Speaking about Allah without Knowledge



Speaking about Allah, the Most High, without knowledge, is the foremost aspect of shirk, which incurs the most severe punishment from Allah. For this reason, this is not allowed under any circumstances. This is clearly communicated by Allah in Surah A'araaf, which highlights the severity of this sin, by comparing it with other major sins. He, the Mighty said:


"Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are, Al-Fawaahish (every kind of illegal sexual intercourse) whether committed openly or secretly


He, the Most High then moved on to describe a more severe


"sin, unjust oppression"


Then to that sin which is even more severe:


"joining partners (in worship) with Allah (shirk), for which He gave no authority"


And then He, the All-Knowing punctuated it with that sin which most severe:


"and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge. "

[Al-A'araaf 7: 331


In the Tafseer of this Aayah, the scholars of Islam have said that: "If speaking about Islam (Allah, the Most High) is not the greatest crime, then Allah certainly intended to emphasize it that way. Zinaa (fornication and adultery), the first mentioned (sin in the Aayah) is an act of one committing a sin on his/her own soul. Secondly: (Allah mentions) oppression, a sin committed against others. This is definitely a greater evil. Then He, the Most High mentions shirk (i.e. joining partners in worship with Allah), obviously a greater evil than the first two, and finally, speaking without knowledge in Islam; Every sin that followed was always greater than the previous one. Thus, if it (speaking about Allah without knowledge) is not the greatest of sins, as it was mentioned last, it was certainly intended (by Allah) to be understood that way."


It should be seriously noted that this very grave sin is only because of Satan's encouragement of the ignorant and sometimes arrogant seekers of name and fame.

Allah, the Most High said:


"Verily, it is indeed Satan that makes you do evil and say things about Allah (or His deen) of which you have no proper knowledge."

[Al-Baqarah 2:169]


Therefore, based upon the above aayah, we find that this is the most serious prohibition with Allah Himself. The following categories of sins are incorporated in "Speaking of Allah without knowledge":


a) Lying upon Allah, the Almighty.


b) Attributing to Allah, the Most High, what is not suitable for Him


c) Bid'ah (innovation) or modifying and altering Allah's Deen


d) Negating what He, the Most High, has affirmed


e) Affirming what He, the Most High, negated


f) Hostility to those who champion His cause


g) Supporting His enemies


h) Loving those whom He hates and hating those He loves


i) Describing Him with what does not befit Him in His Essence, His Attributes, His Statements or His Actions.


Therefore, because of the amount of sins included in this category, there can be no greater prohibition. It is from this sin that Shirk (associating partners with Allah) and all forms of Kufr (disbelief) originate. All forms of Bid'ah (innovations) are also founded upon "speaking about Allah without knowledge."