Materialism
One of the back doors of shirk is materialism, as Allah Almighty mentions in Surah Al-Kahf the shirk and materialism of the man with two gardens. It should be remembered that this polytheist had two vineyards, which were surrounded on all sides by date palms, and there was cultivated land between the two gardens. It was as if Allah had given him various kinds of fruits and food items. Both gardens bore abundant fruit every year; there was never any shortage. And between the two, Allah had also caused a canal to flow.
(كِلْتَا الْجَنَّتَيْنِ آتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْئًا ۚ وَفَجَّرْنَا خِلَالَهُمَا نَهَرًا)
“Both gardens yielded their fruit, and did not fall short thereof in anything, and We caused a river to flow between them.”
But the entire happiness of this wealthy and prosperous person was not limited merely to the existence of these gardens; rather, all means and resources were at his disposal. During a conversation, he said to a Muslim Israeli:
(أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا)
“I am greater than you in wealth, and also more honored than you in status and dignity.”
In short, the complete fulfillment of happiness and success had been achieved, and all means of comfort and ease were available. At this moment, his materialistic nature showed its color.
Accordingly, he took the Muslim’s hand and entered the garden, expressing his disbelief and arrogance as he walked around and began to describe its beauties. And since he believed in the eternity of this world, he said:
(مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَٰذِهِ أَبَدًا)
“I do not think this garden will ever perish.”
And since he did not believe in the Hereafter and its accountability, he said:
(وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا)
I do not believe that what people call the Day of Judgment will ever come, and even if I were to return to my Lord, I would receive a better reward than this garden.”
This is why, due to my high status in the sight of Allah, I have been given all this here, and therefore in that life, I will receive even better blessings in the highest degree.
Faith-based mindset:
His friend possessed the eternal wealth of divine knowledge and understanding of His attributes and actions. He knew that only Allah Almighty is the one who controls the universe, the creator of causes, and the one who can change circumstances whenever He wills. He openly opposed his materialistic and polytheistic way of thinking and informed him about the reality and the beginning of creation:
( أَكَفَرْتَ بِالَّذِي خَلَقَكَ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاكَ رَجُلًا)
“Have you denied the Being who created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then fashioned you into a goodly man?”
He further said, I do not say like you; I confess that Allah is One, He is the Lord of all, and I do not associate any of His creations in His worship:
(لَّٰكِنَّا هُوَ اللَّهُ رَبِّي وَلَا أُشْرِكُ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا)
“But my belief is that Allah alone is my Lord, and I do not associate anyone with my Lord.”
Rebuking and admonishing him for disbelief and polytheism, he said that when you entered the garden and were pleased by its beauty and splendor, why did you not acknowledge Allah’s blessings by saying that this garden was obtained by Allah’s will and His grace and mercy? If He wills, He will keep it flourishing, and if He wills, He will turn it into ruins. No power is attained without Allah. The source of every power is only Allah’s essence, not the apparent causes and material means:
(وَلَوْلَا إِذْ دَخَلْتَ جَنَّتَكَ قُلْتَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ)
“And when you entered the garden, why did you not say that Allah has willed what has happened, and that no power can be attained without Allah’s will?”
Faith in Divine Will:
This faithful companion warns him that the reproach he is giving about poverty and destitution is not unlikely that Allah Almighty may reverse the situation and grant him something better than your garden, and may send down a heavenly calamity upon your garden that completely destroys it and turns it into barren land where no foot can tread, its water sinking deep into the earth’s layers, making it impossible to recover in any way.
( إِن تَرَنِ أَنَا أَقَلَّ مِنكَ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿٣٩﴾ فَعَسَىٰ رَبِّي أَن يُؤْتِيَنِ خَيْرًا مِّن جَنَّتِكَ وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا ﴿٤٠﴾ أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَاؤُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَن تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُ طَلَبًا ﴿٤١﴾)
“If you find me less than yourself in wealth and children, then I hope my Lord will give me a better garden than your garden, and send upon your garden a calamity from the sky, so that it becomes a barren, smooth plain, or its water sinks into the earth, then you will not be able to seek it.”
The Polytheism of the Two Garden Owners:
Thus it happened, a storm sent by Allah came, and in no time this flourishing, blooming garden turned into a barren field. Filled with intense regret and despair, he began to gnash his teeth in sorrow, saying, “Alas, all that I spent has been lost, and the vineyard has become a heap on the ground.” Then recalling the words of the other Muslim Israelite, he said:
( يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُشْرِكْ بِرَبِّي أَحَدًا)
“Would that I had not associated anyone with my Lord (then I would not have to see this day).”
He became certain that what had happened to him was due to his disbelief, polytheism, materialism, arrogance, and rebellion, and his polytheism was that he associated partners in causes, thinking that all his prosperity and wealth originated from these apparent causes, and that they were the fruit and favor of these causes. Therefore, he forgot Allah Almighty and denied His control. And regarding the pride and boasting he had expressed that he had more status, grandeur, children, and servants than the Muslim, Allah Almighty pointed to this and said:
( وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ فِئَةٌ يَنصُرُونَهُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ مُنتَصِرًا ﴿٤٣﴾ هُنَالِكَ الْوَلَايَةُ لِلَّهِ الْحَقِّ ۚ هُوَ خَيْرٌ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ عُقْبًا ﴿٤٤﴾)
“And besides Allah, he had no group to help him, nor was he able to defend himself.” Here it is established that helping is truly the work of Allah; He is the best in recompense and outcome.
Polytheism of the Present Era:
This is the very shirk in which today’s material civilization is entangled; it has equated natural, material, and technical means, as well as experts in the arts, with the status of the Divine Being. The modern human being has made his borrowed life dependent on their mercy and kindness, believing that death and life, success and failure, prosperity and adversity, and good fortune and misfortune are all in their control.
The worship and veneration of material causes, cosmic forces, nature, and habit, and the complete reliance on experts, besides elevating them to the status equal to the Divine Being, is a backdoor to polytheism. It has added a modern form of idolatry to the ancient idol worship, whose legacy is still preserved here, and whose devotees still exist in large numbers. This new form of idolatry rivals both faith and servitude, and it is the same idolatry that Surah Al-Kahf has challenged in the field of action and is fully combating.
Allah Almighty has described the life of this world in the Holy Quran as a crop that soon perishes and returns to dust:
(وَاضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ الرِّيَاحُ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا)
“And (O Prophet!) you may present to them the example of the life of this world: it is like water which We send down from the sky, and the plants of the earth become lush because of it; then it dries up and you see it turn yellow; then it becomes scattered debris. And Allah is ever competent over all things.”
Since the instability of this world becomes much clearer with this example, Allah Almighty has mentioned it in several places in the Holy Quran, in Surah Yunus it is:
((إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَاءٍ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَاخْتَلَطَ بِهِ نَبَاتُ الْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ النَّاسُ وَالْأَنْعَامُ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَخَذَتِ الْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَازَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَا أَنَّهُمْ قَادِرُونَ عَلَيْهَا أَتَاهَا أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَاهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِالْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ))
“Indeed, the example of the worldly life is like water which We send down from the sky, and the plants of the earth mingle with it, which people and livestock eat. Until, when the earth becomes adorned and beautiful, and its owners think that they have full power over it, Our command comes to it by night or by day, and We make it cut down as if it had not flourished yesterday. We thus explain Our signs in detail for those who reflect.”
Furthermore, it is stated:
( أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَلَكَهُ يَنَابِيعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعًا مُّخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَانُهُ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَجْعَلُهُ حُطَامًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ)
“Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky, then makes it flow in springs within the earth, then with it He brings forth crops of various colors, then they wither and you see them turn yellow? Then He makes them scattered debris. Indeed, in that is a reminder for those of understanding.”
Difference Between Divine Religions and the Philosophy of Materialism:
The teachings of divine religions are completely different from this materialistic way of thinking; the perspective that the Holy Quran wants to create about worldly life is fully embedded in the sayings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ used to say:
((اللَّهُمَّ لَا عَيْشَ إِلَّا عَيْشُ الْآخِرَة.))
“O Allah! Life is indeed the life of the Hereafter.”
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray:
((اللّهُمَّ اجْعَلُ رِزْقَ آل مُحَمَّدِ قُوتاً.))
“O Allah! Provide the family of Muhammad ﷺ with sustenance ( لا یموت ).”
And in the words of another narration:
(( كَفَافًا))
“Just enough to suffice.”
Mustaurid bin Shaddad says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
((وَالله مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا مِثْلُ مَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِصْبَعَهُ وَأَشَارَ يَحُى بِالسَّبَّابَةِ …. فِي الْيَمِّ فَلْيَنظُرُ أَحَدُكُم بِمَ ترجع))
“By Allah! The world is to the Hereafter as if one of you dips his finger into the sea.” Yahya pointed to his index finger (the finger used for testimony). Then see how much water comes into it.”
The life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was a clear mirror of this belief. Sayyiduna Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه narrates in the “Hadith Ilaa”:
I came to the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, (and saw that) you were resting on a worn-out mat, there was no bedding between you and the mat, the unevenness and marks of the mat were clearly visible beside you, you were resting on a leather pillow filled with husk. I greeted you (after some details he continues) I looked around the house. By Allah! There was nothing in it that attracted the eye except three pieces of leather. I said:
O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Pray that Allah grants ease to your Ummah. The Iranians and Romans have plenty of worldly blessings, even though they do not worship Allah. Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and said:
Ibn Khattab! Do you also think like this? These are the people who have already paid the full price of their blessings in this world.
