Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
To judge according to the commands revealed by Allah is, in fact, an acknowledgment of His Lordship, His perfect ownership, and His complete authority over His creation. Abandoning the Shariah revealed by Allah and accepting the judgment of another is tantamount to acknowledging that other as a lawgiver. Allah has expressed this meaning in the Qur’an as follows:
﴿اتَّخَذوا أَحبارَهُم وَرُهبـنَهُم أَربابًا مِن دونِ اللَّهِ وَالمَسيحَ ابنَ مَريَمَ وَما أُمِروا إِلّا لِيَعبُدوا إِلـهًا وحِدًا لا إِلـهَ إِلّا هُوَ سُبحـنَهُ عَمّا يُشرِكونَ ﴿٣١﴾
Sūrah al-Tawbah
“They took their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, son of Maryam. And they were not commanded except to worship one God. There is no deity except Him. Glorified is He above what they associate with Him.”
Allah referred to these scholars and monks as “lords” because they were obeyed in opposition to Allah. Their statements were accepted contrary to the commands of Allah, which constitutes an act of worship.
ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim (RA) said to the Prophet ﷺ: “We did not worship them.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied:
«بل انهم حرموا عليهم الحلال ،وأحلوا لهم الحرام فأتبعوهم فذلک عبادتهم اياهم»
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Bāb min Sūrat al-Tawbah, Ḥadīth 3095 – graded ḥasan by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitāb al-Īmān, p. 67)
“When they declared something lawful for them, they considered it lawful; and when they declared something unlawful for them, they considered it unlawful. This was their worship of them.”
If a person accepts anyone other than Allah and His Messenger ﷺ as having the authority to judge, the Qur’an contains numerous verses declaring the invalidity of such a person’s faith. Among them, the verses in Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (60–65) are particularly clear:
﴿أَلَم تَرَ إِلَى الَّذينَ يَزعُمونَ أَنَّهُم ءامَنوا… لا يُؤمِنونَ حَتّى يُحَكِّموكَ فيما شَجَرَ بَينَهُم… ﴿٦٥﴾
Sūrah al-Nisāʾ
“(O Prophet!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you… By your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you judge in all disputes between them and find within themselves no discomfort from what you have decided and submit in full submission.”
① They wish to appoint Ṭāghūt as judge:
Ṭāghūt refers to any person or system that opposes the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
② They refuse when called to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ:
When asked to return to the rulings of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, they withdraw.
③ They display hypocrisy when calamity strikes as a result of their deeds:
When afflicted due to their evil actions, they swear that their intent was only good.
Allah emphatically declared that faith is not complete unless:
① The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is made the judge in all disputes.
② His decisions are accepted with complete satisfaction of the heart.
③ His judgment is submitted to with full compliance.
In three separate verses, Allah said:
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الكـفِرونَ ﴿٤٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the disbelievers.”
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الظّـلِمونَ ﴿٤٥﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the oppressors.”
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الفـسِقونَ ﴿٤٧﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the sinners.”
﴿وَالكـفِرونَ هُمُ الظّـلِمونَ ﴿٢٥٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Baqarah
“And the disbelievers are the oppressors.”
﴿إِنَّهُم كَفَروا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسولِهِ وَماتوا وَهُم فـسِقونَ ﴿٨٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Tawbah
“They disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and they died while defiantly disobedient.”
✿ If a person considers Allah’s commands insignificant or believes human laws are superior:
→ He is a disbeliever, outside the fold of Islam.
✿ If a person judges against Allah’s commands solely out of dominance or vengeance:
→ He is an oppressor, not a disbeliever.
✿ If a person abandons Allah’s ruling for bribery or worldly gain:
→ He is a sinner, not a disbeliever.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) classified those who took their scholars and monks as lords into two categories:
① Those who knowingly accepted the altered religion: This is disbelief.
② Those who sinned but maintained correct belief: They are sinful but not disbelievers.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
The Ruling on One Who Judges Without the Commands Revealed by Allah
The Importance of the Commands Revealed by Allah
To judge according to the commands revealed by Allah is, in fact, an acknowledgment of His Lordship, His perfect ownership, and His complete authority over His creation. Abandoning the Shariah revealed by Allah and accepting the judgment of another is tantamount to acknowledging that other as a lawgiver. Allah has expressed this meaning in the Qur’an as follows:
﴿اتَّخَذوا أَحبارَهُم وَرُهبـنَهُم أَربابًا مِن دونِ اللَّهِ وَالمَسيحَ ابنَ مَريَمَ وَما أُمِروا إِلّا لِيَعبُدوا إِلـهًا وحِدًا لا إِلـهَ إِلّا هُوَ سُبحـنَهُ عَمّا يُشرِكونَ ﴿٣١﴾
Sūrah al-Tawbah
“They took their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, son of Maryam. And they were not commanded except to worship one God. There is no deity except Him. Glorified is He above what they associate with Him.”
Allah referred to these scholars and monks as “lords” because they were obeyed in opposition to Allah. Their statements were accepted contrary to the commands of Allah, which constitutes an act of worship.
Incident of ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim (RA)
ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim (RA) said to the Prophet ﷺ: “We did not worship them.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied:
«بل انهم حرموا عليهم الحلال ،وأحلوا لهم الحرام فأتبعوهم فذلک عبادتهم اياهم»
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Bāb min Sūrat al-Tawbah, Ḥadīth 3095 – graded ḥasan by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah in Kitāb al-Īmān, p. 67)
“When they declared something lawful for them, they considered it lawful; and when they declared something unlawful for them, they considered it unlawful. This was their worship of them.”
One Who Accepts Anyone Other Than Allah and His Messenger ﷺ as Judge
If a person accepts anyone other than Allah and His Messenger ﷺ as having the authority to judge, the Qur’an contains numerous verses declaring the invalidity of such a person’s faith. Among them, the verses in Sūrah al-Nisāʾ (60–65) are particularly clear:
﴿أَلَم تَرَ إِلَى الَّذينَ يَزعُمونَ أَنَّهُم ءامَنوا… لا يُؤمِنونَ حَتّى يُحَكِّموكَ فيما شَجَرَ بَينَهُم… ﴿٦٥﴾
Sūrah al-Nisāʾ
“(O Prophet!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you… By your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you judge in all disputes between them and find within themselves no discomfort from what you have decided and submit in full submission.”
Signs of the Hypocrites in These Verses
① They wish to appoint Ṭāghūt as judge:
Ṭāghūt refers to any person or system that opposes the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
② They refuse when called to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ:
When asked to return to the rulings of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, they withdraw.
③ They display hypocrisy when calamity strikes as a result of their deeds:
When afflicted due to their evil actions, they swear that their intent was only good.
The Clear Oath of Guidance from Allah
Allah emphatically declared that faith is not complete unless:
① The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is made the judge in all disputes.
② His decisions are accepted with complete satisfaction of the heart.
③ His judgment is submitted to with full compliance.
The Ruling on One Who Does Not Judge According to Allah’s Commands
In three separate verses, Allah said:
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الكـفِرونَ ﴿٤٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the disbelievers.”
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الظّـلِمونَ ﴿٤٥﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the oppressors.”
﴿وَمَن لَم يَحكُم بِما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولـئِكَ هُمُ الفـسِقونَ ﴿٤٧﴾ – Sūrah al-Māʾidah
“…such are the sinners.”
Do All Three Attributes Apply to the Same Person?
- Some scholars say these three attributes (disbeliever, oppressor, sinner) all apply to the one who judges without Allah’s commands, citing:
﴿وَالكـفِرونَ هُمُ الظّـلِمونَ ﴿٢٥٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Baqarah
“And the disbelievers are the oppressors.”
﴿إِنَّهُم كَفَروا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسولِهِ وَماتوا وَهُم فـسِقونَ ﴿٨٤﴾ – Sūrah al-Tawbah
“They disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and they died while defiantly disobedient.”
- Other scholars hold that these attributes apply differently depending on circumstances.
Detailed Explanation
✿ If a person considers Allah’s commands insignificant or believes human laws are superior:
→ He is a disbeliever, outside the fold of Islam.
✿ If a person judges against Allah’s commands solely out of dominance or vengeance:
→ He is an oppressor, not a disbeliever.
✿ If a person abandons Allah’s ruling for bribery or worldly gain:
→ He is a sinner, not a disbeliever.
Statement of Ibn Taymiyyah (RA)
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (RA) classified those who took their scholars and monks as lords into two categories:
① Those who knowingly accepted the altered religion: This is disbelief.
② Those who sinned but maintained correct belief: They are sinful but not disbelievers.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
