The Meaning of Shirk, Its Types, and Whether Sins Are Called Shirk
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah bless you. With the blessing of Allah, we begin this session with this question. It was sent by Hasan, an Egyptian resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He says: “Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. What is the meaning of shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah? Are sins, disobedience, and following one’s desires considered shirk? Please inform us; may Allah reward you.”
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The meaning of shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah is worshipping other than Allah the Exalted, through supplication, calling for aid, slaughtering, making vows, and other types of worship. Whoever directs any type of worship to other than Allah, whether the object is alive or dead, is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) committing major shirk, which expels one from the religion.
There is also minor shirk, such as swearing by other than Allah, saying “By Allah and by you” or the like. This is minor shirk, which does not expel one from the religion, but it is a means to major shirk and is dangerous. Among its forms is riya’ (showing off in worship), which is the most dangerous, along with seeking fame in righteous deeds. The Muslim seeks refuge with Allah from shirk, doubt, disbelief, and hypocrisy, as in the well-known supplication, and he avoids it. However, one cannot avoid shirk until he knows what it is and what its types are, so that he can avoid it with knowledge. If he does not know the meaning of shirk, he will fall into it without realizing it. Therefore, it is obligatory for us to learn our creed, to learn what tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is, what its types are, and what its complements are, and to learn what shirk is, which is the opposite of tawhid, what its types are, and what its causes and means are, so that we can avoid them. As for the other sins and disobedience, they are not called shirk; they are called sins and acts of disobedience, which may be major or minor. But whoever is safe from shirk is promised forgiveness,[An-Nisa 4:48],
May Allah bless you. With the blessing of Allah, we begin this session with this question. It was sent by Hasan, an Egyptian resident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He says: “Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. What is the meaning of shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah? Are sins, disobedience, and following one’s desires considered shirk? Please inform us; may Allah reward you.”
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. The meaning of shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah is worshipping other than Allah the Exalted, through supplication, calling for aid, slaughtering, making vows, and other types of worship. Whoever directs any type of worship to other than Allah, whether the object is alive or dead, is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) committing major shirk, which expels one from the religion.
There is also minor shirk, such as swearing by other than Allah, saying “By Allah and by you” or the like. This is minor shirk, which does not expel one from the religion, but it is a means to major shirk and is dangerous. Among its forms is riya’ (showing off in worship), which is the most dangerous, along with seeking fame in righteous deeds. The Muslim seeks refuge with Allah from shirk, doubt, disbelief, and hypocrisy, as in the well-known supplication, and he avoids it. However, one cannot avoid shirk until he knows what it is and what its types are, so that he can avoid it with knowledge. If he does not know the meaning of shirk, he will fall into it without realizing it. Therefore, it is obligatory for us to learn our creed, to learn what tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is, what its types are, and what its complements are, and to learn what shirk is, which is the opposite of tawhid, what its types are, and what its causes and means are, so that we can avoid them. As for the other sins and disobedience, they are not called shirk; they are called sins and acts of disobedience, which may be major or minor. But whoever is safe from shirk is promised forgiveness,
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 7786- معنى الشرك وأنواعه وهل تسمى المعاصي شركاً - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.