Shirk

التعريف

The greatest of all sins — directing any form of worship to other than Allah. Major shirk takes a person out of Islam and, if one dies upon it, eternalises them in the Fire. Minor shirk (e.g. showing-off, swearing by other than Allah) does not exit one from Islam but is extremely dangerous.

النطق: shirk

الاشتقاق والجذر

From the root ش-ر-ك (sh-r-k), meaning 'to share' or 'to partner.' Shirk is to make a partner for Allah in that which is exclusively His — whether in His Lordship, His right to be worshipped, or His names and attributes.

الاستخدام في القرآن

Allah called shirk 'a tremendous wrong' (Luqmān 31:13) and made it the only sin He does not forgive without repentance. The Qur'an narrates the warnings of every prophet against it, from Nūḥ to Muḥammad ﷺ.

الاستخدام في السنة

When asked about the greatest sin, the Prophet ﷺ said: 'That you set up a rival to Allah while He created you.' (Bukhārī 4477, Muslim 86)

ملاحظات علمية

Scholars classify shirk into major (akbar) — which exits Islam — and minor (aṣghar) — which does not but undermines Tawheed. Ibn al-Qayyim further divided major shirk into shirk in Rubūbiyyah, Ulūhiyyah, and al-Asmā' wa as-Sifāt.

مفاهيم خاطئة شائعة

Some think shirk means only idol-worship of stone images. In reality, calling on a dead saint, slaughtering for other than Allah, or believing someone other than Allah independently controls benefit and harm are all forms of major shirk.

التطبيق العملي

Guard your tongue from oaths by other than Allah, your heart from showing-off in worship, and your worship from any orientation toward graves, shrines, or 'awliyā' as intermediaries.

للاستزادة

المزيد من Aqeedah Terms