Definition of Shirk from Taftazani’s Book
Jalali Sahib! You have derived the definition of shirk from Taftazani Rahimahullah’s book Sharh al-Aqaid.
Answer
Just know the condition of this man, the cause of the silence of Baghdad, the Rafidi, criminal Nasir al-Din Tusi, may Allah have mercy on him, because of whom the Muslims of Baghdad were attacked and this country was taken away. The water of the Tigris was colored with the blood of Muslims and thousands of Muslims were mercilessly killed. His student Najib al-Din Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Umar al-Qazwini al-Katibi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote a book on Ilm al-Kalam, and its commentary was done by your favorite Hazrat Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him. It is understood that if he were an Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah and a member of Ahl al-Sunnah, would Satan have inspired him to write a commentary on this Rafidi’s book? And in the Arab world, it is famous under the name “Risalah al-Shamsiyyah” and in the Indian subcontinent as “Risalah al-Sa’diyyah.”
Furthermore, in the book “Sharh al-Aqa’id” taught in your madrasas, Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him, says about magic:
ولا كفر فى تعليم السحر بل فى اعتقاده
Teaching magic is not disbelief, but believing in it is disbelief.
In response, we present only one verse from the Holy Quran regarding the disbelief in teaching magic:
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَٰكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ
And they (the Jews) followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon, and Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved by teaching people magic.
It is understood that learning magic and teaching it to people is disbelief. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, mentioned magic among the major sins.
The Commander of the Faithful, Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to his governors that whoever they find practicing magic should be killed. Within one day, three magicians were killed. The magic that Islam declared disbelief and the order to kill the magician, your Hazrat says that teaching it does not mean disbelief. Regarding this, observe the last statement where, using the language of Rafidism, he says about the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, see his words:
أما ما وقع بين الصحابة من المحاربات والمشاجرات على الوجه المسطور فى كتب التواريخ والمشهور على السنة ثقات بظاهره على أن بعضهم قد حاد عن طريق الحق وبلغ حد الظلم والفسق
That the disputes and fights among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, are present in the books of history and also on the tongues of trustworthy narrators, so it becomes clear that some among the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, had abandoned the truth. They had moved away from the truth, rather they had reached the limits of oppression and immorality, because they had envy, hatred, and quarrelsomeness within them.
وطلب الملك والرياسة والميل إلى اللذات والشهوات
Their hearts had developed desires for rule, kingship, pleasures, and wishes.
Regarding Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him, we present evidence from your own house.
Sheikh Abdul Latif bin Abdul Aziz al-Kurmani, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding this verse of the Holy Quran:
لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا
says that this verse is an “Iqtina’iyyah Hujjah,” meaning it is possible that the opposite could also be true. That is, they accept that if there were two gods, chaos would ensue, but it is possible that this chaos would not have occurred, and both would have compromised and worked together.
Reason says it was possible that both gods could have cooperated.
Thus, al-Kurmani, may Allah have mercy on him, issued a fatwa of disbelief on this.
Therefore, how is it possible to accept the statement of a person whom the senior Hanafi scholars, etc., have declared as such? And how is it appropriate to present this as a definition of shirk?
Definition of Shirk in the Light of the Statements of the Imams of the Hanafi School:
Come! Now we present the explanations of the Hanafi Imam in comparison to the definition of shirk presented by Taftazani, may Allah have mercy on him. Ibn Abi al-Izz al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him
, while mentioning the disbelievers of Mecca, says:
لم يكونوا يعتقدون فى الأصنام أنها مشاركة لله فى خلق العالم، بل كان حالهم فيها كحال أمثالهم من مشركي الأمم من الهند والترك والبربر وغيرهم
They did not believe that the idols were partners with Allah in the creation of the universe, rather their condition was like that of other polytheists, such as the polytheists of India, Turkistan, and Berbers, etc.
تارة يعتقدون أن هذه تماثيل قوم صالحين من الأنبياء والصالحين، ويتخذونهم شفعاء
Sometimes they thought that these were the images of righteous people, prophets, and pious individuals, and they considered them intercessors with Allah.
ويتوسلون بهم إلى الله
And they used them as means of intercession with Allah.
وهذا كان أصل شرك العرب
This was the original shirk of the Arab polytheists.
It is understood that according to Ibn Abi al-Izz al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, the original shirk of the Arab polytheists was making images of prophets and righteous people and considering them intercessors with Allah.
But Jalali Sahib! According to you, a polytheist is one who considers someone other than Allah as necessary existence; if this is not believed, then he is not a polytheist. The disbelievers of Mecca did not consider anyone other than Allah as necessary existence, so were they not polytheists?
Also, the disbelievers of Mecca did not consider anyone other than Allah worthy of worship; what did they do with those images? The Qur’an informs us about this:
هَٰؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
These are our intercessors with Allah.
Just as some people nowadays say that Allah does not listen to us and does not respond to us. Thus, they make them intercessors, come to them and ask for prayers because prayers are more likely to be heard. The condition of some Muslims today is the same. For example, there is a shrine of a Mangho Pir where people come and say: We believe in them that the prayers made here and wishes asked are accepted, and there is a crocodile pond at the shrine, and it is said that these are the lice of the Pir Sahib, which have transformed into crocodiles.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Shah Waliullah, Pir Jelani’s Definition of Shirk
Jalali Sahib says:
Shah Abdul Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, is a great scion of the family of Waliullah Dehlvi, may Allah have mercy on him. This is the family from which all the knowledge of Hadith in the Indian subcontinent has come through their house………
Observe the definition of shirk from the mentioned scholars:
So let us follow the words of the son of the family of Waliullah, may Allah have mercy on him, and observe the definition of shirk transmitted by him, because people also call his translation a divine translation. As Ahmad Raza Khan, may Allah have mercy on him, said in Fatawa Razawiyya,
: This translation should be kept in mind.
Now understand the definition of shirk from Shah Abdul Qadir Dehlvi, may Allah have mercy on him, who writes under
: Shirk is to attribute the attribute of Allah Almighty to someone else, meaning to believe about someone else that they know this or can do whatever they want. Tahir-ul-Qadri Sahib, while translating Irfan-ul-Quran, says regarding the work of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had ما كان وما يكون knowledge of everything. That is, he had knowledge of what has happened and what is to happen. Jalali Sahib! The son of the family of Waliullah, may Allah have mercy on him, has torn apart your definition of shirk.
❀ Shah Waliullah Dehlvi, may Allah have mercy on him, defines shirk as follows:
والشرك أن يثبت لغير الله سبحانه وتعالىٰ شيئا من صفاته المختصة به كالتصرف فى العلم بالإرادة
Shirk is that a person attributes to someone other than Allah Almighty any of the attributes of Allah which are exclusive to Him, for example: to act in the universe with the intention that is described by كُنْ فَيَكُونُ. Or to believe that someone other than Allah has personal knowledge which is obtained without senses, without intellect, without revelation, and without dreams. Or to attribute to someone other than Allah the attribute that he cures the sick.
Keeping the above definition in mind, observe the following incident and decide for yourself what shirk (polytheism) really is?
It is narrated in the sayings that a Pir Sahib’s son, while playing, came and sat on his father’s lap. He told a disciple: Write. The disciple asked: What should I write? The child said: فلان فى الجنة So-and-so is in Paradise. He kept writing. Then the child said: Write that فلان فى النار So-and-so is in the fire. He did not write. The child said: Write, but he did not write. The child said: أنت فى النار is in the fire. Distressed, he informed the Pir Sahib. The Pir Sahib said: Did the child say في جهنم or “or in the fire”? The disciple said: He said فى النار. The Pir Sahib said: What he said cannot be changed now; it is your choice whether to burn in the fire in this world or burn in the fire of the Hereafter.
This كُنْ فَيَكُونُ attribute has been given to Pirs, whereas it is an attribute of Allah Almighty, who accepts whom He wills and turns away whom He wills. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came to the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and said: I asked Allah Almighty for three prayers; two were accepted and one was not. That is Allah Almighty; if He wills, He can delay the prayer of His Messenger, peace be upon him. The attribute كُنْ فَيَكُونُ belongs to the Lord of the Worlds. Today, in our Punjab, some people say that if on the eleventh day, milk is not given in the name of the eleventh saint (Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him), the buffalo will die; some say the milk will dry up; and some say blood will start coming instead of milk.
What is this? Has the attribute of Allah Almighty not been recognized in the creation? It is Allah Almighty who tightens the economy.
وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا
And whoever turns away from My reminder – indeed, he will have a depressed life.
Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, further says that it is Allah Almighty who saves the sinking boats. Whoever accepts this attribute other than Allah Almighty commits shirk (polytheism).
But your Hazrat Iftikhar Ahmad Naeemi, may Allah have mercy on him,
says:
A wedding procession was going, and its groom was Shah Dola (the real name of Shah Dola was Syed Kabiruddin Shah Dola, may Allah have mercy on him). The boat sank. Then someone thought to give the eleventh day to the saint of the eleventh day, and the saint saved the sinking boat 12 years later.
❀ Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes further in Al-Fawz al-Kabir:
ولم يكن هؤلاء المشركون يشركون أحدا فى خلق الجوهر وتدبير أمور العظام
The polytheists of previous nations did not attribute anyone as the Creator of the universe or as a partner in the important affairs of Allah Almighty.
That is, the polytheists of previous nations did not believe that so-and-so created this and so-and-so created that. Like the polytheist of today’s era says:
An oppressor said that on the pulpit of the mosque in Kufa, Sayyidina Ali al-Murtaza, may Allah be pleased with him, sat and said: I was the one who created the heavens, I was the one who created the earth, I was the one who created Paradise and Hell, sitting on the throne of justice I will judge among you, I cause rain to fall, I provide sustenance, I give death, I give life, I was the one who expelled Adam, peace be upon him, from Paradise, I was the one who caught Yunus, peace be upon him, in the belly of the fish. A disrespectful man stood up and said: This is all the glory of Allah Almighty that you are attributing to yourself. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: This is not my glory; this is my duty. The glory is far above this. Similarly, today’s professing Muslim says that:
God has released Muhammad from the grip.
No one can release Muhammad from the grip.
People! Tell me, what is this? Is this monotheism or polytheism?
Servants of Allah! Allah Almighty caught the chief of hypocrites (Abdullah ibn Abi), then Muhammad ﷺ interceded, led the funeral prayer, spat in his mouth, and clothed him in his own shirt, yet Allah Almighty said:
Even if you seek forgiveness seventy times, I will not forgive him.
❀ Similarly, Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) did not accept the religion of Muhammad ﷺ, so on the Day of Judgment, he will receive the lightest punishment. Therefore, your claim that
No one can release Muhammad from the grip is completely false.
This is the Muslim who recites the Kalima today, but the polytheists of Arabia and the polytheists of previous nations did not hold the belief that those beings whom they associated as partners with Allah were partners in creating the earth or the heavens, nor did they believe that anyone had such power that if Allah wished to do something, their spiritual leaders, elders, or guides could obstruct that work. Rather, what was their polytheism? Shah Waliullah, may Allah have mercy on him, explains:
وإنما كان إشراكهم فى الأمور الخاصة لبعض العباد
Their polytheism was that they associated certain servants of Allah as partners with Him in specific matters.
That is, they considered some servants of Allah as partners in certain affairs, and they believed that Allah had bestowed such honor and dignity upon some servants that their pleasure or displeasure affected the people. As it is said in Punjabi here: “Oh yes, they are not insignificant in the eyes of Allah.”
Their hand reaches the treasures of Allah; they give whatever they wish, erase what is written, they have the power to erase what Allah has written and the strength to write anew in its place, and if Allah has not decided to give something to anyone, these beloved ones of Allah can even get that decision changed and grant what they desire. This was their belief.
كما إن ملكا من الملوك العظيم القدر يرسل عبيده المخصوصين إلى نواحي مملكته ويجعلهم مختارين متصرفين فى أمور جزئية
Like a king of a very large kingdom who sends his special servants around his realm and assigns them certain tasks and entrusts many people’s affairs to them, and those who want to reach the king use them as intermediaries, so the king accepts their recommendations.
Jalali Sahib! This is the description of Shah Waliullah, may Allah have mercy on him, about whom you say that as far as the knowledge of Hadith in the Indian subcontinent is concerned, it all passed through the family of this Waliullah.
Jalali Sahib! In the light of Shah Sahib’s description, even today’s grave-worshipping Muslim would be considered a polytheist.
❀ Moreover, you have gone further and divided regions in the names of spiritual guides. Lahore is the city of Data, Gujrat is the city of Dulla Shah, Seon is famously known as the city of Lal Shahbaz, Multan is the city of Shah Shams Tabrez, may Allah have mercy on him, and then they have been assigned responsibilities.
If someone gets into trouble in a lawsuit, they only go to Buri Buri Sarkar Buri Kar De; if someone wants children, they come to the court of Shah Dulla; if someone is in financial hardship, there is the grave of Baba Ali Hajveri, may Allah have mercy on him, for that.
Jalali Sahib! Why did you not present the definition of shirk according to the Hanafi scholars?
Alright, let me take you towards your spiritual guides. Your elders have said about Pir Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, that his foot is on the neck of all saints.
❀ Tahir-ul-Qadri Sahib says that Pir Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, does not declare anyone a wali (saint) until then that person cannot become a wali. If someone wants to become a wali, their papers reach the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, returns those papers to Pir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him. After verification, Pir Jilani sends them back to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and then the person receives sainthood.
Jalali Sahib! You do not accept us, fine, but at least accept your own elders.
❀ Pir Jelani, may Allah have mercy on him, in Fatuh al-Ghaib
, says to his disciples:
When you attain access to Allah Almighty, become fearless of everything else, do not care about anyone’s existence, neither in profit nor in loss. Other than Him, fear no one and hope from no one, and do not think that anyone except Allah Almighty can give or take away anything. He alone is worthy of being feared; He alone is the Forgiving. Therefore, always keep your attention on Him, ask from His door, obey Him, and withdraw from creatures in this world and the Hereafter, observing the commands of Allah Almighty.
That is, all the dead, living, elders, saints, sheikhs, and spiritual guides cannot do anything for anyone, neither can they give benefit nor cause harm. Whatever benefit Allah Almighty has written in your destiny, no one can prevent it, and whatever harm He has written in your fate, no one can stop it either.
For example, some shrine caretakers claim that no desire of theirs remains unfulfilled. Oh! The desire of Muhammad, peace be upon him, was that Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, recite the Kalima. Was this desire fulfilled? And some say, ask whatever you want, request whatever you want, etc., etc. Is this not a divine claim?
Consider the teaching of Pir Jailani, may Allah have mercy on him. He says:
لا تعلق قلبك بشيء منهم
Do not incline your heart towards anything; consider all creation like a man to whom a king has given a throne, tied him with ropes, bound his feet, then hung him on a cross, sat by a deep canal with his weapon, and if he shoots arrows at him, whose fear should enter the heart—the king’s or the man hanging on the cross?
With this example, Sheikh Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, wants to explain that the person who fears or hopes for benefit from the man hanging on the cross is not wise. Is he not an animal who does not fear the king but fears the helpless and powerless man hanging on the cross? Remember! In this example, the man hanging on the cross represents all creatures, and the king represents Allah, the Owner of the Kingdom. All creatures are helpless and powerless before Allah. Prophet Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him, raised his voice for many years لا إله إلا الله, endured the oppression and tyranny of his people, his own son did not recite the Kalima and join his community, and drowned before his eyes; he could not save his son.
❀ Sheikh Gilani, may Allah have mercy on him, further advises:
We seek refuge in Allah Almighty from becoming blind after gaining insight, breaking the connection with Allah after establishing it, going astray after receiving guidance, and falling into disbelief after having faith.
Jalali Sahib! If you still do not understand Tawheed, then please refer to Pir Sahib’s article number 7:
ليس الشرك عبادة الأصنام فحس
Shirk is not only the worship of idols. It is also shirk if someone follows their desires and, besides their Lord, chooses someone else as a partner in this world and the Hereafter. For example: the Lord is also the Reliever of difficulties, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is also the Reliever of difficulties; the Lord also gives, and Ali Hujwiri (may Allah have mercy on him) also gives; the Lord is also the Benefactor of the poor, and the one of Ajmer is also a Benefactor of the poor; the Lord has knowledge of the unseen, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) also had knowledge of what was and what will be, etc. And whoever is other than Allah is other than Allah, whoever they may be, for example: a Prophet, a saint, an elder, all are other than Allah, meaning they are not deities but creations of Allah. And when someone inclines towards them and trusts in them, then that is shirk.
❀ When Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) saw the blessed feet of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) swollen, she said: Allah Almighty has forgiven all your past and future sins, so why do you stand for so long?
The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied:
أفلا أكون عبدا شكورا
Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?
It is understood that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said we are servants of Allah, meaning we are other than Allah, not the same. From the words of Sheikh Jilani (may Allah have mercy on him), it is clear that in matters where Allah is unique, if someone inclines towards any other than Him, it will be called shirk.
