Condemnation of Shirk in the Light of the Quran
Honorable gentlemen! You well know that Allah Almighty has emphasized the rejection of shirk and the affirmation of tawheed more than any other issue in the Holy Quran. This was the central and fundamental issue of the invitation of all the Prophets, peace be upon them, and the Quran has severely condemned shirk through various titles and expressions.
Shirk is a Great Oppression:
In the Holy Quran, Prophet Luqman, peace be upon him, advised his son as follows:
يَٰبُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
O my son, do not associate partners with Allah. Indeed, associating partners with Him is a great injustice.
At this time, thousands and millions of injustices and oppressions are happening in the universe, the rights of the rightful are being usurped, but greater than all these injustices and oppressions is the injustice of associating partners with Allah in His essence and attributes.
Shirk is a Great Misguidance:
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلَۢا بَعِيدًا
And whoever associates partners with Allah has gone far astray.
Polytheists are impure and filthy:
Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌۭ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَٰذَا
Polytheists are impure, so let them not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year.
Prohibition of marriage with polytheists:
Allah Almighty says:
وَلَا تَنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكَٰتِ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنَّۚ وَلَأَمَةٌۭ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكَةٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْۗ وَلَا تُنكِحُوا۟ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ حَتَّىٰ يُؤْمِنُوا۟ۚ وَلَعَبْدٌۭ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّن مُّشْرِكٍۢ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكُمْۗ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ
And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe, for indeed a believing slave woman is better for you than a polytheist, even though she pleases you. And do not marry your women to polytheist men until they believe, for indeed a believing slave man is better for you than a polytheist, even though he pleases you. Those invite to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and forgiveness.
Disobedience to parents in polytheism:
Allah Almighty says:
وَإِن جَٰهَدَاكَ لِتُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌۭ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا
And if your parents strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them.
No forgiveness for polytheism:
Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلَۢا بَعِيدًا
Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives whom He wills besides that. And whoever associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.
The polytheist is a slanderer:
Allah Almighty says:
وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
Whoever associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin against Allah.
Paradise is forbidden for the polytheist:
Allah Almighty says:
إِنَّهۥ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَىٰهُ ٱلنَّارُۖ وَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ
Indeed, whoever associates others with Allah, Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are no helpers for the wrongdoers.
Supplication for forgiveness is prohibited for the polytheist:
Allah Almighty says:
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِىِّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى قُرْبَىٰۖ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
It is not for the Prophet and the believers to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are relatives, after it has become clear that they are the companions of the Fire.
Shirk causes cowardice:
Allah Almighty says:
سَنُلْقِى فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلرُّعْبَ بِمَآ أَشْرَكُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـٰنًۭاۖ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُۚ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
We will cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers because of shirk, for which Allah has sent down no authority, and their abode is Hell, and evil is the destination of the wrongdoers.
Punishment due to Shirk:
Allah Almighty says:
وَيُعَذِّبَ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ ٱلظَّآنِّينَ بِٱللَّهِ ظَنَّ ٱلسَّوْءِ
Allah will punish the hypocrite men and women and the polytheist men and women because they used to think ill of Allah.
All deeds are wasted due to Shirk:
وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَا آتَيْنَاهَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَّن نَّشَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۚ كُلًّا هَدَيْنَا ۚ وَنُوحًا هَدَيْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَإِلْيَاسَ ۖ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ﴿٨٥﴾ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطًا ۚ وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٨٦﴾ وَمِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ وَإِخْوَانِهِمْ ۖ وَاجْتَبَيْنَاهُمْ وَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ﴿٨٧﴾ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
This was Our proof, the argument We gave to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) against his people. We raise whom We will in degrees. Indeed, your Lord is Most Wise and Knowing. And We gave him Ishaq (Isaac) and Ya’qub (Jacob), and We guided them all. And before that, We guided Nuh (Noah), and among his descendants, Dawud (David), Sulayman (Solomon), Ayyub (Job), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), and Harun (Aaron). Likewise, We reward the righteous. And We guided Zakariya (Zechariah), Yahya (John), Isa (Jesus), and Ilyas (Elijah), among the righteous. Then similarly, Ismail (Ishmael), Masih (Messiah), Yunus (Jonah), and Lut (Lot), all were favored, and some of their forefathers, some offspring, and some brothers We guided and chose, and led them on the Straight Path. Guidance is only with Allah; He guides whom He wills among His servants. If these Prophets and righteous ones had committed shirk (associating partners with Allah), their deeds would have been lost as well.
Allah Almighty addressed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said:
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
And it was revealed to you and to those before you: If you associate others with Allah, your deeds will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers.
Shirk plunges the polytheist into the unfathomable depths of destruction and ruin.
When a polytheist abandons Allah and goes to the doors of others, calling upon them in distress and spreading his hands before them, he falls in the sight of Allah. Allah Almighty has described his end in the Holy Quran as follows:
وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ ٱلطَّيْرُ أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍۢ سَحِيقٍ
And whoever associates others with Allah, it is as if he has fallen from the sky, and the birds have snatched him, or the wind has blown him to a distant place.
Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) addressed the polytheists and expressed his belief in these words:
وَلَآ أَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ رَبِّى شَيْـًۭٔاۗ وَسِعَ رَبِّى كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًاۗ أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنًۭا
Those whom you associate with Him, I do not fear them. Indeed, my Lord is the One Who decides all matters. My Lord encompasses all things in knowledge. Do you not then consider? How could I fear those whom you associate with Him, while you do not fear that you associate partners with Allah for whom He has sent down no authority?
Even today, many people fear pirs (spiritual guides), faqirs (ascetics), and malangs (wandering dervishes), thinking that if they do not give the eleventh share in the name of the baba (saint), harm will come, or if they do not give milk, the buffalo will die.
