What is major shirk and minor shirk?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This questioner, As'ad al-Masri, who resides in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, says: "May the Shaykh be respected, I am asking about major shirk and what minor shirk is. I hope for an answer to this question. May you be rewarded."
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Major shirk is the shirk that takes a person out of the religion, such as if a person believes that there is another god besides Allah who manages the universe, or that there is another god besides Allah who created something of the universe, or that there is someone besides Allah who helps him and supports him. All of this is major shirk. This shirk relates to oneness of lordship. Or if one worships another god besides Allah, such as praying to the occupant of a grave, or drawing near to him by slaughtering for him out of reverence for him, or the like of that. This is shirk in oneness of worship.
So the criterion for major shirk is that it takes a person out of the religion. As for minor shirk, it is every act to which the Lawgiver has applied the name of shirk, and which does not take a person out of the religion. For example, swearing by other than Allah is minor shirk, such as if a person says, "By the Prophet Muhammad, I did not do such-and-such," or "By the Prophet Muhammad, I will certainly do such-and-such," or if he swears by the Ka'bah, saying, "By the revered Ka'bah, I did not do such-and-such," or "By the revered Ka'bah, I will certainly do such-and-such," or the like of that. The important point is that swearing by other than Allah is shirk, but it is minor shirk that does not take a person out of the religion. The evidence that it is shirk is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)Riyad as-Salihin 1711 However, if he believes that the thing by which he swears has a degree of reverence like the reverence that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has, then here he becomes a mushrik with major shirk, because he equated the created with the Creator, and thus he becomes a mushrik with major shirk.
And it should be known that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not forgive shirk, whether it is minor or major, due to the generality of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)[An-Nisa 4:48] This is in one verse, and in another verse [An-Nisa 4:116]. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Major shirk is the shirk that takes a person out of the religion, such as if a person believes that there is another god besides Allah who manages the universe, or that there is another god besides Allah who created something of the universe, or that there is someone besides Allah who helps him and supports him. All of this is major shirk. This shirk relates to oneness of lordship. Or if one worships another god besides Allah, such as praying to the occupant of a grave, or drawing near to him by slaughtering for him out of reverence for him, or the like of that. This is shirk in oneness of worship.
So the criterion for major shirk is that it takes a person out of the religion. As for minor shirk, it is every act to which the Lawgiver has applied the name of shirk, and which does not take a person out of the religion. For example, swearing by other than Allah is minor shirk, such as if a person says, "By the Prophet Muhammad, I did not do such-and-such," or "By the Prophet Muhammad, I will certainly do such-and-such," or if he swears by the Ka'bah, saying, "By the revered Ka'bah, I did not do such-and-such," or "By the revered Ka'bah, I will certainly do such-and-such," or the like of that. The important point is that swearing by other than Allah is shirk, but it is minor shirk that does not take a person out of the religion. The evidence that it is shirk is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)
He who swears by anyone or anything other than Allah, has indeed committed an act of Kufr or Shirk
من حلف بغير الله فقد كفر أو أشركAnd it should be known that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) does not forgive shirk, whether it is minor or major, due to the generality of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغفِرُ أَن يُشرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغفِرُ ما دونَ ذلِكَ لِمَن يَشاءُ وَمَن يُشرِك بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افتَرى إِثمًا عَظيمًاAnd he who associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.
وَمَن يُشرِك بِاللَّهِ فَقَد ضَلَّ ضَلالًا بَعيدًاThe questioner : May Allah bless you.