Important information about "Shirk"

Important information about Shirk

 

Holding someone to be equal to Allah Most High in His Being (Dhaat) or attributes is the worst possible sin.  It is called in the Shariah as “Shirk”.  It is such a sin that those who commit it will never be forgiven.  It is of 2 kinds:

 

1.       The manifest ascription of partners to Allah Most High (Shirk Jali)

2.       The concealed ascription of partners to Allah Most High (Shirk Khafi)

 

Almighty Allah is Wajib Ul Wujood i.e. necessary for the continued existence of all creation.  The Lord has been there even before the beginning of time and will be there even after the end of time.  He is unique and unparalleled in His Being, attributes and works.  He is the only One worthy of being worshipped.  Crediting anyone else with the aforementioned attributes and/or considering someone else as worthy of being worshipped is manifest ascription of partners to Allah Most High.

 

Ostentation and showing off in one’s worship and prayers is concealed ascription of partners to Allah Most High (Shirk Khafi).

 

The attributes found in the creation like life, knowledge, gnosis, sight, hearing, etc. are all created by Allah Most High, are His blessings and are dependent on Him.

 

Imam Qurtubi (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has penned a beautiful exposition in Al Jame’ Li Ahkaam Il Quran that in the opinion of the scholars there are 3 categories of ascribing partners to Allah Most High and all 3 of them are forbidden.

 

The first is to ascribe partners to Allah Most High in His godhood (‘Uluhiyyah).  This is the worst form ascribing partners to Allah Most High.  The idolaters of Makkah were guilty of this.

 

The second is to consider someone as a partner to Allah Most High in His works, that somebody can do something without the grant and will of Allah Most High, even though that other entity might not be included in godhood as well.

 

The third is to ascribe partners to Him in worshipping Him and this is ostentation (Riya).  What it means is that those acts of worship which were to be performed only for the pleasure and approval of Allah are performed to show off to other people.  This renders everything futile.  This is called concealed ascribing of partners to Allah Most High (Shirk Khafi), which the ignoramuses don’t understand.  (Al Jame’ Li Ahkaam Il Quran, Surah Nisa, verse no. 48, Vol. 5, Pg. No. 181)

 

Hadhrat Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be well pleased with him) broke down and wept.  He was asked:  What makes you cry?  I remember a thing which I heard the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) say:  I fear that My Ummah will ascribe partners to Allah and will fall prey to hidden lust.  I asked:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Will Your Ummah commit Shirk?  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Beware!  They will neither worship the sun nor the moon, neither stones nor idols, but they will become ostentatious (start showing off) in their deeds and hidden lust is that one of them will start the day with a fast then something from his desires will come before him and he will abandon his fast.  (Zujaajatul Masabeeh, Vol. 4, Pg. No. 193)

 

There is another Hadith in this regard:

 

Translation: It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat Abu Sa’eed Khudri (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says:  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) graced us with His presence when we talking about Dajjaal (the Antichrist).  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Shall I not inform you of something which, in My opinion, is even dangerous than the Dajjaal?  We said:  Surely, o Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)!  Do inform us.  He said:  That is the concealed Shirk, a man will start offering Salaat and then he will make his Salaat long as he sees someone else is watching him.  (Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 4204)