What Are the Types of Shirk (Polytheism)?
ما هي أنواع الشرك؟
There are two types of Shirk (polytheism):
The first type: The major shirk is that which takes a person out of his religion, such as joining other partners with Allah in worship.
Second: The minor shirk does not take man out of his religion, such as much of showing off (riya’), and the shirk of words: saying words that contain shirk while the one who says them does not hold that meaning.
الشرك نوعان:
الأول: الشرك الأكبر، وهو كل ما يخرج الإنسان عن دينه،
مثل: أن يجعل العبد مع الله إلها آخر.
الثاني: الشرك الأصغر، ما لا يخرج الإنسان من الملة،
مثل: كثير الرياء، شرك الألفاظ بأن يذكر لفظا يتضمن شركا والمتلفظ به لا يرى ذلك المعنى.
1. Major Shirk: Setting Up an Equal to Allah | فلا تجعلوا لله أندادا
Allah says: So do not knowingly set up equals to Allah in worship (2:22). Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Abbas: do not associate with Allah others, equals that neither benefit nor harm, while you know that you have no Lord who provides for you but Him. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: I asked the Prophet which sin is greatest in the sight of Allah, and he said: That you set up an equal to Allah while He created you (Sahih al-Bukhari 4477). Why it bars from Paradise is explained in why Paradise is for the monotheists.
فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (سورة البقرة: 22)
قال تعالى: (فلا تجعلوا لله أندادا وأنتم تعلمون) (البقرة 2: 22)، قال ابن كثير: قال ابن عباس: أي: لا تشركوا بالله غيره من الأنداد التي لا تنفع ولا تضر، وأنتم تعلمون أنه لا رب لكم يرزقكم غيره، وعن عبد الله بن مسعود رضي الله عنه قال: سألت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: أي الذنب أعظم عند الله؟ قال: "أن تجعل لله ندا وهو خلقك" (صحيح البخاري 4477).
2. Showing Off: Shirk in the Deed | ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحدا
Allah says: So whoever hopes for the meeting with their Lord, let them do good deeds and associate none in the worship of their Lord (18:110). Ibn Kathir explains that associating none means seeking the Face of Allah alone, with no partner, and that these are the two pillars of an accepted deed: it must be sincerely for Allah and correct according to the law of the Messenger of Allah. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah said that Allah said: I am the One most free of need of partners; whoever does a deed in which he associates another with Me, I leave him and his partnership (Sahih Muslim 2985).
فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ رَبِّهِ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا (سورة الكهف: 110)
قال تعالى: (فمن كان يرجو لقاء ربه فليعمل عملا صالحا ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحدا) (الكهف 18: 110)، قال ابن كثير: (ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحدا) وهو الذي يراد به وجه الله وحده لا شريك له، وهذان ركنا العمل المتقبل: لا بد أن يكون خالصا لله، صوابا على شريعة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "قال الله تبارك وتعالى: أنا أغنى الشركاء عن الشرك، من عمل عملا أشرك فيه معي غيري تركته وشركه" (صحيح مسلم 2985).
3. The Shirk of Words | ما شاء الله ثم شاء فلان
Ibn Kathir reports from Ibn Abbas, on the same verse of Al-Baqarah, that setting up equals is shirk more hidden than an ant creeping on a black rock in the dark of night: it is saying: by Allah and by your life, or: were it not for this little dog the thieves would have come to us, or a man saying to his companion: what Allah wills and you will. These are the words the scholar means. Ibn Umar heard a man swear by the Ka’bah and said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: Whoever swears by other than Allah has disbelieved or associated partners (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 1535, sahih), and Hudhayfah reported that the Prophet said: Do not say: what Allah wills and so-and-so wills, but say: what Allah wills, then what so-and-so wills (Sunan Abi Dawud 4980, sahih). Their opposite, pure monotheism, is explained in the types of monotheism.
قال ابن كثير: قال ابن عباس في قوله تعالى: (فلا تجعلوا لله أندادا) (البقرة 2: 22): الأنداد هو الشرك، أخفى من دبيب النمل على صفاة سوداء في ظلمة الليل، وهو أن يقول: والله وحياتك يا فلان، وحياتي، ويقول: لولا كلبة هذا لأتانا اللصوص، وقول الرجل لصاحبه: ما شاء الله وشئت، وعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما أنه سمع رجلا يقول: لا والكعبة، فقال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: "من حلف بغير الله فقد كفر أو أشرك" (جامع الترمذي 1535، صحيح)، وعن حذيفة رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: "لا تقولوا ما شاء الله وشاء فلان، ولكن قولوا ما شاء الله ثم شاء فلان" (سنن أبي داود 4980، صحيح).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What are the two types of shirk?
Major shirk, which takes a person out of his religion, such as setting up another god with Allah, and minor shirk, which does not, such as much of showing off and the shirk of words.
What is the greatest sin?
The Prophet said: That you set up an equal to Allah while He created you (Sahih al-Bukhari 4477).
Is showing off in an act of worship a form of shirk?
Yes, it is minor shirk. In the hadith qudsi Allah says: whoever does a deed in which he associates another with Me, I leave him and his partnership (Sahih Muslim 2985).
What is the shirk of words?
Saying words that contain shirk without holding their meaning, such as swearing by other than Allah (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1535) or saying: what Allah wills and so-and-so wills (Sunan Abi Dawud 4980).