2. The categories of shirk
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The study of tawheed cannot be considered complete without a careful analysis of its opposite
i.e. shirk. Just like tawheed, shirk can also be divided into categories. In this lesson we will
Inshallah discuss shirk from the perspective of the three categories of tawheed. Shirk can occur in
various ways in these three types of tawheed.
Shirk in RUBOOBIYYA
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This category of shirk refers to either the belief that others share Allah’s Lordship over creation as
His equal, or the belief that there exists no Lord over creation at all.
Most religious systems fall into the first aspect, while it is the philosophers and their man‐made
philosophies which tend to fall into the second category.
(i)
Shirk by Association
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This is when one affirms another Creator or Lord or controller of affairs.
In other words, a main God is recognised, however His dominion is shared by other lesser
Gods, spirits, mortals heavenly bodies or earthly objects.
Theologians and philosophers may refer to these as either monotheistic (having one god)
or polytheistic (having many gods). According to Islam they are polytheistic and
unacceptable to Allah.
In Hinduism the Supreme Being is Brahman. He forms a trinity with the Preserver God
Vishnu and the Destroyer God Shiva. This shirk in Ruboobiyya is expressed in Hinduism by
giving God’s destructive and preservative powers to other sub‐gods!
The Zoroastrians believe that there are two creators: Ahriman the Creator of all good and
Ahura Mazda the creator of all evil.
Among some Muslim sects, shirk in Ruboobiyya is manifested in their belief that the souls
of saints and other righteous humans can affect the affairs of this world even in their
death. They consider these people to have the divine ability to cause events which only
Allah (swt) can cause.
(ii)
Shirk by Denial
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This category represents the various ideologies which outright deny the existence of God
either explicitly or implicitly. That is, in some cases God’s non‐existence is stated
(atheism), while in other cases the way which He is conceived actually denies His
existence (pantheism).
This was the belief of Fir’awn who falsely claimed that he was the only true lord of all
creation:
∩⊄⊆∪ 4’n?ôãF{$# ãΝä3š/u‘ O$tΡr& tΑ$s)sù
And he (Fir’awn) said: "I am Your Lord, Most high [An‐Naaziaat; 79:24]
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This is also the beliefs of atheists, communists and other such philosophies which deny
the existence of a creator.
An example of pantheism is that of many Sufi’s who claim that Allah (swt) exists, but
everything is Allah and Allah is everything! They in fact deny His existence by denying His
separate existence.
3. Shirk in al‐Asmaa was‐Sifaat
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The concept of tawheed in al‐Asmaa was‐Sifaat involves affirming for Allah the Most Beautiful
Names and Perfect attributes.
Therefore shirk in this category can include the pagan practice of giving Allah (swt) the attributes
of His creation, as well as giving created beings the attributes and names of Allah (swt).
(i)
Shirk by Humanization
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In this form of shirk Allah (swt) is given the form and qualities of humans and animals or
even their attributes.
Therefore the image of The Creator is often painted, moulded or carved in the shape of
human beings or animals.
For example, the painting of Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in The
Vatican of God as a Naked old European man with long flowing white hair and beard.
These pictures by Catholic Christians are held in the highest esteem, while they claim
themselves to be monotheistic in their belief!
This also includes comparing Allah to the creation. As we discussed previously the
Christians claim that God became ‘tired’ after creating the heavens and the earth, or that
He ‘forgot’ certain matters.
(ii)
Shirk by Deification
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This is simply comparing the creation to Allah. This relates to cases where created beings
or things are given or claim Allah’s names or His attributes.
For example, the Arabs at the time of the Prophet (saw) used to worship idols whose
names were derived from the names of Allah. Their three main idols were Al‐Laat
(feminizing the name ‘Allah’), Al‐Uzza (feminizing the name ‘Al‐Aziz’) and Al‐Manaat (from
the name ‘Al‐Mannaan’).
Among the Shi’ite sects are the Nusayreeya of Syria who believe Ali Ibn Abi Talib (rah) was
a manifestation of Allah (swt) and give him many qualities of Allah (swt).
Also in this category are the Druze of Lebanon who believe the Fatimid Caliph al‐Hakim
bi‐Amriallah was the last manifestation of Allah amongst mankind!
Shirk in ULUHIYYA
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In this category of shirk, acts of worship are directed to other than Allah and the reward for
worship is sought from the creation instead of the Creator.
Examples of acts of worship that are due only to Allah (swt) includes du’a, prayer, prostration,
vows and oaths.
Shirk in uluhiyya is the most common type of shirk amongst mankind. This is because most of
mankind affirms the existence of one god, yet direct acts of worship to other than Him. This is like
the Christians who believe in God but direct their worship to Jesus Christ.
The norm amongst the disbelievers is that they worship Allah and others besides Allah (e.g.
Christians). However it is also possible that certain groups and religions always worship other
than Allah. For example, extreme Sufi groups never turn directly to Allah, but always direct their
worship to saints or prophets.
A lot of emphasis is placed on the evils of shirk in ibaadah because it contradicts the very purpose
of creation.