Shirk - The Greatest Injustice

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Shirk - The Greatest Injustice (1/5)

Darussalam



One of the duties parents owe their children is to guide them aright by educating them. [1]They should correct their children's errors and most importantly guide them to live a life that is pleasing to Allah and teach them a means of achieving it. Allah (Subhanahu a Ta’ala) points these duties to parents, particularly the fathers, in His Book (the Qur’an) when He gave the example of Luqmaan and his son.

"And (remember) when Luqmaan said to his son when he was advising him: ‘O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily! Joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.’"

The first advice given by Luqmaan to his son was to avoid Shirk, the antithesis of Tawheed (singling out Allah alone for worship).

What Is The True Meaning Of Shirk And What Are Its Types?
Murder, rape, genocide, terrorism, economic slavery and child molesting are some of the appalling crimes, which occur in our world today. Many would think that these are the worst possible offences, which could be committed. But there is something that outweighs all of these crimes put together: It is the crime of Shirk. There is no doubt that the above crimes are indeed terrible, but their comparisons with Shirk shows that they do not hold much significance in relation to this travesty.

When a man murders, rapes or steals, the injustice that is done is directed primarily at other humans. But when a man commits Shirk, the injustice is directed towards the Creator of the heavens and the earth; Allah. When a person is murdered, all sorts of reasons and explanations are given. But one thing that the murderer cannot claim, is that he murdered the individual because he provided him with food, shelter, clothing and all the other things which keep humans aloft in this life.

But when a person commits Shirk, they attempt to, willingly or unwillingly, direct an injustice towards the one who has provided them with all these necessary things - and often a whole lot more. This Being who provides us with all our needs and wants is of course Allah, the Lord of this universe. So is it right for us to commit this offence against the one who has provided us with all that we could possibly need and more? This is why Shirk is the ultimate form of ingratitude which humans display, and will eventually cause many people eternal pain.

What is Shirk?
One of the most important obligations is to know the meaning of Shirk, its seriousness and its different types, so that our Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allah) and our Islam may be complete, and our faith may be sound.

Know, may Allah guide you, that the word Shirk in Arabic means 'taking a partner', i.e., regarding someone as the partner of another. It is said (in Arabic): 'Ashraka Baynahuma' (he joined them together) when he regarded them as two of equal status; or 'Ashraka Fi Amrihi Ghayrahu' (he introduced another into his affair) when he made two people involved in it.

In terms of Sharee'ah or Islamic terminology, Shirk means ascribing a partner or rival to Allah in Lordship (Ruboobiyyah), worship (Uluuhiyyah) or in His names and attributes (Asmaa' Wa Sifaat).

A rival is a peer or counterpart. Hence Allah forbids setting up rivals with Him and he condemns those who take them (rivals) as gods instead of or besides Allah in many Verses of the Qur’an. Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says:
"Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped)." [Surah AI-Baqarah (2): 22]

Also, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says:
"And they set up rivals to Allah, to mislead (men) from His path! Say: 'Enjoy (your brief life)! But certainly, your destination is the (Hell) Fire!" [Surah Ibraaheem (14): 30]

In the Hadeeth it is narrated that the Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

"Whoever dies claiming that Allah has a rival, will enter Hell." [2]

(Continued)


[1] For a full discussion of the rights of children and the duties of the parents, please see O Young Man! Golden Advice Series #9. May Allah ease our tasks!

[2] Bukhari & Muslim.

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Shirk - The Greatest Injustice (2/5)

Darussalam



The Origin of Shirk
The natural disposition of man (Fitrah) is to worship Allah alone. Allah created the creation in order that they should worship Him and He prepared for them - from His Provision – all that they would require. About this Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says:
"I did not create jinn and mankind, except that they should worship Me. I do not seek any provisions from them, nor do I ask that they should feed me. Indeed Allah is the Provider, the Possessor of Might and Strength." [Surah Adh-Dhaariyaat (51): 56-58]
So the soul - if left to its Fitrah (natural disposition and inclination) - would find itself acknowledging Allah's Divinity, loving Him and worshiping Him alone, without worshipping others along with Him. However, this Fitrah becomes corrupted and it deviates away from the pure worship of Allah, due to what the devils - from amongst mankind and jinn - whisper to some people, beautifying to them their whispers of deception.
So Tawheed (to worship Allah alone) is the core and root of man's fitrah, whereas Shirk (directing any part of worship that belongs only to Allah, to other than Allah) is alien to it and is something that deceptively enters into it.
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says:
"So set your face to the Haneef Religion (the Religion of pure Tawheed). This is the fitrah of Allah with which He created mankind upon. There is to be no change in the creation (i.e. Religion) of Allah. That is the straight and upright Religion. But most of mankind do not have knowledge." [Surah Ar-Room (30): 30]
The above Aayah clearly refutes the false notion of the atheists; who claim that the natural basis of man is Shirk, and that Tawheed evolved in man! Not only does the previous Aayah refutes this falsehood, but so do the following narrations:
Allah's Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, that his Lord said:
"I created all My Servants upon the true Religion (upon Tawheed, free from Shirk). Then the devils come to them and led them astray from their true Religion. They made unlawful to people that which I had made lawful for them, and they commanded them to associate in worship with Me, that for which I had sent down no authority."[1]
And Allah's Messenger (sallAllahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:
"Every child is born upon the Fitrah (i.e. Islam}, but his parents make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian. It is like the way on animal gives birth to a natural offspring. Have you noticed any born mutilated, before you mutilate them."
Aboo Hurayrah (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) said: Recite if you wish:
"Allah's Fitrah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) with which He created mankind. There is to be no change to the creation (Religion) of Allah.'' [Surah Ar-Room {30): 30]"[2]
If our natural Fitrah is upon Tawheed, why do we have to be warned against shirk; which is not natural? Why was this, the first and the most important advice that Luqmaan gave to his son? The answer becomes clear once we examine the beginning of Shirk.
Mankind was, in the beginning, a single Ummah (nation) upon Tawheed, the pure worship of Allah Alone. Then Shirk gradually overcame them. The basis for this belief is what Allah says:
"Mankind was one Um mah (nation), then Allah sent Prophets bringing good news and warnings." [Surah AI-Baqarah (2): 213]
lbn 'Abbaas (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) said: "Between Noah (‘alaihis salam) and Aadam (‘alaihis salam) there were ten generations, all of them were upon the Sharee'ah (Law) of the truth, then they differed. So Allah sent Prophets as bringers of good news and as warners."[3]
So, during the time of the Prophet Noah (‘alaihis salam) Shirk appeared amongst his people, and they started worshipping idols along with worshipping Allah. So Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says:
"Indeed We sent Noah to his people and he said to them: I have come to you as a clear warner; that you should worship only Allah." [Surah Hood (11): 25-26]
After this clear explanation, it is of the utmost importance for the Muslims to know exactly how Shirk spread amongst the Believers, after they were people upon pure Tawheed? Allah - the Most Perfect - says about the people of Noah:
"And they said: You shall not forsake your deities/gods, nor shall you forsake Wadd, nor Suwaa', nor Yaghooth, nor Ya'ooq, nor Nasr." [Surah Nooh (71): 23]
lbn 'Abbaas (radhyAllahu ‘anhu) relates:
"These were all idols from Noah's nation, which eventually ended up amongst the Arabs. Wadd was the idol which was worshipped by the Kalb tribe in the region of Dawmatul-Jandal; Suwaa' was for the Hudhayl tribe; Yaghooth by the Ghutayf tribe at Jurf near the region of Saba a; Ya'ooq for the Hamdaan tribe and Nasr was the idol worshipped by the Dhul-Kalaa of the Himayr tribe. Indeed these five idols were the names of righteous men from the nation of Noah. When they died, Shaytaan whispered to their people to make statues of them in honour of them, and to place these statues in their places of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this. However, none from amongst them worshipped these statues, until when that generation passed away and the purpose of the statues was forgotten, the next generation then began worshipping them."[4]
Muhammad lbn Qays (radhyAllahu ‘anhu said:
"Yaghooth, Ya'ooq and Nasr were a group of righteous men, who were taken as examples to be followed by their people. So when they died their companions said: If we were to make pictures of them it would encourage us to do acts of worship and obedience to Allah (as they did). So they made pictures of them. However, when they died and the next generation came, Shaytaan whispered to them saying: Your forefathers used to worship these righteous men, and it was due to them that it rained. So they began to worship them." [5]
So the beginnings of Shirk lay in the excessive praise and respect given to certain dead pious Muslims, who - due to peoples' love for them - became idols that were worshipped and supplicated along with Allah.[6]

(Continued)

[1] Muslim

[2] Bukhari

[3] At-Tabaree in his Tafseer

[4] Bukhari

[5] At-Tabaree in his Tafseer

[6] SOME POINTS OF BENEFIT:
Firstly: That Shirk began during the time of Nooh due to the excessive love and veneration that the people had for certain dead pious Muslim. lmaam AI-Qurtubee (rahimahullah) (d.654H) said: "The initial images that were made of these righteous men were done in order that the people could be reminded about their righteousness and so strive in being righteous; as they strove. So they worshipped Allah by the graves of these righteous men. Then a people came after them who forgot the intent of their forefathers' actions. So Shaytaan whispered to them saying: Your fore-fathers used to worship these images and held them in great veneration." (Jaami' li-Ahkaamil-Qur’an)
Secondly: "That Shaytaan is eager to misguide mankind and to plot against them. He comes from the angle of exploiting man's emotions, and lures them into doing acts that are (apparently) good. Thus, when Shaytaan saw amongst the people of Nooh their great love and esteem for the righteous, he tricked them into going beyond the bounds in their love, and he got them to make and place statues of these dead pious Muslims in their places of gatherings. The objective of this was to make them swerve away from the right path.
Thirdly: That Shaytaan does not only observe the present generation, and seek to deceive only them; but he also wishes to misguide and deceive future generations. Thus, when he could not plunge the present generation, from the people of Nooh, into Shirk, he eagerly awaited the next generation's arrival, in order that he could misguide them." [Bayaan Haqeeqatut-Tawheed (pp. 8-9) of Shaykh Saalih AI-Fawzaan]
Fourthly: That the worshipping of dead pious Muslims continues to be practiced amongst the Ummah even today. The difference is that the names have changed. Thus, instead of worshipping Wadd, or Yaghooth, or Ya'ooq; people have instead directed the same practices of Shirk - like supplicating directly to the pious dead, and taking them as intercessors between them and Allah - to others; such as to Shaykh 'Abdul-Qaadir AI-Jeelaanee in 'lraaq, or AI-Baydaawee in Eygypt, or Chishtee in India, or lbraheem Niyaas in parts of West Africa, or Shaykh Bamba in Senegal, etc. However, changing the name of a thing does not change its reality.