Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (14/434)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the Companions, he is a disbeliever.”

Shaykh al-Islam also said: “Whoever believes that churches are houses of Allah, that Allah is worshipped in them, and that what the Jews and Christians do is worship of Allah and obedience to Him and to His Messenger; or that Allah loves and approves of this; or who helps them to open them and establish their religion, believing that this is an act of drawing near to Allah or an act of obedience—then he is a disbeliever.”

Many people today are afflicted with this, believing that churches are houses of Allah and places where He is worshipped and obeyed, and that those who claim to draw near to Allah through them are indeed drawing near to Him. This is disbelief.

The matter is therefore grave, for the religion of Islam is one. The religion that Allah has approved for His servants is the religion brought by Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Whatever lies outside it is not a religion, even if its adherents take it as their religion; rather, it is a religion through which Satan is worshipped. As for the Most Merciful, by Allah, no.

Elsewhere, he said: “Whoever believes that visiting the churches of the dhimmis is an act of drawing near to Allah is an apostate. If he is unaware that this is forbidden, it should be explained to him; if he persists, he becomes an apostate.” He also said: “If one who says, ‘There is nothing in existence but Allah,’ intends what those who claim that the Creator and creation are united mean—namely, that nothing exists but Allah, and that the existence of the Creator is the existence of the created being; that the Creator is the created being, the created being is the Creator, the servant is the Lord, and the Lord is the servant, and similar notions—then the same applies to those who say that Allah Himself is in every place and regard Him as intermingled with created things: he is to be called to repent; if he repents, then well and good; otherwise, he is to be executed.”

He also said: “Whoever believes that anyone has a path to Allah without following Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, or that following him is not obligatory upon him, and that he or another person may depart

الصحابة فهو كافر»، و «قال الشيخ (شيخ الإسلام): من اعتقد أن الكنائس بيوت الله، وأن الله يُعبد فيها، وأن ما يفعل اليهود والنصارى عبادة لله، وطاعة له، ولرسوله، أو أنه يحب ذلك ويرضاه، أو أعانهم على فتحها، وإقامة دينهم، وأن ذلك قربة، أو طاعة فهو كافر» وكثير من الناس مبتلى بهذا اليوم، يعتقدون أن الكنائس بيوت الله، وأنها محل عبادته وطاعته، وأن هؤلاء الذين يزعمون أنهم يتقربون إلى الله بها هم متقربون إليه، وهذا كفر. فالمسألة خطيرة؛ لأن دين الإسلام واحد، فالدين الذي ارتضاه الله لعباده هو الدين الذي جاء به محمد ﵊ فما عدا ذلك فليس بدين، وإن اتخذه أصحابه ديناً، لكنه دين يعبد به الشيطان، أما الرحمن فكلا والله. وقال في موضع آخر: «من اعتقد أن زيارة أهل الذمة كنائسَهم قربة إلى الله فهو مرتد، وإن جهل أن ذلك محرم عُرّف ذلك، فإن أصر صار مرتداً، وقال: قول القائل: «ما ثَمَّ إلا الله» إن أراد ما يقوله أهل الاتحاد، من أن ما ثَمَّ موجود إلا الله، ويقولون: إن وجود الخالق هو وجود المخلوق، والخالق هو المخلوق، والمخلوق هو الخالق، والعبد هو الرب، والرب هو العبد، ونحو ذلك من المعاني، وكذلك الذين يقولون: إن الله تعالى بذاته في كل مكان، ويجعلونه مختلطاً بالمخلوقات، يستتاب، فإن تاب وإلا قتل». وقال: «من اعتقد أن لأحد طريقاً إلى الله من غير متابعة محمد ﷺ، أو لا يجب عليه اتباعه، وأن له، أو لغيره خروجاً