In the Name of Allah, The Merciful, The Beneficent
Introduction
Alhamdulillah… Infinite thanks are praises be to the Almighty Allah. Complete peace and blessings be upon Sayyiduna Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path to the day of resurrection.
This article highlights some seven nullifiers of the faith in Islam. These seven nullifiers include acts and utterances that invalidate the faith of whoever commits them.
The article is presented according to the following sections:
- Introduction
- Defining Nullifiers of the Faith
- The Implications of Nullifying One’s Faith
- A Story of Some Hypocrites on the Way to the Battle of Tabuk
- It All Starts with Word Utterance
- The 7 Nullifiers of the Faith
- How to Reinstate One’s Faith after Nullifying It
- Conclusion
Do note, that this article elaborates on what was presented in a video on Al-Bushra by GSalam channel on YouTube and Facebook under the same title. See the video below.
Defining Nullifiers of the Faith
In Islam, a nullifier of the faith is any utterance or act that contradicts the core belief of Islam. When an act or utterance contradicts the faith, it means one’s Islamic belief has ceased to exist.
A nullifier is a nullifier even if the person is ignorant about it. That’s why learning the fundamentals of Islam is an obligation upon every Muslim.
It’s important for the Muslim to understand the crucial implication of nullifiers of the faith. Lest he becomes oblivious and passive about them. And by the time he realises, he has been committing them.
Moving on, what are the possible implications if one’s faith is nullified?
The Implications of Nullifying One’s Faith
When one’s faith is nullified, it means his previous righteous deeds have been rejected and cancelled. Also, all his future good deeds are not counted, nor accepted until he realises it, returns to Allah and repents.
The thing is, a nullifier of faith in Islam doesn’t have to be a huge offensive act. A “huge” as per the perception of man. It may be single word. After all, it all revolves around the use of words.
Here’s an example. Think of a person who takes wuḍū’ (ablution) for prayers. Upon taken his wuḍū’, he can pray… right?
However, if he passes wind, his wuḍū’ becomes void automatically. And there are other things as well, any of which, if he commits, his wuḍū’ becomes void, including urinating.
Now, Passing wind nullifies one’s wuḍū’. Regardless of whether one knows the ruling pertaining to it or not.
The same thing applies when he passes urine. His wuḍū’ is nullified, regardless of whether he knows the ruling pertaining to it and hence retakes the wuḍū’ or not.
When one’s wuḍū’ is nullified, he can choose to validate it the way of Allah and His Prophet or follow the way of his nafs (soul) desires.
The way of Allah is that he cleans himself, where applicable, retakes his wuḍū’ and then proceeds to pray.
But if he chooses to follow his nafs.. the nafs which would mostly prefer comfort over effort, then he will likely ignore the fact that his wuḍū’ was rendered null, or worst still he goes on to argue that his wuḍū’ is still valid.
A Muslim who is concerned about the validity of his prayer will do anything to be able to seek knowledge relevant to prayers, including learning all topics related to the nullification of wuḍū’, so that he doesn’t perform empty prayers.
On the contrary, a Muslim who cares less about his prayer, or say who prefers following his nafs, he will care less about what invalidates his prayers and what doesn’t. To him, “life is good, and who cares?”
The same analogy is applicable to our faith. With a fine line of difference, though. That is, when one’s wudu’ is invalidated, prayers he performs after that are invalid unless he has taken a valid wuḍū’.
This is no matter how long he stands in prayer with that invalid wuḍū’.
Likewise, when one’s faith is nullified, all acts of worship that he embarks on are not valid. Until he reinstates his faith.
And it doesn’t stop there. When one’s faith is nullified, it affects his relationship with his wife, and relatives as well as his interactions with the Muslim community.
Ya Akhi, it even determines how his remains are handled if dies before repentance.
In a nutshell, we can be honest to ourselves, and then make the time to learn and develop awareness about the acts and utterances that can ruin our faith.
Doing so will help us to ensure our faith is based upon all that which pleases Allah, subḥānahū wa ta’ālā and goes according to the teachings and Sunnah of His Messenger, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
Or we can play the pretentious game, and act as if our faith is correct and that nothing invalidates it. We may even go to the extent of claiming that any call for awareness about the nullifiers of the faith is nothing but fundamentalism and extremism.
Following is a true story that exposed the hypocrites as they committed some nullifiers of the faith.
A Story of Some Hypocrites on the Way to the Battle of Tabuk
On his way to the battle of Tabuk, some of the men in the company of the Messenger of Allah, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam, made some belittling statements about the readers of the Qur’an among his companions.
The readers of the Qur’an are the likes of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affān, ‘Ali ibn Abī Tālib, Ubay ibn Ka’b, ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas’ud, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Musa and others, raḍiya Allāhu ’anhum. Mind you, the teacher of the readers of the Qur’an, their master and role model is The Prophet Muhammad, Rasulullah himself, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.
But what did they say?
They said, “It’s certain that the readers of the Qur’an among us are the most hungry for food. They are also the most liars and the most cowards.”
You see, they didn’t hit anyone, nor did they cause any physical harm to anyone. Yet, guess who reacted to that? The companions? No… The Prophet? Not yet. It’s Allah subḥānahū wa ta'ālā who reacted. And He reacted spontaneously. Immediately thereafter, He sent down a set of verses exposing those involved.
When the Messenger of Allah ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam confronted them, they claimed they were just joking and playing with words. To them, there was nothing worthy the reaction. However, unfortunately for them, it was too late. And for that, Allah says:
يَحْذَرُ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقُونَ أَن تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُورَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ ۚ قُلِ ٱسْتَهْزِءُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا تَحْذَرُونَ.ـ
“The hypocrites are afraid that a chapter may be sent down about them, telling them what is in their hearts — say, “Go on mocking. Allah will surely bring to light what you are cautious of.” (Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9:64)
Note that, Allah categorises them as “the Munafiqun – the hypocrites.” And yes, it’s only the hypocrite, who will instead of wishing to be like a learned and practising Muslim, or working towards learning Islam properly, they will go around mocking those who do, and calling them names.
Allah continues to expose them by saying:
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ ۚ قُلْ أَبِٱللَّهِ وَءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَرَسُولِهِۦ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُونَ.ـ
“If you ask them, they will say, “We were only joking and playing with words.” Say, “Would you make a mockery of Allah and of His Revelations and of His Messenger.” (Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9:65)
And the final verdict dropped… Boommmm
لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَٰنِكُمْ ۚ.ـ
“Make no excuses; you have rejected the faith after you accepted it.” (Surau al-Tawbah, 9:66)
But a room for repentance was given. Not for all. Only for some. For that, Allah says:
إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةَۢ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ.ـ
“If We will pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you, for they are criminals.“ (Surau al-Tawbah, 9:65-66)
This is because, while probably the majority, in situations like this follow the trend in making mockery, there are masterminds who do it deliberately. They intend to create the fitnah and work on pushing it for it to spread wider.
Therefore, the one who follows blindly will not be spared the consequences, unless he receives awareness and repents. If he repents, he will be forgiven by Allah. However, as for the masterminds, they will have it a big time.
Besides exposing the hypocrites, this incident also sheds light on the importance of being serious, when matters are concerning Allah, His Messenger or Messengers, His religion and the rituals and symbols of His religion. In the end, when it comes to Allah, there’s no such thing as being funny or joking.
Now, what are the different types of nullifiers of Islam that the Muslim must be aware of?
It All Starts with Word Utterance
It starts with the utterance; of a word. Yes, a man goes out of Islam with a word, just as he enters Islam with a word. Just like he becomes halal to his wife and divorces with a word. It’s all about being mindful and observing Allah.
The hypocrites mentioned in the story were all Arabs, who presumably understood the Qur’an pretty well, firsthand. Yet, whether deliberately or carelessly, they made those utterances that led to the revelation of the verses that exposed them.
As for us, no matter how much we understand the Arabic Language and Islam, those men understood it better. Therefore, we ought to be me more mindful of our utterances. In the end, it all starts with utterance. If it happened to them, it can happen to us, if it’s not already happening.
The point is, that one can choose to be funny all he wants, make jokes all he wants, and be thin-skinned all he wants. But when it comes to Allah, there’s no such thing as being funny or joking.
In other words, a Muslim who is serious about his Islam won’t insult Islam, let alone insult Allah. He won’t make a mockery of the symbols of Islam. He won’t make jokes about hijab, niqab or beard. He won’t make comedy and produce films and dramas to tarnish the image of practising Muslims. A Muslim won’t attribute terrorism to Islam. He won’t call his fellow Muslims names. For in the end, there’s nothing funny about being religious.
One way to put oneself on check and balance is to be aware of the characteristics of hypocrites. You can find more on that in my article, 15 Common Characteristics of the Hypocrites. You may also be interested to know “The Differences Between Khawarij, Munafiqun and Murtaddun.”
Following in the next section are some common acts and utterances that nullify our faith, whether we are aware or otherwise.
The 7 Nullifiers of the Faith
There are numerous nullifiers of faith. However, in this article, we are highlighting the most prominent seven of them. The first is associating partners with Allah.
#1: Associating Partners with Allah
When one worships anyone or anything other than Allah or besides Allah, then he is committing what is technically known as “shirk.” And “shirk” is the most serious form of all nullifiers of the faith of Islam.
In other words, anything one does, any rituals and sacrifices one does to anyone other than Allah, then he’s committing a major sin of shirk. And this nullifies his faith upfront. The danger of “shirk” is that, it’s the only major sin that is non-negotiable or not forgiven if one dies upon committing it, or if one fails to repent from it before his death.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلَۢا بَعِيدًا.ـ
“Surely, Allah does not forgive the ascribing of partners to Him. But He forgives whoever He wills for anything other than that. Whoever ascribes partners to Allah has strayed far indeed” (Sūrah al-Nisā’, 4:116).
#2: Invoking Others Instead of Allah
Invoking anyone other than Allah, the way we would in du’a is also a form of shirk. Regardless, whether the subject is alive or dead. And regardless, whether the subject is human, a living thing or simply a non-living object.
There’s a difference between invoking someone and seeking help from someone. When we invoke, it’s to the One who believe has the highest ability to give us the best. However when we seek help, we seek help from anyone we assume he can help us, but that help will only be by the will of the One we invoke, Allah subḥānahū wa ta’ālā.
In fact, the idolators used to invoke mediators instead of invoking Allah directly. For that Allah says:
أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَٰذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ.ـ
“It is to Allah alone that sincere obedience is due. And those who take other guardians besides Him say, “We worship them only that they may bring us nearer to Allah.” Surely, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Allah does not guide anyone who is bent on lying and is a disbelieving liar.” (Surah al-Zumar, 39:3).
So, the takeaway for this part is that, we shouldn’t invoke any person, alive or dead the way we would Allah subḥānahū wa ta’ālā. Instead, we should invoke Him directly. Subḥānahū wa ta’ālā.
#3: Turning Away from Allah’s Commands
When Allah give a command, His slaves are expected to submit and take heed. However, human is given the will to accept or reject. The thing is, accepting Allah’s commands has its consequences. And likewise, rejecting them has its consequences.
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَٰهُ ٱلسَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا * إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ سَلَٰسِلَا۟ وَأَغْلَٰلًا وَسَعِيرًا * إِنَّ ٱلْأَبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِن كَأْسٍ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَافُورًا.ـ
“We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful. behold, for those who deny the truth, We have prepared chains, iron collars and a blazing fire, but. the righteous shall drink from a cup mixed with the coolness of kafur.” (Surah al-Insan, 76:3-5)
Thus, when one turns away in rejection and defiance of Allah’s religions, commands and guidance, then he has decided to be outside the fold of Islam.
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّهِۦ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَآ ۚ إِنَّا مِنَ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنتَقِمُونَ.ـ
“Who does greater wrong than someone who, when reminded about the revelations of his Lord, he turns away from them? We shall inflict retribution on the guilty.” (Sūrah al-Sajdah, 32:22).
#4: Supporting the Enemies of Islam over Islam
The Qur’an has explicitly informed us, that the one who supports the enemies of Islam over Islam becomes one of the enemies. This is understood from the verse of Sūrah al-Mā’idah:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ ٱلْيَهُودَ وَٱلنَّصَٰرَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۘ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَمَن يَتَوَلَّهُم مِّنكُمْ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنْهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ.ـلَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ.ـ
“Believers, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies. They are allies with one another. Whoever of you takes them as an ally shall become one of them. God does not guide the wrongdoers.” Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 5:51)
#5: Undermining Islam and Its Legislation
Undermining Islam is to believe that another religion other than Islam is better than Islam. It’s also to doubt the authenticity of Islam. And for that matter believing that another legislation other than that of Allah is better than the legislation of Islam takes one outside the fold of Islam. This is understood from Surah al-Mā’idah where Allah says:
وَمَن لَّمْ يَحْكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ.ـ
“…those who do not judge by what Allah has sent down are disbelievers. (Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 5:44).
Here we must differentiate between disbelieving in the appropriateness of the legislations of Islam, and not having the capacity or the authority to apply it. The one who doesn’t have the capacity but has the mindset that rejects Islam and its legislations is indifferent to the one who has the capacity to apply it, but chooses not to do so.
#6: Insulting or Mocking Islam in Any Way
Insulting or mocking the religion of Allah or any of its symbols in any form and way renders null one’s faith. This ruling is what is understood from the verses that were descended to expose the hypocrites, in the above-mentioned story.
وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَخُوضُ وَنَلْعَبُ ۚ قُلْ أَبِٱللَّهِ وَءَايَٰتِهِۦ وَرَسُولِهِۦ كُنتُمْ تَسْتَهْزِءُونَ * لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةَۢ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِين.ـ
“If you ask them, they will say, “We were only joking and playing with words.” Say, “Would you make a mockery of Allah and of His Revelations and of His Messenger. Make no excuses; you rejected the faith after you accepted it. If We pardon some of you, We will punish others amongst you, for they are guilty.” (Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9:65-66)
This is needless to say, besides insulting Islam itself and its symbols or practices, insulting Islam also includes insulting Allah, insulting the Qur’an, insulting symbols and rituals of Islam, or making mockery of them.
#7: Belittling and Dishonouring the Rituals of Islam
This includes any ritual commanded by Islam. Whether it’s praying towards the Ka’bah, going round in ṭawāf around the Ka’bah, running between Ṣafā and Marwah, slaughtering during Eid al-Adha, and others for that matter.
Allah commands us to honour His rituals when He says:
ذَٰلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَٰٓئِرَ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى ٱلْقُلُوبِ.ـ
“Thus it is. He who honours the symbols set up by Allah shows the piety of his heart.” (Surah al-Anbiyā’, 22:32).
How to Reinstate One’s Faith after Nullifying It
We are humans. And we are meant to err. However, we are also given the guidelines to guide to correct our errors, when they happen. So, how can the Muslim reinstate his faith after nullifying it?
If one finds himself committing a nullifier of the faith, he can reinstate it before its too late. It becomes too late if he dies before reinstating his faith.
But how does he do that? That’s exactly what we will discuss in the next article, insha Allah. So keep an eye on yours truly, GSalam.Net.
Now, let’s wrap up.
Let's Wrap Up!
In this article, we highlighted seven nullifiers of the faith of Islam, after explaining what nullification of the faith means, and its implications. We’ve also learnt that a Muslim who is serious about his Islam won’t insult Islam, let alone insult Allah.
Note, that the highlighted nullifiers in this article are not the only nullifiers that can invalidate one’s Islam. However, they are the most widespread ones for that matter. It’s hoped that, by developing awareness pertaining to the nullifiers indicated here, we’ll start to be sensitive as we now know of the existence of some that are not highlighted.
May Allah help us in remaining steadfast upon the correct faith. May He safeguard us and our loved ones. May He protect us against all sorts of evil and harmful acts or encounters. May He grant us the guidance and courage we need to refine our dunya for the best interest of our Akhirah.
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Until we meet in the next article or video of The Good News, I leave you in Allah’s protection.
See you then, and see you in Jannah.
Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz ☺
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