I was listening to a lecture by Mufti Muhammad Akmal about AyatulKursi that was simply mind-blowing. A few points I would like to share. He said sometimes we listen to naats or see other people behaving like they are setting others beside Allah. But in reality a simple different kind of thinking kan determine whether that is shirk or not.
Three points determines whether something is shirk
When you put things to test through three points you will manage to determine whether it is shirk or not. Those three points are :
1. Is it something that one has always had or is it given to you by someone?
2. Is it something that will never end or is it something that could end or has an end?
3. Is it something that has no limit to it or is it something that is within limits?
Asking from the Prophet (pbuh)
Whenever we listen to different kind of people they say that asking something from our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is shirk. Mufti Akmal explains this in a very nice way that was very easy to understand. If we think that what we are given from the Prophet is because it is given to him from Allah, and that it is something that will end, and that it has limits, than it is not shirk. Like we know that Allah can see everything, but we can also see so are we doing shirk because we are doing the same as Allah, seeing? Mufti Akmal explained that the case is that we know that our sight is given to us by Allah, it has an end and limits. Allah`s seeing is not given to him by anyone, it has no end, and no limits. When we think like that it is not shirk.
The intention of visiting the graveyard
Mufti Akmal also said that sometimes we see people go to different graveyards of different friends of Allah. Some say that going to these graveyards is shirk. But that depends of the niyah of you going there. If you believe that what is given to the walli is from Allah it will have an end and it is within limits it isn`t shirk. If we use these three questions whenever we are unsure about whether an action is shirk it will help us determine whether it is or not.
Asking from a friend of Allah (Walli)
Some say that we can`t ask walli`s for help but if we think that what is given to us from them is given because they have gotten it from Allah and not themselves than it is not shirk. Because when we think that what they have gotten will end and it has limits than it wouldn`t be shirk to think like that because it isn`t putting them as rival to Allah.
Is it shirk to listen to naats ?
Back to naats. So when people listen to naats they often are asking our Prophet (pbuh) of help. Mufti Akmal says that some people say that when we say “Ya RasolAllah” he hears us even though he is far away. But other say that it is shirk to think like that. The Mufti explained that if we for one could believe that Allah is far away from something than we would be doing shirk. But Allah is closer to us than our jugular vein. He is close to us and everything always. So saying that our Prophet is hearing something from far away wouldn`t be shirk because Allah isn`t far away from anything. So they are not alike.
Shirk everywhere
Yes we should learn from scholars from the right kind of scholars that explains thoroughly what shirk actually is and how to determine whether something is shirk or not. Some people have the attitude that they say that everything is shirk. Though Mufti Akmal explained in this video that it depends on how you think and whether it passes the tree questions mentioned above. If you would like to listen to the whole lecture it is called the bayan of Ayatulkursi by Mufti Akmal at youtube. I would highly recommend it (thumbs up). May Allah always protect us from setting a rival against Him and give us the correct aqeedah so that we can do ibaadah that will give us fruitful outcome, in sha Allah, ameen summa ameen.
Roshnii179 