Allah and draw close to Him. Yet, Allah (may He be Praised and Exalted) declared them to be Kafirs and Mushriks because of their so doing.
In this respect, Allah (Exalted be He) also says: Such is Allâh, your Lord; His is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmîr (the thin membrane over the datestone). If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) like Him Who is the AllKnower (of everything).
Allah (may He be Praised) tells in this Ayah that the Sovereignty is His Alone and that He is the Sole Disposer of His creatures. All those worshipped by the Mushriks, other than Him, whether they are Jinn, humans, trees, stones, etc., do not even own a Qitmir the thin membrane over the datestone and that they cannot hear the Du'a' of those who call upon them. Even if they did, they could not respond, because they are either dead, absent, or inanimate objects that cannot do anything. Allah (may He be Praised) also explains that those whom they worship besides Allah will deny their worshipping them on the Day of
Resurrection and refute it. This indicates that their attachment to them and their Du'a' to them is Shirk, as He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
And the Day whereon We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who did set partners in worship with Us: "Stop at your place! You and your partners (whom you had worshipped in the worldly life)." then We shall separate them, and their (Allâh's socalled) partners shall say: "It was not us that you used to worship."
"So sufficient is Allâh as a witness between us and you that we indeed knew nothing of your worship of us." He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
And who is more astray than one who calls on (invokes) besides Allâh, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them? And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.
In these Ayahs, Allah explains that all those worshipped other than Him shall disown their worshippers on the Day of Resurrection, deny their worship, and inform them that they were heedless of it.
What a great regret and loss those Mushriks will have on the Day of Resurrection! They have incurred upon themselves failure and sorrow, and have earned the Anger and Wrath of the Almighty, by their disbelief in Him and their worship of others with Him that cannot bring benefit, cause harm, or avail them anything.
And whoever invokes (or worships), besides Allâh, any other ilâh (god), of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely! AlKâfirûn (the disbelievers in Allâh and in the Oneness of Allâh, polytheists, pagans, idolaters) will not be successful.
There are many Ayahs that explain the falsehood of Shirk, the bad end of the Mushriks, and their loss on the Day of Resurrection. The Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) also explains the misguidance of Mushriks, their bad end, and the enormity of their losses, not for associating others with Allah in Tawhidul Rububiyyah (Oneness of Allah's Lordship), because they knew that He is the Creator, Sustainer, and the Disposer of all their affairs. Rather, it is because they associated others with Him in TawhidulUluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship) in invoking, fearing, hoping, slaughtering sacrifices, vowing, and other forms of 'Ibadah.
It is authentically reported inthe Two Sahih (authentic) Books of Hadith (i.e. AlBukhari and Muslim) on the authority of Ibn ' Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Mu' adh when he sent him to Yemen, "You are going to a community of the People of the Book, so let the first thing to which you call them be worshipping Allah." According to another narration, "...call them to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah." In anothernarration by AlBukhari (may Allah be merciful to him), "...call them to believe in Allah Alone (Tawhid)."
Similarly, it is reported in"Sahih Muslim" on the authority of Sa'd ibn Tariq Al Ashja' y from his father (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Anyone who says that there is no deity but Allah and disbelieves in whatever is worshipped besides Allah, their property and blood become inviolable, and their account is with Allah." According to thewording of the narration by Ahmad, "Anyone who believes in Allah Alone and disbelieves in whatever is worshipped besides Allah..."
These two Hadith explicitly enjoin tawhid, sincerity in 'Ibadah to Allah, and disbelief in whatever is worshipped besides Him.
It is also related inthe Two Sahih Books of Hadithon the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), He (peace be upon him) said to Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him), when he asked him about Islam, "It is to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, to perform the obligatory Salah (Prayers), to pay the prescribed Zakah (obligatory charity)…"
Likewise, in"Sahih Muslim" on the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) it is reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Islam is built on five (pillars): on belief in the Oneness of Allah, performing Salah, giving Zakah, Sawm (fasting) Ramadan, and Hajj (pilgrimage)." According to another narration of his: "...on worship of Allah and disbelief in any other than Him..." The original narration of this Hadith is reported inthe Two Sahih Booksas Marfu' (a Hadith narrated from the Prophet with a connected or disconnected chain of narration) with the following wording: "Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Salah, giving Zakah, Sawm of Ramadan, and Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah)."
It is also related by Muslim in the Hadith on the authority of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in which Jibril asked about Islam, Iman (Faith), and Ihsan (the perfection of Faith), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) answered saying, "Islam is to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, perform Salah, pay Zakah, fast Ramadan, and Hajj to the House (the Ka'bah) if you are able to undertake the journey."
These Hadith and others bearing the same meaning prove that the meaning of the testimony: "La ilaha illa Allah (there is no deity but Allah)" is belief in the Oneness of Allah, sincerity in 'Ibadah to Him, and disbelief in whatever is worshipped beside Him.
This meaning is the true essence of the Tawhid with which Allah sent the Messengers, revealed the Books, and established Jihad (struggling/fighting in the Cause of Allah); and divided the people into Kafirs and Mu'mins (believers), wretched and blessed.
It is enjoined upon every Mukallaf (person meeting the conditions to be held legally accountable for their actions) to seek the means for salvation, adhere to Tawhid, dedicate 'Ibadah purely and sincerely to Allah Alone, disbelieve in any 'Ibadah to other than Him and repudiate it,
and hold allegiance or enmity on this basis, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Indeed there has been
an excellent example for you in Ibrâhîm (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: "Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allâh: we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you hostility and hatred for ever until you believe in Allâh Alone"
This is the Din (religion) of all the Messengers and it is the Din that Allah sent the Last and Best of the Prophets, our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with.
It is obligatory upon every Muslim to bite on this with their molars, stand straight on the Din, invite people to it sincerely and honestly, and be patient with what afflicts them on the Path of adhering to it or performing Da'wah (calling to Allah). Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says to His Prophet (peace be upon him):
Therefore be patient (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ) as did the Messengers of strong will
And endure you patiently (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭ ﺳﻠﻢ), your patience is not but from Allâh.
and be patient. Surely, Allâh is with those who are AsSâbirûn (the patient).
By Al'Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss,
Except those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (AlM a' ruf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (AlMunkar which Allâh has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allâh's Cause during preaching His religion of Islâmic Monotheism or Jihâd).
Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.
There are many other Ayahs to this effect.
May Allah, the One Who is begged for aid, bring us, all Muslims, and all those who call people to AlHaqq (the Truth) together in what pleases Him, and guide His Servants. May Allah guide all the rulers of Muslims to what benefits their people and puts them on the Right Path. Indeed, He is the Patron and the One Capable of doing it. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and his family and Companions, and those who follow their course until the Day of Resurrection!