It’s really important to know what shirk is exactly, since it’s the biggest sin, we need to know what it is so we can avoid it!
Do you remember the categories of Tawheed (see part 2,part 3, part 4 of lesson 1) ? Well, here we will be discussing the categories of Shirk…
The Antithesis or Tawheed: ‘Shirk’ and its categories
Shirk means to ascribe a partner/partners to Allah (The One True God), in His Lordship and/or worship.
Shirk in Rububiyyah (Lordship): This occurs by: (a) association- that is, to associate a partner with God (Allah) in His Lordship, (b) negation– that is by denying the existence of God, by denying His Lordship.
Shirk in Asma wa sifaat (names and attributes): This occurs by: (a) deification, that is, to believe that created beings possess similar attributes as God, thereby elevating others to the status of God, for example, believing that created beings are all-knowing, or Ever-living. (b) humanisation, that is to assume that God took a human form, or to attribute characteristics of the creation to God.
Shirk in Ibadah (Worship): To worship another besides Allah. Most of the shirk occurs in this category. This can be major and minor. For example, major shirk includes taking idols, humans, created things, others as intermediaries or partners with God. Minor shirk, on the other hand, includes showing off in acts of worship (riyaa).
May Allah protect us! ameen
Let us stay away from these types and all types of Shirk!
May Allah protect us from all types of shirk! May Allah, The One, The Compeller, grant us perfect Tawheed for His sake alone forever! May Allah forgive us for any error. Allahumma salli alaa Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen!
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious The Most Merciful.
‘And We have sent you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists).'[Qur’an 21: 107]
The final messenger of Allah, Muhammad ibn Abdillah, peace be upon him, the best man who ever lived and walked on the face of this earth. With no comparison, he is known as the most successful man in history and beyond, the best leader, the best warrior, the best businessman, the best husband, the best father, the best companion, the trustworthy, the dignified, the chaste, the modest, the courageous, the morally upright, the epitome of exemplary character…The prophet of Allah, Muhammad, upon him be peace.
Allah says in the Qur’an, (English interpretation) :
‘And Verily, you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) are on an exalted (standard of) character.’ (Qur’an, 68:4)
Muhammad, peace be upon him, had great concern for his nation- he was swift to help those in need, he was gentle and mild tempered, patient and forbearing.
He was ready… ready to listen to the unheard, ready to defend the weak and oppressed, ready to advise sincerely those seeking advice… ready to convey the truth.
He strove through periods of great difficulty to convey the lofty message- a message conveyed by all prophets and messengers, upon them be peace- a message which resonates with the natural disposition of mankind, the message ‘laa ilaha ilallah ‘ – There is no true god worthy of worship except Allah alone.
The final messenger of Allah, Muhammad peace be upon him, did not fail in his task in the least bit. He succeeded. Far and wide, the mesage is known, and the message is followed.
I bear witness that there is no true god worthy of worship except Allah who is alone without partners or associates, and I bear witness that Muhammad peace be upon him is the servant and messenger of Allah.
His teachings, actions, descriptions, sayings and instructions are revered and adhered to, cherished and conveyed. Muhammad peace be upon him taught us to have high moral character and good manners with The Creator (Allah) and the creation. He taught us how to conduct ourselves in the best and most decent manner. He, upon him be peace, said (English interpretation): I have only been sent (by Allah) to complete the good manners [Al-Hakim].
He was a mercy for mankind. He peace be upon him taught us (English interpretation): The merciful ones are granted mercy by the Most Merciful . Show mercy to those who are on earth, and the One above the heavens will show mercy to you. [Ahmad]
Muhammad peace be upon him conveyed the message which would lead to our peace and salvation in this world and for the life to come. Our purpose in life is clear, to worship exclusively The Supreme Self-Sufficient Creator, Allah, and this is the only way to attain peace and eternal bliss.
Only the fair-minded will emancipate themselves from bigotry and ignorance. Those who mock this mighty messenger, are full of hate today, but tomorrow, will be full of regret. This occurred at the time of the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, he had enemies, mockers and haters. They intended by their vicious, slanderous profanity and abuse to dissuade the messenger from conveying the message, whilst they knew that all they attributed to him were but fabrications. In the end, these haters failed. They were surely humilated, and what’s to come in the hereafter of humiliation is an unimaginable and inevitable reality. Haters will be haters, but they’ll also be losers. Their true colours have shown, they are what they say, uncivlised, bigoted, hateful, anarchist, slanderous, wretched… deluded…and confused. Drawing from the wisdom exhibited by the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him throughout his lifetime, we learn that we must deal with all people justly. These people, i.e. the mockers, need help and guidance. Let’s keep unsolicited violence out of the equation. Pity is little we can offer them, but education is far more powerful. May Allah guide us all, ameen.
Isn’t it time we educated ourselves about this remarkable man whose call to Islamic monotheism has been received and accepted by discerning people from all walks of life? Isn’t it time we searched for the real, unadultered truth? Isn’t it about time we learnt who he was, what he stood for, and Whom he called to…
Oh Allah may Your peace and blessings be upon Your final prophet muhammad peace be upon him in great abundance, upon his family and companions and those who follow them in righteousness! Ameen! May Allah make us of Muhammad’s followers, peace be upon him, for indeed Allah commanded us to obey and follow the messenger, and this is the only way to true success.
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad [sal-Allâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam]) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day, and remembers Allâh much.” {Al Ahzaab: 21}
Want resources? Start to read the book entitled ‘The Sealed Nectar’ (Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum), a biography of the Final messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, by Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri.
Embark on this journey to discover #WhoIsMuhammad (peace be upon him), with the following series:
May Allah forgive us, for He is the Oft-Forgiving, The Most Merciful. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ameen
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