God’s message to mankind for all human history is simple: worship God alone.
7:172 Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: “Am I not your Lord?” They all said, “Yes. We bear witness.” Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, “We were not aware of this.”
Yet despite this, it seems like the devil has been quite effective in leading the masses away from monotheism towards idol worship. One of the most glaring examples of this is the Children of Israel’s worshiping of the calf, as well as the idolizing Jesus as first the son of God to eventually God incarnate as part of a trinity.
5:17 Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is the Messiah, the son of Mary. Say, “Who could oppose GOD if He willed to annihilate the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone on earth?” To GOD belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them. He creates whatever He wills. GOD is Omnipotent.
5:72 Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah himself said, “O Children of Israel, you shall worship GOD; my Lord and your Lord.” Anyone who sets up any idol beside GOD, GOD has forbidden Paradise for him, and his destiny is Hell. The wicked have no helpers.
5:73 Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is a third in a trinity. There is no god except the one god. Unless they refrain from saying this, those who disbelieve among them will incur a painful retribution.
Many Muslims read these passages and think these verses do not apply to them, as it addresses Jesus, yet these verses are not placed in the Quran for us to feel superior about ourselves. These verses are a forewarning not to make the same mistakes. All it takes is to become just a little self-reflecting to see that many Muslims have failed to take heed of these warnings and have fallen for the same trap and started idolizing the prophet.
The subtlety of Idol Worship: Intercession
If we read the following verse, it informs us how idol worship can creep into one’s religion, and people begin to rationalize that their idolatry is permissible.
39:3 Absolutely, the religion shall be devoted to GOD alone. Those who set up idols beside Him say, “We idolize them only to bring us closer to GOD; for they are in a better position!” GOD will judge them regarding their disputes. GOD does not guide such liars, disbelievers.
Yet when most Muslims read this verse, they think it does not apply to them because the next verse discusses God not having a son. But do many Muslims not send perpetual blessings to the prophet, hoping he will intercede on their behalf on the Day of Resurrection? Do they not realize that thinking the prophet is capable of being able to hear everyone’s salutations to him, let alone be able to identify them on the Day of Resurrection and override God’s judgment, is setting up a partner with God?
39:44 Say, “ All intercession belongs to GOD.” To Him belongs all sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you will be returned.
We see that even the Pagan idol worshipers among the Quaraish were making similar claims to the partners they set up next to God.
Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported that the polytheists also pronounced (Talbiya) as: Here I am at Thy service, there is no associate with Thee. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Woe be upon them, stop, stop,” as they also said: But one associate with Thee, you possess mastery over him, but he does not possess mastery (over you). They used to say this and circumambulate the Ka’ba.
Despite these clear verses, instead of listening to the words of God in the Quran, the Muslim masses follow their religious leaders who teach them counter to what it states in the Quran.
9:31 They have set up their religious leaders and scholars as lords, instead of GOD. Others deified the Messiah, son of Mary. They were all commanded to worship only one god. There is no god except He. Be He glorified, high above having any partners.
Thirty-plus times in the Quran, it informs us what the Shahadah is.
3:18 GOD bears witness that there is no god except He, and so do the angels and those who possess knowledge. Truthfully and equitably, He is the absolute god; there is no god but He, the Almighty, Most Wise.
47:19 You shall know that: “ There is no other god beside GOD,” and ask forgiveness of your sins and the sins of all believing men and women. GOD is fully aware of your decisions and your ultimate destiny.
But consult the Muslim masses, and they will advise you against the Shahadah of God, the angels, and the knowledgable; and instead to recite the Shadahatin (dual Shahadah). Where in addition to saying, “I bear witness there is no god beside God,” they mandate one to say they “bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
Ironically, this Shahadah is used once in the Quran in Sura 63, the Hypocrites, by the hypocrites.
63:1 When the hypocrites come to you they say, “We bear witness that you are the messenger of GOD.” GOD knows that you are His messenger, and GOD bears witness that the hypocrites are liars.
If we truly worship God alone, we will be satisfied with the mention of God alone.
39:45 When GOD ALONE is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter shrink with aversion. But when others are mentioned beside Him, they become satisfied.
Historically this Shahadahtin is not found in inscriptions until the fifth Ummayad Caliph Abd al-Malik (r. 647-705), the son of Marwan, the chief conspirator that led to the assassination of Uthman.
Idol Worship and Hajj
God commands the believers to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to His Sacred Shrine to worship God alone, yet most pilgrims will also include a stop to Medina to pray at the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), which contains the tomb of prophet Muhammad. So this simple act that is supposed to be devoted to God alone has now been corrupted by adding a partner with God. Ironically, in a series of very famous Hadith, the prophet condemned the Christians and Jews for doing such a thing.
Narrated Aisha andAbdullah bin `Abbas: When the last moment of the life of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) came he started putting his ‘Khamisa’ on his face and when he felt hot and short of breath, he took it off his face and said, “ May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets.” The Prophet (ﷺ) was warning (Muslims) of what those had done.
Sahih al-Bukhari 435, 436
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:435
Ironically, Abd al-Malik’s son, al-Waleed I, expanded the Mosque of the Prophet around 706 CE so that the prophet’s tomb, as well as that of the first two caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632-634) and Umar (r. 634-644) would be encompassed inside the mosque.
Masjid For God Alone
The Quran tells us that the places of worship belong to God alone and not to call upon anyone beside God.
72:18 The places of worship belong to GOD; do not call on anyone else beside GOD.
Yet walk into many masjids, and it is very likely that they will have the name of Muhammad right next to God’s name, and if one did not know how to read Arabic, one would not be able to tell which is God and which is His servant.
How did we get here?
According to Sahih al-Bukhari, after the prophet’s death, Abu Bakr made the following statement to his people,
“ Whoever amongst you worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die. “
Some may assume this was meant just as a reminder for the people about the foundation of their belief. Still, there is much evidence that some of the companions living amongst the prophet were idol worshipers and hypocrites. This is specified in Sura 9, the last major revelation given to the prophet before he died.
9:101 Among the Arabs around you, there are hypocrites. Also, among the city dwellers, there are those who are accustomed to hypocrisy. You do not know them, but we know them. We will double the retribution for them, then they end up committed to a terrible retribution.
9:107 There are those who abuse the masjid by practicing idol worship, dividing the believers, and providing comfort to those who oppose GOD and His messenger. They solemnly swear: “Our intentions are honorable!” GOD bears witness that they are liars.
Additionally, we see that historically after the prophet’s death, several factions broke out, each claiming to follow new prophets bearing new revelations. Since Muhammad was the final prophet, these individuals making such claims were committing one of the worst sins. This led to the Ridda (Apostasy) Wars that took place during the reign of Abu Bakr.
6:93 Who is more evil than one who fabricates lies and attributes them to GOD, or says, “I have received divine inspiration,” when no such inspiration was given to him, or says, “I can write the same as GOD’s revelations”? If only you could see the transgressors at the time of death! The angels extend their hands to them, saying, “Let go of your souls. Today, you have incurred a shameful retribution for saying about GOD other than the truth, and for being too arrogant to accept His revelations.
Many of these idol-worshiping hypocrites continued their idol-worshipping ways after claiming to accept the faith.
Elevating the Prophet’s Status
We see numerous Hadith where the prophet knew the future, the unseen, and when and where people would die despite the Quran stating that he did not. For instance, there are Hadith informing the death of Fatima, the martyrdom of Umar and Uthman, and the expansion of the Umma to Syria, Jerusalem, India, Persia, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
6:50 Say, “I do not say to you that I possess the treasures of GOD. Nor do I know the future. Nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I simply follow what is revealed to me.” Say, “Is the blind the same as the seer? Do you not reflect?”
7:188 Say, “I have no power to benefit myself, or harm myself. Only what GOD wills happens to me. If I knew the future, I would have increased my wealth, and no harm would have afflicted me. I am no more than a warner, and a bearer of good news for those who believe.”
31:34 With GOD is the knowledge regarding the Hour (end of the world). He is the One who sends down the rain, and He knows the contents of the womb. No soul knows what will happen to it tomorrow, and no one knows in which land he or she will die. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
Coincidentally, all these detailed prophetic Hadith stopped coming to fruition once people started becoming more critical of Hadith during the second Fitna.
Prophet Above the Quran
Also, according to Hadith, the prophet could see Jinns and the devil himself, who he wrestled and tied to the column of the masjid.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (ﷺ) once offered the prayer and said, “Satan came in front of me and tried to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me an upper hand on him and I choked him. No doubt, I thought of tying him to one of the pillars of the mosque till you get up in the morning and see him. Then I remembered the statement of Prophet Solomon, ‘My Lord! Bestow on me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me.’ Then Allah made him (Satan) return with his head down (humiliated).”
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شَبَابَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ صَلَّى صَلاَةً قَالَ ” إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ عَرَضَ لِي، فَشَدَّ عَلَىَّ لِيَقْطَعَ الصَّلاَةَ عَلَىَّ، فَأَمْكَنَنِي اللَّهُ مِنْهُ، فَذَعَتُّهُ، وَلَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أُوثِقَهُ إِلَى سَارِيَةٍ حَتَّى تُصْبِحُوا فَتَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ فَذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ سُلَيْمَانَ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لاَ يَنْبَغِي لأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي. فَرَدَّهُ اللَّهُ خَاسِيًا ”. ثُمَّ قَالَ النَّضْرُ بْنُ شُمَيْلٍ فَذَعَتُّهُ بِالذَّالِ أَىْ خَنَقْتُهُ وَفَدَعَّتُّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ {يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ} أَىْ يُدْفَعُونَ وَالصَّوَابُ، فَدَعَتُّهُ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ كَذَا قَالَ بِتَشْدِيدِ الْعَيْنِ وَالتَّاءِ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1210
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1210
7:27 O children of Adam, do not let the devil dupe you as he did when he caused the eviction of your parents from Paradise, and the removal of their garments to expose their bodies. He and his tribe see you, while you do not see them. We appoint the devils as companions of those who do not believe.
Hadith also claims that the prophet was unlike regular mortals as he did not require food or sleep.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) forbade Al-Wisal in fasting. So, one of the Muslims said to him, “But you practice Al- Wisal. O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)!” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “ Who amongst you is similar to me? I am given food and drink during my sleep by my Lord.” So, when the people refused to stop Al-Wisal (fasting continuously), the Prophet (ﷺ) fasted day and night continuously along with them for a day and then another day and then they saw the crescent moon (of the month of Shawwal). The Prophet (ﷺ) said to them (angrily), “If It (the crescent) had not appeared, I would have made you fast for a longer period.” That was as a punishment for them when they refused to stop (practicing Al-Wisal).
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الْوِصَالِ فِي الصَّوْمِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِنَّكَ تُوَاصِلُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ” وَأَيُّكُمْ مِثْلِي إِنِّي أَبِيتُ يُطْعِمُنِي رَبِّي وَيَسْقِينِ ”. فَلَمَّا أَبَوْا أَنْ يَنْتَهُوا عَنِ الْوِصَالِ وَاصَلَ بِهِمْ يَوْمًا ثُمَّ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ رَأَوُا الْهِلاَلَ، فَقَالَ ” لَوْ تَأَخَّرَ لَزِدْتُكُمْ ”. كَالتَّنْكِيلِ لَهُمْ، حِينَ أَبَوْا أَنْ يَنْتَهُوا.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1965
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1965
He also could see behind his head.
Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) one day led us in the prayer. and when he completed the Prayer he turned his face towards us and said: 0 People, I am your Imam, so do not precede me in bowing and prostration and in standing and turning (faces, i. e. In pronouncing salutation), for I see you in front of me and behind me, and then said: By Him in Whose hand Is the life of Muhammad, if you could see what I see, you would have laughed little and wept much more. They said: What did you see, Messenger of Allah? He replied: (I saw) Paradise and Hell.
17:90 They said, “We will not believe you unless you cause a spring to gush out of the ground.
17:92 “Or unless you cause masses from the sky, as you claimed, to fall on us. Or unless you bring GOD and the angels before our eyes.
17:93 “Or unless you own a luxurious mansion, or unless you climb into the sky. Even if you do climb, we will not believe unless you bring a book that we can read.” Say, “Glory be to my Lord. Am I any more than a human messenger?”
In another alarming Hadith from Sahih Muslim, we see that one of the heavy narrators of Hadith, Abu Mas’ud, gave more sympathy to one who sought refuge in Muhammad rather than God.
Abu Mas’ud reported that he had been beating his slave, and he had been saying: I seek refuge in Allah, but he continued beating him, whereupon he said: I seek refuge in Allah’s Messenger, and he spared him. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: By Allah, God has more dominance over you than you have over him (the slave). He said that he set him free.
Sahih Muslim 1659d
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1659d
Attributed the Names of God to the Prophet
They also attribute some of the Alimighty attributes of God to the prophet in the Hadith.
Narrated Muawiya: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “If Allah wants to do good for somebody, he makes him comprehend the Religion (i.e. Islam), and Allah is the Giver and I am Al-Qasim (the distributor), and this (Muslim) nation will remain victorious over their opponents, till Allah’s Order comes and they will still be victorious.”
سَمِعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ، وَاللَّهُ الْمُعْطِي وَأَنَا الْقَاسِمُ ، وَلاَ تَزَالُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةُ ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ ظَاهِرُونَ ”.