Understanding Shirk - Grave sin of Associating Partners with Allah (Reference Page)

Islam is a monotheistic religion for it is about belief in the oneness of Allah (God). The central concept in Islam is the belief that Allah is the only God, the sole Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and that there is no deity or god other than Him. This belief in the oneness of God is known as Tawhid, which is the foundation of Islamic theology and spirituality.

This monotheistic is tangent to all forms of beliefs and worship where partners are associating with Allah in power sharing or even someone at par with Allah. This act in Islam is called Shirk " شرك " an Arabic word meaning "the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides One True God."  Shirk is polytheism, the outright negation of monotheism. It is for this reason, shirk is the most disliked thing by the Almighty Allah, despite He being the Most Merciful and immensely Forgiving. For this reason, It is considered as the greatest sin in Islam and is explicitly condemned in the Qur'an and Hadith.

“Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.” Surah An-Nisa (4:48)

Please read exegesis / tafsir of 112th verse of Qur'an wherein Allah tells that He alone is to be worshiped and He alone is the Master of the entire universe: Sürah 112.  Al Ikhlas (The Declaration of [God's] Oneness)  And also the attribute of Allah: Al Ahad - The One and Only

Shirk may take different forms, which must be avoided by all believers. Shirk may take following forms, as given below:

• Shirk in Worship (Ritualistic Shirk): This involves directing acts of worship (such as prayer, supplication, fasting, or sacrifice) to someone or something other than Allah, like idols, saints, or any other being considered to have divine power.
• Shirk in Belief: This refers to attributing divine qualities, such as creation, omnipotence, or knowledge, to someone or something other than Allah, such as believing that a human being, angel, or other entity shares Allah’s attributes.
• Shirk in Lordship (Rububiyyah): This involves attributing Allah's sovereign control over creation, sustenance, or the universe to someone else. For example, believing that a person or object has control over the natural world or life events in a way that only Allah does.
• Shirk in Names and Attributes (Asma wa Sifat): This involves assigning Allah’s unique names or attributes (such as "the Most Merciful" or "the All-Knowing") to anyone other than Him.

Why is Shirk so Important to Avoid in Islam?

Shirk is regarded as the most severe offense in Islam, and its consequences are dire both in this life and the Hereafter. Here are the key reasons why Muslims are urged to avoid shirk:

• Violates the Concept of Tawhid (Monotheism): Tawhid, or the oneness of Allah, is the core of the Islamic faith. Shirk undermines this fundamental principle by introducing multiple powers or deities and thereby distorting the understanding of Allah’s singular sovereignty.
• The Greatest Sin in Islam: Shirk is considered the ultimate form of injustice (zulm), as it assigns divine qualities to something other than Allah. Allah has stated in the Qur'an that He will forgive all sins, except for shirk, if a person dies without repentance.
• Consequences in the Afterlife: One of the most serious consequences of shirk is that Allah does not forgive it if a person dies without repenting. Those who commit shirk and do not repent are warned of eternal punishment in Hell.
• Disconnection from Allah's Mercy: Committing shirk is seen as a barrier between a person and the mercy of Allah. It breaks the relationship of pure worship that should exist between the believer and their Creator.

Committing shirk not only endangers a person’s soul but also disrespects Allah’s sovereignty and mercy. Muslims are urged to uphold pure monotheism, placing their trust and worship solely in Allah, who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Avoiding shirk is essential to maintaining the integrity of one’s faith and ensuring a successful Hereafter.

We have already published a number of posts covering aspects of Shirk. Through this reference page, we are providing links to already published posts hereinunder for the information of our readers to know more about shirk and will keep adding more posts on shirk as and when published:

• Selected Verses from Quran: The Sin of Shirk - Associating Partners with God
• An eye opener verse from Qur'an for those who commit Shirk by turning to deities other than Allah 
• Is it Right to Ask the Dead by visiting their graves for Help?
• Who will be among the worst creatures on the Day of Resurrection (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)
• Allah alone is the Deliverer - Yet you associate others with Allah in His divinity
• What is the Reality of Shirk - the sin of idolatry or polytheism (Scholars' Viewpoint)

In time, we shall add more posts as this severely detested act of worship by Allah abounds in many verses of Qur'an and teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎)  help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | 

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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An eye opener verse from Qur'an for those who commit Shirk by turning to deities other than Allah

Shirk is an act of associating partners with Allah in any form. It is considered the gravest sin in Islam, as it directly contradicts the core concept of Tawhid, which is the oneness and uniqueness of Allah. Shirk involves ascribing divine attributes to others besides Allah or attributing God's exclusive rights to any being or thing. Yet despite many cautions in Qur'an and Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, many a believers, who otherwise proclaim faith in Allah, turn to saints (generally those who have died), angels, or any other entities, for redress of their grievances and fulfillment of their wordily desires and needs.

Many a devotees of dead saints in the Indian sub continent still flock the graves of their saints and seek their help of "conveying" their woes to Allah. This is despite the fact that Allah promises His servants that He is close to their jugular vein and listens to their grievances. 

This is the most detestable act in the eyes of Allah and He strictly forbids such practices. This is the theme of the 5th verse of Surah 46 Al Ahqaf (The Sand-Dunes) in which Allah warns those who turn to others than Him for fulfilment of their needs and cautions them to leave such practices for those dead in graves do not even know that they are being called upon.

وَمَنۡ اَضَلُّ مِمَّنۡ يَّدۡعُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ مَنۡ لَّا يَسۡتَجِيۡبُ لَهٗۤ اِلٰى يَوۡمِ الۡقِيٰمَةِ وَهُمۡ عَنۡ دُعَآئِهِمۡ غٰفِلُوۡنَ‏ 

(46:5) Who is farther strayed from the Right Path than he who calls upon others than Allah that cannot answer his call till the Day of Resurrection, the while they are not even conscious that callers are calling upon them?

The verse make it very clear that the wordily deities whom they call do not possess the powers by virtue of which they could give decisions on the prayers and petitions of their devotees. The these wordily deities do not possess the powers by virtue of which they could give decisions on the prayers and petitions of their devotees. “Until the Day of Resurrection” means that as long as the world lasts they will get no answer to their supplications and prayers from their deities, but when Resurrection will have taken place, the deities will turn hostile to their worshipers themselves, as becomes explicit from the next verse.

 6 )   And when the people are gathered [that Day], they [who were invoked] will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of their worship.

That is, they will say: We had neither told the people to invoke us for help, nor are we aware that they used to invoke us. They themselves had presumed that we could fulfill their needs and so had started invoking us.

Let us now expand this verse and see its implications for the strayed Muslims:

Futility of Worshiping Others Besides Allah:

• The verse highlights that those who are invoked besides Allah have no power to respond to the calls or prayers of those who worship them. They are unable to provide any benefit, relief, or guidance to their worshipers.
• These entities, regardless of their nature, are completely powerless compared to Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

The Condition of the Invoked Beings:

• The verse points out that these entities are not even aware that they are being invoked. This could refer to idols, which are inanimate and have no consciousness, or to deceased humans or other beings, who have no awareness of the prayers directed towards them.
• The verse thus illustrates the absurdity of calling upon those who neither hear nor can respond, emphasizing that such acts of worship are baseless and misguided.

Ultimate Misguidance:

• The verse begins by questioning, "Who is more astray than he who invokes besides Allah?" This rhetorical question implies that there is no one more misguided than a person who engages in this type of worship.
• The misguidance is profound because it represents a departure from the fundamental truth of monotheism (Tawhid) — the belief that Allah alone is worthy of worship and that only He has the power to respond to prayers.

The Day of Resurrection:

• The verse mentions that these entities will not be able to respond until the Day of Resurrection. On that Day, all false beliefs will be exposed, and those who worshiped others besides Allah will realize their error. However, by then, it will be too late for them to rectify their misguidance.

Supporting verse from Qur'an:

"For Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him respond to them not at all, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will never reach it. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e., futility]." (Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:14)

This verse uses the metaphor of someone trying to reach water by stretching their hands towards it, but it never reaches their mouth, to illustrate the futility of calling upon anyone other than Allah. The verse emphasizes that only Allah can truly respond to prayers, while invoking others besides Him is utterly ineffective, just like trying to reach water by merely stretching out one's hands without making any actual effort to grasp it.

Supporting Hadiths:  

The message of this verse is reinforced by several Hadiths that emphasize the importance of Tawhid and the futility and danger of associating others with Allah (shirk).

• Hadith on the Prohibition of Shirk: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

Narrated by `Abdullah: The Prophet (ﷺ) said one statement and I said another. The Prophet (ﷺ) said "Whoever dies while still invoking anything other than Allah as a rival to Allah, will enter Hell (Fire)." And I said, "Whoever dies without invoking anything as a rival to Allah, will enter Paradise."(Sahih Al-Bukhari 4497). This hadith underscores the seriousness of shirk, the act of associating partners with Allah, and indicates that it leads to severe consequences in the Hereafter.

•  Hadith on the Exclusivity of Worship to Allah: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said:

"The right of Allah over His servants is that they should worship Him alone and not associate anything with Him." (Sahih Al-Bukhari 2856, Sahih Muslim 30). This hadith emphasizes that the primary duty of every human being is to worship Allah alone, without associating partners with Him in any form. It aligns with the message of the verse by stressing the exclusivity of Allah's right to be worshiped.

Surah Al-Ahqaf, verse 5, highlights the utter misguidance of those who invoke beings other than Allah, beings that are powerless and unaware of the invocations directed at them. This verse serves as a strong reminder of the importance of Tawhid, the foundational concept of worshiping Allah alone. The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as reflected in various Hadiths, further reinforce this message, warning against the grave sin of shirk and emphasizing that only Allah is deserving of worship and capable of answering prayers.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎)  help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may read more posts on similar theme in our series of posts related to: Compiled verses from Qur'an on specific subjects: Religion

You may read more posts on similar theme in our series of posts related to: Compiled verses from Qur'an on specific subjects: Faith in Allah 

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference Source

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. 

In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook. You may also refer to our Facebook  Group Islam: The Ultimate Truth for more on Islam and Da'wah.

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Who will be among the worst creatures on the Day of Resurrection (Hadith Prophet Muhammad ﷺ)

There can never be two captains of a ship for the pushes and pulls among them can lead to major disasters. Likewise, the universe cannot be run by two Gods for the entire solar and celestial system may collapse if two Gods are managing the universe. It is for this very reason, we have Only One God, the unchallenged All Mighty. 

Shirk (associating any worldly deity with One True God) thus is the biggest crime that man can do with regard to the God. But man, wo is ever so ungrateful to the One and Only God, could not resist make worldly deities, which interestingly are creations of One God, and has been worshiping them. He even drew their portraits and hung them in places of worship and even homes. And when these worldly deities die, their graves become places of worship and reverence.

This is something that is most disliked by The God and on the Day of Resurrection, they will taste the severest of Godly punishment. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in one of his hadiths had indicated the people who will into this category. This Hadith is mentioned in Sahi al-Bukhārī  (Book 63 -   Merits of the Helpers in Madinah (Ansaar) /  كتاب مناقب الأنصار / Chapter 37: he emigration to Ethiopia/ باب هِجْرَةِ الْحَبَشَةِ) as Hadith 3873, given herein under:

Narrated by `Aisha: Um Habiba and Um Salama mentioned a church they had seen in Ethiopia and in the church, there were pictures. When they told the Prophet (ﷺ) of this, he said, "Those people are such that if a pious man amongst them died, they build a place of worship over his grave and paint these pictures in it. Those people will be Allah's worst creatures on the Day of Resurrection. "

Arabic Text:

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ أُمَّ، حَبِيبَةَ وَأُمَّ سَلَمَةَ ذَكَرَتَا كَنِيسَةً رَأَيْنَهَا بِالْحَبَشَةِ، فِيهَا تَصَاوِيرُ، فَذَكَرَتَا لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ أُولَئِكَ إِذَا كَانَ فِيهِمُ الرَّجُلُ الصَّالِحُ فَمَاتَ بَنَوْا عَلَى قَبْرِهِ مَسْجِدًا، وَصَوَّرُوا فِيهِ تِيكَ الصُّوَرَ، أُولَئِكَ شِرَارُ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ‏"‏‏.‏

Now if we read the Hadith carefully, we would find not only non-Muslims but many a Muslims around the world are committing this sin. We see Muslims bowing and prostrating in front of graves of saints and hanging their photos and worship them. This happens so because of weak faith, because of which opportunists mislead them and entice them to worship graves. 

So, my brothers and sisters in Islam, do not follow traditions of pre-Islam era when pagans of Arabia worshiped idols and graves - a practice still being followed by many non-Muslims, and sadly many Muslims too. Let us cleanse our faith from all such sinful acts and worship none but One True God, we call Allah.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

You may refer to our exclusive page: Collection of Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on Warnings / Cautions to read posts written on similar matters.

Please also refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah / Hadith of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo: Pixabay | Source of Hadith

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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What is the Reality of Shirk - the sin of idolatry or polytheism (Scholars' Viewpoint)

The essence of all Divine religions was based on monotheism - the worship of one true God as against all man-made religions which had made many gods and made their images and sculptures and take them as their saviour and protector. Unfortunately, adulteration crept into Christianity wherein they declared Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) as son of God and thus a god at par with the real and only one true God. 

In Islam, the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides Allah is called Shirk (Arabic: شرك širk) - the sin of idolatry or polytheism. In Islam Shirk is considered a great unpardonable sin and those who indulge in this practice SHALL NOT be pardoned on the Day of Judgement and their permanent abode will be the blazing fire of hell.

In the 13th verse of Surah 31 Luqman, Allah tells us how Luqman advised his son against Shirk:

Luqman's full name was Luqman bin `Anqa' bin Sadun, and his son's name was Tharan, according to a saying quoted by As-Suhayli. Allah describes him in the best terms, and states that he granted him wisdom. Luqman advised his son, the closest and most beloved of all people to him, who deserved to be given the best of his knowledge. So, Luqman started by advising him to worship Allah Alone, and not to associate anything with Him.

وَاِذۡ قَالَ لُقۡمٰنُ لِا بۡنِهٖ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهٗ يٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشۡرِكۡ بِاللّٰهِ ؕ اِنَّ الشِّرۡكَ لَـظُلۡمٌ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ 

(31:13) And call to mind when Luqman said to his son while exhorting him: “Son! Do not associate partners with God. In reality, polytheism is a great injustice.” 

Eminent scholar Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi  explaining this verse notes that:

This particular admonition from the wisdom of Luqman has been cited here for two reasons: (1) He gave this admonition to his son, and obviously, no one can be insincere to one's own children. A person may deceive others, may behave hypocritically towards them, but no one, not even a most depraved person, will try to deceive and defraud his own children. Therefore, Luqman's admonishing his son thus is a clear proof of the fact that in his sight shirk was indeed the most heinous sin, and for that very reason he first admonished his dear son to refrain from this iniquity. (2) The second reason for this narration is that many parents from among the disbelievers of Makkah were compelling their children to turn away from the message of Tauhid being preached by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and remain steadfast on the creed of shirk, as is being stated in the following verses. Therefore, those foolish people are being told, as if to say, The well-known sage of your own land had wished his children well by admonishing thetas to avoid shirk, now you should judge it for yourself whether you are wishing your children well or ill when you compel them to follow the same creed of shirk." 

Zulm means to deprive someone of his right and to act unjustly. Shirk is a grave iniquity because man sets up such beings as equals with his Creator and Providence and Benefactor as have no share whatever in creating him, nor in providing for him, nor in bestowing the blessings on him, which he is enjoying in the world. There could be no greater injustice than this. The Creator's right on man is that he should worship Him alone, but he worships others and so deprives Him of His right. Then, in whatever he does in connection with the worship of others than Allah, he exploits many things, from his own mind and body to the earth and heavens, whereas, all these things have been created by Allah, the One. and man has no right to use any of them in the worship of any other than Allah Then, the right of man's own self on him is that he should not debase and involve it in punishment. But when he worships others than his Creator. he debases himself as well as makes it deserving of the punishment. Thus, the entire life of a mushrik becomes Zulm in every aspect and at all times and his every breath becomes an expression of injustice and iniquity.

At many other places in Qur'an, mankind is forbidden to associate anyone with One True God for none can ever equate the power, wisdom, justice and ability to create of monotheist God, Muslims call Allah. Instead of quoting more references from Qur'an on the reality and sin of shirk, we have selected a mind-blowing lecture by the eminent Muslim scholar Dr Israr Ahmed. Dr. Israr Ahmad, (1975–2002) was a Pakistani Islamic theologian, philosopher, and Islamic scholar who was followed particularly in South Asia as well as by South Asian Muslims in the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America.

Please listen to the lecture on the Reality of Shirk to really understand the reality of shirk and must try your best not even skirt pass this unpardonable sin ever in your life:

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is our duty to convey only to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the video above are those of the scholar concerned. We have shared this view as added information in better understanding of Islam. The reader may or may not agree with the view owing to their own perception. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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Please refer to our Reference Page: Understanding Shirk - Grave sin of Associating Partners with Allah to know about Shirk and why it is the unpardonable act by Allah

For more Scholarly views and videos, please read our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on Important Issues Related to Islam. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

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