AbdurRahman
07-18-2003, 10:43 AM
Shirk: the Ultimate Crime
Murder, rape, child molesting and genocide. These are all 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 which outweighs all of these crimes put together: It is the crime of shirk.
Some people may question this notion. But when viewed in a proper context, the fact that there is no crime worse then shirk, will become evident to every sincere person.
There is no doubt that the above crimes are indeed terrible, but their comparison with shirk shows that they do not hold much significance in relation to this travesty. When a man murders, rapes or steals, the injustice which 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; Allaah. When a person is murdered, all sorts of reasons and explanations are given. But one thing that the murderer cannot claim, is that the murdered was someone who 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 Allaah, 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? This is the ultimate form of ingratitude which humans display, and will eventually cause many people eternal pain. The severity of this crime has been established inshAllaah, but until now you may have been wondering 'what exactly is shirk?'
The Reality of Shirk
In the previous issue we talked about Tawheed (the Oneness of Allaah). Shirk is its exact opposite. Linguistically, shirk means a partnership or to share or associate. However, Islamically it is to give to other than Allaah, that which belongs solely to Allaah. This means that parts of Allaah's creation are given powers and attributes which belong to Allaah, thus, ultimately sending worship to other then Allaah alone. These parts of the creation therefore become partners with Allaah.
The purpose of our creation is outlined in the Qu'raan when Allaah says:
"I did not create the Jinn[1] and mankind except to worship Me"
(Surah Ad-Dhariyat 51:56)
Our very existence on this earth is to worship Allaah alone. By committing shirk, a person ends up denying this very purpose of our creation. To Allaah, this is the gravest of sins and thus unforgivable.
Allaah says:
"Surely Allaah will not forgive the association of partners (shirk) with Him, but He forgives (sins) less then that to whomever He wishes"
(Surah An-Nisa 4:48)
This means that everything can be forgiven except shirk. However we should not misunderstand this into thinking that those who commit shirk are totally doomed. Allaah calls himself by al-Gaffoor (The Most Forgiving), and truly he is the Most Forgiving. If a person commits shirk and then wishes to make repentance, Allaah accepts his repentance and wipes the slate clean. But if the person does not make repentance during his lifetime, then Allaah will not forgive this person on the day of judgement. Hellfire will be made eternal and he/she will never come out. It must also be remembered that Allaah through his justice, has not discriminated in the punishment of this crime. If a Muslim commits shirk during his lifetime, and does not make repentance, he too will face the eternal fury of the Hellfire. It is this thought which helps Muslims from becoming too complacent and arrogant like some of the previous nations.[2]
Some people say that eternal Hellfire is unjust. But indeed Allaah is the Most Just. While some will go to Hell forever for committing shirk, there will be others who will go to Paradise forever for upholding Tawheed. Those who say that Allaah is unjust for sending some to Hell forever, should therefore also say that Allaah is unjust for sending others to Paradise forever! But we know that those who claim this, would never themselves refuse an everlasting reward such as Paradise, thus showing the weak human understanding of this argument.
By committing shirk we should not fool ourselves into thinking that we harm Allaah in anyway. Rather we harm ourselves with the threat of Allaah's punishment. It is as if humans stick two fingers up at Allaah after He has favoured them with so much. Thus a crime is committed against Allaah, yet it does not harm him - Such is the magnitude and greatness of our Creator. In order to understand how shirk manifests itself in our world, we need to look at how it relates to the categories of Tawheed (mentioned in the last issue).
Shirk in Allaah's Lordship (Ruboobeeya)
This category of shirk has two aspects:
(i)- Shirk by Association - As Muslims we believe that it is Allaah alone who Controls and Sustains the universe. Those who commit shirk by association believe that Allaah is the Creator, but other parts of the creation also play a role in the running of the world. A classic example of this is the Christian concept of Trinity. Christians believe that God (Allaah) alone does not regulate the affairs of mankind. They believe that the other two parts of the Trinity, Jesus (as) and the Holy spirit, also play a part in worldly affairs e.g Jesus pronounces judgement on the world and the holy spirit helps Christians through their daily lives. Qualities such as these should only belong to Allaah. The Hindus also commit this kind of shirk, with them having hundreds of different Gods for different aspects of their lives.
Unfortunately some Muslims have also fallen prey to this shirk. There are many from the Indian subcontinent who often call out for help upon saints and holy men who have passed away. One of the main saints whom they invoke is 'Abdul-Qadir al-Jeelanee'[3] whom they call 'AI-Ghawth-e-Azam' (the greatest source of help).
(ii)-Shirk by Negation - Over the centuries many philosophies and ways of life have denied the existence of God. Buddhism and Jainism are amongst the major world religions which assert this belief. During the 18th and 19th centuries the advancement of scientific knowledge led many philosophers and scientists to claim that God was a figment of mans imagination. By cancelling the role of a supreme legislator, those who claim that God does not exist, ultimately attempt to make themselves masters of their own destinies. Some atheists also give Allaah's attributes to his creation. By denying Allaah, they say the world is eternal with no beginning and no end. And we know that this is only for Allaah.
Shirk in Allaah's Names and Attributes (Asma wa Sifaat)
This category of shirk has two aspects:
Murder, rape, child molesting and genocide. These are all 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 which outweighs all of these crimes put together: It is the crime of shirk.
Some people may question this notion. But when viewed in a proper context, the fact that there is no crime worse then shirk, will become evident to every sincere person.
There is no doubt that the above crimes are indeed terrible, but their comparison with shirk shows that they do not hold much significance in relation to this travesty. When a man murders, rapes or steals, the injustice which 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; Allaah. When a person is murdered, all sorts of reasons and explanations are given. But one thing that the murderer cannot claim, is that the murdered was someone who 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 Allaah, 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? This is the ultimate form of ingratitude which humans display, and will eventually cause many people eternal pain. The severity of this crime has been established inshAllaah, but until now you may have been wondering 'what exactly is shirk?'
The Reality of Shirk
In the previous issue we talked about Tawheed (the Oneness of Allaah). Shirk is its exact opposite. Linguistically, shirk means a partnership or to share or associate. However, Islamically it is to give to other than Allaah, that which belongs solely to Allaah. This means that parts of Allaah's creation are given powers and attributes which belong to Allaah, thus, ultimately sending worship to other then Allaah alone. These parts of the creation therefore become partners with Allaah.
The purpose of our creation is outlined in the Qu'raan when Allaah says:
"I did not create the Jinn[1] and mankind except to worship Me"
(Surah Ad-Dhariyat 51:56)
Our very existence on this earth is to worship Allaah alone. By committing shirk, a person ends up denying this very purpose of our creation. To Allaah, this is the gravest of sins and thus unforgivable.
Allaah says:
"Surely Allaah will not forgive the association of partners (shirk) with Him, but He forgives (sins) less then that to whomever He wishes"
(Surah An-Nisa 4:48)
This means that everything can be forgiven except shirk. However we should not misunderstand this into thinking that those who commit shirk are totally doomed. Allaah calls himself by al-Gaffoor (The Most Forgiving), and truly he is the Most Forgiving. If a person commits shirk and then wishes to make repentance, Allaah accepts his repentance and wipes the slate clean. But if the person does not make repentance during his lifetime, then Allaah will not forgive this person on the day of judgement. Hellfire will be made eternal and he/she will never come out. It must also be remembered that Allaah through his justice, has not discriminated in the punishment of this crime. If a Muslim commits shirk during his lifetime, and does not make repentance, he too will face the eternal fury of the Hellfire. It is this thought which helps Muslims from becoming too complacent and arrogant like some of the previous nations.[2]
Some people say that eternal Hellfire is unjust. But indeed Allaah is the Most Just. While some will go to Hell forever for committing shirk, there will be others who will go to Paradise forever for upholding Tawheed. Those who say that Allaah is unjust for sending some to Hell forever, should therefore also say that Allaah is unjust for sending others to Paradise forever! But we know that those who claim this, would never themselves refuse an everlasting reward such as Paradise, thus showing the weak human understanding of this argument.
By committing shirk we should not fool ourselves into thinking that we harm Allaah in anyway. Rather we harm ourselves with the threat of Allaah's punishment. It is as if humans stick two fingers up at Allaah after He has favoured them with so much. Thus a crime is committed against Allaah, yet it does not harm him - Such is the magnitude and greatness of our Creator. In order to understand how shirk manifests itself in our world, we need to look at how it relates to the categories of Tawheed (mentioned in the last issue).
Shirk in Allaah's Lordship (Ruboobeeya)
This category of shirk has two aspects:
(i)- Shirk by Association - As Muslims we believe that it is Allaah alone who Controls and Sustains the universe. Those who commit shirk by association believe that Allaah is the Creator, but other parts of the creation also play a role in the running of the world. A classic example of this is the Christian concept of Trinity. Christians believe that God (Allaah) alone does not regulate the affairs of mankind. They believe that the other two parts of the Trinity, Jesus (as) and the Holy spirit, also play a part in worldly affairs e.g Jesus pronounces judgement on the world and the holy spirit helps Christians through their daily lives. Qualities such as these should only belong to Allaah. The Hindus also commit this kind of shirk, with them having hundreds of different Gods for different aspects of their lives.
Unfortunately some Muslims have also fallen prey to this shirk. There are many from the Indian subcontinent who often call out for help upon saints and holy men who have passed away. One of the main saints whom they invoke is 'Abdul-Qadir al-Jeelanee'[3] whom they call 'AI-Ghawth-e-Azam' (the greatest source of help).
(ii)-Shirk by Negation - Over the centuries many philosophies and ways of life have denied the existence of God. Buddhism and Jainism are amongst the major world religions which assert this belief. During the 18th and 19th centuries the advancement of scientific knowledge led many philosophers and scientists to claim that God was a figment of mans imagination. By cancelling the role of a supreme legislator, those who claim that God does not exist, ultimately attempt to make themselves masters of their own destinies. Some atheists also give Allaah's attributes to his creation. By denying Allaah, they say the world is eternal with no beginning and no end. And we know that this is only for Allaah.
Shirk in Allaah's Names and Attributes (Asma wa Sifaat)
This category of shirk has two aspects: