Lesson 10 – Explanation of the Book of Tawḥīd – Shaykh Abu Iyaad Amjad Rafiq

Explanation of the Book of Tawḥīd, taught by Shaykh Abu Iyaad Amjad Rafiq (hafidhahullāh)

• Chapter 12 of Kitāb at-Tawḥīd: "From shirk is making a vow to other than Allāh", and the verse "They fulfil their vows" (al-Insān 76:7) • The meaning of a vow (nadhr) in the language and in the Sharīʿah: binding oneself to an act of worship that was not obligatory • Why making vows is prohibited: it burdens a person with what he was free to do or leave • Fulfilling vows is worship, as Allāh praised those who fulfil them and commanded "let them fulfil their vows" (al-Ḥajj 22:29) • The grave worshippers of later times call upon ʿAlī and the awliyāʾ even when drowning, while the first mushrikūn turned sincerely to Allāh at sea • The two kinds of vow: a vow of obedience and a vow of disobedience • Vows to graves, jinn and the awliyāʾ are major shirk that require repentance, and Allāh accepts the repentance of whoever turns to Him (az-Zumar 39:53)