What is Shirk?

What is Shirk?

In 12:106, Allah says that majority of those who consider themselves believers are in fact, MUSHRIKEEN.

012:106 And most of them believe not in Allah without doing SHIRK!

The following forms of Shirk have been given in the Quran

1. Taking human beings from among ourselves as Lords or Patrons besides Allah

3:64 Say, “O People of the Book! Let us come to a mutual agreement, that we shall worship and obey none but God. That neither shall we ascribe divinity to anyone beside Him, nor shall we take human beings from among ourselves as our lords beside God.” And if they turn away, then say, “Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him.”

2. Taking angels or Prophets as Lords or Patrons besides Allah

3:80 Nor would he instruct you to take the angels and the Prophets for lords and patrons. Would he command you to disbelieve after you have surrendered to Allah?

3. Taking Ahbaar and Rahbaan (religious authorities) as Lords and Patrons besides Allah

9:31 They take their rabbis, priests and monks or ascetics to be their Lords* besides Allah. And they take as their Lord, the Messiah son of Mary. Yet they were commanded to worship but One God. There is no god but He. Praise and Glory to Him, He is far too Glorious for what they ascribe to Him. (*Talmud shows the Jewish superstition of ascribing divinity to Ezra, rabbis, saints, doctors of law and learned men. And the doctrine of Papal infallibility, divinity of saints and praying to them are common in the Roman Catholic Church).

9:34 O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! A great many religious leaders, rabbis, priests, monks, mullahs, yogis, and mystics devour the wealth of mankind in falsehood, and debar them from the Path of Allah. All those who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the Cause of Allah, to them give tidings (O Prophet) of a painful doom.

12:39 “O My prison mates! Are several Lords differing among themselves better, or Allah, the One, the Insuperable?”

4. Worshipping, obeying and adoring [IBADAT of] anything besides Allah

4:36 Obey, adore and worship Allah and associate no partner with Him…

18:110 Say (O Prophet), "I am but a mortal man like all of you. It is revealed to me that your God is the One and Only God. Hence, whoever looks forward to meeting His Sustainer, let him do works that help others, and let him admit no one as partner in the service [Ibadat] of his Sustainer. ”

24:55 Allah has promised that those of you peoples who will believe in the Divine Laws and strengthen human resources, He will surely make them rulers in the earth - Just as He granted rule to the previous nations (28:6), (33:27). He will surely establish for them the System of life that He has approved for them, and will replace their fear with peace and security. All this because they serve Me alone. They ascribe no partner to Me. But all who, after this, deny these Laws will drift out (of the community of living nations. The ‘belief’ in this verse does not pertain to any dogmas and tenets, but to the realization that the entire Universe is operating under the unchangeable Physical Laws of One Supreme Authority, thus providing the basis for all Science and Technology).

5. Taking Masters [Wali] other than Allah

6:14 Say, “Shall I take for my master [Wali] other than Allah Who is the Initiator of the heavens and the earth? And He provides all without return. Feeds but is not fed.” Say, “ I have been commanded to be the foremost among those who surrender to Him and ascribe not divinity besides Him.”

6. Taking ILAH other than Allah

6:19 Say (O Messenger), "What could be the greatest witness?” Say, “Allah is Witness between me and you. This Qur’an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you as well as whomever it reaches. Do you bear witness that there are other deities besides Allah?” Say, “I bear no such witness.” Say, “He is the One God [ILAH]. I disown what you associate with Him.”

7. Taking Jinns as partners of Allah

6:100 Yet, there are people who think falsely that there are invisible creatures, Jinns, with occult powers that share the Divine Attributes. But He has created them, and people assign sons and daughters to Him out of sheer ignorance. Glorified, Exalted is He, infinitely Above what they ascribe to Him.

8. Obeying devil-inspired people

6:121 Eat not anything (not just meat) unless the Name of Allah has been pronounced first, for that will mean drifting away from Commands. The rebellious or devils [among people] inspire their companions to dispute with you. If you people obey them, you will be associating others with Allah.

9. Calling upon others [graves, mystics, saints, idols, etc.] besides Allah for help

7:189 (The Message encompasses life in its totality.) Recall that Allah created life from a single life cell, then made male and female cells, and then shaped you into human beings, males and females. He designed it such that man might incline with love towards the woman. When he gets intimate with her, she carries a light load that she can hardly notice. As she grows heavy with the child, they both implore Allah, their Lord, “If you indeed grant us a healthy baby, we shall certainly be among the grateful.”

7:190 But as soon as He grants them a sound baby, they begin to ascribe to other powers beside Him a share in bringing about what He has granted them. Exalted is He, High Above all that they associate with Him.

7:191 Do they ascribe to Him as partners things that can create nothing, but are themselves created?

7:192 And they cannot help them, nor can they help themselves.

7:193 When you invite them to the Guidance, they follow you not. It is the same for you whether you invite them or remain silent.

7:194 Those whom you call upon besides Allah, [such as mystics and saints], are people like you. Go ahead and call upon them, let them respond by helping you if you are true in your belief.

7:195 Do the idols have feet to walk, hands to hold, eyes to see and ears to hear? (Likewise, these human demigods have no foundation of Truth to stand on, nor the power to avert Requital, nor the faculties of confronting Reason). Tell the opponents of the Message, "Call upon your idols and your so-called partners of Allah, contrive what you can, and give me no respite.

7:196 My Protecting Friend [Wali] is Allah Who has revealed this Book, and He befriends the righteous.”

7:197 Whomever you call instead of Him, have no power to help you, nor can they help themselves.

7:198 Such people are lost in their reverence of false deities. When you invite them to Guidance, they hear without listening and you see them looking at you, but they see not.

28:87 And let them not divert you from Allah's Revelations after they have been sent down unto you. But, invite people to your Lord and be not among Mushrikeen.

28:88 (Keeping pristine the Divinely ordained System of Life) call not upon [human ‘authorities’ and man-made systems as] gods side by side with Allah. There is no god but He. Everything is mortal except His Eternal Self. To Him belong all Governance and all Judgment, and unto Him you shall be returned.

34:22 Say, “Call upon those whom you imagine beside Allah! They have not an atom’s weight of power either in the heavens or in the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor does He need any of them as a helper.”

10. To ascribe Allah’s partners in His Kingship or dominion [maalikiyyat]

17:111 And say, "All Praise is due to Allah Who begets not an offspring, and has no partner in His Dominion, and has absolutely no weakness, hence no need of any aid." And so, extol His limitless Greatness.

25:2 (The Sender of this Criterion is) He to Whom belongs the Kingship of the heavens and the earth. He has chosen no son, nor does He have a partner in His Kingship. He it is Who creates all things in precise design and gives them the potential to become what they are meant to be.

11. To ascribe Allah’s partners in His Command or Rule [Hukm]

18:26 Say, “Allah knows best how long they remained there.” His alone is the knowledge of the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth. How well does He see and hear! They have no guardian apart from Him and He shares His Command or Rule with none whosoever

12. To ascribe Allah’s partners in His Lordship [Raboobiyyat]

18:38 “As for me, God is my Lord and I will never associate any other god besides my Lord.”

18:42 And thus it happened. One day, the arrogant man’s fruitful gardens were indeed wiped out. And there he was, twisting and turning his hands in sorrow. He lost his property which was now tumbled to pieces in complete ruin. And he could only say, "Oh, I wish I never worshiped anyone (even my property) instead of my Lord!”

72:2 “It shows the way to Enlightenment, so we have come to believe in it. And we shall never again ascribe a partner unto our Lord.”

72:20 Say, "I call unto my Lord alone and associate no one with Him (I heed no one against His Laws)."

13. To be divided into sects

30:31 Turn unto Him alone then, and be mindful of Him, and establish the Divine System and be not of the MUSHRIKEEN who ascribe authorities along with Him. (2:213).

30:32 The MUSHRIKEEN who split up their religion, and become sects - each sect delighting in whatever beliefs they have. ((3:104), (6:160), (23:53), (42:13). Sectarianism is invariably based upon taking humans as ‘authorities’).

14. Failing to establish the Just Economic System of Zakat

41:6 (O Prophet) say to them, "I am only a human being like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is One God. Therefore, march along the Straight Road to Him and seek the protection of His forgiveness. And (know that) there is nothing in store but loss for them who associate ‘partners’ with Him." (‘Wayl’ = Woe = Ultimate loss).

41:7 Those who (because of submitting to man-made systems) fail to set up the Just Economic Order of Zakat and thus practically deny (the accountability in) the life to come. (And the long-term prosperity and viability of their societies).