OPERATION

SALAM
DA’WAH IN THE DIGITAL AGE
 Level 3
Course Two:
NULLIFIERS OF ISLAM
“There is no god worthy
of worship except
Allah, and Muhammad is
His Messenger”
COURSE OBJECTIVES

Objectives:
At the end of this course the student should know:

A summary of the types of Shirk

Prerequisites:
Video Recorded lectures

Recommended
Reading/Listening:
Fundamentals of Tawheed bv Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
[Interaional Islamic Publishing House]

Islamic Creed Series by Umar S. al-Ashqar [International

Islamic Publishing house]

Guide to Sound Creed by by Salih al-Fawzān

A Brief Introduction to the (‘Aqīdah of Ahl Assunnah wal

Jama’ah by Abdullah al-Athari [International Islamic
Publishing House]
Shirk
1
LESSON
Objectives:
At the end of this unit the student should know:

What is meant by Shirk.

The categories of Shirk.

Prerequisites:
Video Recorded lectures

Recommended Reading:
Belief in Allaah - What Does it Mean? by Muhammed bin Saleh
al- Uthaymīn

Belief in Allaah by Umar S. al-Ashqar (International Islamic

Publishing house)
Lesson Notes:
SHIRK:
Tawheed cannot be completely understood unless its opposite,
Shirk, is also carefully studied. The sin of Shirk denies the very
purpose of man’s creation, and is to Allaah the greatest of sins :

“Surely Allaah will not forgive the association of

partners (Shirk) with Him, but He forgives (sins) less than
that of whomever He wishes.”
Soorah an-Nisaa‘ (4) : 148

Shirk literally means partnership, sharing or associating, but

Islami- cally it refers to assigning partners to Allaah in whatever
form it may take. For one’s Tawheed to be correct and pure, all
forms of Shirk must be erased from one’s beliefs and practices.
This is why the declaration of faith consists of two parts : One
negates false gods and Shirk, and the other confirms the
uniqueness of Allaah. Laa ilaaha denies that anyone or anything
deserves worship, and il-laal-laah restricts worship to Allaah
alone. Together they complete the declaration of belief in
Tawheed.

THE CATEGORIES OF SHIRK

The following analysis of Shirk is according to the three broad
catego- ries developed in the study of Tawheed in Book . we will
first look at the main ways in which Shirk can occur in the area of
Ruboobeeyah (Lordship), then al-Asmaa‘ was-Sifaat (Divine
Names and Attributes), and finally in ‘Ebaadah (Worship).

SHIRK IN TAWHEED AR-RUBOOBEEYAH

This category of Shirk includes both the belief that others share
Al- laah’s control and rule over the creation, as well as the belief
that there exists no Lord over the creation at all.
Thus, this form of Shirk may be divided into two main categories :

(A) Shirk by Association:

This is the form of Shirk in which people believe in most of God’s

quali- ties and powers, but they believe that God has parts. God
is recog- nized as the creator and sustainer of the universe and
His powers and knowledge are believed to be limitless, but He
Himself is considered to be divisible.
For example, though most Christians say they believe in One God,
they also say He is Trinity. They say He is made up of three units,
all sepa- rate, yet supposedly equal : God the father, God the son
and God the Holy Spirit.

Hindus also believe in One God called Brahman, but they, too,
believe that He takes three forms : Brahma the creator-god,
Vishnu the pre- server-god and Shiva the destroyer-god.
According to Tawheed, God is one in all senses. He is a special
One which cannot be divided like the ones in His creation. He is a
perfect One and nothing can be one like Him.

Another example of this type of Shirk which occurs today is that of

those two pray to the dead. They believe that the souls of
righteous humans can continue to affect the affairs of this world,
even after their deaths. Their souls, it is believed, can fulfill
human needs, remove calamities and aid whoever calls on them.
Therefore, grave worship- pers give human souls the divine ability
to cause or change events in this life, which in fact only Allaah
can do. This belief of theirs means that others share Allaah’s rule
over creation. The correct Islamic belief is that the dead have no
power to affect the lives of the living. Prophet Muhammad (?) was
reported to have said, “When a man dies, his acts come to an
end, except in the case of three : an ongoing charity, ben- eficial
knowledge, or a pious child who prays for him.”
(B) Shirk by Negation:

In this form of Shirk, Allaah’s existence is completely denied. An

ancient example is that of the Pharaoh of Prophet Moses’ time.
God mentioned in the Qur’aan that he negated the existence of
God and claimed to Moses and the people of Egypt that he,
Pharaoh, was the only true lord of all creation. God quoted him
as saying to Moses, “If you choose a god besides me, I will surely
imprison you” and to the people he proclaimed, “I am your Lord,
the Most High.”
Another example of this form of Shirk is the belief of some
philoso- phers that the world is eternal, without beginning or end.
They at- tempt to escape the questions surrounding the beginning
to escape the questions surrounding the beginning of man’s
creation and that
of the universe by claiming that there was none. To support this
claim, they invented theories which gave Allaah’s attributes of
being with- out beginning and end to matter which He has
created. Present-day holders of this belief are the communists, as
well as some scientists who claim that matter has no beginning
and everything is a product of matter, including the human mind
and life itself.

SHIRK IN TAWHEED AL-ASMAA’ WAS-SIFAAT

This category of Shirk includes both the belief that God is like a
man and the belief that man is like God. This form can also be
subdivided into two categories with regard to in the area of God’s
names and at- tributes :

(A) Shirk my Humanization:

In this form of Shirk, God is given the form and qualities of human
beings. Paintings or statues are made of Him in which He is
given the shape of a man.
The Hindus and Buddhists worship idols in the likeness of men
and call then God. Similarly, many Christian churches have
pictures and stat- ues of a human being, Jesus Christ, which they
claim represents God. Because they believe that God looks like a
man, they also attributed to Him human weaknesses. In the Bible
it is claimed that God took a rest after spending six days to create
the world. Elsewhere God is spoken of as repenting for His bad
thoughts as humans do when they realize their errors. However,
in the Qur’aan, Allaah teaches man that He is unlike any thing :

“There is nothing like Him, yet He hears and sees all

things.”
Soorah ash-Shooraa (42) : 11

(B) Shirk by Deification:

This form of Shirk happens when created beings or things are

given Allaah’s names or attributes. It was the practice of the
ancient Arabs to worship idols whose names were derived from
the names of Allaah.
Their three main idols were al-Laat, taken from Allaah’s name al-
Elaah; al-‘Uzza, taken from al-‘Azeex ; and al-Manaat, taken
from al-Man- naan. There was also in the area of Arabia called
Yamaamah a false prophet who took the name Rahmaan, which
only belongs to Allaah. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (E = mc 2,
energy is equal to mass times the square of the speed of light)
taught in all schools is in fact an ex- pression of Shirk in al-
Aasmaa’ was-Sifaat. The theory states that energy can neither be
created nor destroyed, it merely transforms into matter and vice
versa. However, both matter and energy are created entities and
they both will be destroyed, as Allaah clearly states :

“Allaah is the Creator of all things....”

Soorah az-Zumar (39) : 62
“Everything in the world will perish....”
Soorah ar-Rahmaan (55) : 26
The theory also implies that mass and energy are eternal, having
no beginning or end, since they are supposed to be uncreated
and trans- form into each other. However, this attribute belongs
only to Allaah, Who alone is without beginning or end.

The Christian belief that Prophet ‘Eesaa (Jesus) was God can
also be considered Shirk by deification. Jesus was a man and a
prophet of Al- laah. His birth without a father was miraculous, but
so was Eve’s birth without a mother and Aadam’s birth without a
father or a mother.

SHIRK IN TAWHEED AL-‘EBAADAH

This category of Shirk refers to the act of worshipping others

along with Allaah. In this category, worship which belongs only to
Allaah is shared with others. Like the other categories, it can also
be divided into two major sections :

(A) Ash-Shirk Al-Akbar (Major Shirk):

When any form of worship is performed for others besides Allaah,

it is the form known as “ash-Shirk al-Akbar” (Major Shirk). It
represents the most obvious form of idolatry which the prophets
were specifically sent by Allaah to call the masses of mankind
away from and to estab- lish Tawheed al-‘Ebaadah in its place.
Allaah’s stated this in the Qur’aan as follows :

“Surely we have sent to every nation a messenger

saying, “Worship Allaah and avoid Taaghoot (false gods).”
Soorah an-Nahl (16) : 36

Taaqhoot actually means anything which is worshipped along with

Al- laah or instead of Allaah. For example, love, in its perfection,
is a form of worship which should only be directed to Allaah.
In Islaam, the love of Allaah is expressed by total obedience to
Him. The kind of love which is worship is not the type of love
which man naturally feels towards creation, such as parents,
children, food, etc. To direct that natural type of love towards
Allaah is to lower Him to the level of His creation, which is Shirk in
al-Asmaa‘ was-Sifaat. Love which is worship is the total
surrender of one’s will. Consequently, Allaah told the Prophet (?)
to tell the believers,

“Say : If you love Allaah, follow me and Allaah will love

you.”
Soorah Aal-‘Imraan (3) : 31

The Prophet (?)also told his companions, “None of you is a true

believer until I become more beloved to him than his child, his
father and the whole of mankind.” Love of the Prophet (?)is not
based on his human- ity, but on the divine origin of his message.
Thus, like the love of Allaah, it is also expressed by total
obedience to his commands. Allaah said in the Qur’aan,

“Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allaah”

Soorah an-Nisaa‘ (4) : 80 and

“Say : Obey Allaah and obey the Prophet...”

Soorah Aal-‘Imraan (3) : 32

If man allows anything or anyone to come between himself and

Allaah, then he has worshipped that thing. In this way, money can
become one’s god, or even one’s desires could become a god.
The Prophet (?) said, “The worshipper of the Dirham will always
be miserable.” Allaah said in the Qur’aan,
“Have you not seen the one who takes his desires as his god?”
Soorah al-Furqaan (25) : 43

The reason why so much emphasis has been placed on Shirk in

‘Ebaa- dah (worship) is because it contradicts the very purpose of
creation as expressed in Allaah’s statement :

“I have not created the Jinn and mankind except for My

worship.”
Soorah adh-Dhariyaat (51) : 56

This form of Shirk represents the greatest act of rebellion against

the Lord of the Universe and is thus the ultimate sin. It is a sin so
great that it virtually cancels out all good a person may do and
guarantees him a place in the Hell-fire.

(B) Ash-Shirk Al-Asghar (Minor Shirk):

Mahmood ibn Lubayd reported that Allaah’s Messenger said,

“The thing I fear for you the most is ash-Shirk al-Asqhar (Minor
Shirk).”The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is
Minor Shirk?” He replied, “ar-Riyaa” (showing off ), for verily
Allaah will say on the Day of Resurrection when people are
receiving their rewards, ‘Go to those for whom you were showing
off in the material world and see if you can find any reward from
them.”

Riyaa‘ is the practice of performing any of the various forms of

wor- ship in order to be seen and praised by people. This sin
destroys all the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on
the one who com- mits it a severe punishment.

It is a part of human nature to love leadership and praise. Doing

reli- gious acts to impress people in order to be praised by them
is there- fore a most fearful evil.
This danger becomes really significant to Muslims since their goal
is to make all of the acts of their lives acts of worship. In fact, the
likelihood that true believers would commit ash-Shirk al-Akbar is
small, since its pitfalls are so obvious. But, for the true Believer,
the chance of commit- ting Riyaa‘ is great because it is so hidden.
Ibn “Abbaas alluded to this fact when he said , “Shirk in the Muslim
nation is more hidden than a black ant creeping on a black stone
in the middle of a moonless night.” It only involves the simple act
of changing one’s intention. Also, the motivating forces behind it
are very strong since it comes from man’s inner nature.

Thus, great care has to be taken to ensure that one’s intentions

begin pure and remain pure whenever righteous deeds are being
done. This is why the saying of Allaah’s name has been enjoined
before all acts of importance. A series of Du‘aas have also been
prescribed before and after all natural habits like eating, drinking,
sleeping, and even going to the toilet, in order to turn these
everyday habits into acts of worship and develop in the Muslim a
keen awareness of Allaah. It is this aware- ness, called Taqwaa,
which ensures that intentions remain pure.

The Prophet also provided protection against the inevitable acts of

Shirk by teaching certain specific prayers which may be said
anytime. Abu Moosaa said, “One day Allaah’s Messenger
delivered a sermon say- ing, ‘O people, fear Shirk, for it is more
hidden than the creeping of an ant.’ Those whom Allaah wished
asked, ‘And how do we avoid it when it is more hidden than the
creeping of an ant, O Messenger of Allaah ?’ He replied, ‘Say.
(Allaahumma innaa na‘oodhu bika an nushrika bika
shay‘an na‘lamuh, wa nastaqhfiruka limaa laa na‘lamuh).

O Allaah, we seek refuge in you from knowingly

commit- ting Shirk with you, and we ask your forgiveness
for what we do not know about.’”
The Goals Of Islamic Creed (‘Aqīdah)
A person’s goals are the destination that he wishes to reach by
taking certain actions. The Islamic ‘Aqīdah (creed) has goals and
values that are the destination of whoever preserves it:

1 - Seeking the Pleasure of Allaah and worshipping Him alone.

Allaah is the Creator who has no partners. Therefore, He alone
must be wor- shipped and His Pleasure must be intended by
every action one takes.

2 - Freeing the mind from the confusion caused by not following

this ‘Aqīdah.

3 - Gaining psychological and intellectual satisfaction. The ones

who believe in this ‘Aqīdah do not fall victim to psychological
complexes or confusion. This ‘Aqīdah builds a direct and strong
relationship between the Lord and His salve. The believer accepts
Allaah as the Lord, the Leg- islator and The King. He is satisfied
with this belief. His heart is pleased with the following of Islam
and he would not exchange this pleasure for anything else.

4 - Purifying one’s intentions and deeds. This ‘Aqīdah protects one

from falling into misguidance in acts of Worship or in dealings with
others. It requires its followers to follow the path set by the
Messengers. This path leads to Safety and Purity in the hearts
and actions.

5 - Being serious with regards to all matters. One does not pass
the chance to do righteous, good deeds, but he takes any chance
to gain Allaah’s rewards. One is always on his guard against any
path that leads to sin, fearing Allaah’s punishment. This ‘Aqīdah
requires its followers
to believe in the Resurrection and the Day of Reckoning, “(For all
there will be degrees (or ranks) according to what they did. And
your Lord is not unaware of what they do “ [6:132].
The Prophet also encouraged this attitude, “The strong believer is
bet- ter and more liked by Allaah than the weak believer.
However, each one of them has (a certain degree of ) goodness.
Seek what brings benefit to you and depend on Allaah. Do not be
weak if any calamity befalls you, do not say: ‘Had I done that,
then this would not have hap- pened.’ Only say: ‘Allaah has
ordained (this matter) and whatever He will He does.’“Had I,”
opens the door wide for the Devil to do his work” [Muslim]

6 - Establishing a strong nation that strives to preserve its religion

and solidify its gains. This nation disregards the losses it concurs
while striving to preserve the religion. Allaah said, what translated
means, “Only those are the believers who have believed in Allaah
and His Mes- senger, and afterwards doubt not but strive with
their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allaah. Those! They
are the truthful” [49:15].

7 - Reaching happiness in this life and in the Last Life, by leading

indi- viduals and groups to guidance and gaining their Lord’s
bounties and good rewards, “Whoever works righteousness,
whether male or female, while he (or she) is a true believer (in
Allaah) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world), and
We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of
what they used to do (Paradise in the Hereaf- ter).” [16:97].

These are some of the goals that Islam seeks for its followers to
reach. We pray that Allaah helps us and the rest of Muslims to
reach them.