Protection of Tawheed and Reforming the Ummah from Shirk

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّـذِيْنَ قَالُـوٓا اِنَّ اللّـٰهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيْحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَـمَ ۖ وَقَالَ الْمَسِيْحُ يَا بَنِىٓ اِسْرَآئِيْلَ اعْبُدُوا اللّـٰهَ رَبِّىْ وَرَبَّكُمْ ۖ اِنَّهٝ مَنْ يُّشْرِكْ بِاللّـٰهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللّـٰهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّـةَ وَمَاْوَاهُ النَّارُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْصَارٍ (72)

The purpose of presenting the issue here was that this noble verse contains correction of a false belief of the Christians. They had a wrong creed, and despite that they used to consider themselves successful, and in this world they claimed honor and in the Hereafter salvation. They used to say that we will be honored in this world and honored in the Hereafter. The Qur’an corrects them by stating that although you claim to follow the true religion and call yourselves Muslims, and you believe in Jesus (peace be upon him) and the Hereafter and the divine scripture, your belief is actually disbelief and completely against divine teachings. Therefore, honor and salvation cannot be combined with such belief.

For example, a person claims to be a Muslim and believes that he is a true believer in the Qur’an, the Prophet ﷺ and the Hereafter, but in reality his beliefs, ideology and actions are corrupted, due to which his faith becomes damaged. He deceives himself thinking he is a Muslim and will attain honor in both worlds, while he is unaware of the corruption of his belief. Therefore, he must be warned so that his correction takes place and his false beliefs are removed.

If you do not warn such a person, and instead praise him and tell him that he will enter Paradise and say that he is beloved of the Prophet ﷺ, and assure him salvation and honor in this world, then he will never correct his false beliefs or ideas. When he dies, he will be destroyed in the Hereafter. Warning against false beliefs is in fact kindness, goodwill, and true reform.

For example, a person suffering from a severe illness: if you keep praising him saying he is very healthy and Allah has given him excellent health, then he will never feel the seriousness of his illness, nor will he go to a doctor or take medicine or treatment. But if you warn him properly about his disease, he becomes concerned and starts thinking and seeks treatment. Likewise, spiritual diseases exist, and the Qur’an is the Book of Allah that recognizes such diseases.

The Christians were followers of Jesus (peace be upon him), but they became misguided in Tawheed and were unaware of their corruption. The Qur’an says: convey the message to them and warn them from their corruption. The Christians had deviated in Tawheed.

About seventy years after the time of Jesus (peace be upon him), a Jew entered among them to corrupt their religion. His name was Saul, and when he entered Christianity he changed his name to Paul. Today he is considered a major figure in Christianity and is called Saint Paul. He introduced corrupt beliefs into Christianity, including the belief in the divinity of Jesus (peace be upon him). One sect accepted this belief, known as the Jacobites, who held the doctrine of divinity of Jesus.

When a person sees some extraordinary qualities or miracles in someone, people sometimes become deceived and attribute divinity to him. For example, Jesus (peace be upon him) used to heal the blind and the sick, and even bring the dead back to life. The Christians said these are divine acts, and whoever performs them must be God. Whereas they should have said that Jesus (peace be upon him) is a servant and messenger of Allah, and these miracles were given to him by Allah. Instead, they turned his qualities into divinity.

The Prophet ﷺ also saw these deviations and warned his Ummah not to elevate him beyond his rank. The Prophet ﷺ is the mercy for all worlds, but he is still a servant of Allah. If someone says that Allah and the Prophet both are “Mercy for the worlds” in the same meaning, then the Prophet ﷺ himself closed this path and said:

لَا تُطْرُونِي كَمَا أَطْرَتِ النَّصَارَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ

Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary, rather call me the servant of Allah.

Raising a person beyond his rank is actually lowering him. For example, calling a shopkeeper a governor or an ordinary person a scholar in an exaggerated way is in fact disrespect, not honor. Likewise, calling a human being God is not respect but humiliation.

The Prophet ﷺ corrected such matters at different occasions. A person said: مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَشِئْتَ (Whatever Allah wills and you will). The Prophet ﷺ said:

أَجَعَلْتَنِي لِلَّهِ نِدًّا؟

Have you made me an equal to Allah? Rather say: whatever Allah wills alone.

On another occasion someone said: أغثني يا رسول الله (Help me, O Messenger of Allah). The Prophet ﷺ clarified:

إنما لا يُستغاث بي بل المستغاث هو الله

Help and refuge is not sought from me; it is only sought from Allah.

He even prayed:

اللَّهُمَّ لَا تجْعَل قَبْرِي وَثَنًا يُعْبَد

O Allah, do not make my grave an idol that is worshipped.

And he said:

لا تجعلوا قبري عيدا

Do not make my grave a place of festival or gathering.

So the Christians went astray by attributing divinity to Jesus (peace be upon him). Therefore they must be warned so that they reflect and return to correction.

لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّـذِيْنَ قَالُـوٓا اِنَّ اللّـٰهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيْحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَـمَ ۖ

Indeed those people have disbelieved who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.

وَقَالَ الْمَسِيْحُ

The Qur’an responds by quoting Jesus (peace be upon him), as if saying: you call Jesus God, but listen to what Jesus himself says.

يَا بَنِىٓ اِسْرَآئِيْلَ اعْبُدُوا اللّـٰهَ

Jesus said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah alone.

رَبِّىْ وَرَبَّكُمْ ۖ

My Lord and your Lord. Worship belongs only to the One who is the Lord, and I am not a Lord but a servant.

He called towards pure Tawheed, that all worship, love, fear, and hope must be only for Allah.

اِنَّهٝ مَنْ يُّشْرِكْ بِاللّـٰهِ

Whoever associates partners with Allah…

The statement is general: whoever commits shirk—no matter who it is—on the face of the earth, there is no exception. Not even prophets or angels can be considered partners with Allah. Whether it is an idol of stone or flesh, both are forbidden.

Likewise, false leaders, misguided spiritual guides, or even worldly desires and wealth—when they are obeyed like Allah’s commands, then this becomes shirk in meaning. People sometimes make haram and halal decisions based on such influences.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّينَارِ، تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّرْهَمِ

Wretched is the slave of gold and silver…

Meaning whoever becomes a slave of wealth, desires, or people, is destroyed.

So one must not associate partners with Allah. Whoever gives any creation such a position in his heart that it exceeds the obedience of Allah, then he has committed shirk.

Regarding such a person, Allah says Paradise is forbidden for him, and his abode is Hell. The Qur’an focuses greatly on correcting the Hereafter, but it also implies worldly consequences: a mushrik nation cannot achieve true success.

اَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَیَذْهَبُ جُفَآءًۚ

Or:

فَكَاَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّیْرُ اَوْ تَهْوِیْ بِهِ الرِّیْحُ فِیْ مَكَانٍ سَحِیْقٍ

So a polytheistic society cannot attain true elevation; even if it appears temporarily successful, it eventually falls.

Therefore reforming beliefs is necessary so that all forms of shirk are removed from society.

فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللّـٰهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّـةَ وَمَاْوَاهُ النَّارُ ۖ

Indeed Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode is Hell.

وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِيْنَ مِنْ اَنْصَارٍ

And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.

This may either be a divine statement or the words of Jesus (peace be upon him): such a person becomes a wrongdoer in three ways—oppressing the right of Allah, wronging himself by elevating creation above its rank, and causing corruption in society. When shirk spreads, injustice spreads in society and no one can save such people from Allah’s punishment—neither through force nor intercession.