Faulty Methods of Evidence Derivation
Based on the previously cited Islamic sources and scholarly statements, it should be entirely clear to any observer what the original core content of Islam is and that polytheism – regardless of its form – makes it impossible for a person to be considered a Muslim.
This entire matter is not purely theoretical but has a definite connection to reality. Today, in all parts of the world, there are indeed people who profess Islam but invoke the dead, ask them for things, or seek their aid in times of distress. This has reached such an extent that in some cases, pilgrimages with associated rites have been invented, which are annually performed by millions of people in countries like Egypt. According to the consensus of early Muslim scholars, this constitutes polytheism in worship – an act that undoubtedly invalidates a person's declaration of faith.
This is merely one example of the forms of polytheism widespread today, which various authors on this topic have also pointed out. Certainly, further examples could be provided. However, as previously mentioned, the primary objective of this book is not to discuss polytheism and its forms in comprehensive detail. A thorough treatment of this subject would require a separate work, which would also be of great importance – even though the topic discussed here takes priority for now, as one issue builds upon the other.
Even without having conducted a comprehensive study of polytheism, it should be clear enough that various forms of polytheism have been more or less widespread in the Islamic world of today and also for many centuries. Likewise, even without further analysis, it is quite evident – based on clear passages of the Qur'an and the consensual statements of the salaf – that certain actions and statements are undoubtedly classified as major shirk.
When such actions and statements are present, the individuals involved cannot be regarded as Muslims, even if they consider themselves members of Islam.
This theological fact is difficult for some people today to accept, as it alters their worldview and their perception of their own religion in multiple ways. After all, according to this understanding, it could be their own relatives and ancestors who cannot be regarded as Muslims.
This uncomfortable reality has led some people to search for various explanations in an attempt to disprove the authentic statements of Islamic source texts – a futile endeavour given the abundance and clarity of these texts.
A major issue in this regard is the fundamentally flawed approach to Islamic sources. Many people seek to rely on ambiguous or even clearly incorrect statements from later scholars in an attempt to disprove the core message of Islamic monotheism, often by using interpretations that are only seemingly valid.
Others, on the other hand, deliberately cling to ambiguous statements, even if they come from the Qur'an itself, in order to counteract conclusions that they find uncomfortable.
For this reason, the following section will briefly address such methodological errors.