Tawhid al-Hakimiyyah ?!?

Is it allowed for us to say tawhid is divided into four and include the tawhid of hakimiyyah – meaning, to single out Allah with rule/judgment?

The concern with the tawhid of hakimiyyah and singling it with mention did not exist except in the last centuries, it being the thirteenth-century hijri. It was only singled out when man-made laws were established; thus some spoke about it and that rule belongs solely to Allah, even though its beginnings appeared in the time of ibn Taymiyyah and ibn Kathir regarding the Yasiq of the Tatar.

We say here that there are some who have a particular position concerning whoever speaks about the tawhid of hakimiyyah based on criticism of a particular movement (the Sahwah movement) or based on specific occurrences, none of which is based on looking at the issue from a scientific lens. Thus verdicts were passed declaring whoever singles out hakimiyyah as a type of tawhid as an innovator.

But the correct view is that there isn’t an issue adding the tawhid of hakimiyyah. It’s not said he is an innovator and declaring him one for this is a mistake. There are those who divided tawhid into two categories, then came those who divided it into three; he would be an innovator according to that view. There are also some people of knowledge that divided tawhid into five categories, adding the tawhid of following. Is he an innovator as well? The rule (qa’idah) is that there is no problem with terminology if it is correct. If reality requires highlighting and paying attention to a certain tawhid and making it an independent category, even if it is within the categories before it, there is no objection; and there are many parallels for that.

Hakimiyyah enters into the tawhid of asma and sifat, based on the name al-Hakam as in the hadith: “Verily, Allah is the judge and the rule belongs to Him.” And it is based on the effects, i.e., one of the meanings of rububiyyah: the act of ordering and forbidding. Where is the bid’ah in that? The one who declared another an innovator for this is either a mistaken mujtahid, and this is said about those known for being honest, or a misguided jahil or one trying to patch up rulers that substituted the law of Allah and a trumpet for them.

International Law !?!?!

If the scholars do not fulfill their duty to remove this confusion and clarify the path of the criminals, there will be sedition on earth and great corruption.

Resorting to what is called “international law” from the calls that are echoed by some politicians, is intended to mean resorting to man-made laws the West created in order to impose its political hegemony and intellectual vision on the peoples of the world. And because of the widespread circulation of the term in the media, some Muslims – with extreme regret – use this term without realizing its serious creedal implications and dimensions. And it has increased recently after the criminal court ruling on the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Thus we are pleased to present this detailed study to clarify the truth of these astray lawsuits, and the legal position towards them.

One of the most dangerous things Muslims suffer from today is what their enemies from the unbelievers and hypocrites do of misleading and misguiding to the point this has become one of the prominent features of our contemporary reality. The seriousness of this matter has reached the extent to which some of the people of knowledge have been deceived, as well as the general public and masses, by what the wolves in sheep’s clothing do in terms of manipulation of terms and overturning facts and presenting them in decorative molds, putting them in various media with intensity and repetition until the ears become normalized with them and repeated by many Muslim children – sometimes out of malice and other times out of ignorance and neglect.

What increased the danger was the negligence of many scholars to confront these ambiguities, many of which affect the core of ‘aqidah, the pillars of tawhid, and the ummah’s identity and character. If the scholars do not fulfill their duty to remove this confusion and clarify the path of the criminals, there will be sedition on earth and great corruption.

Among the dangerous kufri terms the international media use, followed by many media outlets in Islamic countries who have no creativity, which scholars must expose, explain, and clarify its danger to ‘aqidah, is the term “international law”. Whereas today it is being proposed extensively, asking for the consolidation of this pagan term in the minds of the people by calling them to “respect of international law”, sometimes to “prohibit deviations from international law”, and other times to “abide by the decisions of international law”. So what does this taghuti term mean?

Do not be stung twice from the same hole !

To be precautious and prudent is a Prophetic directive, especially when dealing with those who have been proven deceitful and dishonest. It is unbecoming of a Muslim to be gullible that he would be deceived twice by the same trick. A person may see things in other than their real form and, thus, he gets deceived by them – and this is normal – but to not be precautious and allow himself to be deceived twice, this is unacceptable naivety that is unbecoming of a believer. This directive is a universal principle and most beneficial advice eloquently coined in a terse statement made by the master of eloquence, Prophet Muhammad (saws).

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (saws) said: “A believer should not be stung twice from the same hole.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Hadith uses the Arabic verb “Yuldagh” which means to be bitten or injured by a venomous creature such as scorpions and snakes; and the term “Juhr” (hole) means the burrow dug by vermin and wild animals.

Commenting on the Hadith, Abu ‘Ubayd said: “This eloquent statement was never uttered by anyone before the Prophet (saws) and he first said it to an Arab poet named Abu ‘Azzah Al-Jumahi. When this man was taken prisoner by the Muslims during the Battle of Badr, he appealed to the Prophet (saws) to release him without ransom because he was poor and had a family to support. The Prophet (saws) granted him his request. When the same man was later taken prisoner by the Muslims in the Battle of Uhud, he again appealed to the Prophet (saws) for his release, mentioning his poverty and dependents. In response, the Prophet (saws) said to him: 'You will not boast in Makkah and say that you had mocked Muhammad twice!' Thereupon, the Prophet (saws) ordered that he be killed. This story was cited by Ibn Ishaaq in Al-Maghazi.”

Given the richness and depth of the meaning of this succinct Prophetic directive, the commentators of Hadith mentioned many interpretations for it that are all possible despite its brevity.

Fallacy of “Don’t Judge!” in Islam !!!

“Who are you to judge?” “Worry about your own sins”…, ”It’s not your business what I choose to do with my life”…, ”You don’t know what’s in my heart”….

Such statements are all too common nowadays but have we ever asked ourselves if they are actually correct? In this article we will very briefly examine some Āyāt of the Qurʾān, Aḥādīth of Rasūlullāh (saws) and narrations from the Salaf that prove why such sentiments are in fact not in accordance with the teachings of Islām.

Believers as Shāhid (Witnesses)

Allāh says: “And say: do (as you will), for Allāh will see your deeds, and (so will) his Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and he will inform you of what you used to do.” [9:104]

In this āyah Allāh warns that just as Allāh and His Prophet (saws) will see your actions, the believers will also observe your actions. This shows that the judgement of the believers regarding a person is also important. This understanding is further supported by the following three narrations.

Once a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. The Prophet (saws) said, “It has been obligatory for him.” Then another funeral procession passed and the people spoke badly of the deceased. The Prophet (saws) said, “It has become obligatory on him”. ʿUmar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb asked, “What has become obligatory?” He replied, “You praised this person, so Paradise has become obligatory for him; and you spoke badly of this person, so Hell has become obligatory for him. You people are Allāh’s witnesses on earth.” [Bukhārī]

Rasūlullāh (saws) once addressed the ṣahābah saying: “Soon you will be able to tell the people of Paradise from the people of Hell.” They said: “How O Messenger of Allāh?” He said: “By praise and condemnation. You are Allāh’s witnesses over one another.” [Sunan ibn Mājah]

Ranks of Friends...

Grab a pen and paper and try to write down the names of all your friends, and then classify them into categories. You will discover that some of them are not really friends but rather casual companions.

One of them may be your fellow commuter whom you meet every day on the bus or tram. He greets you, so you greet him, and he asks you a question, so you answer him. He requests that you close the window, and if you do, he thanks you, or he steps on your foot and, if he realizes it, he apologizes. A word leads to a smile, and a smile leads to a chat, and as the days pass, you find yourselves exchanging greetings and talking to each other as if you were close friends, although you may not even know his  name nor have any clue about what he really is!

Another one on your list is the work colleague. You may be an employee, and his office is opposite to yours, and you see him all day long. You may be a worker, and his machine is right next to yours. Or he may be working with you in the same store, or his store is next to yours in the marketplace. You spend more time with him than with your own family, and you meet with him more often than you meet with your friends and loved ones! You may share moments of seriousness, humor, contentment, and anger with him, while the two of you have totally different appearances, minds, and backgrounds.

You may also find on the list a traveling companion whom you meet on a train and share the desire to ward off boredom. You exchange greetings and small talk, or make some observations on what you see and hear during the journey. Within a few hours, you share food and you fall asleep in the same space. The barriers between you start to fall and you see and know about one another what only your household members or close relatives would see or know about you, although you are totally unrelated and you have no brotherly affection for each other.