Will you please give information about Taghut?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is a proper noun derived from “Tughyan” (transgression, ruthlessness); its origin is “taghawut” like “jabarut = tyranny” but was changed to “tawaghut” with the transformation of “waw” into “alif”; it is used for singular, plural, male and female. Tughyan means cut, rebellious, transgressor, monstrous, rampant.

As Ibn Jarir at-Tabari describes, it means anything, whether human, devil, idol, erected stone, or anything else, that is rebellious against Allah and is worshipped and regarded as a god by force, coercion, or voluntarily. There are various narrations related to its interpretation, such as Satan or magician, or soothsayer, or people and jinn who are stubborn and arrogant, or people like Pharaoh and Nimrod, who are recognized as gods against Allah and consent to it, or idols.

Abu Hayyan states the following: “It is necessary to explain them with examples because the word taghut is referred to each of them.” The description above includes all of them. However, Qadi Baydawi adds the phrase “those who prevent people from the way of Allah”, which includes a more general description, because those who do so may not have been recognized as gods. However, it will be included in the previous description if it is considered in accordance with the verse “Then seest thou such a one as takes as his god his own vain desire?” (al-Jasiya, 45/23) that they will declare themselves as gods based on their own desire. We will learn a few things from the explanation above:

Firstly, various interpretations (explanations) of taghut can show examples or varieties; besides, each of the words “Satan, magician, soothsayer, wrong god, people and jinn who are stubborn and arrogant” is expressed in a manner similar to and appropriate to the description; therefore, they are not synonymous in terms of meaning but it can also be indicated that they are used very closely or as things that require one other. Secondly, it means taghut can be both open and hidden, visible and invisible. Thirdly, it is understood from the concept of tughyan (rebellion, transgression) that idols are secondary taghuts. Apparently, idols and erected stones, which are mindless beings, should not be regarded as taghuts because they themselves cannot rebel Allah and cannot consent to transgression. Besides they cannot refuse it. Therefore, they can only be a reason for transgression and transgressors will find that reason. Idols are actually the images of male or female tyrants and the monsters of transgressors. Hidden or open transgressors claim their own transgression with them. In this respect, idols are not actual taghuts; they are the representatives of taghuts. Thus, the expression “whoever rejects evil (taghut)...” states that the first thing in the command of tawhid is to deny the fierce rebels who lead people to idols. Fourthly, great people like the Prophet Isa (Jesus) and Uzayr (Ezra) are excluded from the definition of taghut and those called taghut.

While it is fard to negate and deny their divinity by saying “there is no other god” in the command of tawhid, it will not be permissible to deny them; on the contrary, belief in prophets, which is among the requirements of belief in Allah, and respect to them will be included among the pillars of belief. Related to that very important point, the expression “whoever rejects evil (taghut)...” is used; denying the others is not laid as a condition. So, the condition of tawhid is not to deny the beings other than Allah, but to remove the attribute of divinity from the beings other than Allah and meanwhile to deny taghuts, that is, to not recognize them at all, and to recognize the rights of others under divinity because the truth (right) belongs to Allah. Finally, it definitely states that in order to be a believer in the oneness of Allah, it is necessary to repent of unbelief before believing in Allah. And the condition of this repentance is to make a firm decision not to recognize taghuts. In that case, the expression “whoever rejects evil (taghut) and believes in Allah...” means an interpretation of kalima at-tawhid: “There is no god but Allah.” Thus, a person who believes fully will definitely grasps the most trustworthy hand-hold; it is understood from the meaning of the expression that those who hold on to it will be drawn to the Chair (Kursiyy) of Allah, the highest levels of Paradise, and those who let it go on their way will fall horribly.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Tafsir

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