بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
كشف الشبهات
كشف الشبهات is a book written by Shaikh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab. Every seeker of knowledge should take care of studying this book after the 3 Fundamentals and Kitab At-Tawheed.
كشف means removal.
الشبهات is the plural of شبهة which means doubt.
When truth is mixed with falsehood it becomes vague and confusing. This is what a شبهة is.
This book deals with clearing the doubts raised by polytheists with evidences. The polytheists use evidences, but when you study the book, you will find that they use evidences which have unclear meanings to the common people. As for the Scholars, the meanings are clear. The Sheikh therefore refutes these doubts using evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
The type of doubts he deals with all revolve around Tawheed Al-Uloohiyah or Tawheed Al-‘Ibadah which is Allah’s sole right to be worshipped.
بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Shaikh began his book with the Basmallah. It is the method of the Qur’an and Sunnah to begin every speech and letter with the Basmallah and Hamdallah. Allah began His Book with بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله الرب العالمين.
Whenever the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wrote letters to the leaders of the world he would begin with بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم.
There is however a weak Hadith which says:
كُلُّ كَلَامٍ أَوْ أَمْرٍ ذِي بَالٍ لَا يُفْتَحُ بِذِكْرِ اللهِ فَهُوَ أَبْتَرُ - أَوْ قَالَ : أَقْطَعُ
Every action that is not initiated with the Basmallah is cut off of Barakah (blessings).
[Ahmed]
الرحمن الرحيم are two names of Allah which denote the attribute of الرحمة (mercy).
الرحمن is ذو رحمة واسعة (The Owner of Vast Mercy). Allah’s mercy encompasses eveyrhing.
الرحيم is ذو رحمة الواصلة (The Owner of mercy which extends to His believing slaves).
No one besides Allah can be called رحمن, however they can be called رحيم.
بِسْم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Means I begin doing such and such in the name of Allah; seeking His help and blessings
اعلم - رحمك الله -
He started his book Thalathatul Usool with the same introduction. He started Qawaa’id Al-Arba’a with:
اعلم أرشدك الله
He started with this introduction to draw your attention to what he is going to say. اعلم is a command.
التوحيد هو إفراد الله سبحانه بالعبادة
و هو دين الرسل أرسلهم الله به إلى عبادة
The Scholars are in consensus that Tawheed is divided into three categories:
a) Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiyah
b) Tawheed Al-Uloohiyah
c) Tawheed Al-Asma wa Sifat
The Shaikh’s definition is the definition of Tawheed Al-Uloohiyah, or Tawheed Al-Ibadah. This is his focus in the book.
و هو دين الرسل أرسلهم الله به إلى عبادة
Nuh عليه السلام said in Surah Al-A’raf [7:59]:
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
“Indeed, We sent Nuh (Noah) to his people and he said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. (La ilaha ill-Allah: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!"
Hud عليه السلام said in [7:65]:
وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ
“And to 'Ad (people, We sent) their brother Hud. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. (La ilaha ill-Allah: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah). Will you not fear (Allah)?"
Saleh عليه السلام said in [7:73]:
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ
“And to Thamud (people, We sent) their brother Salih (Saleh). He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. (La ilaha ill-Allah: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)“
Shu’ayb عليه السلام said in [7:85]:
وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ
“And to (the people of) Madyan (Midian), (We sent) their brother Shu'aib. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. [La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)]."
Does this mean that the Prophets and Messengers did not call their people to Tawheed Ar-Ruboobiya? The people had already believed that Allah was the only Lord of the Universe; their problem was in Tawheed Al-Ibadah (Monotheistic Worship). Even Pharoah believed in it, as Allah says in Surah an-Naml [27:14]:
وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا ۚ فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
“And they belied them (those Ayat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their ownselves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayat) are from Allah, and Musa (Moses) is the Messenger of Allah in truth, but they disliked to obey Musa (Moses), and hated to believe in his Message of Monotheism]. So see what was the end of the Mufsidun (disbelievers, disobedient to Allah, evil-doers, liars.).”
فأولهم نوح عليه السلام أرسله الله إلى قومه لما غلوا في الصالحين: ود، و سواع، و يغوث، و يعوق، و نسر
Adam عليه السلام was the first Prophet and Nuh عليه السلام was the first Messenger. Shaytan encouraged the first generation to make statues of the righteous to remind them of Allah, and they did. When this generation passed away, other generations came and the Shaytan came to them and said that their forefathers worshipped these statues, so worship them, and they did. Allah sent Nuh عليه السلام to call the people to worship Allah alone.
و آخر الرسل محمد ﷺ وهو الذي كسر صور هؤلاء الصالحين
The last of the Messengers is the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and there is no Prophet after him. The author mentioned that he ﷺ is the one who smashed all the idols, and that was during the Conquest of Makkah. There were 360 idols in and around the Ka’bah. The Prophet ﷺ destroyed them, and while he was destroying them, he recited the verse in Surah Al-Israa [17:81]:
وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا
“And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."
أرسل الله إلى أناس يتعبدون و يحجون و يتصدقون و يذكرون الله كثيرا
The Prophet ﷺ was sent to the Arabs of Quraish who used to worship Allah, perform Hajj, give charity, and remember Allah much. When they do Hajj they did not go beyond the boundaries of the Haram, they would do it up to Muzdakifa, because they considered themselves special (Khumz). They rebuked the Prophet ﷺ for going beyond to Arafah with the other people because he was one of the Khumz.
و لكنهم يجعلون بعض المخلوقات وسائط بينهم و بين الله
What was their problem if they did all those acts of worship? In their worship, they used to associate partners with Allah, even though they confessed that Allah created them and bestowed favours upon them.
عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَبِي يَا حُصَيْنُ كَمْ تَعْبُدُ الْيَوْمَ إِلَهًا قَالَ أَبِي سَبْعَةً سِتَّةً فِي الْأَرْضِ وَوَاحِدًا فِي السَّمَاءِ قَالَ فَأَيُّهُمْ تَعُدُّ لِرَغْبَتِكَ وَرَهْبَتِكَ قَالَ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ قَالَ يَا حُصَيْنُ أَمَا إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَسْلَمْتَ عَلَّمْتُكَ كَلِمَتَيْنِ تَنْفَعَانِكَ قَالَ فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَ حُصَيْنٌ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَلِّمْنِيَ الْكَلِمَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ وَعَدْتَنِي فَقَالَ قُلْ اللَّهُمَّ أَلْهِمْنِي رُشْدِي وَأَعِذْنِي مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي
Imran ibn Husayn reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to my father, “O Husayn, how many gods do you worship today?” My father said, “Seven. Six on earth and one in heaven.” The Prophet said, “In which of them do you depend for your most ardent hopes and concerns?” He said, “The one in heaven.” The Prophet said, “O Husayn, if you accept Islam, I will teach you two words to benefit you.” Later when Husayn had embraced Islam, he said, “O Messenger of Allah, teach me the two words you promised to me.” The Prophet said, “Say: O Allah, inspire me with guidance and protect me from the evil of my ego.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3483]
When the Prophet ﷺ called the Arabs to لا اله الا الله they refused to say it because they knew if they did they would have to reject the rest of their gods. However the polytheists of nowadays go around the graves and shrines and say لا اله الا الله. This means that they do not understand the meaning of لا اله الا الله. They are ignorant.
What was the aim behind worshipping these idols?
يقول: نريد منهم التقرب إلى الله، و نريد شفاعتهم عنده مثل الملائكة و عيسى بن مريم و أناس و غيرهم من الصالحين
The Quraish took these idols as intermediaries that they sought nearness to Allah through.
فبعث الله عليهم إليهم محمد ﷺ يجدد لهم دين أبيهم إبراهيم عليه السلام
Allah sent the Prophet ﷺ to revive the Religion of their forefather Ibrahim عليه السلام; Al-Haneefiyyah (Avoiding Shirk and inclining towards Tawheed). Ibrahim عليه السلام feared Shirk for himself, as mentioned in Surah Ibrahim [14:35]:
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ
“And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said: "O my Lord! Make this city (Makkah) one of peace and security, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.”
و يخبرهم أن هذا التقرب و الإعتقاد محض حق الله، لا يصلح منه شيء، لا ملك مقرب و لا لنبي مرسل فضلا عن غيرهما
And to teach them that worship is the sole right of Allah and is not befitting for anyone else. No one shares this with Allah, neither an Angel nor a Messenger nor a righteous person.
و إلا فهؤلاء المشركون مقرون يشهدون أن الله هو الخالق الرازق وحده لا شريك له و أنه لا يرزق إلا هو و لا يحيى و لا يميت إلا هو و لا يدبر الأمر إلا هو، و أن جميع السماوات السبع و من فيهن و الأرضين و من فيهن كلهم عبيده و تحت تصرفه و قهره
They believed that Allah was their Creator and Sustainer but the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to fight them because they committed Shirk in worship. Their problem was the intermediaries they took with Allah.
They used to take righteous people as intercessors, but nowadays they take evil people.
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