Matters Which Nullify Ones Islaam

All praise is due to Allaah alone; may He exalt the mention of Prophet 
Muhammad, his family and all his companions.
Dear Muslim! Know that Allaah obligated all His slaves to enter Islaam 


completely by adhering firmly to its legislation and to shun anything that 
contradicts it. Allaah sent Muhammad  sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam to call 
people to Islaam and propagate this mission. He informed us that whoever 
follows Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhiwa sallamwill be guided, and whoever 
shuns his call will stray and be misguided. 
In many verses of the  Quran, Allaah warns us against things that lead to 
apostasy, as well as all types of  Shirk(associating partners with Allaah in 
worship) and Kufr (disbelief). In the chapters of apostasy which are found in the 
books of Islamic creed, the scholars have mentioned many matters which nullify 
a persons Islaam and render one an apostate; the most dangerous and common 
of which are ten, which are mentioned below and which have brief explanations 
so that people may be aware of these matters and avoid them.
x First: Shirk in worship: Allaah says what means:  “Verily, Allaah forgives 
not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives 
whom Hewills, sins other than that,” (An -Nisaa’: 116)and also  “Verily, 
whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has 
forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the 
wrongdoers there are no helpers” (Al -Maa’idah: 72)these are matters such 
as calling upon the dead, seeking their support and slaughtering animals for 
them or in their name, such as those who slaughter for Jinn or at people’s 
graves.
x Second: Making intermediaries between a person and Allaah, whom people 
ask to intercede on their behalf with Allaah. This includes supplicating to 
such 'intermediaries' and putting ones trust in them. Whoever does any of 
these has become a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslim scholars.
x Third:Not considering those who associate partners with Allaah in worship 
as disbelievers, doubting their disbelief, or considering their faith as correct.
x Fourth:Believing that there is guidance which is better or more suitable than 
the guidance with which the Prophet  sallallaahu 'ala yhi wa sallamcame 
with; or believing that any other legislation is superior to his, such as those 
who favour man-made legislation over Islamic legislation and use these man
made legislations to rule with. This also includes believing that man-made 
legislation is better than Islaam, or that they are equivalent, or that one may 
use them as a basis for ruling, or that Islamic legislation is not suitable for the 
twenty-first century, or believing that Islamic legislation is the reason behind 
the weakness and b ackwardness of the Muslims or limiting Islamic 
legislation to only govern the relationship between the slave and his Lord and 
not his other worldly affairs.
Moreover, this category includes those who consider that some Islamic 
penal-laws are unsuitable fo r our time, such as cutting the hands of thieves or 
stoning adulterers. Likewise, believing that one can refer to man -made 
legislation for commercial or business transactions renders one a disbeliever, 
because such a person by conviction deems lawful what  Allaah has ruled as 
unlawful. An example of this are those people who set rules for those who 
consume intoxicants or commit fornication or adultery.
x Fifth:Hating anything which the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam
commanded even if one performs it,  Allaah says what means: “That is 
because they hate that which Allaah has sent down (Qur'aan)”
(Muhammad: 9).
x Sixth: Joking at or making fun of any part of Islaam, its rewards or its 
punishments, Allaah says what means:  “Say: Was it at Allaah and His 
Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His 
Messenger that you were mocking. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after 
you had believed” (At -Tawbah: 65-66).
x Seventh: Practising magic, Allaah says what means: “but neither of these 
two taught anyone (such things) till they had said, We are for trial, so 
disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us)” (Al -Baqarah: 102).
x Eighth: Supporting the disbelievers against the believers, Allaah says what 
means: “And if any amongst you takes them (as supporters), then surely, he 
is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who are the 
Thaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)” (Al -Maa’idah: 51).
x Ninth: Believing that people are free to abandon the Islamic legislation 
which was brought to us by Muhammad  sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam , 
Allaah says what means: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, 
it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the 
losers” (Aal ‘Imraan: 85).
x Tenth: Shunning the religion of Allaah by refusing to learn or practice it, 
Allaah says what means: “Who does more wrong than he who is reminded 
of the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of 
his Lord, then turns aside therefrom Verily, We s hall exact retribution 
from the Mujrimoon (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners)” (As 
Sajdah: 22).