TAGHUT: THE EVIL INSTIGATORS
Author: Sajid Mahmood Ansari
Taghut is one of the major themes of the Holy Qur’an, unfortunately, many clerics has misinterpreted it. At the same time, the Qur’an has given a clear definition of Taghut. Allah Almighty says:
So whoever refuses to follow Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is the All-Hearing and All-Knowing.
Allah is the friend of those who believe. He brings them out from shrouds of darkness into the light. And those who disbelieve – their friends are Taghut. They take them out of the light into depths of darkness. Those are the people of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.[2:256-257]
It is evident from this Qur’anic narrative that Taghut is a person or an institution that brings the people out of the light into the depths of darkness. Light is a metaphor for True faith and good practices while darkness stands for false faith and evil practices. So the person or institution that instigates people to follow a false faith and perform evil practices must be Taghut. For being a true believer, one is required to refuse or follow to all sorts of Taghut. Yes, the devil /satan is among the top of different types of Taghut, being the most powerful of all types of Taghut. Even in a case, one’s own desires may become Taghut for him/her.
It is notable that Taghut is generally a person or institution that is loved and followed by the people. That is why the Qur’an mentions the friendship between Taghut and their followers. Refusing to follow Taghut is an obligatory condition for the Faith. Allah Almighty never accepts people’s faith unless they refuse to follow Taghut. Unfortunately, the situation is worse than mere following, but we love Taghut. The celebrities we follow today, instigate us to follow their lifestyle. Devil, the Super Taghut, has designed a big game now to motivate people for following and loving Taghut. We think we do not love the Devil, but reality is the opposite. We love some celebrities and follow their lifestyle intentionally or unintentionally. They take us away from our Merciful God, so they are Taghut, in fact. We satisfy ourselves, by arguing that only the devil or idols are Taghut, hence we ruin ourselves. The atheistic movements have launched a number of philosophies to take people away from the light and throw them in the depths of darkness. Their methodology is very simple. Pose a question and create grey areas initially. Then take them away from the Truth, wherever they want.
Likewise, they want to lead us to chaos and permanent frustration. So they facilitate the propaganda that Muslim rulers are Taghut so that the Muslim youth forget to defend the Ummah and involved in public militancy. Criticizing the policy of a Muslim ruler is one thing while being a part of militancy against him is quite a different one.
Remember that Taghut is the Evil Instigators, whether, they are in the shape of media, celebrities, our own desires, or false clerics. We are obliged to refuse the lifestyle of these people and not follow our own desires. This is the utmost requirement for entering the fold of Islam.
