Writings

The four principles of shirk by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb. Extracted from the Qurʾan and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Benefit of learning these principles. It becomes easy to understand the reality of the tawheed Allah sent His prophets and messengers with. It becomes easy to understand the reality of shirk He has warned against, and the evil effect it has in this world and the next. Importance of tawheed and al-ḥanīfiyyah. The Shaykh says know” — this is of utmost importance. May Allah guide you to His obedience. Al-ḥanīfiyyah is the religion of Ibrāhīm — the path of Ibrāhīm: worshipping Allah, making the religion only for Him. Allah commanded all people and created them for it. Linguistically, ḥanīf comes from ḥanaf — to lean towards something. Islamically, it means to turn completely away from shirk and towards Allah. Allah does not benefit from your worship — He is Al-Ghaniyy. Worship is not worship unless accompanied by tawheed — just as ṣalāh is not accepted without purification. Direct all acts of worship to Allah alone. If you are not doing it solely for Him, you are exerting yourself for no reason. That is tawheed — the path of Ibrāhīm. If shirk enters worship, it corrupts it, just as impurity nullifies purification. Shirk is worshipping something or someone other than Allah alongside Him. It is not for the mushrikūn to maintain the mosques of Allah while they witness against themselves disbelief; their actions are vain, and in the Fire they would be forever. When you recognize that shirk entering worship corrupts all actions, destroys them, and dooms the doer to eternal Fire, you understand what the most important matter to learn is. Three effects of shirk. It nullifies acts of worship. It destroys all the actions of the individual. Whoever dies upon it is in eternal Fire. Sahih Muslim 7475. We learn about shirk so we can avoid it. May Allah save us from shirk. Abu Firas Al Hamdani said: “I learnt about evils [prevalent in my time] not to [commit them], but to protect myself. For whoever does not recognise the evils among people will inevitably fall into them.”. The Four Principles. Principle 1: Know that the disbelievers the Messenger ﷺ fought affirmed that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Giver of life and death, and that He manages all affairs, yet this belief did not enter them into Islam. Allah says in the Quran: Ibn ʿAbbās and others explained: when asked who created the heavens and earth, they say Allah — yet they worship idols (al-Lat, al-ʿUzzā, etc.), seek help from them, and make vows and sacrifices to them. That is tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah invalidated by shirk. Abū Jahl and his like believed Allah was Creator and Provider; it did not avail them. Belief in tawḥīd al-rubūbiyyah i.e belief in Allah's Lordship is not enough. You must single out Allah in worship. Allah mentions their rubūbiyyah belief, then calls them to tawḥīd al-ulūhiyyah. Allah then explains actions of His rubūbiyyah. The prophets did not primarily call to rubūbiyyah, because the people already affirmed it. They called to singling out Allah in worship. La ilāha illā Allāh. When the Prophet ﷺ called the kuffār to say la ilāha illā Allāh, they said: Has he made the gods only one God? Indeed, this is a curious thing. They understood he was calling them to single out Allah in worship and abandon other gods. Misunderstanding the word ilāh causes misinterpretation of the kalimah. In Arabic, ilāh means al-maʿbūd: that which is worshipped. Correct meaning: lā maʿbūda bi-ḥaqqin illā Allāh — there is no deity worthy of worship in truth except Allah. Had it meant “there is no Creator except Allah,” the disbelievers would not have rejected it — they already believed that. Whoever does not come with this meaning will not have salvation in this world or the next, even if they believe in Allah’s Lordship. Principle 2: The disbelievers would say: we do not call on idols except to seek nearness (qurbah) and intercession with Allah. They saw themselves as sinners unworthy of asking Allah directly, so they went through idols they thought had status with Allah. Allah answers them: Nothing brings a person closer to Allah except singling Him out in worship and following the Prophet ﷺ. Their idea that idols, graves, or people draw them nearer is a false analogy (qiyās fāsid): comparing Allah to worldly kings who need intermediaries. That misunderstanding of affirmed vs negated intercession led them into shirk. Human intercession in this world needs no permission; the one interceded for may not deserve it; a king may be pressured. Allah’s affirmed intercession is nothing like that. Why eternal Fire for seeking intercession? Because they have not appraised Allah with true appraisal. If they truly saw Him as Al-ʿAẓīm, they would worship Him directly. They made Him like kings who need advisors. Intercession belongs to Allah: The reality of intercession is that the whole matter goes back to Allah from beginning to the end: He wants to forgive and pardon. He guides the one to be interceded for to tawheed. He causes the intercessor to intercede. He accepts the intercession. He told us to call Him directly. He did not say "qul" here, showing we need no intermediary for duʿāʾ. There are two types of intercession: Negated intercession: intercession sought from other than Allah in matters that only Allah has the power to grant. Affirmed intercession: intercession affirmed by Allah and will occur on the Day of Judgement. Negated intercessions include: Intercession requested from other than Allah in matters only He controls. Intercession thought to occur without Allah’s permission (false — Āyat al-Kursī 2:255: none intercedes except by His permission). Intercession requested for the disbelievers. A question-form negation also challenges: who dares intercede without My permission? Affirmed intercessions include: The intercessor is honored by being allowed to intercede. The one interceded for is one Allah is pleased with — people of tawheed. On that Day: Allah allows the intercession; Allah is pleased with the one interceded for. Someone may ask: what if i’m asking someone for something they are in a position to help with in this world? There are 4 conditions to asking people for help: Ḥayy — the person being asked has to be alive. the dead can’t help. calling them is shirk. Ḥāḍir — the person being asked has to be present. someone who’s not present can’t hear you, let alone help you. if you believe they can hear you, then you’ve given them the attribute of Lordship, which is shirk — shirk akbar. Qādir — the person being asked has to have the ability to help you. if the person is alive and present, but doesn’t have the ability to help you, then you don’t ask. Sabab — that you believe the person is only a means. ultimately, Allah is the One who has helped you, cured you, and taken you out of the situation you were in. if you believe the person helped you independently of Allah, then you’ve fallen into shirk. Full tawakkul in Allah, seek aid from Him and deal with matters without attaching the heart to anyone. Principle 3: The Prophet ﷺ saw people divided in worship, some of them worshiped the sun, trees, stones, mountains, the Prophet ﷺ fought them all and didn’t differentiate between them all. Do not be like those who split their religion into sects and worshipped their desires. Worshiping jinns, angels, prophets, righteous people takes you out of the fold of islam. Some say: the texts were about worshippers of idols, al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, and Manāt — we only seek the righteous as intermediaries so they can get us closer to Allah and intercede for us. The author makes it clear that the Prophet ﷺ didn’t differentiate between the polytheists. Principle 4: The fourth principle establishes that the polytheist of our time are actually worse in their shirk than those of the past, because early polytheists would turn sincerely to Allah alone in times of hardship, whereas the polytheists of today persist in their shirk in both ease and hardship and in some cases become even more extreme during times of difficulty. May Allah guide you and me to what is right, grant us goodness in this world and the next. Ameen.

Sep 18, 2026

Man and intellect. Man is distinguished by his intellect, so act according to it. Two angels watch over the hours, and every hour either bears witness for you or against you; the delight of the longer-lived is not like the weariness of those who merely imitate ascetics. Laziness is an evil companion, while complete virtue is knowledge joined to action. Knowing Allah and the Messenger. First, know Allah through His signs in creation. Then study the proofs of the Messenger's truthfulness, the Qur'an being the greatest of them, and submit to the Sacred Law. Let high ambition lead you to memorise the Qur'an, tafsir, hadith, the sīrah, the lives of the Companions, and the words of the later scholars. Benefiting from time and opportunities. Seek the company of the perfected, for their presence teaches even before they speak. Wasted time is a warning: days, hours, and breaths are treasure chests, and what is placed in them will be opened before you. Methodology of cultivation. Begin with Fajr, morning supplication, and the walk to the masjid with a dua on the tongue. Pray Duha, then study until Maghrib and ‘Isha; fill the night with prayer and review. In solitude, let books be your companions and disciplined routine your teacher. On isolation — Imam al-Khattabi. Imam al-Khattabi said that isolation can preserve the heart and gather the mind: “When a man withdraws from distraction, his thought is collected and his purpose is strengthened.” Do not delve into a science before mastering what precedes it; whoever begins without foundations only multiplies confusion. As the poet said, “The shortcoming of the able is more painful than the weakness of the incapable.” Sacred knowledge raises the lowly when it is sought sincerely and carried with humility. Self-sufficiency. Guard your honor and do not make knowledge a means of begging. It is said, “A loaf of bread and a few vegetables are better than dependence.”. Hasan al-Basri taught a Bedouin that dignity is richer than display, and Ibn al-Jawzi never humiliated himself for knowledge. Remember the promise in Surat al-Talaq, verses 2–3: whoever fears Allah, He makes a way out and provides for him. Fear of Allah. True fear of Allah is a door to every good. The Prophet’s safeguarding counsel to Ibn Abbas teaches reliance, obedience, and awareness that all creation is under Allah’s decree. Abu al-‘Abbas ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas(ra) reports: “One day I was riding (a horse/camel) behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said, ‘Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of God. If you need help, seek it from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if God had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.’ ”. Related by Tirmidhi. A youth who fears Allah is honored above one who merely appears devout. Seek knowledge joined to action; among the most complete were Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, Hasan al-Basri, Sufyan al-Thawri, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Memorisation. Memorisation is the capital from which understanding and practice draw their profit. Gather the revealed texts carefully, revise them constantly, and beware of becoming rich in theory while poor in action. Knowledge and action are intertwined. Do not worship without learning, nor learn without intending to obey. Account for every glance, word, and step; a preacher who does not apply his knowledge weakens his own counsel. Renew intention in every deed. The twins of sound knowledge and action are nourished by a mother of high motivation. The characteristics of a beneficial preacher. A beneficial preacher knows when to mingle and when to isolate. He does not turn the marketplace into a place of laughter, nor make every gathering a joke. He learns, speaks with purpose, and keeps silent without slipping into frivolity. Fulfilling the rights of others. Give every person the rights due to them, and do not let study make you negligent of family, neighbours, or promises. Remember that every hour is a trust. The grave is a chest in which deeds are stored; what you place there will meet you. Consider consequences, and plan wealth wisely so that generosity and responsibility endure. Closing counsel. Strive hard, trust the outcome to Allah, and ask Him for sincerity. Success is not in collecting words alone, but in knowledge that bears fruit through faithful application. May Allah guide you and me to what is right. Ameen.

Sep 15, 2026