By Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

Adopted from The Fundamentals of Tawheed by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, English, second Edition pp. 39-41

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Since the term, `Ibadah means total obedience,  and Allah is considered the ultimate Lawgiver, the implementation of secular legal systems not based on the divine law (Shari`ah) is an act of disbelief in the divine law and belief in the correctness of such systems, such a belief constitutes a form of worshipping other than Allah (shirk). Allah (SWT) said in the Qur'an:

وَمَن لَّمۡ يَحۡكُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرُون

سُوۡرَةُ المَائدة  ٤٤

"...Those who do not rule by what Allah has revealed are the disbelievers."

(Qur'an 5: 44)

On one occasion, the Prophet's Companion, `Adi ibn Hatim, who was a convert from Christianity, heard the Prophet (SAW) recite the Qur'anic verse,

ٱتَّخَذُوٓاْ أَحۡبَارَهُمۡ وَرُهۡبَـٰنَهُمۡ أَرۡبَابً۬ا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ

 سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة ٣١

"They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, ..."

(Qur'an 9: 31)

So he said, "Surely we did not worship them." The Prophet (SAW) turned to him and said:

"Did they not make forbidden (haram) what Allah had made allowable (halal) and you all made it haram, and did they not make halal what Allah made (haram) and you all made it halal?" he replied, "We certainly did" The Prophet then said, "That was how you worshipped them."

[Collected by Tirmidhi.]

Hence, a significant part of Tawhid al-`Ibadah involves the implementation of Shari`ah, especially in the lands where the Muslims form the majority of the population. Divine law has to be reintroduced in the many so-called Muslim countries where governments now rule according to to imported capitalist or communist constitutions, and Islamic law is on the books but secular law is in force, have also to be brought in line with the Shari`ah as it pertains to all aspects of life. The acceptance of non-Islamic rule in place of Shari`ah in Muslim lands is shirk and an act of kufr.Those in a position to change it must do so, while those unable to do so must speak out against the rule of kufr and call for the implementation of Shari`ah. If even this becomes impossible, un-Islamic government must be sincerely hated and despised for the pleasure of God and the upholding of Tawhid.

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Source:

Philips, Bilal. Fundamentals of Tawheed. 2nd ed. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: International Islamic Publishing House, 2006. Print.