In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
The pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah (SWT) is a significant and challenging endeavour. The tasks involved are formidable, making it one of the most important pillars of Islam.
Muslims who are granted the opportunity to undertake this journey should approach it with the utmost seriousness and devotion. In order to ensure that their efforts are not in vain, pilgrims are encouraged to reflect on the concept of Iman (faith) in monotheism. Many actions can undermine one’s Iman, nullifying the efforts of a person who may not even realise it. The first and most serious of these is associating partners with Allah (SWT). This act forms the foundation of shirk (polytheism), which Allah (SWT) clearly condemns in the Glorious Qur’an: “Truly, whoever associates a partner with Allah, Allah will forbid him the Garden, and his abode will be the Fire, and the wrongdoers will have no helpers.”
Examples of this include invoking the dead, calling upon them for help, or offering vows and sacrifices to them, all of which are considered forms of shirk.
Secondly, setting up intermediaries between oneself and Allah—making supplications to them, asking for their intercession with Allah, and placing one’s trust in them—constitutes kufr (disbelief). Anyone who does not regard polytheists (mushrikeen) as unbelievers, doubts their unbelief, or considers their practices to be correct, is himself a kafir (unbeliever).
Furthermore, anyone who believes that guidance other than that of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is more perfect, or that a judgment other than the Prophet’s is superior, has also become an unbeliever. This includes those who prefer the rule of the Evil One (Taghut) over the rule of the Prophet (SAW). For example, the belief that man-made systems and laws are superior to the Islamic laws (Shari’ah) governing Muslims’ daily lives—including religious rituals and decisions regarding finances and investments—indicates a rejection of Allah’s guidance. It is an erroneous belief to consider the Islamic system unsuitable for the 21st century or to view Islam as merely a personal relationship between an individual and their Creator, with no relevance to other aspects of life.
Additionally, anyone who harbours hatred for something that the Prophet (SAW) has declared lawful (halal) has effectively nullified their Islam, even if they continue to engage in it. Allah (SWT) says: “This is because they disliked what Allah has revealed, so their deeds are brought to nothing.”
Anyone who mocks Allah, His Book, His Messenger (SAW), or any other aspect of Allah’s religion is an unbeliever. Allah (SWT) declares: “Say: Is it Allah, His Signs, and His Messenger that you are mocking? Make no excuse: you have disbelieved after your (profession of) faith.”
Another form of shirk is the practice of magic, which can manifest in harmful acts such as separating a husband from his wife by turning love into hatred, or encouraging someone to do something they dislike through devilish means. Those who engage in such practices, or who are pleased by them, fall outside the fold of Islam. Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an: “The two angels (Harut and Marut) did not teach anyone (magic) without warning them: indeed, we are a trial, therefore, do not disbelieve.”
Supporting and aiding polytheists against Muslims in any circumstance is also an act of Shirk. Allah (SWT) warns: “He among you who supports them becomes one of them. Truly, Allah does not guide the people who do wrong.”
Anyone who believes that it is permissible to deviate from the Sunnah (the legitimate ways, orders, acts of worship, and sayings of the Prophet (SAW)) is an unbeliever. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an: “Anyone who seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers.”
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Equally serious is the act of turning away from the religion of Allah, failing to learn its teachings, or neglecting to act upon them. Allah (SWT) states: “Who does greater wrong than the one who is reminded of the revelations of his Lord, and then turns away from them? Truly, We shall recompense the guilty ones.”
Allah (SWT) further says: “But those who disbelieve turn away from that of which they are warned.”
Therefore, brothers and sisters on pilgrimage to the Sacred House of Allah must be mindful that violations of Iman, whether committed in jest, out of fear, or with intention, are equally serious—except in cases of extreme compulsion. We seek refuge in Allah (SWT) from deeds that attract His wrath and severe punishment.
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