Words and Actions That Cause Disbelief

The following are some words and actions that cause a Muslim to fall into kufr (disbelief, apostasy). We have quoted them from Zawajir by Hadrat Ibn Hajar al-Makki, Hadiqa, Bariqa, Birghiwi, Miftah-ul Janna, Maktubat-i Rabbani, Endless Bliss, and Ibn 'Abidin.

1. Attributing Allahu ta'ala with a non-befitting attribute causes disbelief. For example, it is disbelief to say "Allah knows that I did not do it" to refer to something one did or to say "Allah knows that I did it" to refer to something one did not do, if there is no extreme necessity to say so. Uttering such a statement means imputing ignorance to Allahu ta'ala.

2. Saying "Allah is wise, conscious, and thinks well" means likening Him to His creation, which is disbelief.

3. Making derogatory remarks about prophets or making fun of them causes disbelief. Examples of this category of disbelief are as follows: saying "The first human was wild" to refer to Hadrat Adam or considering a wali higher than a prophet or saying "If what the Prophet said is true, we have attained salvation."

Such statements, too, cause disbelief: "Only the Qur'an" or "I do not accept any sources except the Qur'an" or "There is no need for any sources other than the Qur'an" or "The Prophet is a postman. His mission is over."
4. It is disbelief to claim that a prophet will succeed our Master the Prophet. ('Isa 'alaihis-salam will come but not as a prophet.)

5. Making disparaging remarks about angels is disbelief. For example, such statements are included in this category: "In my opinion, your look is like Azrail" or "I would not believe it even if Jibrael said it" or "If you do not discipline your children well, they will be Zabanis."

6. Insulting the words of, the fiqh books of, and the fatwas of Islamic scholars instead of respecting them causes disbelief. Examples of disbelief of this kind include: to claim, for instance, that the qiyas performed by Imam-i A'zam is not valid or to fling a fatwa on the ground or to hurl the books of hadith and tafsir on the ground.

7. It is an act of disbelief to make mockery of the events that will take place in the Hereafter. To say, for instance, "I do not want Paradise. I want Hell because all prostitutes will be there."

8. It causes disbelief not to believe, not to like, or not to attach importance to any of Allahu ta'ala's commandments and prohibitions, that is, any of the Islamic facts that have been communicated clearly by the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs and have spread everywhere by means of the books of Islamic scholars and thus must be believed in indispensably. To say, for instance, "I do not believe in genies and evil eye because I do not see them" causes disbelief.

9. It is an act of disbelief to say the Basmala while eating or drinking something that is definitely known to be haram. To say the Basmala, for instance, while drinking wine or eating pork causes disbelief. However, it does not cause disbelief to say the Basmala while eating something that has been obtained by way of theft because what is haram in this case is not that which is eaten but theft itself.

10. It is an act of disbelief to do or use the things that are symptoms of disbelief, symptoms of denying and disbelieving Islam. It is wajib on us to debase them. Also, he who does or uses one of them that is commonly known without knowing or as a joke or to make people laugh becomes a disbeliever. For example, it causes disbelief to wear the robe-like girdle called zunnar, which is worn by priests. One's using them to make others laugh causes disbelief too, even if one might have correct faith. (Bariqa)

11. It is disbelief to say that the earth exists without a beginning and an end, as did the Greek philosophers.

12. Using such expressions as "Islamic thought" or "Islamic theory" or "Islamic view" to mean the Islamic religion causes disbelief. [A thought means a solution that is considered to deal with a situation or means a compared result. A view means a thought, too. A theory means an idea based on mental and intellectual principles. Islamic scholars state that attributing Allah with man's created attributes, such as mind, consciousness, memory, and thought, causes disbelief.]

13. It is an act of disbelief to call Allahu ta'ala's commandments and prohibitions "divine thoughts" or "divine views" or "divine theories" or "divine consciousness." The case is the same with calling the rules in the Qur'an al-karim "Qur'anic views."

14. It is disbelief to like the religious rites or religious festivals of disbelievers, to congratulate them on Christmas if there is no extreme necessity to do so, or to attend services at church.

15. Saying "Those Jews and Christians who believe in Allah will go to Paradise" causes disbelief.

16. It is disbelief to deny mu'jizah and karamah.

17. It causes disbelief to consider halal that which is commonly known as haram or to consider haram that which is commonly known as halal, e.g., to consider lard halal and vinegar haram.

18. It is an act of disbelief to throw a piece of paper on which is written a Qur'anic verse, the Basmala, the name of an angel or a prophet in the toilet, on filth. Also, cursing the mouth a Muslim with the words of defecation and urination is an act of disbelief.

19. If someone says to a Muslim, "O, you, disbeliever," it causes disbelief to say "Yes" by accepting it.

20. To say "A slice of bread is better than Islamic knowledge" causes disbelief because one holds Islamic knowledge in contempt with this statement.

21. It is disbelief to think, "I will become a Christian sometime later." A Muslim woman becomes a disbeliever (an apostate) at the moment she makes up her mind to marry a Christian man. Similarly, a Muslim man becomes a disbeliever at the moment he makes up his mind to marry an atheistic woman.

22. If one is afflicted by a severe illness and supplicates, "O my Allah, take my soul, as a disbeliever if You like," it causes disbelief.

23. It is disbelief to say, "O my Allah, You have taken my child. Now do whatever You are able to."

24. When someone with long nails is told, "It is sunnat to cut nails," if he answers "So what?" he becomes a disbeliever. It causes disbelief not because he does not cut his nails but because he treats a sunnat as unimportant.

25. To say "Uttering 'insha-Allah' or 'masha-Allah' or performing salat does not fill one's stomach. Things do not take place by saying 'insha-Allah' or 'masha-Allah'" is disbelief. One dislikes and mocks the order of our religion by uttering such statements. Insha-Allah means "by the permission of Allah." Nothing takes places except by His permission. Therefore, it is necessary to believe that good and evil are from Allah. It is disbelief to reject the fact that evil, like good, is from Allah. Man wills an action, and Allahu ta'ala creates it.

26. It is disbelief to say to someone one loves, "You are dearer to me than Allah and the Prophet are."

27. Approval of kufr (disbelief) causes kufr. An example of it is that one does not feel sad that one's children have become disbelievers, e.g., to consent to the marriage of one's daughter to a non-Muslim man.

28. When a disbeliever wants to become a Muslim and needs you, it causes disbelief to delay his becoming a Muslim on a plea of some work.

29. It is disbelief to say, "The boorish hand of ajal." (The reason is that ajal [one's appointed time of death] comes by Allah's command. It is disbelief to describe the command of Allah and the duty of Azrail 'alaihis-salam as cruelty.)

30. To respect a disbeliever, e.g., to kiss the hand of a priest out of respect, causes disbelief.

31. It is an act of disbelief to call any of the As-hab-i Kiram a disbeliever (kafir). (The reason for it is that the Qur'an al-karim declares that all of them will go to Paradise. If one calls any of them a disbeliever, then one has not believed what the Qur'an says.)

32. To say, "The disbelievers who suffer oppression will go to Paradise," causes disbelief.

33. It is disbelief to expect thawab from money that is haram. For example, if a woman sacrifices an animal with the money that she earned through prostitution and expects thawab in return for this act of hers, she will fall into disbelief. If she does it without expecting any thawab, it will not be disbelief.

34. To consider Allahu ta'ala as being with place, e.g., to say, like Christians, "Allah sits in the sky" or to say "Some sound has come from the sky" by meaning that that sound has come from Allahu ta'ala or to say "Allah is looking at us from the sky" causes disbelief because such statements mean ascribing a place to Allahu ta'ala. The earth, planets, Paradise, and Hell are not without a beginning. They were created afterwards and are creatures. Allahu ta'ala had existed when the earth and the heavens did not exist. Islamic scholars state that it is permissible to use the statement "Allah is present and overlooking all the time and everywhere eternally." However, since Allahu ta'ala is not with time or with place, this statement is not as it seems to be, but it is a metaphor. That is, it is permissible to say, "Allah is not with time or with place. He is present [exists] and overlooking [sees] without Him being at any place." Otherwise, Allahu ta'ala would be considered to be with time or with place, which is kufr. It is written in the book Miftah-ul Janna: "If one says, 'There is no space that is not filled by Allah" or "Allah is my witness in the sky," one becomes a disbeliever, for he has attributed a place to Him. However, Allah is clear of occupying spaces'" (The Chapter About Kufr).

35. To say, "I do not perform salat, but look at my heart. My heart is pure," is disbelief. (The reason for it is that one treats salat as unimportant by saying so, and considering it unimportant is disbelief. A person's not performing salat means he is committing haram all the time. A committer of haram cannot have a pure heart.)

36. When one says to a person, "Your parents are dark-skinned. How do you have fair skin?" it is disbelief to answer, "I am a faulty design." This statement means to suggest that the Creator has done a faulty deed.

37. To perform acts of worship or to sing nasheeds in a way accompanied by music causes disbelief because nasheeds are ibadah. And mixing something haram into ibadah causes disbelief. Similarly, saying the Basmala while drinking alcohol is disbelief, too.

38. To say about a Muslim, "So-and-so is like a Jew in my eyes," is disbelief.

39. If a Muslim says, for a jocular purpose, about an Islamic book widely acknowledged as reliable that it is old wives' tale or if he says mockingly "May it be halal!" to someone who is committing haram or who is making someone commit haram, he becomes an apostate.

40. A person will lose his faith if he says, "How beautifully you recited!" to a hafiz who recited the Qur'an by tuning it up to musical notes. (Durr-ul-muntaqa)

41. When a person listens to a singer or sees any haram action, he will lose his faith as soon as he says, "How nice!" to refer to that haram. (Maktubat-i Rabbani, Vol. 1, Letter 266)

42. It causes disbelief to use deliberately, not for any other reason—such as from sheer force of habit—such expressions for a human: "He created it" or "He is creative" or "I created it" or "I am the creator." No one, except Allah, is called a creator. The Creator is Allahu ta'ala alone. Such expressions should not be used metaphorically either in the meaning of "making or producing something." Nevertheless, those who use them metaphorically or without malice should not be called disbelievers.

43. He who disbelieves the Islamic knowledge that is indispensable and has been communicated through consensus becomes a disbeliever. Every word, every action signifying disbelief, even if it is done in a jocular manner or unwillingly, is disbelief. (Kitab al–Milal wa al-Nihal)

44. It is disbelief to insult Islamic knowledge and scholars of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah.

45. When someone looking at non-mahram women is advised that it is haram to do so, if he says, 'It is thawab to look at what is beautiful," it is disbelief. With this statement, he does not accept haram and says that it is thawab, as if it were an act of worship. Looking at non-mahram women weakens eyes and darkens heart. It is thawab to like what is lawful and beautiful and to observe Allah's power.

46. It is disbelief to curse the religion and the creed of a Muslim.

How should Allah be loved and feared?

Question: How should Allah be loved and feared?

ANSWERJust as love is of different kinds, so is fear. The love of Allah is different from the love of parents, children, a wife, and the nature. Likewise, the fear of Allah is a far cry from the fear of enemies. It is declared in the Qur’ân al-karîm, “Fear Allah as He should be feared” (Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 102).
The fear felt for Allah the way He wants is termed taqwâ. Taqwâ is to believe in Allah, to love Him, to be a servant to Him, that is, to observe His commandments and prohibitions. It is not taqwâ to fear enemies, for enemies are not believed in. Nor do they have the authority to put people in Hell or Paradise. One fears enemies only because they may do harm. Then there is a world of difference between these two types of fear. Again, it is declared, “If you have believed, do not fear them [enemies], but fear Me” (Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 175).
A lover is afraid of upsetting his or her beloved in any way. Not only we must love our Rabb much, who has created us from nothing and has conferred various favors upon us, but also we must be very much afraid of losing this love. As a matter of fact, the Qur’ân al-karîm purports:
(Fear Allah! Know that Allah’s torment is extremely severe.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 196]

(Fear Allah, so that you can attain to salvation.) [Sûrat-ul-Mâ’ida, 100]

Fearing Allah should not be supposed like fearing a cruel person. It is the fear combined with reverence and love. In poems which lovers wrote to their darlings there are many couplets telling about similar fear in them. A lover who regards his darling much higher than himself does not deem himself worthy of this love and explains his feelings in such a fear.

Certainly, the fear of Allah is out of the question for disbelievers. As for the Believers, they must love Allah greatly and be very much afraid of becoming a disbeliever so that they can get the taste of îmân. A hadîth-i sharîf declares:
(A person who loves Allah and His Messenger more than everything else, who loves only those whom Allah loves, and who is afraid of becoming a disbeliever more than he is afraid of being burnt in fire relishes îmân.) [Bukhârî]

Most of the scandals and crimes arise mainly from lack of chastity. Most people cannot refrain themselves from indulging in the things of the wrong path even though they may know the result of being unchaste. The remedy that can lead them to right path in the face of this strong feeling is an educational and ethical matter. Religion means ethics. A person who fears Allah cannot be unchaste. Consequently, it must be our primary duty to try to teach our children the fear of Allah.

In order to fear Allahu ta’âlâ, one should know Him very well. To know Allahu ta’âlâ well, we must learn His grandness and attributes. To fear Allah is a matter of knowledge, work, and effort. It will not emanate from a vacuum.

The wings taking people to happinessFear of Allah and love of Allah are like two wings taking people to salvation and happiness. Our master the Prophet said:
(If a person fears Allah, everything fears him. If he does not fear Allah, he fears everything.) [Abushshaikh]

(The wisest of you is the one who fears Allah most and who observes commandments and prohibitions best.) [Ibni Muhbar]

(The extent of a person’s intellect will be evident in the extent of his fear of Allah.) [I. Mâwardî]

A Believer who obeys Allahu ta’âlâ’s commandments loves his Rabb immensely. It is purported in the Qur’ân al-karîm:

(The Believers’ love of Allah is very strong.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 165]

(A Believer is such that his heart feels fear when the name of Allah is mentioned.) [Sûrat-ul-Anfal, 2; Sûrat-ul-Hajj, 35]

It is not possible for people to love or fear what they do not know. Those who love Allah much and know Him well fear Him very much. Since the one who knows Him best is our master the Prophet, he is certainly the one who fears Him most. As a matter of fact, he stated:
(It is I who, among you, fear Allah most.) [Bukhârî]

After prophets, people who know Allahu ta’âlâ best are savants, who are prophets’ inheritors, and those who are close to them. It is purported in the Qur’ân al-karîm:
(Only ‘ulamâ’ fear Allah among His servants.) [Sûrat-u Fâtir, 28]

(Those who obey Allah and His Messenger and those who fear Allah and guard themselves against violating His commands are the ones that will be saved on the Day of Judgement.) [Sûrat-un-Nûr, 52]

When our master the Prophet was asked concerning the people mentioned in the sixtieth verse of Mu’minun Sûra that reads (in English) “Their hearts beat with fear as they will return to their Rabb” whether they are thieves or fornicators, he answered:
(They are the ones who perform namâz, who fast, and who give zakât. And they fear whether their acts of worship have been accepted.) [Tirmudhî]

The fear of Allah is highly useful for sustenance as well. Our master the Prophet declared, “The sustenance of a person whose capital is the fear of Allah comes to him without trading or capital,” and then recited [the second and third verses of Talaq Sûra, which purport] “Whoever fears Allah, He grants a way out for him and sends him sustenance from places which he does not expect.” (Tabarânî)

The fear of Allah is a great blessing that makes people attain endless bliss. It is purported in âyât (verses):
(There are two Paradises for the person who fears his Rabb.) [Sûrat-ur-Rahman, 46]

(He who fears Allah receives warning.) [Sûrat-ul-A’lâ, 10]

(Fear only Me.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 40]

(Do not fear human beings but fear Me.) [Sûrat-ul-Mâ’ida, 44]

Furthermore, it is declared in ahâdîth:
(The sins of a person whose heart shivers with the fear of Allah fall off just like leaves falling off a tree.) [Bayhaqî]

(He who remembers his sins and cries over them will enter Paradise without any questioning.) [I. Ghazâlî]

(He who weeps out of the fear of Allah will not enter Hell.) [Nasâî]

(If you feared Allah thoroughly, you would attain knowledge that does not contain ignorance.) [Ibni Sunnî]

The love of Allah is one of the conditions of îmân. The following ahâdîth declare:
(Îmân is to love Allah and His Messenger more than everything else.) [I. Ahmad]

(You will not be considered to have îmân unless Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to you than everything else.) [Bukhârî]

Why Qur’an al-Karim can not be translated into any language?

 The Qur’an al-karim cannot be translated into any language, even into Arabic. It is impossible to translate any poem into its own language precisely. It can only be explained, interpreted. We should not read the Qur’an’s translation in order to understand it. To understand the meaning of an ayat [1] means to understand what Allahu ta’ala means through this ayat. A person who reads a translation of this ayat cannot learn murad-i ilahi (the divine purpose). He learns what the translator has understood according to his level of knowledge. And he who reads the translation written by someone ignorant or by an irreligious translator, learns not what Allahu ta’ala says, but what the translator, who assumes that he understands it, is expressing from his own thoughts.

The government does not send a law concerning villagers directly to villagers because villagers cannot understand this law even if they can read it. This law is sent to governors of cities first. These governors, understanding it well and adding their explanations, send it to the mayors of towns, who, explaining it more clearly, send it to directors of districts. Directors of districts can understand the law with the help of these explanations and can explain them to headmen of villages. Headman of a village could not have it understood just by reading it. The headman explains it to the villagers in village dialect. By the same token, the Qur’an al-karim is divine rules. It is divine law. Allahu ta’ala has shown the way of happiness to His born servants through the Qur’an al-karim and has sent His own word to the highest of mankind. Only Hadrat [2] Muhammad can understand the meaning of the Qur’an al-karim. No other person can understand it completely. Though the Ashab-i kiram [3] ‘alaihim-ur-ridwan’ knew Arabic as their native language and were literary and eloquent, they couldn’t understand some ayats and asked Rasulullah to explain them.

In short, only Hadrat Muhammad understood the meaning of the Qur’an and explained it through his hadiths [4]. It is he who interpreted the Qur’an. The correct book of interpretation is his hadiths. By not sleeping or resting, by sacrificing their repose, our religious scholars gathered these hadiths and wrote books of interpretation. The book of interpretation entitled Baydawi is one of the strongest among them.

[1] ayat: a verse of al-Qur’an al-kerim; al-ayat al-karima.
[2] Hadrat: title of respect used before the names of great people like and Islamic scholars.
[3] As’hab-i kiram: (as-Sahabat al-kiram); the Companions of Rasulullah.
[4] hadith (sharif): i) a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).; al-Hadith ash-sharif: all the hadiths as a whole; ii) ‘ilm al-hadith; iii) Books of the hadith ash-sharif. iv) Al-hadith al-qudsi, as-sahih, al-hasan: kinds of hadiths (for which, see Endless Bliss, II).

About the book “Endless Bliss”

Question: Why is the book Endless Bliss (titled Se’âdet-i Ebediyye in its Turkish original) so valuable?
ANSWERThe reason why it is so valuable is solely because it is based on naql [transmitting the religious knowledge that has been communicated by Islamic scholars without making any changes], not on personal thoughts.

It is a compilation from hundreds of precious religious books, and these source materials are available in many libraries. However, most of these books have not been translated into other languages. For this reason, it is almost impossible for readers to find and get benefit from them. Why honey is a unique substance stems from the fact that it is produced by deriving the nectars of different flowers. So is the case with the book Endless Bliss. For example, when you guide people who demand a religious book to a big library, you will have advised them not one certain book but thousands of books. In the same way, Endless Bliss is one book at face value, but in reality it is an extraction of a wide range of books.

If we have a look at some comparable ‘ilm-i hâl books on the market, we will see that when they quote the answer of a religious matter correctly from a book, they, somehow, do not give reference to the fiqh book and its page, let alone the erroneous pieces of information they contain. Astonishingly, some of them (those ‘ilm-i hâl books) make errors in conveying information from a credible religious book. However, Endless Bliss, basing all its contents on citations from authentic books, has been checked with meticulous care again and again in order to eliminate even a minor mistake, and the writer of this peerless book has diclosed the reference sources together with their pages of all the information in the book.

Those who read this work of great erudition, composed of information gathered from many books of great value such as Radd-ul-Mukhtâr, Halabî, Hadîqa, Maktûbât-i Rabbânî, will have learned necessary issues pertaining to belief and practice through reading mentioned dependable books. In this book, tenets of belief and the creed of Ahl as-sunna are treated in depth and in a manner that everbody can understand easily. Corrupt groups, religions, and beliefs are listed so that Muslims can protect themselves from their harm. After tenets of belief, the five fundamentals of Islam are touched upon exhaustively. This entire book has been prepared according to the Hanafî Madhhab, but the rules in other madhhabs are included when necessary. Besides, imitating another madhhab in case of an excuse, an issue never addressed in any ‘ilm-i hâl book before, has been dealt with thoroughly. In the chapter concerning imitating madhhab, it is explained satisfactorily how Muslims, when they encounter a difficulty in their own madhhab, can carry out an act by way of imitating any of the other three madhhabs.

This unequalled book, which is the fruit of a painstaking study lasting for over 40 years and now in its 103rd edition, has also undegone rigorous scrutiny of specialists from various fields.

It covers elaborate articles on calling spirits and genies and clarifies, too, the true nature of qadâ’ and qadar and whether people can shape their destinies or not, thereby clearing away the confusions in the minds.

Furthermore, it contains fully comprehensive chapters on the status of women in Islam, the rights of a husband and wife and their duties towards one another, Islamic marriage and such related matters. Besides, there is information on the things that are halâl and harâm to eat and drink.

Briefly, in this valuable book there is religious information in a full degree that will meet the needs of a Muslim. All the information in it is selected from the most precious books. People who read Endless Bliss from beginning to the end carefully will learn all the commandments and prohibitions of our religion and so become well-informed about it; they do not fall for the tricks and lies of the enemies of Islam. It is essential for every Muslim to learn our religion very well. Not having religious knowledge is tantamount to not having a religion. For this reason, all Muslims must read this great book of 1248 pages and strive hard to get their households to read it. It is the best gift to give and the best inheritance to leave. You can read and purchase it online following this link: www.hakikatkitabevi.com It is also possible to listen (in Turkish) to the entire book on this site.

Reading many books
Question: There are many dependable religious books. Do we have to read all of them?
ANSWERIn order to learn our religion accurately, it is necessary for us to read one correctly written book much instead of reading many books voraciously. Because almost all the translated books contain mistranslations and personal thoughts. Especially, since the full meanings of some expressions in original language are not known, they are translated literally, thus giving rise to fatal mistakes.

Ibni Taymiyya was a very profound scholar. However, he has been remembered among savants as the person whose knowledge was made by Allahu ta’âlâ the cause of his lapsing into heresy. As it is seen, knowledge alone does not suffice; learning it without a guide cannot make you find the way to salvation.

We should also bear in mind the fact that thousands of Islamic scholars, who have come for 14 centuries, have written tens of thousands of religious books. And these books were written in accordance with the prevailing conditions of then time and people, and they demonsrated conformity with the codes of Dâr-ul-Islam. Those books contain thousands of qawls [reports]. Which report will you select to act upon? However, a book alone, which transmits the preferred reports [muftabih qawls] of the scholars, will suffice for the purpose.

Once an erudite person said, “I have read more than 1,000 books so far. If only I had read the book Endless Bliss one thousand times instead.” This valuable book provides all the information that is necessary for a Muslim.

Fiqh and ‘ilm-i hâl
Question: Is a fiqh book different from an ‘ilm-i hâl book?
ANSWERHadrat Imâm-i A’zam declares, “Fiqh is to know what is good and what is bad for you.” The knowledge of fiqh teaches you af’âl-i mukallafîn, that is, the things commanded, prohibited and permitted in Islam. The knowledge of fiqh is divided into four parts:
1- ‘Ibâdât [the rules pertaining to namâz, fast, zakât, hajj and jihâd],
2- Munâkahât [it has many divisions, such as marriage, divorce, subsistence, and many others],
3- Mu’âmalât [the rules pertaining to buying and selling, rent, companies, interest, birthright]
4- ‘Uqûbât [punishments for such sins as theft, usurpation, murder and others].

As well as including the rules pertaining to fiqh, the knowledge of ‘ilm-i hâl covers not only other Islamic branches — such as tafsîr, qirâat, hadîth, kalâm, tasawwuf — but also scientific branches — such as (the sciences of) logic, physics, chemistry, medicine and astronomy. Experimental sciences are a part of Islamic sciences. For this reason, learning the knowledge of ‘ilm-i hâl comes to mean learning the religion wholly.