Q: First, I am a twenty-year-old student whom Allah (Exalted be He) has favored with (Part No. 18; Page No. 268) knowing Tawhid (belief in the Oneness of Allah) after being ignorant of it. Most of my family and relatives - if not all of them - still live in the deviations of Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) and belief in the shaykhs of Sufism, whether they are living but absent, or dead. They ask the shaykhs to cure the sick and fulfill their needs, and offer them sacrificial animals and vows. Even more, they fear them and dedicate all these acts of worship to them. However, they perform Salah (Prayer) and Hajj (pilgrimage) and observe Sawm (Fast) and pay Zakah (obligatory charity). I know that all the good deeds of a Mushrik (one who associates others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) are in vain, even if they perform Salah, observe Sawm, and claim to be Muslims. Allah (Exalted be He) says: If you join others in worship with Allâh, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers. Allah's Bounty and Guidance has led me to know Tawhid, in addition to the Qur'an Radio Station in Saudi Arabia, then the books which were brought to me from there. However since then, my family and relatives have been disapproving of this. They describe me as an atheist, a Wahhabi, or a strict follower of the Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet). I do not pay attention to such descriptions and say thatif they claim that the follower of the Prophet is Wahhabithen I admit that I am Wahhabi.I have told them that their deeds are counted as major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship), that takes the one who does them out of Islam. However, they always ignore my advice and turn away from me. When I sometimes try to convince them, they keep relating stories about their shaykhs which they consider Karamah (an extraordinary event caused by Allah for or through a pious person). For example, they told me that a woman in their village remained barren for almost ten years and when she consulted a shaykh, he ordered to detain her in a place. He made some Najdat for her (a sort of talisman taking the form of papers on which strange words, (Part No. 18; Page No. 269) symbols, and numbers are written and placed on fire, then the woman would be ordered to inhale the smoke) and Mahaya (another sort of talisman represented in strange words and symbols written on a wooden board which is washed by water and the woman drinks the water). After this, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. I am totally certain that Allah is the One Who gives children to whom He wills. Allah says: He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Nevertheless, when I argue with them they tell me, "Has not so-and-so gone to the shaykh and given birth?" and I cannot refute these claims. All I know is that what they and their shaykhs are doing is Batil (null and void) and Shirk, but I cannot explain the deeds of these shaykhs. I am waiting for an answer. May Allah reward you the best!Second, whoever obeys the Messenger (peace be upon him) and believes in the Oneness of Allah is not permitted to befriend those who defy Allah and His Messenger even if they are their closest relatives. Allah (Exalted be He) says: You (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) will not find any people who believe in Allâh and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rûh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. After reciting this Ayah (Qur'anic verse), I have parted company with my family and relatives because they dedicate worship to other than Allah (Exalted be He). They are upset with me even though they know that I have done this because of what they are doing. Am I right for parting company with them or would this be considered as severing the ties of kinship since they are my relatives (paternal and maternal aunts, (Part No. 18; Page No. 270) paternal and maternal uncles, my parents' paternal uncles, and my grandfathers and their descendants)? I have not been in their company for two years. What should I do? Please guide me. May Allah reward you the best!The last question is the fearful obsession that a person may propose to me while he is unobservant of Tawhid and it is not permissible for a Muslim woman to marry a Mushrik. I also fear that my father would accept such a suitor and I may be forced to marry him, even though I refuse him because of not observing Tawhid. I am greatly confused. What should I do? Please, guide me. May Allah reward you the best!

A: First, you should thank Allah (Exalted be He) for guiding you to Al-Haqq (the Truth) and for enlightening you with it and ask Him to make you steadfast in it. Second, a barren woman being pregnant after taking the talismans is related to predestination. The soothsayer has nothing to do with her pregnancy or delivery. Third, what you did with your Mushrik relatives is not severing the ties of kinship. Rather, it is concern for the sake of Allah (Exalted be He) and an act of denouncing Munkar (that which is unacceptable or disapproved of by Islamic law and Muslims of sound intellect), may Allah double your reward for this. However, you are permitted to keep company with your family to guide them to Allah (Exalted be He) and to the good, only if you hope that this would be of avail and would not cause you harm. This is because Allah (Glorified be He) says: Invite (mankind, O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islâm) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur’ân) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. (Part No. 18; Page No. 271) The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The one who guides to something good has a reward similar to that of its doer. Related by Muslim in his Sahih Book of Hadith. Fourth, you are not permitted to marry a person who commits acts of Shirk, because Allah (Exalted be He) says: And give not (your daughters) in marriage to Al-Mushrikûn till they believe (in Allâh Alone) Allah (Glorified be He) also says: They are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them. (Surah Al-Mumtahinah). You are not permitted to obey your father or anyone else regarding this matter, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Submission is obligatory only in what is good (and reasonable). There is no submission in matters involving disobedience to Allah. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.