What is your opinion of those who divided shirk (associating partners with Allah) into primitive shirk, which is the shirk of graves, and civilized shirk, such as judging by other than what Allah has revealed and the love of authority?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, there is a question: We read in some books that some people have divided shirk (associating partners with Allah) into two types: primitive shirk and civilized shirk. They defined primitive shirk as the shirk of graves, idols, and statues, and civilized shirk as what people are currently falling into, such as the worship of desires, the love of authority, and judging by other than what Allah has revealed, and so on. What is your opinion of this new division?
The Shaykh : Our opinion is that this is an innovated division. The predecessors from the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community) did not divide it this way. Rather, the Salaf of the Ummah said that shirk (associating partners with Allah) is of two types: minor and major, and apparent and hidden. Major shirk is that which takes one out of the religion, and minor shirk, or hidden shirk, is that which does not take one out of the religion. This is the correct division upon which the Salaf of the Ummah were. However, what he mentioned regarding the love of authority, wealth, and fame being a type of shirk is correct. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So he considered those whose hearts became attached to this, and it became their greatest concern, to be engaging in a type of worship. As for using what our Salaf mentioned, or rather what the texts brought, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 16:48 In any case, the division you mentioned is an innovation and should not be adopted. But the statement that a person who is engrossed in this world, is pleased when he attains it, and is angry when he misses it, is a type of shirk, is correct, because the Messenger called this being a slave to it.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : In order, in order. The right now, right, left.
Your Eminence, there is a question: We read in some books that some people have divided shirk (associating partners with Allah) into two types: primitive shirk and civilized shirk. They defined primitive shirk as the shirk of graves, idols, and statues, and civilized shirk as what people are currently falling into, such as the worship of desires, the love of authority, and judging by other than what Allah has revealed, and so on. What is your opinion of this new division?
The Shaykh : Our opinion is that this is an innovated division. The predecessors from the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community) did not divide it this way. Rather, the Salaf of the Ummah said that shirk (associating partners with Allah) is of two types: minor and major, and apparent and hidden. Major shirk is that which takes one out of the religion, and minor shirk, or hidden shirk, is that which does not take one out of the religion. This is the correct division upon which the Salaf of the Ummah were. However, what he mentioned regarding the love of authority, wealth, and fame being a type of shirk is correct. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Woe to the slave of the dinar, woe to the slave of the dirham, woe to the slave of the khamsah, woe to the slave of the khumaylah.
تعس عبدالدينار تعس عبدالدرهم تعس عبدالخميصة تعس عبدالخميلةThe thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk (polytheism), showing-off (of good deeds).
أخوف ما أخاف عليكم الشرك الأصغر فسئل عنه قال: الرياءThe questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : In order, in order. The right now, right, left.