Major Shirk

It is greater shirk (shirk akbar) that is referred to in this ayah, and subject to the great threats from the Quran and Sunnah:

{إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا (116)} سورة النساء

“Verily, Allah forgives not (the sin of) associating [partners] with Him, but He forgives whom He wills, sins other than that, and whoever associates [anyone] with Allah, has indeed strayed far away.” [4:116]

 

Returning to our definition of shirk, it can be in Allah’s characteristics (creedal), or rights (word and action).

Examples of creedal include believing that someone else shares Allah’s exclusive abilities or attributes, like knowledge of all things, the ability to create, cause life and death, rule the universe, etc. This is not only in saying that another human has these abilities in addition to Allah—which is rarely claimed—but also includes saying that a person shares in Allah’s abilities or is part of the Godhead, like Jesus, or is God, like the Baha’is regarding Bahaa’ullah.

{لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ (72) لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (73)} سورة المائدة

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Maryam.’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrong doers there are no helpers. Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three.’ But there is no ilaah but One ilaah. And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them.” [5:72-73]

As for the claim that there are several creators or multiple controllers of the universe (even with only one creator), this is also shirk, even though the subjects are invented and never existed,

 

{يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ (39) مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (40)} سورة يوسف

“[Joseph said] O my two companions of the prison! Are many different lords better or Allah, the One, the Irresistible? You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged) – you and your fathers – for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command is for none but Allah. He has commanded that you worship none but Him; that is the straight religion, but most men know not.” [12:39-40] This is one of the four times in the Quran when the word “arbaab” (lord sovereigns) is used to refer to “gods” instead of the plural of ilaah which is aalihah. The difference is that ilaah means subject of devotion. Rabb (pl. arbaab) means sovereign master, owner, and dispenser of affairs. This would be more applicable to the ancient Egyptians, whom Yusuf was preaching to, as well as the ancient Greeks, and then the Hindus.

With regard to denying Allah’s Names or Attributes, as some sects have done, while this is a creedal deviance and heresy, it is not shirk because these attributes were not given to anyone else, but rather, it is a kind of kufr, disbelief.

As for shirk in Allah’s rights, then that could be in His Legislative right, such as,

{…وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا (26)} سورة الكهف

“Nor does He share His Rule with anyone.” [18:26]

And,

{اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (31)} سورة التوبة

“They took their rabbis and their monks as lords besides Allah, and Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they were commanded to worship none but One God none has the right to be worshipped but He. Glorified is He from what they associate.” [9:31]

Here we see the word “arbaab” the plural of rabb again. However, this time, it doesn’t mean the “sovereign” aspect of rabb but rather, the “dispenser of affairs” aspect. By according them that legislative right, Allah calls it a form of association and worship, and affirms His exclusive right to being the ilaah, and calls their actions shirk.

The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said, “…when they made something lawful for them, the people considered it lawful, and when they made something unlawful for them, the people considered it unlawful.” They disregarded Allah’s right to legislation, given it to the church councils and patriarchs. Hence, marriage was forbidden for some of them while pork was permitted for all, etc.

Apart from all this, the most common type of major shirk which is generally referred to in the Quran over and over is devoting any act of worship to other than Allah,

{وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (18)} سورة يونس

“And they worship besides Allah things that harm them not, nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say: ‘Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?’ Glorified and Exalted is He above all that which they associate!” [10:18]

This includes all acts of worship, they all belong to Allah, including and especially invocation, which is the universal form of worship in all societies across history:

{وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا (18)} سورة الجن

“And that the places of prostration are for Allah, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah.” [72:18]

Further, linking invocation and worship:

{قُلْ إِنِّي نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قُلْ لَا أَتَّبِعُ أَهْوَاءَكُمْ قَدْ ضَلَلْتُ إِذًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ (56)} سورة الأنعام

“Say: ‘I have been forbidden to worship those whom you invoke besides Allah.’ Say: ‘I will not follow your desires, I would have gone astray had I done so and I would not be of the guided.’” [6:56]

{ثُمَّ قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ (73) مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا بَلْ لَمْ نَكُنْ نَدْعُو مِنْ قَبْلُ شَيْئًا كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الْكَافِرِينَ (74)} سورة الزمر

“Then it was said to them where are those you used to associate? Other than Allah? They will say they’ve vanished from us—No, we were not invoking, before, anything and thus is Allah misleading the disbelievers.”

And a type of du’aa is known as isti’aathah (الاستعاذة) which is seeking refuge or protection with someone from something.

{وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجَالٍ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَزَادُوهُمْ رَهَقًا (6)} سورة الجن

“And verily, there were men among mankind who used to seek refuge with the men among the jinn, so they (the jinn) increased them in sin and transgression.” [72:6]

The preceding verse refers to seeking the protection of “powerful spirits” against “demons”.

{إِنْ تَدْعُوهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُوا دُعَاءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ وَلَا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍ (14)} سورة فاطر

“If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your association of them. And none can inform you like Him Who is Well-Acquainted.” [35:14] – once again equating invoking others to shirk.

And all other acts of worship devoted to other than Allah are shirk, like sacrificing to spirits or saints, making oaths to them, circumambulating (performing tawaaf around) their graves, etc.  The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Allah has cursed whoever sacrificed to other than Allah.”

In fact, most of the Makki surahs of the Quran are about this, which is 87 out of 114 surahs. Chapters 6, the end of 7, chapters 10, 11, 13, 16, 22, 23, 24, 25, till the end of the Quran. Yet unfortunately, shirk has become a controversial subject, as some of those practices have found a way to appear even in Muslim lands. Ignorance of Arabic does not help. 

Here again we see that the main purpose of the messengers is to make all worship for Allah alone: 

{وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَالَةُ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ (36)} سورة النحل

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship Allah and avoid all false deities.’ Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied.” [16:36]

This also supports the idea that it was the polytheistic societies that were destroyed and whose remains and idols would be found in archaeological excavations.

{أَنْ لَا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ أَلِيمٍ (26)} سورة هود

“That you worship none but Allah; surely, I fear for you the torment of a painful Day.” [11:26]

So here it is as if he’s saying “laa ilaaha illaLLaah” but with a slightly different wording, yet preserving the meaning by saying, “no worship except for Allah.” This further clarifies that worshiping other than Allah, even while recognizing Allah’s sole dominion over all creation, is the greatest act of shirk. These words are from Noah. The point here is that all mankind knows who Allah is. So they were not commanded to merely recognize their creator but to worship Him. Lip service recognition was already given.

To understand why Allah considers shirk to be such an offense, consider that in many aayaat throughout the Quran and many ahaadeeth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, tawheed and shirk is often placed side by side with being good to one’s parents.

{وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ (13) وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَى وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ (14) وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (15) يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِنْ تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ (16)} سورة لقمان

“When Luqmaan said to his son by way of advice and instruction: ‘My dear son! Do not associate partners with God. Surely associating partners with God is indeed a tremendous wrong.’

We have enjoined on humanity in respect with his parents: his mother bore him in strain upon strain, and his weaning was in two years. (so, O human listener,) be thankful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the final homecoming. But if they strive with you to make you associate with Me something of which you certainly have no knowledge (and which is absolutely contrary to the Knowledge), do not obey them. But even then, treat them with kindness as is customary in this world.” [31:13-15]

{لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا (22) وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا (23) وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا (24)} سورة الإسراء

“Set not up with Allah any other ilaah, or you will sit down reproved, forsaken (in the Hell-fire). And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower to them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.’” [17:22-24]

And from the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ said, “The greatest of the major sins are: To join others in worship with Allah, to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to present false testimony.”

Is this just a coincidence? The connection is very evident. Allah brought humanity into existence and made their provision of air, water, foods of every kind and means of shelter when we could not bring ourselves into existence nor provide these things for ourselves after birth had we done so. Parents provide almost the exact same benefit to humans, even if they are abusive or offer poor advice, they bring us into living and provide our food and shelter until we leave them. So comparing the sacrifice made and enjoyed by parents to rear a child, to not have that child recognize or ever thank them would be an insult of the highest magnitude. When someone lives as Allah’s creation without recognizing or thanking Allah by acknowledging Him alone, it is also, an insult of the greatest degree and bars a person from ever entering the Paradise that Allah prepared for His grateful creatures. And since Allah is not a human, we cannot thank Him the way we would thank each other. Thanking Allah comes through His terms which He has detailed in His revelation to His Messengers from among us.

 

Dictionary Polytheism – belief in multiple powerful gods

 

As for the idea of their being multiple “Allahs” or similarly multiple demigods each with their own sphere of influence, this is an uncommon belief. Most religions, if not all, have one chief God, the God of the skies (الذي في السماء) whether that God’s name is Allah, or Thor or Brahman or Zeus or Jupiter, who is thus above the rest. Thus, even the pagan Arabs of the Prophet’s time acknowledged, just as the Prophet tested one of them, “how many do you worship? And which do you pray to in times of anxiety?” The man said he worshiped so many on earth but One in the heavens, and that was the One Who he turned to in difficult times. But it is Allah’s right to be invoked when we are desperate. And as a “jealous God”, to quote the Bible, Allah does not like anyone else to be invoked with such fervor or when there is no one else to turn to. Nonetheless, Allah addresses the possibility of multiple gods on par with each other here:

{قُلْ لِمَنِ الْأَرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (84) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (85) قُلْ مَنْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (86) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (87) قُلْ مَنْ بِيَدِهِ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (88) سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ فَأَنَّى تُسْحَرُونَ (89) بَلْ أَتَيْنَاهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ (90) مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِذًا لَذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (91) عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ (92)} سورة المؤمنون

“Say: ‘Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein? If you know!’ They will say: ‘It is Allah’s!’ Say: ‘Will you not then remember?’ Say: ‘Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Great Throne?’ They will say: Allah. Say: ‘Will you not then fear?’ Say: ‘In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything? And He protects all, while against Whom there is no protector, if you know?’ They will say: ‘(All that belongs) to Allah.’ Say: ‘How then are you deceived and turn away from the truth?’ Nay, but We have brought them the truth, and verily, they are liars. No son did Allah beget, nor is there any deity along with Him. Then each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified is Allah above all that they attribute to Him! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen! Exalted is He over all that they associate as partners to Him!” [23:84-92]

Multiple subjects of worship, each receiving prayers, answering prayers of their devotees would inevitably have led to conflicts. One would not be worshiped if they did not have power to love, hope for and potentially fear. And that kind the devotion exclusively belongs to Allah. Thus, the previous passage calls that shirk. We have the rebuke strengthened here:

{أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا آلِهَةً مِنَ الْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنْشِرُونَ (21) لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (22)} سورة الأنبياء

“Or have they taken gods from the earth, they are resurrecting [the dead]? Had there been in them twain [heavens and earth] deities instead of Allah then both [the heavens and the earth] would have been corrupted. So glory be to Allah, Rabb of the Throne, above what they attribute!” [21:21-22]

And like the first passage shows, giving Allah family members of His type, is a shirk which Allah has repeatedly negated in the Quran, in 2:116, 6:101 (how can He have a child when He has no wife), 10:68, 17:111 (Allah has no need for children, 18:4-5 (claimants have no proof), 19:88-93 (it’s inappropriate), 21:26 (being a great worshiper of Allah is great enough, but calling them a child is extreme), 25:2, 39:4 (if Allah wanted to take a child He would have elevated and chosen whomever He willed from His creation), 43:16 (daughters), 43:81 (if Allah has children or equals, then Muhammad would be the first to worship those children or call to that belief), 72:3 (negates a wife and child). And most well-known:

{قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1) اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2) لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3) وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)} سورة الإخلاص

“Say: Allah is One [Indivisible]. Allah is al-Samad. He has not begotten nor is He begotten. And there is no individual comparable to Him.” [112”1-4]

And because this type of association has been repeated so much throughout history, in the Quran, Allah’s final revealed book to humanity, He even forbids any metaphorical relationship to Him, so that there is no possible confusion or bridge to the forbidden polytheism:

{وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُمْ بِذُنُوبِكُمْ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ بَشَرٌ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ يَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ (18)} سورة المائدة

“And the Jews and Christians say We are the Children of God and His loved ones. Say Why then does Allah punish you for your sins? Rather, you are humans whom He has created, He forgives whom He wills and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allah belong the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, and to Him is the return.” [5:18]

 

 

What is Idolatry?

 

Idolatry is generally understood as the deification of idols, whether made of wood or stone. While people do pray to other beings through those idols (known as aṣnaam in Arabic الأَصْنام), no one in the history of humanity actually believes that the totem or figurine itself created the world or is the god itself. All followers of such religions, whether Hindu, Buddhist, or other, will testify that they recognize and believe that the stone, wood or paint is manmade and possesses no power to create, benefit, harm, give life, cause death, or resurrect. On the other hand, they use these objects as “focal points” for their worship of the beings that those icons represent. It is also believed by many or even all of them, that the distant subject of their worship may enter that object during the moment of their prayer or sacrifice.

{وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَهُمْ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ (138) إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (139) قَالَ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِيكُمْ إِلَهًا وَهُوَ فَضَّلَكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ (140)} سورة الأعراف

“And We took the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people intent in devotion to [some] idols of theirs. They said, O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods. He said, Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly. Indeed, those [worshippers] – destroyed is that in which they are [engaged], and worthless is whatever they were doing. He said, Is it other than Allah I should desire for you as a god while He has preferred you over the worlds?” [7:138:140]

Later on, as detailed in Surahs 7 and 20, the Children of Israel fashioned an idol in the form of a calf, from their gold and jewelry, and they worshiped it, and called it an ilaah (20:88). Prophet Ibrahim also warred against bowing down to idols among his people, and his father was an idol maker.

{وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ آزَرَ أَتَتَّخِذُ أَصْنَامًا آلِهَةً إِنِّي أَرَاكَ وَقَوْمَكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ (74)} سورة الأنعام

“And when Ibrahim said to his father Azar do you take idols (asnaam) as gods? I see you and your people in manifest error.” [6:74]

{وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ (69) إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ (70) قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ (71) قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ (72) أَوْ يَنْفَعُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَضُرُّونَ (73) قَالُوا بَلْ وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا كَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ (74)} سورة الشعراء

“And recite to them the story of Ibrahim, when he said to his father and people what do you worship? They said we worship idols, and we remain to them devoted. He said do they hear you when you invoke? Or benefit you or bring harm? They said no we found our ancestors doing like that.” [26:69-74]

But do you need an idol to be an idolater or polytheist? While many pagan cultures worshipped multiple deities for various purposes, not all worshiped those deities through objects. Or they did not believe the objects were required for worshiping those deities at all times, even if that was preferable. Whether it is Krishna for Hindus or St Anthony for Catholics or Uzzaa for the pagans of Quraish or Baal for the ancient Babylonians or Wadd for the people of Nuh or even Badawi for some ignorant “Muslims”, priests of those religious orders would be unanimous that a statue is just a statue and one could worship the deity without the statue but with love, devotion and word instead. Just like the worshiper of Allah, many of those traditions may even have methods to better get one’s prayers answered, like making pilgrimage to the sites of the saint’s “miracles” or giving an “offering” or sacrifice to their temple or in front of their statue. Such acts of worship are undoubtedly major shirk, even if they do not believe that their subject of invocation and devotion is not God Almighty,

{أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ (3)} سورة الزمر

“To Allah is the entire religion. And those who take awliyaa (saints) besides Him we do not worship them except to bring us ever closer to Allah. Truly Allah will judge between them in that which they differ. Allah does not guide he who is a persistently disbelieving liar.” [39:3]

Instead of using the word shurakaa’ (partners, associates) Allah used the word awliyaa, often translated as saints, as He was using a word they were familiar with, and is still used today by people for the same purpose, just as Allah does in chapter 7, verse 3.

At this point, it is important to distinguish between an idol and the ka`bah, since that is a common misconception. Muslims face that ka`bah with their bodies, as an act of submission and unification, not deification. Meanwhile, their eyes are fixated to where they will prostrate, about 3 feet in front of them, and the focus of their heart is not on the Ka`bah, but on their words that they are sending up to Allah, unseen above them. And when a Muslim is not directly in front of the Ka`bah, they are not even intending the Ka`bah, but rather intending the qiblah which  is the prayer direction, and nothing more. And even that prayer direction, in the early days of Islam was not to Makkah in the south but to Jerusalem in the north. The divine command to change that prayer direction does not even mention the Ka`bah, but rather the entire house of worship where the Ka`bah resides in its center. With so many dissimilarities, it is hard to take seriously any attempt to claim Muslims worship the Ka`bah.

But other pagans and philosophers believe that all the universe, creation and creator, are a single entity, or existing in the mind of God, and so anything and everything is a part of God, or God itself, and worthy of worship and celebration of its “divinity”. The beliefs of Islam are that the Creator is distinct from the creation. This is just as Allah says:

{وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لَا تَسْجُدُوا لِلشَّمْسِ وَلَا لِلْقَمَرِ وَاسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَهُنَّ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ (37)} سورة فصلت

“And from His signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not prostrate to the sun nor the moon, but prostrate to Allah who created them, if you are, Him, worshipping.” [41:37]