Bismillah—In the name of Allah, let’s discuss what can nullify one’s Islam by starting with powerful reminders from the Quran. Allah (Subhanahu was ta’ala) says:
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.”(Quran 3:85)
O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims [in submission to Him] (Quran 3:102)
These verses remind us that protecting our faith is not just something we should take lightly; it’s a matter of our eternal success or failure. But here’s the thing: many Muslims might be unaware of actions or beliefs that could actually nullify their Islam. That’s why we will explore the 10 major nullifiers of Islam—things that can remove a person from the fold of Islam.
Now, don’t get me wrong—this isn’t about passing judgment or pointing fingers. It’s about protecting your faith, your connection with Allah, and staying on the straight path. But before we dive into the 10 major nullifiers of Islam, why does this topic really matter?
Why Knowing These Nullifiers Matters
Think about it like this: If you were driving and didn’t know the road signs, it’d be easy to get lost, right? Similarly, if we don’t know what can take us away from Islam, we might fall into serious errors without realizing it.
One of the things I’ve noticed is that many people assume that as long as they pray and fast, they’re safe. Of course, these are pillars of our faith, but what about the beliefs or actions that quietly destroy the foundation of one’s Islam? For example, some might not realize that certain statements or behaviors—like mocking Islamic principles—can actually nullify one’s Islam.
Today, we are going to shed light on these major nullifiers of Islam, so that we can protect ourselves from falling into them. Let’s explain what nullifying one’s Islam means to have a better understanding.
What Does It Mean to Nullify One’s Islam?
When we talk about what nullifies one’s Islam, what does that really mean? In Islamic terms, to “nullify” means to cancel or invalidate one’s status as a Muslim. It’s a serious matter because certain actions, beliefs, or even careless statements can, unfortunately, take a person out of the fold of Islam. Let’s discuss the major nullifiers of Islam now.
The 10 Major Nullifiers of Islam According to Scholars
When discussing the major nullifiers of Islam, it’s essential to acknowledge the work of our great scholars who have carefully categorized them for the benefit of the Ummah. One renowned scholar, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, laid the foundation for identifying the actions or beliefs that can take someone out of the fold of Islam.
His teachings are widely accepted and referenced by scholars when explaining what nullifies one’s Islam. Let’s take a close look at the 10 major nullifiers of Islam, supported by evidence from the Quran and Hadith, and we should take note of them very well in order to avoid these pitfalls and maintain the purity of our faith.
1. Associating Others with Allah (Shirk)
The most severe nullifier of all is shirk — associating partners with Allah. This is when a person believes in multiple gods, worships idols, or gives divine attributes to someone or something other than Allah. Whether it’s bowing to an idol or believing that someone other than Allah has the same power or attributes of Allah, such as having control over the universe, shirk nullifies one’s Islam entirely.
Allah (Subhanahu was ta’ala) makes it very clear in the Quran:
“Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.” (Quran 4:48)
Indeed, he who associates others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. (Quran 5:72)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also said in a Hadith:
“Whoever dies while ascribing partners to Allah will enter the Hellfire.” (Sahih Muslim)
Shirk is the ultimate betrayal of the Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah) and cannot be forgiven unless one repents before death. This is why understanding and avoiding shirk is absolutely crucial for every Muslim. You can read more on the major sins in Islam here.
2. Setting up or Ascribing Intermediaries to Allah
Another major nullifier of Islam is using intermediaries between oneself and Allah in worship. This happens when individuals seek help, blessings, or guidance from saints, religious figures, or even idols, believing they will act as intercessors with Allah.
Islam teaches that every person has a direct line of communication with their Creator through prayer and supplication, and there is no need for intermediaries. The evidence for this goes thus:
“And they worship besides Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’” (Quran 10:18)
Say, [O Muhammad], to the (disbelievers) “Invoke those you claim [as deities] besides Allah.” They do not possess an atom’s weight [of ability] in the heavens or on the earth, and they do not have therein any partnership [with Him], nor is there for Him from among them any assistant. (Quran 34:22)
These verses speak to those who misguidedly worship intermediaries or call on saints, prophets, or angels, believing they can advocate for them with Allah. But Allah alone is the ultimate authority, and turning to others diminishes one’s faith in His absolute power. This religion is very pure and clear.
Unquestionably, for Allah is the pure religion. And those who take protectors besides Him [saying], “We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position.” Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever. (Quran 39:3)
Whoever makes between himself and Allah Intermediaries (mediator), supplicating to them or asking them for Intercession and relying upon them, in that case, he/she has already become a Kaafir (Unbeliever). This is the consensus (Ijmaa’a) of the Muslims based on the evidence from the Quran and hadiths.
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers (polytheists) (Quran 10:106)
3. Not Declaring the Disbelievers (Kuffar) as Disbelievers
Maintaining clarity on who is considered a believer and who is not is essential to preserving the integrity of Islam. Refusing to declare those who clearly disbelieve (whether by rejecting the pillars of Islam or engaging in acts of disbelief) as non-believers is dangerous because it blurs the lines of faith.
This doesn’t mean a Muslim should hastily judge others, but rather, the criteria for kufr (disbelief), as established in the Quran and Hadith, must be respected.
Firstly, whoever does not agree that the pagans, atheists, etc, are disbelievers, when Allah announces in the Qur’an in many verses that they are indeed kuffar (infidels), is like someone antagonizing Allah and the words of Allah. Allah says:
Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures. (Quran 98:6)
Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the third of the three (i.e. trinity)…” (Quran 5:73)
The refusal to acknowledge disbelief in others, when clear signs of kufr are present, compromises and antagonizes the distinction between Islam and disbelief. Scholars emphasize that while it is important not to be quick to label others, it is equally important to recognize disbelief when it openly manifests in someone’s words or actions.
And there is a Qooidah that says, “Whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah has become a disbeliever”. This is because is prohibited to go against any words or statements of Allah in the Quran. The believers are those who accept the Quran as a whole and everything in it. We don’t fo against any words or statements in the Quran because it would be like saying the words or statements of Allah is a lie.
Since the disbelief of the disbelievers has been stated clearly and we found such in a people, then we should regard them as disbelievers too. Allahul Musta’an.
4. Believing That the Guidance of Others is Better than Islam
Another major thing that can nullify one’s Islam is believing that any ideology, system, or law is superior to the guidance provided by Islam. Whether it’s secular laws, cultural practices, or modern philosophies, a Muslim must hold that the teachings of Islam, as revealed in the Quran and Sunnah, are the ultimate source of guidance for humanity.
The belief that the guidance of someone other than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is more perfect than his guidance, or that the ruling of other than the Prophet is better than his ruling, or the permissibility of accepting the ruling from other than what Allah has revealed can nullify one’s Islam.
How could someone have this belief when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself used to say in the Jumuah (Friday) sermon:
“The best of speech is embodied in the Book of Allah (G), and the best of guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). And the most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error”
(Saheeh Muslim)
And we know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will never say anything except what was revealed to him, as Allah cleared this in the Quran:
“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a revelation revealed” ( An-Najm 53:3-4)
There are many verses that clearly negated prioritizing any law over the Shariah or using any law other than the Shariah, as Allah says:
“And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed, such are the kaafiroon (disbelievers)” (Al-Ma’idah’ 5:44)
Allah also declared how it is important to use laws made by Prophet Muhammad for us and whoever doesn’t use it has not become a believer yet
“But no, by your Lord! They will not (truly) believe until they make you (O Muhammad) the judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission” ( An-Nisa’ 4:65)
As we all know that Islam is the total way of life. It speaks about all the aspects of our lives. The Lord of this universe, who created the heaven and the earth, made a law for us to use in his earth, and we human beings started making our own laws and pushing his own laws aside.
This is different from what the Quran or Sunnah didn’t speak of. We are free to make a law on those even after checking that it didn’t touch any of the laws of Allah. For example, the government makes laws for people to dump refuse in a certain place, where cars should park, and all other worldly things.
Where we are pointing to is where the government changes the law of stealing, fornication, murder, and other laws that have already been established in Shariah into their own man-made laws. So, how would someone abandon the laws prescribed by Allah and replace them by those made by human beings? This is, without doubt, an immature and illogical choice. Allah says:
And We ordained (made law) for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the wrongdoers [i.e., the unjust]. (Quran 5:45)
This verse clearly outlines that when individuals prioritize man-made laws or ideologies over Sharia, assuming these systems to be more just or practical than Islamic rulings is unjust, wrongdoer and a disbeliever as stated in another verse before.
As most of us are living in the kuffar countries, we should just have it in mind that these man-made laws over the Shariah are not to be prioritized and regarded as just rubbish laws in our mind and have the clear belief that the Shariah law in the ultimate law. This is because prioritizing these laws over the Shariah can nullify one’s Islam. Allahul Musta’an (Allah’s aid is sought)
5. Hating Anything That the Prophet (PBUH) Came With
Disliking or rejecting any aspect of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is another action that can nullify one’s Islam. Whether it’s rejecting the obligation of prayer, disliking the hijab, or opposing the rules of fasting, showing disdain for any command of Allah and His Messenger can destroy a person’s faith.
The consequences of rejecting or hating Islamic obligations are severe because they indicate a refusal to submit fully to the will of Allah. A Muslim’s faith is built on complete acceptance of what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came with, whether personal, social, or political. This is different for those who accept it but have not been able to practice it.
This includes disliking or rejecting anything the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought to this ummah (nations,) including any verbal or practical action, whether an obligation or a forbiddance. For example, if a wife dislikes or rejects the ruling that gives her husband the right to marry another woman, she will fall under this nullifier.
However, if she accepts the ruling but dislikes him to so because she does not want to share her husband with another woman, it is permissible. Also, those who say it is oppressive to have slaves because it is unfair to own humans or that struggling or fighting (jihad) in Islam, raising the word of Allah in places where it is suppressed is wrong, fall under this nullifier. Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in the Quran:
“but those who disbelieve (in the oneness of Allah – Islamic monotheism), for them is destruction, and (Allah) will make their deeds in vain. that is because they hate that which Allah has sent down (this Quran, Islamic laws, etc.), so he has made their deeds fruitless”
(Quran 47:8-9)
There are two conditions of this nullifier:
- The person must know that the action they reject or dislike is an affirmed Islamic rule in the Quran and sunnah (i.e., as-salat).
- There must be ‘ijma (consensus of the Muslim scholars) on this ruling. If one dislikes a ruling that has ikh-tilaaf (disputation) among the scholars, then this is not kufr (infidelity).
Likewise, if a Muslim does not practice some sunnah prescribed by his messenger but validates and accepts the rulings in his mind, he is not included in this nullified. But hating or rejecting any confirmed sunnah will nullify one’s Islam.
It seems we are really enjoying this. Let’s continue with the second part to learn the remaining five things that can nullify one’s Islam here.
