Minor Shirk

 

Anything that can be described as shirk with Allah but does not remove a person from Islam is “lesser” or “minor” shirk. Since it is still a form or shirk, it remains a major sin and should be avoided at all costs. And because it rarely if ever encroaches on the rights of others, there is no worldly penalty for the one guilty of it.

Categories of minor shirk include misguided statements about Allah’s Lordship; ignorantly exaggerating the role of the creation in world events; deeming something as being causative, but Allah nor empirical sciences allow; and anything which resembles major shirk or is a gateway to it.  

Examples:

 

Saying, “Whatever Allah and you will.” AND swearing by other than Allah ﷻ

 

A “will” or mashee’ah (مشيئة) is something all intellectual beings possess. Allah refers to His own Will throughout the Quran, whether to guide or misguide, forgive or punish, or decree, etc. Muslims are supposed to recognize Allah’s Will and have respect for it and observe verbal etiquette when discussing anything that is connected with Allah’s Will. Allah “teaches a lesson” to people who should know better when they neglect that,

{إِنَّا بَلَوْنَاهُمْ كَمَا بَلَوْنَا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ إِذْ أَقْسَمُوا لَيَصْرِمُنَّهَا مُصْبِحِينَ (17) وَلَا يَسْتَثْنُونَ (18) فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ (19)} سورة القلم

“Verily, We have tried them as We tried the People of the Garden, when they swore to pluck its fruits in the morning, without making exception [by saying ‘if Allah wills’]. Then there passed by it a visitation (of fire) from your Lord while they were asleep.” [68:17-19]

However, sometimes a person might say “whatever Allah and you will” or “whatever Allah and he/she wills” if they deem a matter suspended upon the choice or action of another person. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ clarified that this is a kind of equating between the two possessors of will: Allah and the other person. To avoid that disrespect to Allah, we are instructed to instead say, “Whatever Allah wills and then you will.”

One of the Prophet’s companions said, “A Jew came to the Prophet and said, ‘You are setting up rivals (to Allah) and associating others (with Him). Your people say: ‘Whatever Allah wills and you will,’ and you all say: ‘By the Ka’bah.’’ So the Prophet commanded them, if they wanted to swear an oath, to say: ‘By the Lord of the Ka’bah;’ and to say: ‘Whatever Allah wills, then what you will.’” Here, Allah decreed to teach the Muslims a lesson through another follower of monotheism.

This hadeeth duly points to the despicable practice of swearing by other than Allah, like the saying of some people, “I swear by my mother’s grave.” Thus, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “whoever swears by other than Allah has disbelieved or done shirk.”

 

Thinking Allah gave some supernatural influence to constellations; “luck charms”, amulets, or talismans; numbers; days, months or years; stones; trees; individuals; places; graves; etc.

 

At the time the Quran was revealed, and for nearly a millennium afterward, it was widely believed that the universe was connected like several layers one on top of the other, and if something moved at the top, it would signal a chain reaction all the way down just as one gear turns another. The Quran indicated that the universe was not like this at all[6], but due to slow progression in the fields of physics and astronomy, the prevailing philosophies of the time still held a seat in the hearts of the educated and uneducated alike. Thus, it was commonplace to attribute rain or other events to the movement of the planets and stars above. This is also why some of the earliest scholars disliked that people should study astronomy. Allah points to the two main purposes of stars and constellations,

 

{وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا لِلنَّاظِرِينَ (16)} سورة الحجر

“And indeed, We have put the big stars in the heaven and We beautified it for the beholders.” [15:16]

{وَعَلَامَاتٍ وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ (16)} سورة النحل

“And by the stars they are guided” [16:16]

Allah recounts His Favors to humankind. From among them is making the constellations in a manner that provides trekkers and seafarers a method of finding their way in darkness. Muslim navigators then became the most broadly traveled around the world before the fall of Granada.

And as for comets and “shooting star” meteorites,

 

{وَحَفِظْنَاهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ (17) إِلَّا مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُبِينٌ (18)} سورة الحجر

“And We have guarded it (near heaven) from every outcast devil. Except him (devil) who steals the listening[7] then he is pursued by a clear flaming fire.” [15:17-18]

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once said, after a morning’s rain, that whoever awoke saying “we received rain by the Mercy of Allah,” awoke as a believer, and whoever said, “we received rain by such-and-such star or constellation” awoke as a disbeliever—meaning, ungrateful to Allah.[8]

 

Good and Bad Fortune from circumstances or from objects

As for things taken as symbolic of good luck or as omens of bad luck, then this is all a kind of shirk, whether it be an act, such as walking under a ladder or knocking on wood; a number, like 4 or 13; or a time of year thought to be lucky or unlucky; or a vision like seeing birds fly a certain way or a black cat cross your path; etc. Generally speaking, this is all representative of people’s weakness in trusting in Allah and feeling assured of His governance over the world’s affairs according to the physical laws He designed. Likewise, amulets and talismans, worn in belief that evil spirits would keep away from their bearers or that by wearing them, they would cause their crushes to fall in love with them or that they would bear children by their presence, or good fortune would befall them and ills kept at bay, then this is also shirk as many ahaadeeth mention.

 

Mistaking Allah’s tests for bad luck

{الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ فُطُورٍ (3) ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنْقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ (4)} سورة الملك

“You can see no fault in the creation of the al-Rahmaan (the One Whose Mercy encompasses all). Then look again, can you see any discrepancy? Then look again and yet again, your sight will return to you in a state of humiliation, and worn out.” [67:3-4]

However, Allah may test a person and their trust in Him versus their trust in some objects by Decreeing good or bad qadr for them in coincidence with it. If someone feels their faith might be weakened and that they might attach some providence to an object, person or place, it may be best to leave the object, according to the Prophet’s guidance, so that they can continue their lives without giving it consideration.

Yet on the other hand, it is important to recognize everything as a test, so as not to falsely blame something good for our seeming “misfortune”.

{قَالُوا اطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ طَائِرُكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ (47)} سورة النمل

“They [disbelievers] said [to the Messenger Allah sent to them]: ‘We perceive ill omen from you and those with you.’ He said: ‘Your ill omen is with Allah; nay, but you are a people that are being tested.’” [27:47] – i.e. everything is with Allah Alone, but He is testing you through us.

Similarly, when we start practicing Islam or if we increase our practice of Islam, we will be tested and tried, and that is a way of expiating the sins of our previous laziness or sinfulness. It is not Allah or any other forces pushing us away, but a cleanse and test before upping our game.

{فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَذِهِ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (131)} سورة الأعراف

“But whenever good came to them, they said: ‘This is ours.’ And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Musa and those with him. Truly, is it not that their evil omens are with Allah? But most of them know not.” [7:131]

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Following omens is shirk! Following omens is shirk! Everyone is bothered by it, but they remove it through reliance upon Allah.” In other words, it is human nature to feel a sense of pessimism about an endeavor and desire to quit when it starts on the wrong foot. To avoid shirk, the believer should ask Allah for His Aid and continue anyway if practical.

 

Seeking blessings as tabarruk التبرُّك

Related to this is rubbing against objects, like stones or trees, or even people or places with the belief that blessings (barakah) pour from it and attach to whomever makes contact with it. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was known to be blessed being throughout his life and his companions took advantage of that.[9] However, after his death, that ability was no longer present in anyone, and nearly all artifacts that the Prophet owned, used or touched have been lost. The companions also forbade excessiveness in this concept. Umar ibn al-Khattaab ordered that the tree under which the Prophet and his companions took pledge be chopped down. He said, “Truly, only that which destroyed those who came before you is the pursuit of the remnants of their prophets’.”

A similar note-worthy incident happened during the Prophet’s lifetime when a group of the newly converted recalled that Quraish and other idolatrous tribes used to pick a tree and hang their weapons and armory on it with the belief that it would be a source of blessing. They called this tree “thaat anwaat” meaning “the one with things hanging from it”. So after missing this practice, they approached the Prophet ﷺ and said, “make for us a thaat anwaat just as they have one.” When the Prophet ﷺ heard this, he extolled Allah’s greatness, and said, “This is exactly like what the people of Musa said, ‘Make for us an ilaah just as they have idols’ [7:138] and you shall surely follow the ill patterns of those before you.”

Of all these examples in the “minor shirk” category, the one thing that could make them become major shirk is if the individual saying or doing these acts believes their subject to share in Allah’s sovereignty like a god along with Allah. Most people believe that these things may simply be a part of Islam or something containing a “well known benefit” although a placebo for sure.

 

There are many other examples that may not be shirk but have more to do with having good etiquette with Allah and recognizing Allah’s greatness. Since they are prohibited or discouraged, one should still abstain from them. For the sake of completing the benefit for the reader, we will mention them here. Examples include,

• Refusing someone who asks for the sake of Allah, like “please could you do this for me, I’m asking you for Allah’s sake.” If someone refuses this request, it is highly disliked, because when the asker asks by Allah, it should be taken seriously. But on the other hand, the asker should not make such requests lightly, especially with things they could do themselves, with Allah’s Help.
• Denying someone who swore by Allah, like “I swear by Allah, I was not involved.” Even if known to be a lie, making such an oath may indicate their inclination towards repentance if it was in regard to a sin. However, swearing by Allah over the quality of something you’re trying to sell, if lying, is a major sin.
• Asking “by Allah’s Face” for anything less than Paradise, like “Oh Allah, I ask You by Your Face, that you decree this job promotion for me,” since the Face of Allah is something the believers will see in Paradise and it is the greatest gift they will ever receive—to directly sense Allah with their visions.
• Cursing the passing of time since Allah controls the passing of time.
• Calling anyone “my ‘abd [slave, worshiper]” or “my rabb [lord, master]”. But instead, the Prophet directed people to say “boy” ghulaam or “girl” jaariyah, “chief” or “boss” sayyid.
• Saying “so-and-so guided that person to Islam,” since it is Allah alone who guides and confers iman to others.
• Cursing the wind.
• Giving, taking or keeping a name that has a sacrilegious meaning, like Abdul-Husain or Abdul-Rasool, or Al-Rahmaan.
• Forgetting that contagious diseases only begin and spread by the Will of Allah.
• Invoking Allah “by the honor of…” someone, called waseelah (الوسيلة), rather than sanctioned methods of waseelah aka tawassul, seeking nearness to Allah. This may otherwise lead ultimately to praying to that person, so it is considered by some to be a reprehensible innovation in du’aa. Allah and His Messenger sanctioned:
  • Speaking to a person face-to-face (or using modern methods of communication) and asking them to pray for you.
  • Asking Allah by some of His Names and Attributes. For example, saying “Oh Allah, I ask you by your Love to forgive that you Forgive me, and You are the Most Forgiving.”
  • Figuratively calling humanity the “Children of God”.
  • Asking Allah by virtue of your own acts of worship. For example, saying, “Oh Allah, if I performed this hajj solely for Your Pleasure, then grant me righteous children.”
  • However, some early scholars did Allah asking Allah “by virtue/right/station of the Prophet” or “by the right of those who ask”.
• Neglecting to say “Inshaa’Allaah” for whatever you claim will happen or that you’ll do in the future.
• Saying “insha’Allah” during du’aa. This has unfortunately become extremely common among the Muslims, to say “may Allah bless you insha’Allah” or “may Allah grant you righteous children/spouse insha’Allah” or “may Allah forgive them insha’Allah” etc. The Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you should say to Allah (like this): ‘O Allah, grant me mercy, if you will.’ The supplication should be said with determination, for Allah is the Doer of whatever He likes to do, and there is none to force Him.” Another reason why this is deplorable is because it is as if the supplicant feels they need to be extra kind to Allah to avoid earning Allah’s anger. This could lead to them wanting to approach others instead of approaching Allah, asking others to pray for them, and perhaps even invoking the deceased to intercede with Allah, and that of course is major shirk. Rather, with invocations, Allah is very approachable even though there is etiquette, but this is not from it. The etiquette of a good supplication is beginning by praising Allah, and then making salaah and salaam upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, then asking Allah for what you want, and then praising Him again using His Names and Attributes and finally sending more salaah and salaam upon the Prophet ﷺ. So the best invocation is “sandwiched” between praises of Allah and salaah and salaam.