Author: Sheikh ʿAbd al ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbdur-Raḥmān ar-Rājiḥī
Publisher: Maktabatul-Irshad Publications
Pages: 137
Detailed Chapters Clarifying Tawḥīd, Minor Shirk and Major Shirk is an informative book which strives to teach Muslims about the correct understanding of Tawḥīd and what negates it in detail. This book is a definite recommendation for any Muslim.
I've personally benefitted a lot from this book and have wrote a few articles based on it. It holds many benefits inside! With the help of this book one could truly implement Tawḥīd, learn to go astray from major shīrk and to stay inconsistent to minor shīrk as much as he is able.
The book consists of six chapters that go in-depth about topics like clarifications of Tawḥīd and many others, I will list the table of contents below, ʾIn shāʾ Allāh:
I will be adding some brief commentary on Chapter One: On Clarifying The Danger Of Minor Shirk and Chapter Two: Clarifying The Nullifiers Of The Statement Of Tawḥīd because those are some that I've benefitted most from.
This chapter explains the danger of minor shirk and quotes some Āyat and Hadīth. It begins with these statements:
"Indeed, minor shirk is widespread common amongst the people, like swearing by other than Allāh, sharing the Creator's will with the creation, and so forth, such as connecting what happens to the means instead of the one who was the cause of the means. And like the one who says: 'Had it not been except for such and such (if this had not happened). This would've happened except for such and such. When we got this, it was from such and such.'
These types of prohibited sayings, These statements come as a prohibition due to the statement of Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) said:
'So do not make for Allāh a rival while you know.'" (1) (2)
I think a handful of Muslims could benefit from this one statement, especially the fact that swearing by other Allāh is something that is quite widespread.
After the statement mentioned below, there is commentary from ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنه) regarding the above Āyat:
"Al-Andād means shirk, which is less conspicuous than a black ant crawling on a black stone in the darkness of the night. Such as the saying: 'By Allāh and by your life, oh so-and-so!' 'By your life.' If you said: 'If it had not been for this little dog, the burglars would have come to us' or 'Had it not been for the duck in the house, the burglars would have come' or like a man saying to his companions 'By Allāh's and your will...' 'As Allāh and you will.' or the saying of a man, 'Had it not been for Allāh and so-and-so...' Do not mention anyone with Allāh because all of this is shirk."
This is a very beneficial chapter which explains the nullifers of the statement of Tawḥīd.
It starts off with the statement:
"Indeed, among those matters which nullify one's saying, the testimony of faith la illaha ill Allāh is committing acts of polytheism in the worship of Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى). For example, the servant places mediators between himself and Allāh in which he supplicates or asks them for intercession; or that matter, they would place total reliance in those people, make sacrificial offers to them, make vows of obedience, have a level of hope and fear in them that is a divine right belonging to Allāh (عز و جل) alone." (3)
After this statement comes a list of numerous things that nullify the statement of Tawḥīd. I will include 3 here, ʾIn shāʾ Allāh:
"One of the nullifiers: is failing to declare the polytheists as disbelievers, doubting their disbelief, or falsely affirming their way is correct.
One of the nullifiers: is to believe that their guidance is more complete than the guidance of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
One of the nullifiers: to believe that another legislation is better, the same, or equivalent to what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) came with. An example is a person who prefers man-made laws over the Islāmic legislation and believes it to be more suitable for modern times. One also prefers judgments of the false deities over the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Similarly, if he approves governing anything else besides Allāh's legislation. Even if he believed that Allāh's rulings are better, he nullified his testimony of faith simply because he made governing by other than Allāh's legislation permissible. Hence, he has become an apostate by perpetrating the crime of nullifying his Islām and testimony of faith." (4)
To sum it all up, this book is immensely beneficial and can really open the eyes to anyone who doesn't fully understand the inner details of Tawḥīd. I recommend, especially a beginnner Muslim, to read this book in it's entirety.
May Allāh bless you, and shukran.
Sources :
1. Qurʾān 2:22
2. Page no. 59
3. Page no. 104
4. Page no. 104-105