The Reality of Shirk and Its Meaning
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
This is the first message received for the program, from a group of brothers from our brotherly Jordan. They say: What is 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 blessings and peace be upon His servant and messenger, His choice from among His creation, and His trustee over His revelation, our Prophet, our Imam, and our Master Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his path and is guided by his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: Shirk is the greatest of sins, and it is the greatest of crimes. It is the matter in which there was contention between the messengers and the nations. The nations were upon shirk, except for those whom Allah guided and preserved from among the individuals of people. The messengers called them to the oneness of Allah and sincerity to Him. This shirk had occurred among the people of Noah due to their exaggeration in the veneration of Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr. When they exaggerated in their veneration and honored them with the honor that Allah forbade, they fell into shirk thereafter. They began to call upon them for aid, make vows to them, and slaughter for them. When this shirk became apparent among them, Allah sent Noah (peace be upon him) to them to call them to the oneness of Allah, warn them of this shirk, and caution them against it. He continued to call them to Allah and command them to be sincere to Allah and to repent to Allah from their shirk. But they persisted in their tyranny and misguidance, except for a few. After that, Allah commanded him to build the ship and to load into it those who believed with him and two of every kind. Allah destroyed the people of the earth and drowned them because of their disbelief and their shirk with Allah .
And so it was with the nations that followed, such as the people of Hud and the people of Salih, and those after them. Allah sent messengers to them, calling them to the oneness of Allah and warning them against associating partners with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Only a few believed, while the majority of creation were overcome by obedience to their desires and to Satan. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets, the best of them, and their leader. Allah sent him to this community to warn them against associating partners with Allah and to call them to the oneness of Allah.In his time, associating partners with Allah had spread across the earth and become widespread, so that only a few remnants of the People of the Book remained upon the oneness of Allah. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) warned them against this associating partners with Allah. They used to hang things on trees, stones, and idols, and they would call upon the prophets and the righteous, seeking their aid. They would make vows to them and say: "They are our intercessors with Allah, and they bring us closer to Allah." As Allah mentioned this about them in His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Yunus:18], Allah the Exalted said in response to them:[Yunus:18], This is the condition of the polytheists: they worship idols, trees, stones, the awliya (close friends of Allah), and the prophets; they call upon them for aid, make vows to them, and draw near to them with sacrificial animals. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), and this is what the messengers denied, as did their followers among the callers to the truth. And Allah the Exalted said regarding it:[al-An'am:88], and He said regarding it:: [al-Zumar:65], and He said regarding it, the Exalted:[Luqman:13], and He said regarding it: [Al-Nisa:48], and in the other verse:[al-Nisa:136], and by this we know the reality of shirk (associating partners with Allah), which is associating other than Allah with Allah in His worship (peace and blessings be upon him), whether they are awliya (close friends of Allah) or prophets or jinn or angels or stones or idols or trees or anything else. This is major shirk, and it is the greatest sin that the messengers forbade, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) sent down books concerning it, and He (Mighty and Majestic) threatened those who commit it with no forgiveness and no entry into Paradise. Likewise, all types of kufr (disbelief) are included in this, and their ruling is the ruling of shirk, such as one who insults Allah, or insults His Messenger, or mocks the religion, or belittles the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), or disparages his message (peace and blessings be upon him), or denies some of what Allah has made obligatory from the matters known from the religion by necessity, such as denying the obligation of prayer, the five daily prayers, or denying the obligation of zakah on wealth, or denying the obligation of fasting Ramadan, or denying the obligation of Hajj with the ability to perform it, or denying the prohibition of zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), or denying the prohibition of khamr (intoxicants), or denying the prohibition of theft, or the like of that. All of this is called kufr (disbelief) and is called shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic)and its owner, if he dies upon it, will abide in the Fire forever, we seek refuge in Allah, and Paradise is forbidden to him, and his deeds are nullified, as He the Exalted said:[al-An'am:88], and He the Exalted said:: [al-Furqan:23], and He the Exalted said:[al-Ma'idah:5].
It is obligatory for all those who are accountable to guard against this shirk (associating partners with Allah), and to single out Allah for worship, excluding everything else from Him. This is the meaning of: "There is no god but Allah," for its meaning is: "There is no true object of worship but Allah." It negates worship for other than Allah and affirms worship for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), as He (Mighty and Majestic) said::[al-Hajj:62], and He the Exalted said:[al-Nahl:36], and He (Mighty and Majestic) said:: [al-Anbiya:25] And this is the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) for which Allah created the two groups, as in His saying, the Exalted:[al-Dhariyat:56], the meaning being: except that they single Me out for worship, that they make Me unique in their worship of Me, through fasting, prayer, supplication, fear, hope, and other things. This is the obligation of all those who are accountable: to worship Allah alone and to single Him out for their acts of worship, excluding everything else from that.
As for the messengers and prophets, their right is to be followed, loved, and obeyed. As for worship, it is the right of Allah . [Al-Isra: 23] ... [Al-Fatihah: 5] ... [Al-Bayyinah: 5].
And so, the right of the awliya (close friends of Allah) is that they be loved for the sake of Allah, and that one follow their good path in obedience to Allah and His Messenger. As for being worshipped alongside Allah, no. Worship is the right of Allah. No one is worshipped alongside Allah, not an angel, not a prophet, not a wali (close friend of Allah), nor anything else.
It is obligatory upon all those who are accountable that their concern with this matter be the greatest concern. Because tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is the foundation of the religion and the basis of the faith, and it is the greatest obligation and the most important obligation. And because shirk is the greatest of sins and the largest of crimes, it is necessary that the concern of the Muslims and the students of knowledge with this matter be greater than all other concerns and more deserving than all other matters. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone. Yes.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon His servant and messenger, His choice from among His creation, and His trustee over His revelation, our Prophet, our Imam, and our Master Muhammad ibn Abdullah, and upon his family and his Companions, and whoever follows his path and is guided by his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: Shirk is the greatest of sins, and it is the greatest of crimes. It is the matter in which there was contention between the messengers and the nations. The nations were upon shirk, except for those whom Allah guided and preserved from among the individuals of people. The messengers called them to the oneness of Allah and sincerity to Him. This shirk had occurred among the people of Noah due to their exaggeration in the veneration of Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr. When they exaggerated in their veneration and honored them with the honor that Allah forbade, they fell into shirk thereafter. They began to call upon them for aid, make vows to them, and slaughter for them. When this shirk became apparent among them, Allah sent Noah (peace be upon him) to them to call them to the oneness of Allah, warn them of this shirk, and caution them against it. He continued to call them to Allah and command them to be sincere to Allah and to repent to Allah from their shirk. But they persisted in their tyranny and misguidance, except for a few. After that, Allah commanded him to build the ship and to load into it those who believed with him and two of every kind. Allah destroyed the people of the earth and drowned them because of their disbelief and their shirk with Allah .
And so it was with the nations that followed, such as the people of Hud and the people of Salih, and those after them. Allah sent messengers to them, calling them to the oneness of Allah and warning them against associating partners with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Only a few believed, while the majority of creation were overcome by obedience to their desires and to Satan. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets, the best of them, and their leader. Allah sent him to this community to warn them against associating partners with Allah and to call them to the oneness of Allah.In his time, associating partners with Allah had spread across the earth and become widespread, so that only a few remnants of the People of the Book remained upon the oneness of Allah. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) warned them against this associating partners with Allah. They used to hang things on trees, stones, and idols, and they would call upon the prophets and the righteous, seeking their aid. They would make vows to them and say: "They are our intercessors with Allah, and they bring us closer to Allah." As Allah mentioned this about them in His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And they worship other than Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, "These are our intercessors with Allah
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِSay, "Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth?" Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him
قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَلا فِي الأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَBut if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَAnd it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers."
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَIndeed, association [with him] is great injustice."
إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌIndeed, 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 يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًاhas certainly gone far astray.
فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلالًا بَعِيدًاBut if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَAnd We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًاAnd whoever denies the faith - his work has become worthless, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِالإِيمَانِ فَقَدْ حَبِطَ عَمَلُهُ وَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَIt is obligatory for all those who are accountable to guard against this shirk (associating partners with Allah), and to single out Allah for worship, excluding everything else from Him. This is the meaning of: "There is no god but Allah," for its meaning is: "There is no true object of worship but Allah." It negates worship for other than Allah and affirms worship for Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), as He (Mighty and Majestic) said::
That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ هُوَ الْبَاطِلُAnd We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut."
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اُعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَAnd We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِAnd I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِAs for the messengers and prophets, their right is to be followed, loved, and obeyed. As for worship, it is the right of Allah .
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَAnd so, the right of the awliya (close friends of Allah) is that they be loved for the sake of Allah, and that one follow their good path in obedience to Allah and His Messenger. As for being worshipped alongside Allah, no. Worship is the right of Allah. No one is worshipped alongside Allah, not an angel, not a prophet, not a wali (close friend of Allah), nor anything else.
It is obligatory upon all those who are accountable that their concern with this matter be the greatest concern. Because tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is the foundation of the religion and the basis of the faith, and it is the greatest obligation and the most important obligation. And because shirk is the greatest of sins and the largest of crimes, it is necessary that the concern of the Muslims and the students of knowledge with this matter be greater than all other concerns and more deserving than all other matters. We ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.