RENAISSANCE SEPTEMBER 2020

Faith & Beliefs 44 Monthly Renaissance September 2020 “Come to what Allah has revealed, and to the Messenger, thou sees the Hypocrites avert their faces from thee in disgust.” (4:60-61) In these verses: “When it is said to them: ‘Come to what Allah has revealed, and to the Messenger;” is compared with “ …Their [real] wish is to resort together for judgment (in their disputes) to the Evil One…” and this shows that ṭ agh ū t is a comprehensive term for the opposite of the Book of God and Sunnah of the Prophet (sws). We learn from these verses that whatever goes beyond worship of and subservience to God, or is the cause or reason for it is included in the meaning of ṭ agh ū t. Hence, Satan, sorcerers, magicians, idols, altars, the Pharaoh and Nimrod, leaders who lead people away from the guidance of God, irreligious governments, courts, educational institutions and monasteries, all come within its purvey. People of the Book were involved in this type of shirk: Say: “Shall I point out to you something much worse than this, [as judged] by the treatment it received from Allah. those who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil;- these are [many times] worse in rank, and far more astray from the even path!” (5:60) iii. Support to Polytheism The third polytheism of the people of the Book is their support of it. God had bestowed His book to the People of the Book, taken their promise to implement His shar ī ‘ah , placed responsibility upon them to believe and support the coming messenger and to introduce him to people. He had told the Jews: “I shall send a messenger like you for them, from among their brothers, and whatever I ask him, he shall say to them.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). Jesus (sws) had said clearly to his disciples: “I need to say many things to you but now you will not be able to tolerate them. But when the spirit of truth comes, he shall show you the path to every truth.” (John 16:12-13). The Jews were waiting for this messenger and they believed in the predictions in the books. These were that this messenger would be the means of their victory over disbelievers: “…although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without