Allāh's Most Important Warning to You!

If you walk into a city and you are warned against a violation called "Crime-X", which has many forms. its penalty is immensely severe and you only know few forms of this violation, would you feel secure to walk into this city without learning about all forms of this "Crime-X"?

Allāh, the Exalted, said about the worst crime in this life: (Indeed, Allāh does not forgive associating partners with Him (Shirk), but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.) (Noble Qur'an 4: 116)

When Allāh tells you that He doesn't forgive shirk, you should take this crucial warning seriously and not put your hereafter at stake by not caring to learn and scrutinize the acts and statements, which deemed shirk, in order not to fall into committing them.

When you see a student of knowledge or an alleged scholar belittles the importance of learning about shirk and doesn't warn against this most hideous sin, can you trust him in any matter of your Deen anymore? And can we take him as a sincere and truthful mentor?

We read in the Qur'an how Ibrahim PBUH was afraid from falling into shirk and he supplicated to Allāh SWT to save him and his sons from it: (And when Ibrahim said, "My Lord, make this city [Makkah] secure and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.) (Noble Qur'an 14:35)

Shouldn't we fear falling into shirk even more than Ibrahim PBUH did? This is why, Ibrahim At-Taymee RA, one of the masters of the Taaba'een (a follower of the companions), said after reciting the previously mentioned ayah: "Who can be secured from being trailed after Ibrahim PBUH?"

Shirk is associating partners with Allāh SWT in His Lordship (Rubu-biah), worship or His names and attributes in any shape or form, such as in supplication, istighaathah (calling Allāh for help in state of danger), isti'aadah (seeking refuge in Allāh), isti'aanah (asking Allāh's help), trust, fear, love, hope, slaughtering, vow, prostration…etc. or believing that there are others besides Him or with Him, who run the universe or know the unseen.

How is shirk practiced in these acts of worship?

Shirk may take the following forms:

Supplication: supplicating to others besides Allāh, such as calling the dead to grant you health or sustenance.

Istighaathah: calling the dead for help, when one is in state of danger or calamity.

Isti'aadah: seeking refuge in the dead from expected evil.

Isti'aanah: asking anyone for help on matters that only Allāh alone can do; such as asking the dead to help you pass a job interview or an exam.

Fear, love, hope or trust: fearing, loving, hoping or trusting the false deities; such as the dead ones, who are taken as object of worship.

Slaughter: slaughtering in the name of other than Allāh or for the sake of false deities or Jinn as a mean to bring you closer to them or to please them.

All these acts of worships should be exclusively directed to Allāh alone and should never be directed to anyone or anything else besides Him SWT, even if it were a close angel or a sent Prophet.

In Islām, we are not allowed to have mediators between us and Allāh; doing that deemed an act of shirk.

Attaining monotheism (Tawheed) and negating shirk is the most crucial Islāmic tenet, which patently separates Islām from all religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and others.

Your Tawheed (to single out Allāh in Lordship, worship and His names and attributes) is your utmost valuable asset in this life; make sure to safeguard it stringently. It's your pass to security and guidance when you meet Allāh for reckoning.

Allāh, the Exalted, said: (They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice (i.e. by worshiping others besides Allāh) - those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.) (Noble Qur'an 6:82)

May Allāh SWT make us among those who live and die upon Tawheed.