.”
— [al-Anbiyā’: 22]
Taftāzānī claims this is a rational argument, not definitive proof, and suggests it’s possible that two gods could coexist peacefully.
This was deemed kufr by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Kirmānī رحمه الله.
Let us now review the correct definitions of shirk from the Imāms of Ahl al-Sunnah, especially those revered by Ḥanafīs:
Describing the real shirk of the Quraysh, he says:
“They did not believe that the idols created the universe. Rather, they regarded them as representations of righteous people, using them as intercessors and means of nearness to Allah.”
Sharḥ al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah, p. 22
Hence, shirk was not believing in multiple creators but in intercession, supplication, and means (tawassul) through saints, just like today’s grave worshippers.
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ
"These are our intercessors with Allah."
— [Yūnus: 18]
This reflects the same mindset found in many modern practices — supplicating at graves and believing that saints fulfill needs.
Even Shah Waliyyullāh al-Dihlawī and his family clearly defined shirk:
“Shirk is to attribute a divine quality to someone other than Allah — to believe that someone has intrinsic knowledge or can do whatever he wills.”
— Commentary on al-Baqarah: 221
This directly contradicts statements like:
“The Prophet ﷺ had knowledge of all that was and all that will be.”
—as translated in Irfān al-Qur’ān by Tāhir al-Qādrī.
والشرك أن يثبت لغير الله شيئا من صفاته المختصة به
“Shirk is to attribute to other than Allah any of His exclusive attributes.”
Examples:
Modern beliefs mirror ancient shirk:
Such notions are exactly what Shah Waliyyullāh described as shirk.
A case where people claim a drowned boat was saved 12 years later after offering vows to a saint.
Fatāwā Naʿīmiyyah: 2/305
This is clear shirk, attributing divine rescue to the dead.
In Fatḥ al-Ghayb (Discourses 7 & 17), he states:
“Once you reach Allah, fear none else, seek nothing from others, and do not rely on anyone besides Him.”
“Do not think anyone can give or take besides Allah. Everything that happens is from Allah alone.”
He clearly taught:
No peer, no saint, no prophet has power
Only Allah is the Doer, Giver, Sustainer
“All creation is like a man tied to a pole over a river, while a King (Allah) shoots arrows at him. Fear the King, not the tied man.”
This reflects the absolute helplessness of creation and the sole authority of the Creator.
“We seek Allah’s protection from blindness after sight, from deviation after guidance, and from disbelief after faith.”
“Shirk is not just worshiping idols, but also relying on one’s desires, or believing that anyone other than Allah has independent control over one’s affairs.”
When ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها questioned the Prophet ﷺ's long prayers, he replied:
أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا؟
“Shall I not be a grateful servant?”
— Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4836
He affirmed: “I am a servant of Allah” — not divine, not to be worshipped.
Jalālī Ṣāḥib’s definition of shirk is extremely restricted and does not align with the Qur’an, Sunnah, or the definitions of great Sunni imāms.
➤ True shirk is:
✔ Attributing Allah’s exclusive attributes to others
✔ Believing saints can grant children, heal, rescue, or control fate
✔ Seeking help, fear, or trust from creation rather than the Creator
❖ Jalālī Ṣāḥib’s Reliance on Taftāzānī for the Definition of Shirk
Ashraf Jalālī uses a definition of shirk (polytheism) taken from Imām Saʿd al-Dīn al-Taftāzānī’s Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid. However, before accepting this definition, it is crucial to scrutinize Taftāzānī’s own positions and associations.
❖ Background and Problematic Affiliations of Taftāzānī
Taftāzānī wrote a commentary on al-Kātibī’s philosophical treatise, a student of Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī — the infamous Rāfiḍī who facilitated the fall of Baghdad, the massacre of Muslims, and the desecration of their lands. It is astonishing that someone claimed to be a Sunni scholar would write a commentary on a Rāfiḍī’s intellectual legacy.
❖ Taftāzānī’s Deviations
① Permissibility of Teaching Magic
Taftāzānī writes in Sharḥ al-ʿAqāʾid:
ولا كفر فى تعليم السحر بل فى اعتقاده
“Teaching magic is not disbelief (kufr); kufr lies in believing in it.”
❖ The Qur’an refutes this:
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ ٱلسِّحْرَ
“But the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic.”
—
[al-Baqarah: 102]Implying: Teaching magic is kufr, contrary to Taftāzānī’s claim.
② Insult Against the Companions
Taftāzānī writes:
Some of the Companions left the truth and committed acts of oppression and transgression due to jealousy, hatred, and worldly desires.
This is a Rāfiḍī tone and contradicts Ahl al-Sunnah’s firm belief in the integrity of the Ṣaḥābah رضي الله عنهم.
③ Undermining the Oneness of God
Commenting on the verse:
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا
— “If there were other gods besides Allah, both [heaven and earth] would be corrupted.”
—
[al-Anbiyā’: 22]Taftāzānī claims this is a rational argument, not definitive proof, and suggests it’s possible that two gods could coexist peacefully.
This was deemed kufr by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Kirmānī رحمه الله.
❖ True Definition of Shirk According to Ahl al-Sunnah
Let us now review the correct definitions of shirk from the Imāms of Ahl al-Sunnah, especially those revered by Ḥanafīs:
❖ Imām Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله:
Describing the real shirk of the Quraysh, he says:
“They did not believe that the idols created the universe. Rather, they regarded them as representations of righteous people, using them as intercessors and means of nearness to Allah.”
Sharḥ al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah, p. 22Hence, shirk was not believing in multiple creators but in intercession, supplication, and means (tawassul) through saints, just like today’s grave worshippers.
❖ Qur’anic Clarification of Their Belief:
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ
"These are our intercessors with Allah."
—
[Yūnus: 18]This reflects the same mindset found in many modern practices — supplicating at graves and believing that saints fulfill needs.
❖ Shah Waliyyullāh and Family on Shirk
Even Shah Waliyyullāh al-Dihlawī and his family clearly defined shirk:
❖ Shah ʿAbdul Qādir al-Dihlawī رحمه الله:
“Shirk is to attribute a divine quality to someone other than Allah — to believe that someone has intrinsic knowledge or can do whatever he wills.”
— Commentary on al-Baqarah: 221
This directly contradicts statements like:
“The Prophet ﷺ had knowledge of all that was and all that will be.”
—as translated in Irfān al-Qur’ān by Tāhir al-Qādrī.
❖ Shah Waliyyullāh رحمه الله in
والشرك أن يثبت لغير الله شيئا من صفاته المختصة به
“Shirk is to attribute to other than Allah any of His exclusive attributes.”
Examples:
- To believe someone besides Allah can say "Be, and it is" (كُنْ فَيَكُونُ)
- To believe someone can give healing or sustenance
❖ Grave Worship and Peer-Worship Today
Modern beliefs mirror ancient shirk:
- People say "Peer X helps in trials", "If you don’t offer milk to saint Y, your cow will stop giving milk"
- Devotees call shrines ‘nigrī’ (territories): Lahore is “Dātā’s nigrī”, Gujrat is “Dola Shah’s”, etc.
Such notions are exactly what Shah Waliyyullāh described as shirk.
❖ Example from
A case where people claim a drowned boat was saved 12 years later after offering vows to a saint.
Fatāwā Naʿīmiyyah: 2/305This is clear shirk, attributing divine rescue to the dead.
❖ Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رحمه الله on Shirk
In Fatḥ al-Ghayb (Discourses 7 & 17), he states:
“Once you reach Allah, fear none else, seek nothing from others, and do not rely on anyone besides Him.”
“Do not think anyone can give or take besides Allah. Everything that happens is from Allah alone.”
He clearly taught:
No peer, no saint, no prophet has power Only Allah is the Doer, Giver, Sustainer❖ Powerful Analogy by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رحمه الله:
“All creation is like a man tied to a pole over a river, while a King (Allah) shoots arrows at him. Fear the King, not the tied man.”
This reflects the absolute helplessness of creation and the sole authority of the Creator.
❖ Concluding Advice from Shaykh al-Jīlānī رحمه الله:
“We seek Allah’s protection from blindness after sight, from deviation after guidance, and from disbelief after faith.”
“Shirk is not just worshiping idols, but also relying on one’s desires, or believing that anyone other than Allah has independent control over one’s affairs.”
❖ Final Point: Even the Prophet ﷺ Acknowledged Servitude
When ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها questioned the Prophet ﷺ's long prayers, he replied:
أَفَلَا أَكُونُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا؟
“Shall I not be a grateful servant?”
—
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4836He affirmed: “I am a servant of Allah” — not divine, not to be worshipped.
❖ Conclusion
Jalālī Ṣāḥib’s definition of shirk is extremely restricted and does not align with the Qur’an, Sunnah, or the definitions of great Sunni imāms.
➤ True shirk is:
✔ Attributing Allah’s exclusive attributes to others
✔ Believing saints can grant children, heal, rescue, or control fate
✔ Seeking help, fear, or trust from creation rather than the Creator
