CHAPTER No: 23

CHAPTER No: 23
Some People of this Ummah (Nation) will worship Idols

Allah the Most Exalted said:
"Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in Al-Jibt and At- Taghut (all false deities) and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the way than the believers (Muslims)." (4:51)

Allah the Almighty said:
"Say (O Muhammad (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) to the people of the Scripture): 'Shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allah: those (Jews) who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath, those of whom (some) He transformed into monkeys and swines, those who worshipped Taghut (false deities)." (5:60)

Allah the Exalted said:
"Those who won their point said (most probably the disbelievers): 'We verily shall build a place of worship over them.' "(18:21)

Narrated Abu Sa'id (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
"Surely, you will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, in everything as one arrow resembles another, (i.e. just like them), so much so that even if they entered a hole of a sand-lizard, you would enter it." They said, "O Allah's Messenger! Do you mean to say that we will follow the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom else?" (meaning, of course the Jews and the Christians)." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Muslim reports from Thawban (May Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said:
"Allah the Most Exalted folded for me the earth, so much so that I saw its easts and wests (i.e.the extremities). The kingdom of my community will reach as far as the earth was folded for me.

The two treasures, the red (gold) and the white (silver) were bestowed on me, I prayed to my Lord that He may not destroy my community by a prevailing famine, and not give their control to an enemy who annihilates them en masse except from among themselves. My Lord said to me, 'Muhammad, if I issue a decree, it is not withdrawn; I have promised your Ummah that I will not destroy it by a prevailing famine, and I shall not give their control to an enemy -except from among themselves -who exterminates them en masse, even if they are stormed from all sides of the earth; only a section of them will destroy another section, and a section will take as prisoner another section.' "

Al-Barqani (May Allah be pleased with him) recorded this Hadith in his Sahih and added to it the following words:
I am afraid about my community of those astray leaders who will lead astray. When the sword is used among my people, it will not be withdrawn from them till the Day of Resurrection, and the Last Hour will not come until the tribes of my people attach themselves to the polytheists and tribes of my people worship idols. There will be among my people thirty great liars each of them asserting that he is a prophet, whereas I am the Seal of the Prophets after whom (me) there will be no Prophet; and a section of my people will continue to hold to the truth and they will be victorious and they will not be harmed by those who oppose them till Allah's Command comes."

Important issues of the Chapter
1) Explanation of the verse in An-Nisa’ (4:5).
2) Explanation of the verse in AI-Ma'idah(5:60)
3) Explanation of the verse in AI-Kahf(18:21).
4) The, most important issue is what is meant by believing in Al-Jibt (magic, Shirk, idols) and At-Taghut (all false deities worshipped besides Allah). Does it mean believing in that sincerely by the heart; or approval of those who do so while hating it and knowing its falsehood?
5) Their (Jews) saying (regarding the pagan Quraish) that the disbelievers who are well aware of their Kufr (disbelief) are on a more correct and guided path than the believers.
6) Such people will be found in the Muslim community (the Ummah) as is proved by Hadith of Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) This is the main object of the Chapter.
7) The occurrence of his declaration that many followers of this Ummah will worship false deities (idols, statues etc).
Most amazing is the appearance of those claiming Prophethood like Al-Mukhtar (Al-Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaid Ath-Thaqafi who conquered Kufa at the beginning of the caliphate of Ibn Zubair) despite his proclamation of Ash-Shahiidatain, and his declaration of being a part of this Muslim nation, and (his testifying) that the Messenger (Muhammad (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) ) was true and the Qur'an was true and therein is the confirmation that Muhammad (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was the "Seal" of the Prophets. He was believed in spite of his clear and open contradiction to it (Ash-Shahiidatain). Al-Mukhtar appeared in the latter era of the Companions and many people followed him.
9) The glad tiding that the truth will never perish completely as it had in the past. Indeed, there will always be a group upon the truth.
10) The greatest of signs is that they (victorious group) will not be harmed by those who oppose them and fight against them despite (them) being few in number.
11) This will be the case until the Last Hour.
12) There are a number of signs in the statement of the Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him)
• Allah folded for him (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) the east and the west (i.e. the lands under the control of Islam); the meaning of it; and that it indeed occurred as he informed; as opposed to the north and the south.
• That two treasures (i.e. treasures of Rome and Persia) were bestowed upon him.
• That two of his D'ua (invocations) on behalf of his nation have been accepted.
• That the third of his invocations was prevented.
• That the sword would be used and that it would not be lifted after that.
• That false prophets would appear among this nation (the Muslims).
• There would always be a victorious group.
• All of this occurred as he mentioned even though each one of them was far from what could have been conceived.
13) The extent of fear for his nation from the misguided and astray leaders.
14) Warning and notice of the meaning of idol worship.