A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
Shirk (polytheism) regarding Lordship (Rububiyyah).
Most of the polytheists acknowledged the Lordship of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.
They did not deny it.
As the Almighty said:
“And if thou wert to ask them: Who created the heavens and the earth, and constrained the sun and the moon (to their appointed work)? they would say: Allah. How then are they turned away?” (29:61)
Yet, despite their acknowledgment of the Oneness of Lordship,
And that Allah is the Creator and Disposer of affairs,
They fell into shirk regarding worship (Uluhiyyah).
They worshipped others besides Allah.
However, some polytheists
Fell into shirk regarding Lordship as well,
Along with their shirk in worship.
Among them are the Christians,
Due to their belief
That ‘Isa, peace be upon him,
Forgives sins and saves people from them,
And manages affairs alongside Allah
Regarding provision and all other matters of His servants.
Among them are the Magians,
Who attributed the occurrence of good to light,
And attributed the occurrence of evil to darkness.
Among them are the worshippers of stars and celestial bodies,
Who believe these bodies manage
The affairs of the world, such as the Sabians.
Among them is a faction of the extremist Sufis,
Who claim that the saints (awliya’),
Or their spirits after their death,
Actively manage the affairs of the world,
In the management of the world's affairs,
And the fulfillment of people's needs.
They hold nonsensical and baseless claims regarding this,
Which are false and suspicious,
And use titles for which Allah has sent down no authority.
According to them, the world is managed by the Ghawth (the Succor),
Or the Supreme Qutb (the Pole),
Who is, by their claim, one of the saints of Allah.
He is followed by two ministers,
Then the Awtad (the Pillars),
Who are four individuals holding the world
From its four corners.
Then the Abdal (the Substitutes),
Who are seven,
With one of them in each of the seven continents of the earth,
And so on,
To the end of what they claim
Of these absurdities and inanities,
For which Allah has sent down no authority.
They claim through these that these figures have control
Over the world and the management of its affairs.
This is, without a doubt,
Among the greatest forms of shirk,
And it is shirk in Lordship,
Which even the early polytheists
Of the Age of Ignorance did not commit.
It necessitates that they will not be forgiven,
And that they will abide eternally in the Fire.
Also among the forms of shirk in Lordship
Is legislating or ruling by other than what Allah has revealed,
Because the authority to legislate is among the exclusive attributes
Of the Lord, the Almighty and Majestic.
The Almighty said:
“Say: Allah is Best Aware how long they tarried. His is the Invisible of the heavens and the earth. How clear of sight is He and keen of hearing! They have no protecting friend beside Him, and He maketh none to share in His government.” (18:26)
A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.