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Idolatry, even by modern standard, is archaic. Only few lunatics in the modern age identify with idolism (the worship of idols). Idolatrous people of present day, in most cases, shroud their activities in secrecy. Not because they are few, even many Muslims are idolatrous, but because our sense of modernity tells us it is not something to be identified with. It is a shameful thing and a shameful act.
This write-up dwells on many of our engagements, activities, outings, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours that do not just lead to shirk but are shirk in themselves. Many of us are fetishistic and we claim to be Muslims. What is more, we claim to be educated, civilized, and modern but we fetishize our Islam and get stuck in primitive fetishism.
Islam which is the total submission to Allah prohibits fetishism—the belief that natural objects have supernatural powers. This also includes the belief that something created by people has power over people without the will of Allah. What this means is not the total repudiation of evil power or magic, it is the affirmation of its existence but knowing fully well that absolute power belongs to Allah. Since absolute power belongs to Allah, we must all bow to Him, and to Him alone.
On the other hand, shirk in its literal meaning—i.e. associating partner(s) with Allah—sounds like idol worshipping. Some even call it idolism—a practice that involves idol worshipping. Though this is true in the narrowest sense and that is where most of us get it wrong. What Idol worshippers do in their practise of idolism is to associate partners with Allah. If this is understood, then it will be clear that one may not bow before idols —in veneration—but yet commits shirk in the realm of belief.
Polytheism is a better word for shirk but idolatry seems to be a word we are more familiar with. Since shirk is a very wide topic, I shall focus on that aspect of shirk which most people commit today. Guess what? It is Love Potion! Whoever does it is doomed and deserves Allah’s wrath except if he/she repents.
We should know that only Allah unites the minds. No one should force themselves over the others in love affairs. Blessed and lasting marriage occurs in a situation where there is mutual love between couple. But in a situation whereby one of the couple manipulates the other through sorcery (love potion), Allah takes away the blessing in the marriage.
Not only that, though the victim of sorcery might be forgiven, the manipulator must have committed the greatest sin on earth (shirk). It is the only sin that Allah does not forgive. This is necessarily known. The Prophet said:
“إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ”
“Spells, charms, and love-potion are polytheism”
Ar-Ruqa means spells/incantations that contain shirk like seeking help of the jinn or reciting written words that are meaningless or have esoteric meanings.
At-Tameemah (plural: at-tamaaim) amulets or anything worn on any part of the body for spiritual protection and effects. This, within the context of our discussion, includes waist beads or rings worn by women these days to enslave their husbands, snatch people’s husbands or win the heart of any man that sleeps with them—married or unmarried. Satan and his followers are liars. They modernize shirk, make it appealing, and call it Kayan Mata. Subhaanallah! This also includes anything worn by women or men that magically functions like contraception to prevent pregnancy.
At-Tiwalah means love spells that make people unconsciously fall in love. Love is a thing of the heart; you cannot force your heart to love what it cannot love or what it is not predisposed to. But people, through diabolical means, cast spells on someone to fall in love with them. When they do that successfully, they start controlling their victims the way they like. They, by this act, and in their shallow thinking, assume the position of Allah. This amounts to associating partner with Allah or behaving like an equal to Him. It is shirk; it has no other name. The Prophet (SAW) said in a hadith reported by Muslim:
“إِنَّ قُلُوبَ بَنِي آدَمَ كُلَّهَا بَيْنَ إِصْبَعَينِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ الرَّحْمَانِ، كَقَلْبٍ وَاحِدٍ، يُصَرِّفُهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ”
“The hearts of the children of Adam are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful and He controls them as He wills.” (Muslim).
A man who controls a woman through spells and a woman who manipulates a man similarly, place their victims on their fingers and control them the way they like. In relation to the hadith quoted above, we can see how people, through charms, spells and love potions, try to compete with Allah. Yet no one competes with Allah and dies in that rivalry but ends up in Jahannam (Hell). May Allah protect us from His wrath and punishment.
Love potion, though not only restricted to women, is very common among women. Nothing leads a Muslim to it but lack of faith in Allah and the love for material things. And we should not be deceived; it is possible that we get these things from those we believe to be malams. These are satanic malams; one should run away for them without any hesitation. They are the destroyers of faith. They are devil advocates, sorcerers, and enemies of Allah. In fact, in an ideal Islamic State, the punishment for sorcery is death.
These evil clerics pitch wives against their husbands and vice versa. They corrupt leaders as we can see in Nigeria and elsewhere. It is a common knowledge that many of our politicians visit these dangerous people. Have you ever imagined why a useless governor or president continues to be loved by the people despite the fact that he is merciless, callous and ruthless towards them? That is the effect of magic on the masses. You will understand that love potion is not only among couple, it could be among employers and employees, leaders and the led, parents and children etcetera. No wonder the great ascetic scholar, Ibn Mubaarak (RA), wrote and he is right:
وَهَلْ أَفْسَدَ الدِّينَ إِلَّا الْمُلُوكَ وَأَحْبَارُ سُوءِ وَرُهْبَانُهَا
Did anyone corrupt the religion if not the kings (political and traditional leaders)? And the evil rabbis and monks. Evil rabbis are learned but evil scholars while monks are ignorant but sincere worshippers. None of them can be a good guide.
When a true Muslim desires anything, he or she should pray to Allah and should not be desperate because only Allah knows what is good for them. How sure are you that the person you bewitched to love you is good for you? How sure are you that marrying a rich man or rich woman shall bring you comfort and happiness? Why don’t you consider the boomeranging effects the love charm shall have on you when it expires and defies renewal or before renewal? How comfortable are you that you are manipulating and enslaving a freeborn like yourself? How would you feel if your sons or daughters are being manipulated the way you manipulate your wives or husbands?
Anyway, it is desperation and lack of faith in Allah that lead many people to this form of shirk. It is also possible that some are ignorant of this basic. But this is too elementary and no Muslim should claim ignorance of it. At any rate, let’s all go out to seek knowledge of our religion.
It is very strange when you see Muslims who are educated and living in this modern age got stuck in primitive fetishism. But it is not too late to repent and amend the distortions that have been made. This topic is very wide. I am constrained. I could not ask and answer some other important questions like how people are bewitched, how to destroy sorcery and how to protect oneself from the effects of charms. Though I have explained this aspect of shirk that I choose to discuss, the organizers can do well to address related issues subsequently.
On the last note, aside the shirk of love potion/charm, some misguided Muslims visit diviners to find out if the person they intend to marry is good for them. In this modern age? Even those who are not blessed with Islam find this ridiculous, much less a Muslim. Our beloved Prophet (SAW) said:
“مَنْ أَتَى كَاهِنًا أَوْ عَرَّافًا فَصَدَقَهُ بِمَا يَقُولُ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ”
“Whoever goes to a diviner or fortune teller and believes what he says has indeed disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad” (Ahmad).
“مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَيْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلُ لَهُ صَلَاةُ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً”
“Whoever goes to a fortune teller and asks him about something, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days” (Muslim).
This is serious! The subtle, but far reaching, difference between these two hadith is that if a Muslim believes a soothsayer, he automatically becomes a disbeliever. If he does not believe, but at least goes to him and asks about something or anything related to the unseen, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days. If these things are not bad, why do people do it in concealment?
It is high time we identified with Islam and got rid of idolism. While the latter leads to utter destruction in the Hereafter, the former leads to eternal bliss. Let us be Muslims. May Allah admit us into Paradise (Ameen).
Abdulkadir Salaudeen
salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com
