Sharh Kashf al-Shubuhat by Ibn Uthaymeen (شرح كشف الشبهات) — Page 76

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فَإِذَا عَرَفْتَ أَنَّ هَذَا الَّذِي يُسَمِّيهِ الْمُشْرِكُونَ فِي زَمَانِنَا كَبِيرَ الِاعْتِقَادِ هُوَ الشِّرْكُ الَّذِي نَزَلَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ، وَقَاتَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهِ، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ شِرْكَ الْأَوَّلِينَ أَخَفُّ مِنْ شِرْكِ أَهْلِ زَمَانِنَا بِأَمْرَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا: أَنَّ الْأَوَّلِينَ لَا يُشْرِكُونَ وَلَا يَدْعُونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءَ وَالْأَوْثَانَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا فِي الرَّخَاءِ، وَأَمَّا الشِّدَّةُ فَيُخْلِصُونَ اللَّهَ الدُّعَاءَ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَنْ تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ كَفُورًا).

If you have come to know that this which the polytheists of our time call 'great belief' is the very polytheism that was revealed in the Quran, and for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fought the people, then know that the polytheism of the ancients was lighter than the polytheism of the people of our time for two reasons: one of them is that the ancients would not associate others with Allah nor call upon the angels, the saints, or the idols except during times of ease, whereas in times of hardship, they would devote their supplication sincerely to Allah, as the Exalted said: 'And when harm touches you at sea, those whom you call upon vanish except Him; but when He delivers you to land, you turn away; and man is ever ungrateful.'

قَوْلُهُ: إِذَا عَرَفْتَ يَعْنِي عَلِمْتَ مَعْنَى الْعِبَادَةِ وَأَنَّ مَا عَلَيْهِ أُولَئِكَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ فِي زَمَنِهِ هُوَ مَا كَانَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَرَفْتَ أَنَّ شِرْكَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ شِرْكِ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ وَجْهَيْنِ:

His saying 'If you have come to know' means: if you have learned the meaning of worship and that what those polytheists of his time were upon is what the polytheists were upon during the era of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), you would know that the polytheism of these people is greater than the polytheism of those whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fought, for two reasons:

الْوَجْهُ الْأَوَّلُ: أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ يُشْرِكُونَ بِاللَّهِ فِي الشِّدَّةِ وَالرَّخَاءِ.

The first reason: that these people associate others with Allah in both times of hardship and ease.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (16 verbs · 31 nouns)

• عَرَفَ — to know
• سَمَّى — to name
• أَشْرَكَ — to associate partners
• مُشْرِك — polytheist
• زَمَان — time
• كَبِير — great