Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 106

(Ayah106){وَ مَا يُؤْمِنُ اَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللّٰهِ … :} The first example of those who associate partners with Allah while claiming faith in Him are the disbelievers of Quraysh, who knew and acknowledged Allah, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Creator of these very polytheists themselves, and the complete Owner of everything, as He said: «{ وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ } » [ الزخرف : ۸۷ ] "And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say, 'Allah.'" And He said: «{ وَ لَىِٕنْ سَاَلْتَهُمْ مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الْاَرْضَ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللّٰهُ }» [ لقمان : ۲۵ ] "And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say, 'Allah.'" See also Surah Al-Mu’minun (84–89) and Yunus (31–35). Along with this, they considered some beings as their intercessors with Allah, those who would bring them closer to Allah and fulfill their needs, as Allah said: «{ وَ يَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَ لَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَ يَقُوْلُوْنَ هٰۤؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَآؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ }» [ یونس : ۱۸ ] "And they worship besides Allah things that neither harm them nor benefit them, and they say, 'These are our intercessors with Allah.'" And He said: «{ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّخَذُوْا مِنْ دُوْنِهٖۤ اَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ اِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُوْنَاۤ اِلَى اللّٰهِ زُلْفٰى } » [ الزمر : ۳ ] "And those who take protectors besides Him (say), 'We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position.'" It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the polytheists used to say: [ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ ] So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would say: [ وَيْلَكُمْ قَدْ قَدْ] "Woe to you, do not say anything beyond this," (but they would say): [ إِلاَّ شَرِيْكًا هُوَ لَكَ تَمْلِكُهٗ وَمَا مَلَكَ ، يَقُوْلُوْنَ هٰذَا وَهُمْ يُطُوْفُوْنَ بِالْبَيْتِ ] [مسلم، الحج، باب التلبیۃ وصفتھا ووقتھا : ۱۱۸۵ ] "Except for a partner who is Yours, You own him, and what he owns." They would say these words while circumambulating the House of Allah (the Ka'bah)." The polytheists considered the angels to be the daughters of Allah, thus committing shirk while claiming faith in Allah. As He said: «{ وَ جَعَلُوا الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةَ الَّذِيْنَ هُمْ عِبٰدُ الرَّحْمٰنِ اِنَاثًااَشَهِدُوْا خَلْقَهُمْ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ وَ يُسْـَٔلُوْنَ }» [ الزخرف : ۱۹ ] "And they have made the angels, who are servants of the Most Merciful, females. Were they witnesses to their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned." The polytheists of Makkah, along with faith in Allah, also worshipped the idols of elders, as He said: «{ اَفَرَءَيْتُمُ اللّٰتَ وَ الْعُزّٰى (19) وَ مَنٰوةَ الثَّالِثَةَ الْاُخْرٰى (20) اَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَ لَهُ الْاُنْثٰى (21) تِلْكَ اِذًا قِسْمَةٌ ضِيْزٰى (22) اِنْ هِيَ اِلَّاۤ اَسْمَآءٌ }» [النجم : ۱۹ تا ۲۳ ] "Have you then considered al-Lat and al-‘Uzza, and another, the third (goddess), Manat? Are you to have the males and He the females? That, then, is an unjust division. These (idols) are nothing but names you have named." They had placed images of Ibrahim and Isma'il (peace be upon them) inside the very Ka'bah. [ بخاري، الحج، باب من کبّر في نواحي الکعبۃ : ۱۶۰۱ ] The People of the Book also claimed faith in Allah, yet they declared Uzair and the Messiah (peace be upon them) to be the sons of Allah. Sometimes they said that Allah Himself came in the form of the Messiah, that in reality both are one: «{ لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِيْنَ قَالُوْۤا اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيْحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ }» [المائدۃ : ۷۲ ] Sometimes they said three are one, sometimes that Allah is the third of three: «{ لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِيْنَ قَالُوْۤا اِنَّ اللّٰهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلٰثَةٍ }» [المائدۃ : ۷۳ ] They considered their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, having the authority to declare things lawful and unlawful: «{ اِتَّخَذُوْۤا اَحْبَارَهُمْ وَ رُهْبَانَهُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ }» [ التوبۃ : ۳۱ ] They built mosques over their graves and worshipped them. The Messenger said: [ لَعْنَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَی الْيَهُوْدِ وَالنَّصَارٰی اتَّخَذُوْا قُبُوْرَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ ] [بخاري، المغازی، باب مرض النبي صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ووفاتہ : ۴۴۴۳، ۴۴۴۴ ] "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their prophets as places of prostration."

Alas, for a long time, most of those who recite the Kalimah of Islam have also fallen into this state. Many among them, while claiming faith in Allah, also say that Allah Himself descended to earth in the form of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Some believe that Allah comes in the form of their pir (spiritual leader). Some, in worshipping their elders, have come to believe that their elders have become one with Allah. Countless so-called great scholars, pirs, and their followers, like the Hindus, have declared everything to be Allah and named this belief "Wahdat al-Wujud" (Unity of Existence), and have called this clear disbelief and shirk "gnosis," whereas this belief nullifies every command of Islam. This is the very atheism and clear disbelief upon which, by putting on the mask of Islam, these people have forcibly made themselves not only Muslims but also the custodians of Islam. Among common Muslims, there are so many who consider living or dead elders as fulfillers of needs and removers of difficulties, call upon them in distress, plead to them for children, honor, and wealth, perform rituals in their names, make offerings, build solid graves for them, circumambulate them, and prostrate to them. In short, whatever the polytheists of Makkah did with their idols, these false Muslims do with their so-called benefactors, fulfillers of needs, and removers of difficulties, all the while claiming faith in Allah. May Allah guide us and protect us all from shirk and keep us firm on tawheed. (Ameen)

Even after believing, there are other forms of shirk from which it is necessary to abstain, such as swearing by other than Allah, showing off (riya’), hanging threads, bracelets, beads, etc. to ward off illness, taking bad omens, going to soothsayers (kahin), i.e., those who claim to tell the future—all these acts have been declared shirk in authentic ahadith. For details, refer to books written on the subject of tawheed, such as Taqwiyat al-Iman and Kitab al-Tawheed, etc.