Shirk - The Greatest Sin
Shaykh Saleh al-Fawzaan
The greatest kind of apostasy is to commit ash-shirk in one's worship of Allaah, to worship others along with Allaah, like slaughtering for other than Allaah, or taking an oath by other than Allaah, or prostrating to other than Allaah, or seeking help from other than Allaah in affairs that no one has power over except Allaah. This is the greatest kind of apostasy.
Allaah, the Most High, has said: Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. [al-Ma`idah 5:72]
Verily, Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him, while He forgives what is less than that for whomever He pleases. And whoever has ascribed a partner to Allaah in worship, verily he has invented a tremendous sin. [an-Nisaa 4:48]
And whoever has ascribed a partner to Allaah has verily strayed far indeed. [an-Nisaa 4:116]
So shirk - ascribing partners to Allaah - is the most dangerous kind of apostasy. It is to worship other than Allaah by offering any kind of worship, like supplication, slaughtering, taking oaths, [and] seeking help in affairs that only Allaah - the Glorified and Exalted - has power over, such as calling upon the dead, or seeking help from graves or the dead. This is the most dangerous and greatest kind of apostasy, and it is something that many who ascribe to Islaam are upon. They construct tombs, make tawaaf (walk in circles) around them, slaughter for them, take oaths by them, and seek nearness to them. They say they do this to get closer to Allaah! So they seek nearness to the tombs, and in their assumption they are drawing closer to Allaah? Why did they not simply seek nearness to Allaah from the beginning, and abandon these mazes of confusion?
Let them draw near to Allaah, for He is close and one Who responds! Why would you seek nearness to the created beings, saying they are bringing you close to Allaah? Is Allaah, the Glorified and Exalted, far away? Has Allaah closed His doors? Is it that Allaah does not know about His creation, nor does He hear them or see what they are doing? Rather, Allaah is close and one Who responds!
Allaah says: And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (tell them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). [al-Baqarah 2:186]
And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). [Ghafir 40:60]
Indeed, He is close and one Who responds! So why would you go and call upon other than Allaah, saying, "This brings me closer to Allaah?"
[This is the same exact statement of the mushrikeen aforetime, found in Allaah's Book. They used to say:] "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah." [az-Zumar 39:3]
It is as if [they believe] Allaah does not know or have any knowledge! This is how the jinn and human devils have beautified their statements for them, while they claim Islaam as their Religion, testify Laa ilaaha illaAllaah, pray and fast.
However, they have mixed these actions with ash-shirk al-akbar (major shirk), so they leave the Religion of Islaam, even though they pray, fast, and make Hajj. Anyone who sees them would assume they are Muslims.
So it is obligatory for us to be aware of this. To ascribe partners to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is the greatest and most dangerous of all sins. Even with its evil and its danger, many of those who ascribe to Islaam have still fallen into it. However, they do not call it by its name - shirk - rather they call it "at-tawassul', "drawing close" or they call it "seeking intercession," or they call it names other than shirk. However, names do not change realities. Shirk is still shirk, and it is the most dangerous kind of apostasy and the most common kind that people fall into, even though it is something clear in the Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihi wasallam). Warnings against it and threats of punishments are clear, as there is no Soorah in the Qur'aanfree of a warning against shirk. Despite this, they read the Qur'aan, and they do not stay away from shirk.
And perhaps someone may come and say, "These people are ignorant, so they are to be excused on account of their ignorance."
So we say: To what end will people be excused on account of ignorance, while the Qur'aan is being recited? They are memorizing the Qur'aan and reciting it. Verily, the proof has been established against them by way of the Qur'aan: Say: "Allaah (the Most Great!) is Witness between me and you; And this Qur'aan has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach. [Al-An'aam 6:19]
So then the proof has been established upon everyone that the Qur'aan has reached, and there is no excuse for them.
Allaah, The Most High, has said: Verily! Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him, while He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wants." [an-Nisaa 4:116]
"Verily! Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him." This shows that shirk is the greatest of all sins, since it is something that Allaah will not forgive unless the person who committed it repents from it.
"While He forgives what is less than that," meaning less than shirk, like fornication and adultery, drinking alcohol, stealing, taking part in ribaa (usury). All of these things are less than shirk, and thus the one who commits them is under the Will of Allaah. They have committed major sins and they are considered fusaaq, disobedient ones. However, they have not fallen into shirk; they have only fallen into major sins that decrease their faith and cause them to be labeled with disobedience. If they were to die without having repented, then they would be under the Will of Allaah; if He wants, He will forgive them due to the Tawheed that was with them, and if He wants He will punish them because of their sins and, then later, they will be admitted to Paradise due to the Tawheed that was with them. This is what happens to those who commit major sins less than shirk.
And His statement, "While He forgives what is less than that," shows that all sins other than shirk may be forgiven, and that shirk is the greatest and most dangerous of them. This shows the true danger of shirk, and that is the greatest of sins.
The greatest kind of apostasy is to commit ash-shirk in one's worship of Allaah, to worship others along with Allaah, like slaughtering for other than Allaah, or taking an oath by other than Allaah, or prostrating to other than Allaah, or seeking help from other than Allaah in affairs that no one has power over except Allaah. This is the greatest kind of apostasy.
Allaah, the Most High, has said: Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. [al-Ma`idah 5:72]
Verily, Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him, while He forgives what is less than that for whomever He pleases. And whoever has ascribed a partner to Allaah in worship, verily he has invented a tremendous sin. [an-Nisaa 4:48]
And whoever has ascribed a partner to Allaah has verily strayed far indeed. [an-Nisaa 4:116]
So shirk - ascribing partners to Allaah - is the most dangerous kind of apostasy. It is to worship other than Allaah by offering any kind of worship, like supplication, slaughtering, taking oaths, [and] seeking help in affairs that only Allaah - the Glorified and Exalted - has power over, such as calling upon the dead, or seeking help from graves or the dead. This is the most dangerous and greatest kind of apostasy, and it is something that many who ascribe to Islaam are upon. They construct tombs, make tawaaf (walk in circles) around them, slaughter for them, take oaths by them, and seek nearness to them. They say they do this to get closer to Allaah! So they seek nearness to the tombs, and in their assumption they are drawing closer to Allaah? Why did they not simply seek nearness to Allaah from the beginning, and abandon these mazes of confusion?
Let them draw near to Allaah, for He is close and one Who responds! Why would you seek nearness to the created beings, saying they are bringing you close to Allaah? Is Allaah, the Glorified and Exalted, far away? Has Allaah closed His doors? Is it that Allaah does not know about His creation, nor does He hear them or see what they are doing? Rather, Allaah is close and one Who responds!
Allaah says: And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (tell them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). [al-Baqarah 2:186]
And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). [Ghafir 40:60]
Indeed, He is close and one Who responds! So why would you go and call upon other than Allaah, saying, "This brings me closer to Allaah?"
[This is the same exact statement of the mushrikeen aforetime, found in Allaah's Book. They used to say:] "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allaah." [az-Zumar 39:3]
It is as if [they believe] Allaah does not know or have any knowledge! This is how the jinn and human devils have beautified their statements for them, while they claim Islaam as their Religion, testify Laa ilaaha illaAllaah, pray and fast.
However, they have mixed these actions with ash-shirk al-akbar (major shirk), so they leave the Religion of Islaam, even though they pray, fast, and make Hajj. Anyone who sees them would assume they are Muslims.
So it is obligatory for us to be aware of this. To ascribe partners to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, is the greatest and most dangerous of all sins. Even with its evil and its danger, many of those who ascribe to Islaam have still fallen into it. However, they do not call it by its name - shirk - rather they call it "at-tawassul', "drawing close" or they call it "seeking intercession," or they call it names other than shirk. However, names do not change realities. Shirk is still shirk, and it is the most dangerous kind of apostasy and the most common kind that people fall into, even though it is something clear in the Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihi wasallam). Warnings against it and threats of punishments are clear, as there is no Soorah in the Qur'aanfree of a warning against shirk. Despite this, they read the Qur'aan, and they do not stay away from shirk.
And perhaps someone may come and say, "These people are ignorant, so they are to be excused on account of their ignorance."
So we say: To what end will people be excused on account of ignorance, while the Qur'aan is being recited? They are memorizing the Qur'aan and reciting it. Verily, the proof has been established against them by way of the Qur'aan: Say: "Allaah (the Most Great!) is Witness between me and you; And this Qur'aan has been revealed to me that I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach. [Al-An'aam 6:19]
So then the proof has been established upon everyone that the Qur'aan has reached, and there is no excuse for them.
Allaah, The Most High, has said: Verily! Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him, while He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wants." [an-Nisaa 4:116]
"Verily! Allaah does not forgive that partners be ascribed to Him." This shows that shirk is the greatest of all sins, since it is something that Allaah will not forgive unless the person who committed it repents from it.
"While He forgives what is less than that," meaning less than shirk, like fornication and adultery, drinking alcohol, stealing, taking part in ribaa (usury). All of these things are less than shirk, and thus the one who commits them is under the Will of Allaah. They have committed major sins and they are considered fusaaq, disobedient ones. However, they have not fallen into shirk; they have only fallen into major sins that decrease their faith and cause them to be labeled with disobedience. If they were to die without having repented, then they would be under the Will of Allaah; if He wants, He will forgive them due to the Tawheed that was with them, and if He wants He will punish them because of their sins and, then later, they will be admitted to Paradise due to the Tawheed that was with them. This is what happens to those who commit major sins less than shirk.
And His statement, "While He forgives what is less than that," shows that all sins other than shirk may be forgiven, and that shirk is the greatest and most dangerous of them. This shows the true danger of shirk, and that is the greatest of sins.
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