07. SHIRK KA MAANA AUR USKI AQSAAM [Polytheism & Its Types]
SHIRK “POLYTHEISM” & ITS TYPES:
Definitions “Linguistically” :
Poly: More than one, or excessive.
Theism: Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world.
Shirk: Associating
Definitions “Religiously”
Poly ; theism: The belief in the existence of more than one, or excessive Gods.
Shirk: Associating others besides Allaah (in things only Allaah can do).
Sections of Shirk
Shirk Akbar (Major Shirk) Open and apparent :
To associate anyone with Allaah as his part (to believe in more than one God).
To associate Allaah’s attributes with someone else. (Attributing, considering, or portraying Allaah’s knowledge or might to being those of anyone else.
Major Shirk expels the person from Islam.
Shirk Asghar (Minor Shirk) Concealed or hidden:
All verbal or physical actions (deeds) that may lead to major shirk, or which is described as being shirk.
Minor Shirk doesn’t expel the person from Islam.
Shirk Akbar VS. Shirk Asghar
Shirk Akbar:
- Expels one from Islam.
- Causes the one who is committing it to remain in Hell forever.
- Nullifies all of the person’s deeds.
- Makes the blood (i.e. Life) & wealth of those who commit it lawful.
Shirk Asghar:
- Does not expel one from Islam.
- Does not cause the one who is committing it to remain in Hell- if he enters it all.
- Does not nullify all of the person’s deeds. Rather, the showing off and doing actions for the sake of worldly reasons only nullify the deed which they are mixed with.
- Does not make these two things lawful for the Muslim to take.
Types of Shirk Akbar (Major Shirk)
-
Supplicational Shirk:
Calling others for help that only Allaah can provide is considered Shirk.
And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of
their worship to others-
[Al-Ankabut V. 65]
-
The Desire & intentional Shirk:
Worshipping Allaah for (only) the benefits of this life, and disregarding the provisions of the hereafter is Shirk.
Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter; to them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein, and they will have no diminution therein. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire; and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do.
[Hud V. 15-16]
-
Obedience Shirk:
Obeying the scholars in what is unlawful is considered worshipping them.
They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah), and (they also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and Christians) were commanded (in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) to worship none but One Ilah (God – Allah) La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him, (far above is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).”-
[At-tauba, V 31]
-
The Love Shirk:
Having too much love for someone more than Allaah is considered Shirk.
And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They Love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah
more (than anything else)-
[ Al- Baqara, V 165]
The All-Mighty Allaah says, in Surat Al-Hajj, V.73:
O people here is an example for you to listen to: The idols and the people being worshipped besides Allaah all together cannot create a single fly, and if the fly took anything from these idols or people being worshipped, then they would never be able to get it back. Both are weak, the seeker, the one being worshipped, and the sought, the fly itself.
The gigantic disease that has spread amongst the nations is what we will talk about today, the disease that all prophets were sent to rescue their people from, a disease that the devil blows into the hearts of his followers, it is something that we are in danger of falling into, it is a catastrophe for its followers, it is inevitable, it is something that will last to the Day of Judgment, and to the very moment Israfil blows the trumpet, it is what we call in our language: Shirk, associating partners with Allaah, may Allaah protect us.
Shirk in English is polytheism, and that is the belief in the existence of more than one God. It is a duty for us to know Shirk, understand it, and study it well… so that we don’t fall into it.
Ibn Abbas said: (There were ten centuries between Adam and Noah where all the people had the Tawheed belief.)
So how did Shirk 1st appear on this Earth?
Sit back and hold on really tight to the feather of faith as we take a ride on the wing of Islam and go back in time to the days of the very first Messenger Allaah has ever sent, The Prophet Nuh.
Before Nuh was sent, there were five righteous people named: Wad, Suwaa, Yaghuth, Yao’oq, and Nasra. These people had the Tawheed belief, and they loved Allaah much, when they all died, their people created idols of them and kept these idols as a memorial for them, after many years have passed when the newer generations saw the idols they thought that these people were Gods, and that these idols must be worshipped.
Allaah then sent Nuh to those people to warn them about worshipping the idols, so when Nuh went to them he said:
“O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!”
Nuh kept warning them for 950 years, but the people disbelieved, and only few of them ended up believing in Allaah, so Allaah commanded Nuh to build an ark and to put his followers on this Ark, and then Allaah saved Nuh and the believers, however there was not a single disbeliever on the surface of this Earth that lived after seeing Allaah’s punishment.
Shirk is the greatest evil deed that Allaah hates, it is oppression )ظلم(to one’s self, because the Mushrik is giving a portion of his worship to others who don’t deserve to be worshipped, and to that Allaah says in Surat Fatir, V. 13 & 14:
And those, whom you call upon instead of Him, do not own even a Qitmeer (the thin membrane over the date stone). If you call upon them, they do not hear your call, and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant your request to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them.
REFERENCE:
BOOK: “THE TAWHEED MADE EASY “
By Rayan Fawzi Arab.