How is Kufr (disbelief) in Taghut accomplished? Does it include Satan, the ruler who does not govern by what Allah has revealed, the one who calls to the worship of other than Allah, the worshiper of other than Allah, and the one who claims to know the unseen? Is it a prerequisite for entering Islam to disbelieve in them? And when is the time for disbelieving in them?

There are many taghut (false deities/tyrants), and their heads are five: Iblees (Satan), one who is worshipped while he is pleased with it, one who calls people to worship himself, one who claims knowledge of the unseen, and one who rules by other than what Allah has revealed. The proof for this is the Almighty’s saying: {There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold.}

The characteristic of disbelieving in Taghut is to believe in the invalidity of worshipping other than Allah, abandoning it, hating it, declaring its adherents to be disbelievers, and showing enmity towards them. This is a heart-felt action that is realized by most of those who pronounce the two Shahadas (testimonies of faith). A person enters Islam simply by pronouncing the two Shahadas. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to accept from everyone who came to him wishing to enter Islam only the two Shahadas, and their blood would thereby be protected.

However, if one believes in any of the taghut, such as claiming absolute knowledge of the unseen for anyone other than Allah, or believing that any human possesses the right to legislate for people, then he becomes an apostate, even if he disbelieves in what is worshipped besides Allah. In this case, he is required to pronounce the two Shahadas and explicitly declare his disbelief in Taghut.