وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُم بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ

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My Critical Reasoning:

Bismillah! Al Hamdulillah!
Wa AsSalatu AsSalamu A’ala Rasulallah!

What type of Ayah it is?
Statement of information

What is the statement about?
Belief and Shirk.

What is said in relation to the believers?
Most of the believers are Mushrikun!

Who are the ‘believers?‘
We actually cannot conclude or specify from the Ayah who are the ‘most of the believers’ who believe in Allah.

Does it mean ‘all human being’ who believe in Allah in other forms or names such as:
‘Super Being’,
‘Energy Force’
‘Nature’
‘God’,
‘Isshwor’
‘Vhogobaan’,
‘Khoda’ etc.)?

We don’t know for sure.
But what we know for sure is that it includes the ‘Muslims’ of today because for sure they are the ones who believe in Allah.
And then, the obvious meaning is that among those who believe in Allah, (even we include those who believe in Allah in many forms) most of them are Mushrikun and they are also Kafirun at the same time.

That’s prompt us to conclude that we should not apply this Ayah to other than Muslims of today, because Quran already clearly classified them as Kafirun. Therefore, there’s should not be any doubt about the application of this Ayah that it only applies to the ‘Muslims’ of today.

But in a remote possibility, even we include those people from other religions as believers in Allah, yet we cannot say, this doesn’t apply to Muslims of today. The point is, even we stretch the application of the Ayah far out, still we have to include the Muslims who believe in Allah today within the scope of this Ayah.
 

What’s our relationship with that?
Scary information! Need to check how and what acts make a Muslim Mushrik.

But isn’t it clear that Grave worshipers are Mushrikun, that we already know traditionally?
I mean, most of the Ulema say that!

Well, it is. But they are not many or do not involve the ‘most’!
Allah says ‘most of them’ who believe in Allah are Mushrikun.
Therefore, most of the Muslims are Mushrikun too! 
That can’t let me sleep until I know what are the acts of Shirk!

Did not Ulema already tell you what is Shirk?
Seems it is not as easy as you thought!

How do you say that?
There had been a few traditional Shirk that exists in all era. And Ulama only concerned and warned Muslims only those traditional Shirk.
But in last 300 years, in the modern times, Shirk and Kufr has been made easy for us.
Due the fact that Islamic authority has been dismantled by the enemy of Islam, the Kuffar.
Then, Kuffar has forced their Law on Muslims,
And due to the Kuffar being the leading authority of the world,
they have set up a world order full of Shirk and Kufr,
And that they have set up a education system full of Shirk and Kufr.

But due to the fact that our Islamic education system follow a traditional ‘package system’ (copy paste method of the understanding of the early scholars) which failed to warned the Muslims of the built-in Shirk and Kufr of this modern times, living under the Kuffar’s reign.

We have discussed these Shirk and Kufr in details while studying Quran and Hadith throughout our site.
You might go through it.
May Allah make it beneficial for all of us.

Then I also ask you to give the issue an observational approach.
If you go by sects or by groups of all Muslims, each group is headed by Ulema and that in general, makes most of these Ulema also Mushrikun! 
You will usually hear about sects that there will be 73 sects in Islam, only one will make to Jannah and the rests are for the fire! That obviously makes ‘most of the people’ so you might think the problem is solved. But no!

Why not? 
Because all of these sects think that they are the saved one! Because they claim to follow the Quran, Hadith and the way of the righteous Khalifah and the 3 generations after that.

How it could be?
Very easy! I will mention the vast Mushrik scenario in most of the people you know around you.
Even the Grave worshipers (of course, it is their Ulema) derive the evidence from Quran,

The Ulema who preach “engage in voting” “we don’t need Khilafah”, “Islam weighs pros and cons” find evidence in Quran to engage people in Shirk and Kufr of voting and democracy.

The scholar that preach “Govt’ doesn’t impact on the mind of people, it’s media and the philosophers” also derive logic and reason in support of his acts and arguments of how he takes away people from longing and struggling for establishing Islamic authourtiy, ‘The Khilafah’ on earth.

and then the groups, ‘Islamic’ political parties engaging Muslims in shirk (voting and engagement in ‘democracy’ that exists today) while they also think they are the saved ones!

Therefore, because they gave evidence from the Quran and Hadith, you would never think or have the least idea that their actions could constitute the elements of Shirk. You would never give it the slightest chance that these Ulema could be the one who are Mushrikun and calling people from the gate of Jahannam!

That scares me to death as if my heart stopped breathing, these are the most popular Ulema today, they have millions of followers, they have thousands of lectures!

Well, they have most of the things correct and according to the Quran and Saheeh Hadith but even they have 99% things correct of what they preach and you, of course, will get benefit from their wisdom but shaitan just need ONE thing to make them among the Mushrikun, the slightest link that constitutes element of shirk to make the way of the most learned Ulema and their follower to Jahannam!

So, don’t forget the power of shaitan when Allah says shaitan even tries to manipulate with the prophet’s recitation of Allah’s words (22:52). So, who are these Ulema that shaitan cannot touch their word?

Allah knows best.
May Allah guide them.

So what do we do? What’s the way out?

We will do as what Allah and His Rasul prescribed.
Contemplation on the Quran.
You have to read and think hard (As Allah questioned many times, “don’t you think”?)
and don’t be settled that you are saved (that you follow your most learned Ulema and you think he gave you a ticket to Jannah.)

Read yourself the Quran and Hadith and think about it yourself first. 
And then you check with Tafsir.
(as most of those are, apart from the reason or incident of revelation, merely opinion and understanding of that Ulema who has written the Tafsir, therefore, by reading Tafsir first you already are giving your mind to someone’s understanding which will limit your thoughts.)
And read other great scholars explanations, such as Madhab books (school of thoughts). 

And then, see which one goes with your understanding!
Keep asking guidance to Allah, Al-Hadee, Al-Kareem while keeping your intention right, be prepared to do hard work.
And that’s how you are protected En Shaa Allah!
And know that you are not thinking ‘wildly’ and going ‘astray’ as they discourage you to read.
(by the way, the ones discouraging you to read yourself and think, you already can understand that probably these are those Ulema who you need to cautious about as they want you to follow only their’ Ulema and discourage you to read Quran and understand it by yourself) 

But when you read yourself, you might make mistakes and come up with a wrong decision
(even after aligning your understanding with few Ulema, as mentioned before)
But that will at least give an advantage in your case before Allah, the Most Just, on the day of Judgement! If you struggle to find the right course, you can have an argument with your Rabb on that day, 
“Oh my Rabb, I tried my best with the intellect you gave me, I never rest, I never wasted my time, I was constantly thinking on your Ayat, you are my witness, your Mailakah are my witness, so save me from Jahannam” And your Rabb is never unjust!  

But while I encourage you to read and understand Quran YOURSELF FIRST, there is one most IMPORTANT thing I need to WARN you about:

What is it?
It is your INTENTION.

What the intention one should have for this approach of understanding of Deen?
The driving force should be:

Here I state it clearly that this method of approaching to the understanding of Quran and Hadith is
ONLY for those who FEAR Allah and want to dig deep to be saved from the punishment of Jahannam, Qiyamah, Kabr, Death.
NOT FOR THOSE who want to live in a COMFORT ZONE by aligning with the Kuffar’s systems and the Kuffar’s styles of life.

Then, what’s the problem sitting with an Ulema with the same intention?
(1) It is Allah, your Rabb already warned you about Ulema (that people have used to take their Ulema as their Rabb) (9:31)

(2) Rasulullah sallillahu alaihi wa sallam also warned about people who will call from the gate of Jahannam. and warned about following the footsteps of the previous nations inch by inch.

(3) And you know the time you live in, the warnings are evident like daylight, you see the corruption of the most learned Ulema in your open eyes, you see the misguidance of Ulema right and left, therefore, you don’t rely upon any Ulema even you find him correct in 99 of issues of Islam according to the Quran and Saheeh Hadith.

(4) You see even those Mujahideen who fight Jihad for the cause of Allah with their lives, families and wealth, are in different groups and fight among themselves. So who would you rest your Jannah to? You have no rest but pleading to Allah for guidance until death takes you.

And the problem studying under ANY particular Ulema of any of these groups will make you CONTENT that you are in the correct group, therefore, you will find and seek comfort with the guidance of that particular Ulema And stop STRUGGLING for guidance from Allah and that’s where the danger is.

And if you really understand the End of the Time you live in now, you would think of ‘Salman al-Persi’ and you will think of ‘Abu Dhar al-Ghifar’ and how they struggled, approached and found the truth.

Therefore, you trust Allah and trust your intellect and here is the intention that plays the important role. And you will yet find many learned Ulema out there who go with your understanding, and you will follow them sometimes from far but they even won’t know you are following them. You even won’t think you are following them but it is kind of, you are on the same path, in the same understanding, with the same heart. SubhanAllah. But then your practice of this approach to Quran will keep you on alert on any individual, anytime, In Shaa Allah.

You don’t approach the Quran with any other intention such as ‘How easy you can make Islam for yourself’, ‘How you can follow the least of Islam within your comfort zone’ etc. 

And Allah knows best.
May Allah protect me and you from that.
May Allah give us the correct understanding of His Deen and protect us from Jahannam!
Ameen.