TAGHOOT (False Deities)

- The Definition -

“Taghoot” or “Taghut” is derived from the verb “taghaa” (to transgress), and it means everything that has
crossed or transgressed its limit.

The first thing Allah has obligated on the Son of Adam is to reject the Taghoots and believe in Allah. The
proof for this is Allah‟s saying: “And We have indeed sent to every nation a messenger (saying to his
people):

„Worship Allah alone and avoid the Taghoots (false deities)” [16:36]

So the first step towards Emaan is rejecting and disbelieving in the Taghoots, which include all
personalities, deities or things worshipped besides Allah, while being pleased with this worship. This
means removing every (false) god that is worshipped besides Allah, such as a tree, a stone, the sun, the
moon, an angel, a human, a book and so on and so forth. These things have no right to be worshipped,
because they do not have any command over the affairs of the universe.

The next step after this rejection is the following of Islam sincerely for Allah alone, worshipping only Him,
and affirming His right to be worshipped apart from all others. This obligation – disbelieving in the
Taghoots and believing in Allah – is the reality of what is meant by Laa ilaaha il-Allah (There is no deity
that has the right to be worshipped except Allah), for indeed it is first a negation and then an affirmation. It
should be noted about the first Kalimah that the Arabic word “Laa” sets the tone in the definition of faith.
The Kalimah starts by emphatically stating: there is NO ilah other than Allah. A Muslim must say NO to all
other deities (ilah), whether human or otherwise, before worshipping Allah alone.

They (Christians and Jews) have taken their rabbis and priests as lords besides Allah, and the Messiah,
son of Mary, although they were commanded to worship no one except the One Allah. There is no Deity
but He, glory be to Him above what they associate with Him! [09:31]

„Adi bin Hatim, who had been a Christian before accepting Islam, once came to the Prophet (peace be on
him). When he heard him reciting the above Ayah [9:31], he said, “O Messenger of Allah, but they do not
worship them.” The Prophet (peace be on him) replied, They certainly do. They prohibit to the people
what is halal and permit them what is haram, and the people obey them. This is indeed their worship of
them. (Reported and classified as Hasan by al-Tirmidhi and others.)
So whenever a Muslim allows someone other than Allah to dictate halal, haraam, right or wrong for him,
he commits Shirk and cannot call himself a Muslim anymore. Similarly, anyone who consciously
repudiates any clear commandments in the Quran, or a commandment stated in the Sahih Hadith also
transgresses the limits set by Allah and is not a Muslim anymore (recall that a Muslim submits to Allah‟s
will). This can be better explained through this example. Suppose a Muslim admits to the fact that praying
five times a day is a fard (obligation) and if he does not perform that duty, he commits a grave sin. On the
other hand, take the example of a Muslim who does not say his prayers but he either invents a new way
of praying (as against the tareeqah explained by Prophet Muhammad – PBUH), or he repudiates a
Quranic verse by stating that prayers are not compulsory. Such a person is not a Muslim anymore
because he has negated a clear commandment.

Taghoot is a single word but it includes all such influences that compel us to go against the word of Allah.
Taghoot includes the obvious pagan practices of worshipping fire or idols. But if we look deeper,
Taghoot also includes Bidd’ah of our forefathers, which we have adopted blindly. (For instance,
chanting verses on date pits at a funeral, or reciting the Quran and transferring the Sawab to the
deceased).

Taghoot also includes the practice of giving Nazar/Niaz in the name of anyone other than Allah,
and considering it Islamic. It also includes the practice of celebrating Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH)’s birthday (a significant ritual in the Sub-continent). Taghoot, thus, is any pir, molvi,
electronic or print medium, practices borrowed from other cultures, Bidd’ah (innovation) of our
forefathers that we have adopted over time, yet they contradict the Quran and the Sahih Hadith.
By repudiating the word of Allah, can we then include ourselves in the Muslim Ummah?

Perhaps the most understandable as well as obvious form of Taghoot is social pressure, the fear of “what
will people say?” if we dare to abandon popular social practices that are expected of a “good” Pakistani
Muslim. For instance, not observing the Chaleeswan (40th day after a person‟s death) is looked down
upon by the entire community. Wedding traditions borrowed from Hindus, showing reverence to so-called
pirs and Sufis, praying to a grave, are all manifestations of the Taghoots that have quiet deliberately
created a new Islam for South Asia. The latest Taghoot on the horizon is Pervez Musharraf‟s form of
“moderate or liberal” Islam that is eating up even the basic tenets of Islam as revealed in the Quran.

The word Taghoot is mentioned in the Quran in quite a few verses. Some relevant verses are given
below:
Quranic Reference for Taghoot:

[Al-Baqara, 02:256] There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from
the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghoot and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

[Al-Baqara, 02:257] Allah is the Walî (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out
from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliyâ (supporters and helpers) are
Taghoot [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the
dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever.

[Al-Nisa, 04:51] Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture (book)? They believe
in Jibt (superstition) and Taghoot and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the
way than the believers (Muslims).

[Al-Nisa, 04:60] Have you seen those (hyprocrites) who claim that they believe in that which has been
sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they wish to go for judgement (in their
disputes) to the Taghoot (false judges, etc.) while they have been ordered to reject them. But Satan
wishes to lead them far astray.

[Al-Nisa, 04:76] Those who believe, fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the
cause of Taghoot (Satan, etc.). So fight you against the friends of Shaitân (Satan); Ever feeble indeed is
the plot of Satan.

[Al-Nahl, 16:36] And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): “Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghoot (all false deities, etc. i.e. do
not worship Taghoot besides Allah).” Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were
some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of
those who denied (the truth).

[Az-Zumar, 39:17] Those who avoid At-Taghoot (false deities) by not worshipping them and turn to Allah
in repentance, for them are glad tidings; so announce the good news to My slaves
 - Rejection of Taghoot (The difference between Emaan and Kufr) -

Why has Allah stressed the importance of rejecting Taghoot? The definition of Emaan or Aqeeda is
incomplete until a person worships Allah alone, and rejects all other influences that are his Ilah. We are
not overemphasising this fact by stating repeatedly that we are NOT Muslims until and unless we reject
Taghoot in all its manifestations. One can aspire to the status of only a weak Muslim if he recognises his
false gods (Taghoot) and their teachings for what they are does not become a part of it but at the same
time lacks the courage to openly fight against it.

By reading the definition and the above-mentioned references from the Quran, it becomes evident that
the true Emaan for a Muslim is not complete without the rejection of all types and categories of Taghoot.
That is because only after the rejection and repudiation of Taghoot comes the acceptance of the Oneness
and sole authoritativeness of Allah. This is called true Emaan.

The concept of Emaan can be viewed as a spectrum, or a scale from one to ten, with a score of 1
assigned to a weak Muslim (but a Muslim nonetheless), and 10 assigned to a very pious Muslim, or a
Momin. Those Muslims, who possess Emaan yet do not have the courage to fight against Taghoot either
verbally or through physical might, but consider evil to be evil in their hearts alone, lie somewhere near 1.
Those Muslims who fight against Taghoot and endure hardships along the way, can be rated somewhere
near 10. Shirk, on the other hand, does not have different shadings like the spectrum of white light.
Neither can Shirk be scored on a relative scale from 1 to 10. Shirk is “Zulm-e-Azeem”, whether partners
are associated in Allah‟s being, His attributes or His right to be worshipped. One either commits Shirk, or
he doesn‟t. There is no such thing as weak Shirk, or strong Shirk. In any form, Shirk is unpardonable.

Therefore, a Muslim must always be conscious (and cautious) of the oft-encountered trap of Shirk and
must abstain from associating partners with Allah in all circumstances. He must also be aware of Taghoot
and must dis-associate himself from any practice, Bidd‟ah or ritual, which is part of Taghoot. If Bidd‟atis
(innovators) chant the second Kalima during the funeral procession, then a Muslim must not only abstain
from the chanting but also advise other people to refrain from this practice. This takes us back to the
discussion of Taghoot and our emphasis on repudiating all false deities and their teachings. Rejection of
false gods and their beliefs and practices is thus the “necessary” condition of entering the realm of Islam.
Taghoot and Islam cannot co-exist (i.e. Kalima Shahadah), as being part of Taghoot takes us OUT of the
realm of Islam, and once we are outside the boundaries of Islam (that is, we have transgressed the limits
set by Allah) we cannot call ourselves Muslims anymore.

A simple example can make the fine line between Emaan and Kufr clear. If any Muslim doesn‟t say Salat
regularly, yet he knows in his heart and admits to the fact that he is ignoring Allah‟s commandment and is
committing a sin by doing so, then he will be punished for that sin or for not praying regularly. However,
such a person will still be a Muslim, maybe a low scoring „1‟ on our Emaan scale. On the other hand, if
someone does not say Salat, but also calls it outdated, or backward, or stresses that this particular
Islamic injunction is not applicable to present times, then this person repudiates the verses of the Quran
making Salat a Fard (obligation) on all Muslims. And by negating the word of Allah, he automatically gets
expelled from the religion of Islam. This particular belief of this person, and his consequent non-
observance of Salat, is not a sin anymore. It is now Kufr (while he himself is not a Muslim).

This is precisely the reason why President Pervez Musharraf, who calls Pardah backward, and who has
invented a new “liberal Islam” in many other ways is Taghoot, and all his personal statements pertaining
to religion must be rejected. We have countless such examples around us.

- Revered Muslim Scholars and Rejection of Taghoot -

There are many revered Muslim scholars all over the world who have excellent command over religious
jurisprudence and can give the recommended solution to the peripheral, or day-to-day issues that we
encounter frequently. For instance, we can easily find a scholar who can guide us correctly regarding the
finer points of divorce, child custody, inheritance and other issues. Yet the topics of Emaan, Taghoot and
Shirk, which collectively make up the foundation of Islam, are rarely touched upon. That is so due to the
following factors:

• All of us take it for granted that we understand the definition of a Muslim, and consider ourselves
Muslims. Therefore, we almost always busy ourselves with issues that become relevant only after
we come under the heading of “Muslim”.

• We do not have the courage to denounce those so-called Islamic sects (or schools of thought),
which are in obvious contradiction with the teachings of the Quran and Sahih Hadith.

• Many Muslim scholars do not have the courage to risk offending different sects and consequently
lose the respect, admiration and reverence of their fans.

One particular very famous Pakistani scholar (Dr Israr Ahmed), though he has authority over Tafseer of
the Quran, gives a very ambiguous and confusing definition of Shirk. The psychology term “id” refers to
the natural instincts/urges in humans, like thirst and hunger. Our id is inherently hedonistic in nature.
When a person hesitates in leaving his warm bed for morning prayers, his id “tempts” him to choose the
warm bed over duty. The human conscience (or super ego) prods him towards duty, and is responsible
for the feelings of guilt if that person chooses the pleasure of sleep over prayer. According to Dr Israr
Ahmed, obeying our Nafs (id) is also Shirk, as we let our id have precedence over an order given by
Allah. In reality, Islam recognises the duality in human nature. Our bodies, by default, are hedonistic and
fall for temptation. Our soul (or super ego/conscience) is inherently pure. This struggle between the id and
super ego itself is what Siraat-e-Mustaqeem is all about. When our conscience wins, we obviously
experience no feelings of guilt and obey Allah‟s command. This duality is in all of us, and by succumbing
to our id, we do not commit Shirk. Rather, we exhibit what is called “human weakness”.

The other problem with the philosophy of the Ulema of similar standing is their notion of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH)‟s persona. According to many sects, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a human and
an embodiment of light (Noor) at the same time. Some believe him to be the first creation of Allah and
that the entire Universe (even the tiniest pebble) was created with the “noor” (light) of the Prophet
(PBUH).

Certain sub-sects of Sunnis, who are slightly more educated, are against the belief of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) being “noor”; yet they believe that after his death, his soul was reunited with his body
inside his grave in Medina, so that he could work as an “inter-mediator” (Waseela) for his Ummah,
interceding on its behalf with Allah. The most corrupted form of this belief has extended the idea of the
Prophet (PBUH) being alive in his grave to different aulia and Sufis, who are also thought to be alive in
their graves and can also act as intercessors. Whereas the influence of Hinduism in this regard cannot be
ignored, the famous Sufis of the Sub-continent are directly responsible for engendering this belief.
.
The human psyche craves an object of worship that is tangible and visible. This particular craving has
been satisfied by clinging to the belief that all Sufis and aulia, who are alive in their graves just like the
Prophet (PBUH), can intercede with Allah on behalf of their supplicants (or grave worshippers who bring
their prayers to the shrines of these people). The followers of this school of thought have thus found a
tangible object to worship, whether that is in the form of the grave of a local wali, or the grave of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) in Medina.

The Quran makes use of the word “noor” metaphorically. “Noor” is seen as the “light“ of Truth effectively
diminishing the “darkness” of ignorance/kufr. Quran calls itself Noor because it brings hidayat (guidance)
to its readers. However, our scholars today take the word “noor” literally, and thus fail to categorically
refute the idea that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a “noorani” being.

Therefore, they end up mollifying all the different beliefs held by all the sects in Pakistan and abroad. The
telltale sign of their popularity is, of course, the hoards of people who speak of their great command over
religion. Yet they too never elaborate on the concept of Taghoot, or that believing Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) to be made of light (Allah forbid) is a falsehood and negation of many verses of the Quran as well
as Sahih Hadith.

Another famous scholar, although a learned man, also does not denounce different sects and calls the
Shia-Sunni difference to be only a political one and not a religious one. Whereas we stress that the Shia-
Sunni issue is a matter of BELIEF/Aqeeda. Two entirely different beliefs about the same thing cannot
both be correct. In addition, this scholar too, has never issued a statement regarding Taghoot and the fact
that different sects cannot all be correct at the same time. He emphasises on comparative religion, rather
than correcting the beliefs of the existing “Muslim” lot first. In the light of Surah Asr, shouldn‟t his first
responsibility be to interpret the true Aqeeda for himself and then spread it to different so-called Muslim
sects? Therefore, his sermons also lack the force of rejection of Taghoot and their teachings.

So surely not all but most of today‟s scholars lack the courage to preach the correct definition of Emaan,
Shirk and rejection of Taghoot, because they are certain of the fact that the day they denounce the beliefs
of these sects, they will lose all their fan-following and will be ostracised by the entire community.

- Rejection of Taghoot and Takfeer – The difference -

People usually mix up the concepts of Taghoot with Takfeer with each other and that leads to sectarian
bashing.

First of all, we must understand that Takfeer was never been of any importance in Islamic beliefs (aqaaid)
so it has nothing to do with it. The only thing important is the rejection of Taghoot, which itself has a vast
definition and application as explained above.

Taghoot includes all the false beliefs, traditions, customs and teachings that are in contrast to Quran and
Sahih Ahadith and play a role in Islamic beliefs and Ibaadah getting altered or misconstrued. Then of
course it comes to those personalities and/or deities who are the source of these beliefs, traditions,
customs and false teachings being propagated amongst Ummah. Both are included in Taghoot and none
can be taken out from the definition of Taghoot.

Therefore, people who believe that Taghoot means only false beliefs, practices, traditions, customs, and
teachings are as wrong as the ones who declare only the personalities as Taghoot as the product cannot
be separated from the manufacturer. So the approach for the rejection of Taghoot should start from the
refutation of all false beliefs and teachings and must include all those personalities and/or deities who
invented and spread these.
Some people (i.e. individuals or sects) focus only on refuting false beliefs and teachings believing
that “may be” the inventers of these had repented before their death, but the thing is that Islam
always believes on ample proofs or what is evident and not assumptions and Islam is crystal clear
and universal while following this approach.

A human is responsible for his judgments based on his own knowledge and experience. If we get ample
proofs of the fact that some polytheistic or innovative teachings (as proven from Quran and Hadith) came
from a certain big named scholar and we also don‟t find any evidence of repentance either verbally or in
written form by the scholar then after his death we have to consider him to be on the wrong path (a
polytheist or an innovator) no matter how big his name is.

It may be difficult to digest for many but isn‟t this the same formulae through which we declare Mirza
Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani an infidel? We do this because we don‟t get any repentance from him before
his death and so because what is apparent goes against him and there is clear and ample evidence to
prove his teachings to be false and against Quran and Sunnah the verdict against him stands valid.
Otherwise if we are assume things then perhaps we should give him this margin as well.

So we will be answerable to Allah only according to the knowledge we had and we are responsible to
make decisions on what we know. There is a hadith in Sahih Bukhari which supports our stance:

Sahih Bukhari – Book 089, Hadith Number 281

Narated By Um Salama : Allah‟s Apostle said, “I am only a human being, and you people (opponents)
come to me with your cases; and it may be that one of you can present his case eloquently in a more
convincing way than the other, and I give my verdict according to what I hear. So if ever I judge (by
error) and give the right of a brother to his other (brother) then he (the latter) should not take it, for I am
giving him only a piece of Fire.”

This is the established tradition to see whether a person died as a Mushrik or Muslim. We know that what
makes someone special in Allah‟s eyes is his Taqwa and also his good deeds but these will be judged
only if the aqeeda of the person was correct or aligned with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah at the
time of his death. So if an “ideal human” died having beliefs other than what Islam explained then he will
not have any share in the hereafter as the reward in the afterlife is only for those who died on true aqeeda
as ordained by Allah and as explained and practiced by Muhammad (SAW) and his companions (RA).
Mother Teresa is one such example who died as an exemplary human being but while believing Jesus to
be the son of God!
So when we are certain that someone died practicing Shirk or Kufr NOT through our personal opinion
about him BUT when we have confirmed evidence that his beliefs or deeds were contradicting Quran
and/or Sahih Hadith or his beliefs fell in any of the categories of Shirk then we have to consider him a
Mushrik and/or a Kafir. This does not mean that we are being judging him in the same way as Allah
would. What it actually means is that we are judging him in the light of Allah and his Prophet (PBUH)‟s
words and teachings. This is rejection of Taghoot which differentiates Abu Bakr from Abu Jahl!

Now let‟s come to the people who are still alive and practicing Shirk. First of all, we must understand that
a person will be considered to be in the category of what he is practicing. It is the same as we would call
a person who steals; a thief and a person who accepts bribes; a Rashi. So if it is established in the
light of Quran and Sahih Hadith that a person is committing shirk as a part of his beliefs and
practices then we will consider him Mushrik until and unless he/she repents from these beliefs.
This is exactly how we declare a Jew a Kafir and a Hindu a Mushrik.

We cannot say that “Maybe” this person will repent from his beliefs as it will be an incorrect approach
otherwise every Jew, Christian or Hindu will also get a margin of this „maybe‟. But of course if this person
repents and follows Tawheed correctly then he will be called a Muslim but until then he is what he is.
Having said that, what is important here is not to label anyone because as long as he‟s living, he has the
margin to mend his ways. So when we are inviting him towards the actual teachings of Islam, our
approach should be polite and not as if we have already made up our mind about him. The message in
Surah Al-Asr must never be forgotten, which tells us that all hardships are to be faced with endurance
while spreading the message of Allah.

One very important thing to be understood is that the terms Kafir and Mushrik are not obscenities, abuses
or slangs. They are Qur‟anic terms or titles used to define a certain type of people who harbour and/or a
certain types of beliefs. It must also be understood that Islam is a Deen for the whole humanity and not
just for the people who were born in Muslim families.

Kafir, unbeliever or disbeliever is the one who negates or rejects. So in Islamic terms, Kafir is the rejecter
of the teachings of Islam. We usually term non-Muslims as Kafirs as they reject the teachings of Islam.
Mushrik (polytheist) is the person who associates other deities such as trees, fire, water, sun, moon and
even humans as partners with Allah in His “Lordship”, “Worship” and/or His “Divine Names and
Attributes”.

So a Mushrik is not only be a Hindu who worships many gods besides Allah, it can also be a
follower of a monotheistic religion (i.e. Christianity, Judaism) who left the actual message of these
religions and distorted the teachings of Moses (AS) and Jesus (AS) turned to polytheism at any
stage in life. After all Christianity and Judaism are in essence the distorted form of Islam or the
original message of Tawheed that Moses (AS) and Jesus (AS) brought.

A Mushrik could be a hypocrite who recited the Kalima (Shahadah) by tongue for some benefit but
doesn’t believe in it.

SIMILARLY. a Mushrik could also be a Kalima-go (a recite of Kalima) who was born in a Muslim
family and even though he claims to be a Muslim but knowingly or unknowingly practices Shirk.

So it‟s not the claim of an individual through which we learn if he really is or was a Muslim because the
definition, criterion and the requirements of a Muslim have been laid down for the entire humanity.
Otherwise wasn‟t Abu-Jahl also one of the biggest scholars of his time? AND, didn‟t he also “claim” to be
a follower of Deen-e-Ibrahimi (Islam) but was he really?

Similarly we have Muhrikeen-e-Makkah. They weren‟t Christians, Jews or Hindus? They were all the “so-
called” followers of Islam who claimed to be on Deen-e-Ibrahimi…just like many of us claim to be! But we
call them Mushrikeen, don‟t we?

Regards.