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Allah belongs all sincerely pure Ibaadah according to the
Diin ordained by Him. The whole belief of Tauhiid versus Shirk
is based on this central theme. Mind of physics, i.e., physical
existence, works in unison and unity with the universal law
which governs order, harmony and beauty in all diversity and
dimension. Ibaadah for the rational being (mankind) is as
compulsory as the compulsion but the subtlety in the free
will or choice (main difference between the inanimate and
animate worlds) holds the key to all rationality, reason (man's
elevation in his own world of species), instinct (within man's
own world of mind, intelligence and intuition), and transcendence
(appearance or transparency of transcendence on the screen
of mind, above body and feeling, and above matter and metaphysics.)
"That don't worship-obey any except Him (Allah):
17-23
"O mankind!
Worship-obey your Lord-Master-Sustainer (Allah)" 2-21
From above two types of submission and worship,
following become clear: (1) Reflection and action, both, form
part of worship by mankind, based on conscious effort and
willingness. (2)The assigned ‘function and functionality’,
reflective of Wisdom and Trust of the High Exalted Glory of
God, demand performance as diligent duty.
These two types of worship have to conform further,
to following: (i) These are not non-serious or in jest or
play, (ii) Submission in obedience is with humility, lowliness,
reverence, awe and fear, as sincere duty, (iii) It is out
of love and liking, (iv) Glorification of Ever All High Exalted
Allah is the aim of the sincere discharge of duty, and (v)
The ultimate aim of all worship is the Pleasure of Allah:
To be pleased with the ‘Rabb’ (Allah) in all situations,
with Thanks and Patience, To do what pleases Allah –
Perseverance in the goodly-righteous deeds ordained by Allah,
To refrain from what is disapproved by or displeases Him.
Intensity
in Devotion (Ibaadah)
"Now await in patience the Command of thy
Lord.
For, verily, you are in Our eyes.
And celebrate the praises of your Lord, the while
you stand forth.(48) “And for part of the night also
praise you Him,
and at the retreat of the stars.”(49) 52-48
& 49
Allah asks
His Prophet (peace be upon him) to resort to acts of worship
whenever he felt distressed:
"Indeed, We (Allah) know that your breast
is strained at what they say.
So glorify the Praises of your Lord-Master and
be of those who prostrate themselves (to Him).
And worship your Lord-Master
until there comes unto you the certainty."
15-97 to 99.
"So when
you have finished, devote yourself for Allah's worship."
(7)
And to your Lord-Master-Owner,
turn (all your) attention-intention-hope"
(8) 94-7 & 8
The Prophet
(peace be upon him ) said:
"Nothing keeps away the decree (of Allah)
except prayer, and nothing increases life except goodness
and man is only denied the provision because of sins upon
which he falls." (Ibn Maja)
Another Hadiith Qudsii quotes:
‘O son of Adam! Engage yourself in worshiping
Me (Allah)
and I will fill your heart with self-sufficiency
and remove your want.
Otherwise, I will not remove your want,
even if you keep your both hands busy."
(Tirmidhi)
For different
usage, see pages 560 to 565, Al-Muajamul Mufaharas, Muhammad
Fawad Abdul Baqi.
Polytheism
and Disbelief (Shirk and Kufr)
What is disbelief (Kufr)? It has been defined and explained
by scholars from many perspectives in order to clarify its
different aspects and angles. In the Tafsir of the Holy Quran,
A.M.Yaqoob has quoted following explanations of polytheism
and disbelief: "According to bibi Rabia Basri it is infatuation
with paradise and houris in preference to Allah. According
to Moulana Abul Kalam Azad ‘dispair' also may amount
to ‘disbelief'. According to Moulana Roomi it is often
the idol-mindedness rather than the actual idol-worship alone
which is disbelief. Saamri's influence on the contemporary
Jews illustrates his point of view. According to Shah Waliullah
disbelief is of three kinds as under: (i) Shirk Aqiidaah:
Attributing powers of Allah to any person, (ii) Shirk Ibaadah:
Performance of worship or obedience to other than Allah, (iii)
Shirk Aadaat: (a) cultivation of impious habits and conventions,
(b) assignment of improper names to human beings, and (c)
worship of tombs or pictures or art.” Karen Armstrong
in ‘A History of God’ (p.174), says: “To
give allegiance to material goods or to put trust in lesser
beings (is) Shirk (idolatry), the greatest sin..” Shirk
is the greatest and unpardonable sin which will not be forgiven
by Allah.
“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners
should be set up with Him in worship,
but He forgives except that (anything else) to
whom He pleases;
and whoever sets up partners to Allah in worship,
he has indeed invented a tremendous sin."
4-48
Shirk basically
is polytheism i.e., worship of others along with Allah. It
also implies attributing divine attributes to any other besides
Allah, particularly ascribing partners in worship to Allah
or to believe that source of power, harm or blessing is or
can be from others besides Allah. There are three types of
‘Shirk', namely: (i) Ash-Shirk-al-Akbar ', i.e. major
Shirk, (ii) Ash-Shirk-al-Asghar', i.e., minor Shirk and (iii)
Ash-Shirk-al-Khafi', i.e., inconspicuous Shirk. Each type
and manifestations of Shirk are elaborated as follows:
(1) Ash-shirk-al-akbar:It is
the major shirk and serious polytheistic form. It has four
aspects:
a) Shirk-al-du'aa, (invocation):
This aspect implies invoking, supplicating or praying to other
deities besides Allah.
"And
when they embark on a ship they invoke Allah, making
their faith pure for Him only,
but when He brings them safely to land,
behold, they give a share of their worship to
others."29-65
According
to a Hadiith supplication (invocation) is also an act of worship.
Therefore praying someone in time of distress or need is a
Shirk.
b) Shirk-al-niyyah wal-iraadah
wal-qasd: This aspect implies intentions, purpose and determination
in acts of worship or religious deeds not for the sake of
Allah but directed towards other deities.
"Whosoever
desires the life of the world and its glitter,
to them We (Allah) shall pay in full (the wages
of ) their deeds therein,
and they will have no diminution therein.
They are those for whom there is nothing in the
Hereafter but Fire;
And vain are the deeds they did therein.
And of no effect is that which they used to do."
11-15 & 16.
Votive offerings
to someone other than Allah are also acts of Shirk.
c) Shirk-at-taa'ah: This aspect
implies rendering obedience to any authority against the Order
of Allah.
"They took their rabbis and their monks to
be their lords besides Allah,
and, while they were commanded to worship
none but One ‘Ilaah' (God),
there is no god except He. Praise and Glory is
to Him from having the partners they associate (with
Him)". 9-31
On a clarification
sought by the Companion, Adii Ibn Hatiim (Allah be pleased
with him), as to why the Christians could be blamed for having
taken their religious scholars as their lords as they were
never guilty of worshiping them, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) explained to him that they had declared many things as
forbidden which Allah had permitted and vice versa. Therefore
it was how they ‘worshiped' them.
d) Shirk-al-mahabbah: This implies
showing the love which is due to Allah Alone, to others than
Him.
"And of mankind are some who take
others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah).
They love them as they love Allah.
But those who believe, love Allah more.
If only those who do wrong could see, when they
will see the torment,
that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah
is Severe in punishment." 2-165
Adopting such
practices as are in general considered to be the signs or
symbols of association also constitute the same sin:. The
Companion Adii Hatiim (Allah be pleased with him) relates
that when he embraced Islam and presented himself before the
Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), with a cross hanging round
his neck, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked him to
remove that idol. Although at that time the cross did not
have the kind of signification for Adii (Allah be pleased
with him) which it had for the Christians, yet he was asked
to shun a symbol of ‘association' externally as well.
Among the symbols of ‘association' are included practices
like bowing (Rukuu'), or prostrating (Sajdaah) one self before
anyone except Allah, or going round a person or a thing in
the prescribed manner of the circumambulation (Tawaaf) of
the Ka'baah.. Avoiding all such symbols of ‘association'
is a necessary part of the pledge of fidelity to Allah made
in the phrase:
"You Alone we worship ".
(2). Ash-shirk-al-asghar:‘Ar-Riya
(Minor Shirk, i.e acts performed to show off). Any act of
worship or any religious deed done in order to gain praise,
fame or for worldly purposes, falls under this category.
"Say;
‘I am only a man like you.
it has been inspired to me that your ‘Ilaah'
(God) is One ‘Ilaah'.
So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord,
let him work righteousness and associate none
as a partner in the worship of his Lord." 18-110
(3).
Ash-shirk-al-khafii (The inconspicuous Shirk):This
type implies being inwardly dissatisfied with the inevitable
condition that has been ordained for one by Allah; conscientiously
lamenting that had you done or not done such and such or had
you approached such and such you would have had a better status,
etc. The Noble Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
‘Ash-Shirk-al-Khafii' in the Muslim nation
is more inconspicuous than the creeping of black ant on black
rock in the pitch-darkness of the night."(pp. 832-834,The
Noble Quran, Translation, Appendix-II, Dr M.M.Khan and Dr
Al-Hilali, and M.M.M.Shafi, Maariful Quran, Vol-I, pp.86-87).
Worshiping
other than Allah: 39-1 to 3
Ignorance
and Shirk:39- 63 & 64
The ignorant - the losers:
39-64 & 65
Further
Classification of Polytheistic Concepts and Practices of Shirk:Shirk
includes all aspects of idolatry, paganism, polytheism, ascribing
plurality to the Deity, associating anything with God. It
is further defined to be of following kinds:
1. Shirk-ul-Ilm: To ascribe power to soothsayers,
astrologers, and saints is polytheism. All who pretend to
have a knowledge of hidden things, such as fortune-tellers,
soothsayers are all liars. If anyone takes name of any saint,
or invokes his aid in the time of need, instead of calling
on God, or use his name in attacking an enemy, or read passages
to propitiate him, or make him the object of contemplation,
are all beliefs and acts of polytheism.
2. Shirk-ul-Tasarruf: It is to suppose that
anyone has power with God. He who looks up to anyone as an
intercessor with God commits Shirk.
"But they who take
others beside Him (Allah) as lords, saying,
‘we only serve them that they may bring us near God',
-God will Judge between them ,
concerning that wherein they are at variance."
39-3
"Who is he that can
intercede with Him (Allah), but by His own permission"
2-255
"It is called ‘Shafaa'at
bi-Izn' .i.e. ‘intercession by permission'. Whenever
an allusion is made in the Quran or the Traditions to the
intercession of certain prophets or apostles, it is this kind
of intercession and no other that is meant."
"Say : Intercession
is wholly with God!
His are the kingdoms of the heavens and of the
earth"39-44
For further
explanation on ‘intercession’ from the verses
of the Holy Quran, see Appendix-27..
3. Shirk-ul-Ibaadah:It includes
prostration before any created being, with the idea of worshiping
it; preambulating the shrines of departed saints, bowing down,
standing with folded arms, spending money in the name of an
individual, fasting out of respect to his memory, proceeding
to a shrine in a pilgrim's garb, calling out the name of the
saint, etc. etc.
4. Shirk-ul-aa'dah:it means having
superstitious customs, such as seeking guidance from beads,
trusting omens and so on.
Difference between the first and the fourth kind of ‘Shirk'
seems to be that the first is the belief, say in the knowledge
of a soothsayer, and the other the ‘habit' of consulting
him.
5. Ishraak fil-adab: Shirk in
association: To swear in the name of anyone is to give it
the honour due to God Alone.
(Pages 579-580, A Dictionary of Islam, Thomas Patrick Hughes)
Aayaat 4 and 6 of Surah 107 express woe unto those who do
good deeds only to be seen by others. This denies the underlying
requirement of purity and devotion in submission to Only One
Allah Alone, which is the spirit of worshiping Him Alone and
seeking help from Him Only. According to Muhammad Abduh, ‘show
off’ (Ri-yaa) includes: (i) showing off to others, (ii)
carelessly ignoring the true objective and purpose of the
prayer that it becomes just a ritual.
(Abu Masood Hassan Alvi ,Tadrees Lughatul Quran, P.103)
One becomes guilty of association (shirk), if he seeks help
of an angel or a prophet or a saint or any creature or anything
considering him to be omnipotent. It is such an obvious heresy
that even idolaters and associators in general consider it
as such. Even they do not look upon their idols and gods as
being omnipotent like Allah.
The other form of Shirk is that "They admit that God
Alone is omnipotent, but believe that He has delegated a part
of His power to an angel or a prophet or a saint or to a smaller
god who exercises a full and independent authority in that
area, and to whom one may pray for help in matters within
his jurisdiction. This is the supplication which the Holy
Quran forbids, and against which it makes us fully attentive,
cautious and conscious in the phrase " You (Allah) Alone
we pray-obey and we seek Your help only".
Kufr:That
which covers the truth. Infidelity, blasphemy, disbelieving
in the Quran, or any of the tenets of the Muslim religion.
(Thomas Patrick Hughes,
A Dictionary of Islam, p.281)
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