Tawheed in intent and objectives

1- Allaah, the Most High, is One and Alone. He has no partner in His Lordship (ruboobiyyah), nor in His Divinity (Uloohiyyah), nor in His Names and Attributes. He alone is Lord of the worlds, Who deserves that all forms of worship should be directed to Him alone.

2- To direct any form of worship, such as; Supplication (du'aa), Seeking succor and help (istigaathah), Seeking aid and assistance (isti'aanah), Vowing (nadhr), Slaughtering (dhabh), Reliance and trust (tawakkul), Reverential fear (khawf), Hope (rajaa), Love (mahabbah), or other similar acts, to other than Allaah the Most High, constitutes ascribing partners to Allaah (shirk) - irrespective of who the worship was directed to; whether it was an angel, a Prophet, a righteous person, or someone other than this.

3- From those fundamentals upon which worship is based is that Allaah is to be worshiped with love, fear and hope collectively. To worship Allaah with some of them without the other is misguidance. One of the scholars said:

“Whosoever worships Allaah with only love is a heretic; whosoever worships Him with only fear is a Harooree; and whosoever worships Him with only hope is a Murji’ee.”

4- Absolute submission, pleasure and obedience are to be given only to Allaah and to His Messenger, peace and blessing be upon him. To believe that only Allaah the Exalted is the judge is a part of Imaan that He alone is Lord, and He alone deserves to be worshiped without ascribing to Him partners in His judgment or Command. To legislate by what Allaah has not permitted, to refer judgment back to the taaghoots; to follow a code of law other than that of Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, or to replace anything of the Sacred Law (sharee'ah) is all kufr (disbelief). Whosoever claims that someone is permitted to leave acting by the sacred Law has committed kufr.

5- Judging by other than the judgment of Allaah is sometimes the greater form of disbelief (kufr akbar), whilst at other times it is kufr lesser than [the great] kufr. An example of the former would be to adhere to a law other than the Sacred Law of Allaah (sharee'ah), or to make judgment by other than it lawful. An example of the latter is to turn away from Allaah's Sacred Law in a specific case because of succumbing to one's false desires, but with one's overall adherence to Allaah's Sacred Law.

6- To divide the Religion into an esoteric, inner reality (haqeeqah), which only the elite can be distinguished by, and an exoteric outer reality (sharee'ah), to which the general masses must adhere, to the exclusion of the elite, is falsehood. The same is the case for separating politics and other than that, from the Religion. Indeed, whatever opposes the Sacred Law, whether it be esoteric realities, politics, or other than these, is either disbelief or misguidance (dalaalah), depending upon its level of opposition to the Sacred Law.

7- None has knowledge of the hidden Unseen (ghayb), except Allaah alone. Believing that someone other than Allaah has knowledge of the ghayb constitutes disbelief. However, along with this, one must believe that Allaah has made some matters of the ghayb known to some of His Messengers.

8- To believe the predictions of the fortune-tellers, astrologers and soothsayers (munajjims) constitutes kufr. Merely going to them and questioning them constitutes a major sin (kabeerah).

9- The means of approach to Allaah (waseelah) that has been ordered in the Qur'aan, is to seek nearness to Allaah the Exalted with those acts of obedience that have been prescribed. Seeking nearness to Allaah (tawassul) is of three types: - Prescribed (shar'ee); this is to invoke Allaah by calling upon Him by using His Names and Attributes, or by mentioning one's righteous action, or by the invocation of a righteous living person. Innovated (bid'ee); seeking closeness to Allaah by invoking Allaah with the personage (dhaat), honour (jaah), right (haqq) or sanctity (hurmah) of the Prophets and the righteous, or their like. Polytheistic (shirkee); this is where the dead are taken as intermediaries between a person and Allaah, supplicating to them and seeking the fulfilment of one's needs through them, seeking their assistance, and other similar acts.

10- Divine blessings (barakah) - which is the affirmation, the increase or the continuance of good and excellence -occurs from Allaah. He selects whosoever He chooses from His creation for this. One may not affirm the existence of barakah, except with a proof. Barakah is found in certain times; such as the Night of Power and Decree (Laylatul-Qadr); in certain places, like the three Sacred Mosques; in certain things, like in Zamzam water; in certain actions - and every righteous action is blessed, and in certain individuals, like in the personage (dhaat) of the Prophets. It is not permissible to seek the barakah of any individual - either by their personage or their relics and remnants (aathaar), except that of the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him’s personage and relics. This is because there is no evidence to do so, except for him. However, seeking barakah through the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, has ceased with his death and with the disappearance of his relics and remnants, peace and blessing be upon him.

11- Seeking Divine blessings (tabarruk) in something can only be affirmed by a textual proof (tawqeefiyyah). Therefore it is not permissible to seek tabarruk, except in that for which there is an evidence to do so.

12- The actions of people at the grave, and their visiting the graves (ziyaarah) is of three types:

- Prescribed: this is to visit the graves with the intention of being reminded of death, sending greetings of peace (salaam) upon its inhabitants, and supplicating for them.

- Innovated: and this negates the perfection and completeness of tawheed and is a means leading to shirk - and it is to go to the graves intending to worship and draw closer to Allaah at them, to seek tabarruk from them and their inhabitants, to offer the rewards of one's good actions to the dead, to build shrines over them, to plaster and light candles at them, to take them as a place of Prayer, to specifically undertake journeys to the graves; and other similar actions.

- Polytheistic: which nullifies Tawheed - and it is to direct any act of worship to the inmate of the grave; such as supplicating to them, seeking their assistance, ritually circumambulating (tawaaf) around them, sacrificing and vowing at them, and its like.

13- The means (wasaa`il) carry the same ruling as their objectives. Therefore, every avenue that leads to shirk in the worship of Allaah, or innovations in the Religion - then it obligatory to forbid it. This is because every newly-invented matter in the Religion is an innovation (bid`ah), and every bid`ah is misguidance and a heresy.