Major Shirk: The Hidden and the Manifest

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. Is major shirk (associating partners with Allah) sometimes hidden and not clear, or is it only the manifest, well-known acts such as circumambulating graves, supplicating to other than Allah, and slaughtering for other than Allah? Please inform us, may Allah preserve you.

Answer:
Major shirk is not hidden; it is manifest, because it occurs through words and actions, manifest deeds, such as slaughtering, making vows, supplicating, and calling for aid. How can it be hidden? This is manifest, manifest in the person and in the limbs. The shirk that is hidden is what is in the heart: showing off (riya') and seeking fame. This is the shirk in creation. The shirk that you carry with you from showing off is the hidden shirk. As for what appears through word or deed, that is manifest shirk. For this reason, the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "And shirk, beware of it, for shirk is manifest, not the portion that is not manifest of forgiveness, and it is avoiding the mosque of the Most Merciful, whether it be from an idol or from a person. They are immersed in it as the one who is immersed in the One God is immersed. It is broader. Indeed, the shirk in the lot is what is in the heart, such as showing off and bad intentions." Yes. And a person prays, and its appearance is that it is for Allah, but in his heart he intends showing off. This is not known except by Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). He gives charity with his wealth, and its appearance is that it is for Allah, but in his heart he intends showing off and purity. This is the thing in the near. Yes.