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We believe that Allah (swt) is Ghafirun Zanbi, the one who forgives the sin, one of his names and attributes is that he is Al Ghafur, He (swt) says,
“He is the one who forgives everything.”
But we need to study how the shirk is not subject to be forgiven unless you repent, it may be that you do a sin and you do not ask forgiveness from Allah for that, whether out of forgetfulness or laziness etc and yet Allah (swt) will forgive you anyway. But the Shirk requires something extra, it requires the Taubah.
The definition of Al Shirk is that,
“Al Shirk is to take partners for Allah (swt) or to attribute what is for Allah from his rights to something or someone else.”
Allah (swt) is the only one worthy of worship, if you offer the worship to anyone else, you become mushrik. Indeed, anything that is exclusively for Allah, you will become mushrik if you offer it to anyone else.
For example the Ibaadah is all for Allah, all the Love is for Allah, all the Raja’, the Tawakkul, the repentance is all for Allah exclusively. If you offer any of these forms of obedience to anyone else you will become mushrik and that becomes a form of taking Nadd besides Allah.
So if you attribute any of the Huquq (rights) of Allah to anyone else you become Mushrik even if you do not believe in it out of Rububiyyah. What is known among Ahl Al Sunnah Wal Jama’ah is that anyone who supplicates to anyone other than Allah for something nobody can do except Allah, he becomes Mushrik. That is because the Du’a confesses the complete ‘Ubudiyyah (devoting to worship), and complete obedience and worship for the one that you make Du’a to.
Allah (swt) forbade the Shirk because it is in itself an evil, and because included in the Shirk is a form of insulting Allah, because it is belittling Allah (swt). That insult cannot be abolished by simply changing the name of that deed, for example by calling it “tashaffu’”, he will still be Mushrik, just like the fornicator is still a fornicator if he calls it an ‘affair’ or ‘girlfriend’, whatever name he gives it he is still a fornicator, the alcohol is still alcohol even if you call it a ‘soft drink’ or ‘spirit’, the Ribaa is still interest even if you call it trade and mortgage.
Similarly, Al Hubbu lillah wa fillah, the love is all for Allah and in Allah only and can never be love alongside Allah (Ma’allah); all fear must be for Allah and can never be ‘with Allah’; arbitration is all for Allah exclusively, whatever you change the name of it to call it, legislation, seeking huquq etc will never change its Hukm, if you arbitrate to other than Allah or to another alongside Allah, you will be Mushrik.
All of these forms of worship are for none but Allah, and to do it for anyone else is from the biggest kabaa’ir; that is because it negates the purpose of all existence; Allah (swt) created everything only to worship him exclusively. Allah (swt) says,
“We created the jinn and mankind only to worship me exclusively.” [EMQ 51:56]
This sin the limit of the forgiveness (Hadd ul Maghfirah), anything that you do is subject to be forgiven even if you do not make repentance, but there are some deeds that you are obliged to make taubah for and Shirk is one of those sins, in order to be forgiven for it you must repent before you pass away or Allah will never forgive you. Allah (swt) says,
“Allah does not forgive the Shirk, but anything less than that Allah will forgive if he wishes.” [EMQ 4:115]
Allah did not permit us to approach him via the intercession of any dead people, then if someone wants to become closer to Allah via a proxy (whether Pir, saint, good person etc) that is Shirk, Allah does not accept it nor does he forgive it.
We need to know about this type of sin in order to stay away from it, (i) some of the Shirk is related to the Zaat of Allah (swt), (ii) some Shirk is associated with his names, (iii) some associated with his attributes, (iv) some associated with his actions, (v) some are associated with the worship meant for Him (swt) exclusively. Even though the person may believe in Allah (swt) he may become Mushrik in any of these ways.
Shirk is two types, Shirk Al Ta’teel and Shirk of associating with him another.
AL SHIRK AL TA’TEEL
Al Ta’teel is one of the most ugly types of Shirk, like the shirk of Fir’awn, when he denied the existence of Allah completely,
“There is no lord of the worlds.” [EMQ Shu’ara: 23]
And he said,
“O Haamaan, build for me stairs so that I can see the heavens to see if there is a god for Musa and I think he is a liar.” [EMQ Ghafir: 36-37]
Fir’awn here is making Ta’teel, every Mushrik is Mu’attil, and every Mu’attil is Mushrik. The Mu’attil is the one who denies completely that there is someone who is the creator and sustainer, denies that there is a provider, a giver and taker of life.
Anyone who claims that only Tony Blair can provide, or that only the UN can help and nobody else besides them, then that is Shirk Al Ta’teel. The one who takes all of Allah’s attributes and gives them to somebody else.
The other type of Shirk is the shirk of the majous, Non - Muslims, those who say that Allah has a son, it is the Shirk of associating with Allah another.
We have talazum between the Mushrik and the Mu’attil, every Mushrik is Mu’attil and ever Mu’attil is Mushrik. But it is not necessarily that the shirk will follow the main principle of Ta’teel. It could be that someone is mushrik but he still believes in Allah, but he makes Ta’teel in the right of Allah to be worshipped exclusively.
The Ta’teel is types, (i) Al Ta’teel of the creation from his creator, negating to attribute the creation to the creator, (ii) Al Ta’teel of the creator from His perfect names and attributes. (iii) Al Ta’teel of the actions and worship i.e. that he negates to attribute all the actions and worship to be for Allah (swt) based on the Tawheed exclusively.
Similarly the Shirk of the Sufis, those who say that the Creator and creation are the same; this is Shirk Al Ta’teel. Similarly, the Jahmies that make Ta’teel for Allah’s names and attributes are making Shirk Al Ta’teel.
SHIRK OF ASSOCIATING PARTNERS
The other type of Shirk is when someone associates with almighty Allah someone else, he never negated his rights, names or attributes but they associated with Allah someone else in those rights. Like how the Christians did not negate belief in a creator, but they associated with Allah ‘Isa and his mother Maryam. The Jews, Christians, Fire-worshippers and the Qadariyyah all have this type of Shirk.
The Qadariyyah say that the creation can create it’s own actions without Allah’s will, that even the animals create their own actions and that is why the description of the Qadariyyah is similar to the Majous.
Ibrahim (as) said to Nimrud,
“My lord gives life and takes life, He said, “I give life and take life… Ibrahim (as) said, 'My god rises the sun from east, rise it from the west if you can" and he was silent.” [EMQ 2: 258]
The shirk is to make someone similar to or equivalent to Allah (swt), like those who say that the stars and planets control everything.Some people worship many forms of false gods and they are Mushrik like those who worship the sun, moon, stars etc.
Al Shirk Al Ibaadah is a shirk that is less than Al Shirk Al Ta’teel, not less in terms of punishment, but is easier to fall into than Al Ta’teel. That is because he may believe that there is no lord but Allah and no one worthy of worship except Allah, but it may just be that his actions are not purely and sincerely for Allah’s sake alone, he could try to take something out of it for himself. Ibn hibban narrated that the prophet (saw) said,
“The shirk in this Ummah is hidden more than the footsteps of the ants.” They asked, “How can we be saved from that shirk?” he said, “Say: O my lord, I seek refuge in you from committing shirk with my knowledge and seek forgiveness in what I am not aware about.” [ibn Hibban]
That is because all forms of Riyaa’ is Shirk, Allah (swt) says,
“And do not associate with Allah in your worship anybody.” [EMQ 18: 110]
This ayah is so explicit that you could be one whom believes in laa ilaaha illallah and is Muwahhid, yet when you offer the ritual acts and transactions you do not do so sincerely for the sake of Allah exclusively.
It is not allowed to demonstrate alongside people who believe to seek help from the taghout instead of seeking the help of Allah exclusively, we cannot co-operate with people who believe they can communicate and advise the Taghout who is killing our Muslims brothers, it is not allowed to communicate with United Nations. You cannot mix your own agenda with the ritual acts.
The riyaa’ is so hidden, more so even than the footsteps of the ants, so make sure that everything you do is sincere for Allah’s sake only. Even in the transactions, you must make sure that you don’t trade except in Halal
The tawheed necessitates that all ibaadah is for Allah exclusively. Therefore any good deed or any action that is free from any riyaa’ is the one that is always surrounded by the Sunnah, make sure that everything you do is only for the sake of Allah, especially in the ibadaat.
We say that there is no one worthy to be worshipped except for Allah and that means that all the ibaadat is for him, that all the ilaahiyyah is for him (swt), that we must direct all ibadaat to him exclusively. Umar (ra) used to make dua,
"O Allah make my actions all for your sake and for your face exclusively and do not let anyone else have a share in it"
We must make sure that the deeds are all only for the sake of Allah, otherwise it will nullify the reward of the action and the person will be punished for it, especially if the action was obligatory. Because if the action was obligatory and he did not do it for the sake of Allah, it will be as if he did not do it. That is because Allah ordered us to worship him exclusively, (Al Ibaadah khaalisan lillah), Allah (swt) says
"Whoever seeks the pleasure of his lord, let him do his action sincerely for his sake, and do not associate in his ibaadah anybody"
And Allah ordered us to make it sincere for him,
"And they have been ordered to worship Allah exclusively sincerely for his sake with full submission and establish the salah and pay the zakat" [EMQ Bayyinah: 5]
The one who did not worship Allah sincerely for his sake, he did not fulfil his order, even if it looked as though he had prayed and looked as though he paid zakat, it will be as if he did not do it. In the Hadith Qudsi Allah (swt) declares,
"I am not needy for any partners, whoever does an action associating somebody else with me, I am not needy for it, it is for the one you associated with me and I am free from it."
Allah is not needy for your Salah if you pray to show off, Allah is not needy for your Zakat that you pay to be seen, nor is He needy for your Da’wah that you do for reputation, we cannot commit the riyaa’.
The Shirk Ibaadah is three divisions, we will find (i) Shirk fee Ibadah Akbar, (ii) Shirk fee Ibaadah Asghar and (iii) Shirk Ibaadah Maghfur. Shirk Akbar takes you out of the fold of Islam and cannot be forgiven unless he repents, Shirk Asghar does not take you out of the fold of Islam.
Shirk Al Ta'teel is the Shirk Akbar and cannot be forgiven unless it is repented from. Allah (swt) says,
"And from the people who take instead of Allah someone else as Andaad equal to Allah, they love them the way they Love Allah" [EMQ 2: 165]
The people of this type of shirk will say to their false ilaah on the day of judgement when they are gathered together in the hellfire,
"Tallahi, we were in clear misguidance, we made you equal to the lord of the worlds" [EMQ Shu'ara: 97]
This is one of the most ugly forms of Shirk and the other is the one that attributes to Allah to be an oppressor and the one who attributes to the slave to be the master, the one who is needy to be the provider; this type of shirk is oppression and corrupted because we take the attribute of Allah and give it to someone else and make them equivalent to Allah. Allah (swt) says,
"All glory to the one who created the heavens and the earth, the darkness and the light and yet the kuffar make with Allah equal partners." [EMQ An’am: 1]
This is among the highest forms of Shirk, that is Shirk in Almighty Allah’s Zaat, his Af’aal, his Aqwaal, his Iraadaat, in everything that belongs to Him (swt) exclusively.
The shirk in your action is when you make sujud to different than Allah (swt), to make tawaf around the white house instead of the black house, the one who shaves his head out of worship outside of its correct place (e.g. because he wants to visit someones grave), we shave our heads and slaughter in Hajj as a ritual act, that is called Tahleeq and Al Nahr, the one who shaves his head to visit a grave or for reward, it is a form of shirk.
People could commit shirk in any action that could possibly even look like Ibaadah e.g. if someone kisses a stone from the floor instead of the black stone and starts to make sujud to it, he will become Mushrik.
Allah forbade to make the graves into a masjid, even if they pray to Allah on the grave, that is not allowed. Some people will go to the grave of the person to become closer to the grave or just to pray in the graveyard or near the graves of the prophets or sheiyoukh and that is a form of Shirk itself, the prophet (saw) said,
“Allah cursed the Non Muslims because they took the graves of their prophets as a place of prayer (to Allah).”
They were cursed because they prayed to Allah at the grave, let alone to go to the grave to ask intercession and help from them! The prophet (saw) said,
"One of the most corrupted people that the hour will reach them while they are still alive are those people who take the graves as masaajid" [Bukhari]
The prophet (saw) said,
"There used to be people before you who took the graves as masjid, never take the graveyards as a masjid, I forbid you to do so."The prophet (saw) said,
"Allah cursed those women who visit the graves and those who build over the graveyard their masjid and their places where they perform their ritual acts" [Musnad Imam Ahmed and ibn Hibban]
In another narration he (saw) said,
“Allah becomes harder upon those people who take the grave of their prophet as a place of prayer.”And in another hadith, the prophet (saw) said,
"There were people before you, whenever a good person died, they built over his grave a place of worship and started to make images, they are the most evil people in the eyes of Allah (swt)."That is the reality for the one who prays for the sake of Allah in a masjid that was near the graveyard, let alone for the one who makes sujud to the grave itself, and the prophet (saw) said,
"O Allah do not make my grave into a wathn (idol) that people worship"How the messenger (saw) was eager to protect the Deen and protect the Tawheed! What a great form of himayah! He even forbade us from the Salah while the sun rises even though it may be to Allah (swt) sincerely, he (saw) wants our Tawheed to be pure, free from any defection and in order not to even look like those who worships the sun.
He forbade us to pray during the sunrise and in the time when the sun is highest and when the sun is setting, that closes the door from the imitation of the kuffar. That is why there is no salah after ‘asr and after the sunrise, because that is the time when the mushrikeen would make sujud to the sun and any sujud different to Allah is forbidden, the prophet (saw) said,
“No one is allowed to make sujud to anyone besides Allah.”It is not allowed for anybody to take anybody else as a god or to take for Allah a son, to attribute to Allah that he had a son is Shirk Akbar, Allah (swt) says,
"It is not suitable for Al Rahman to have a child." [EMQ Maryam: 2]
Allah did not permit himself to have a son, and Allah did not allow himself to teach the prophet poetry, how can someone then say that the qur'an is poetry? Allah (Swt) says,
"We did not teach him poetry, and it is not allowed for him to study poetry" [EMQ Yaasin: 69]
There is shirk also of pronunciation, you may certain words that constitutes Shirk, e.g. the one who swears by different than Allah is mushrik. the propeht (saw) said,
"Whoever makes oath by other than Allah has committed shirk" [Musnad Imam Ahmed and Abu Dawood]
Even in our speech there could occur shirk, a man said to Muhammad (saw),
"What Allah wished and what you wished" the prophet (saw) said,
"Do you want to take me as partner with Allah? Say: “What Allah wished exclusively."Similarly for those who say,
"I rely on Allah and you" or they say
"this is from Allah and from you" or they say,
“I have nobody but Allah and you.” Or they say,
"Allah is for me in the heaven and you are for me in the earth" All of these pronunciations are
Shirk.
Allah (swt) explained how all of this Shirk is a sin that is outside the boundaries of the forgiveness until you repent from it in the Dunya before you pass away.
The above picture is from a Dargah in India where people worship the Dead and make donations to those who manage it. This money is only used by the people who manage it. Then why do people give them money? Does Allah told us in the Qura'n to give them money??
