بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ، نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، أَمَّا بَعْدُ
In previous post, we explained the meaning of shirk and some of the shirk’s beliefs and practices prevalent in this ummah. In that post, we have stated the command of Allah that for the one who dies in the state of shirk, Allah Almighty has declared eternal Hell as obligatory and Paradise as forbidden. In this post, we will further point out from the Qur’an and Hadith, In Sha Allah, what a heinous act shirk is. In Surah An’am, Allah Almighty mentions eighteen chosen Prophets (peace be upon them) i.e. Isaac, Jacob, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zechariah, John, Jesus, Elias, Ishmael, Jesus, Jonah and Lot.
وَ اِسْمٰعِيْلَ وَ الْيَسَعَ وَ يُوْنُسَ وَ لُوْطًا١ؕ وَ كُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعٰلَمِيْنَۙ
__and Ismai’l and Yasa_ and Yunus and LuT, and all of them We made to excel over all the people of the world (in their respective times).
(Al Anaam : 86)
وَ مِنْ اٰبَآىِٕهِمْ وَ ذُرِّيّٰتِهِمْ وَ اِخْوَانِهِمْ١ۚ وَ اجْتَبَيْنٰهُمْ وَ هَدَيْنٰهُمْ اِلٰى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ
And [some] among their fathers and their descendants and their brothers – and We chose them and We guided them to a straight path.
Al An’am : 87
ذٰلِكَ هُدَى اللّٰه ِ يَهْدِيْ بِهٖ مَنْ يَّشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهٖ١ؕ وَ لَوْ اَشْرَكُوْا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَعْمَلُوْنَ
That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. But if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
(Al An’am: 88)
Allah said in Surah Az-Zumar:
وَ لَقَدْ اُوْحِيَ اِلَيْكَ وَ اِلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ١ۚ لَىِٕنْ اَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَ لَتَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْخٰسِرِيْنَ
And it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers.”
(Surah Az-Zumar:65)
The Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all) were never polytheists, but they came to put an end to shirk. Here to define the grave crime or enormity of shirk (shirk) 18 prophets are mentioned by name and then in Surah Zumar it has been said by addressing the Prophet ﷺ, Allah forbid, if our Prophet ﷺ would have committed shirk or subordinated anything or anyone in Allah’s divinity, all his deeds, his prayers, his (Salat ul Tahajud) late night prayers , his fasting, his striving to go out in the way of Allah would have been crumbled and he would have been among the losers in the sight of Allah.
The Mushrik’s nations are destroyed:
قُلْ سِيْرُوْا فِي الْاَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوْا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلُ١ؕ كَانَ اَكْثَرُهُمْ مُّشْرِكِيْنَ
Say, “Travel through the land and observe how was the end of those before. Most of them were associators [of others with Allah].
(Surah Ar-Rum:42)
It is stated in this verse that the punishment of Allah comes upon the nations in which people start associating shirk frequently. The Qur’an and Hadith mention many nations that Allah destroyed them with this punishment. In the verse of Surah An’am, it has been told that for whom is peace and guidance:
اَلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَ لَمْ يَلْبِسُوْۤا اِيْمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ لَهُمُ الْاَمْنُ وَ هُمْ مُّهْتَدُوْنَؒ
They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice (Shirk ) – those will have security, and they are [rightly] guided.
(Surah Al-An’am:82)
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتِ {الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ} قَالَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَيُّنَا لَمْ يَظْلِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ {إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ}.
( بخاری، کتاب الایمان ، بَابٌ: ظُلْمٌ دُونَ ظُلْمٍ )
Narrated ‘Abdullah:
When the following Verse was revealed: “It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with wrong (worshipping others besides Allah.)” (Surah Al-An’am:82) , the companions of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked, “Who is amongst us who had not done injustice (wrong)?” Allah revealed: “No doubt, joining others in worship with Allah is a great injustice (wrong) indeed.” (Luqman : 13)
(Sahih Bukhari, Book of Belief, Chapter: Dhulm (wrong) of one kind can be greater or lesser than that of another)
That is, faith is the only valid one in there is no trace of shirk. If there is a claim of faith and disbelief and shirk are also taking place, then such faith is not acceptable in the sight of Allah Almighty. It is stated in Quran Majeed that
وَ مَا يُؤْمِنُ اَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللّٰهِ اِلَّا وَ هُمْ مُّشْرِكُوْنَ
And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him.
(Surah Yusuf: 106)
In this verse of the Qur’an, Allah Almighty has made it clear that despite believing in Allah, the majority of people are involved in shirk. That is, the claim that our trust is in Allah Almighty, but they hang amulets to cure diseases, increase in earnings, and bind imam zamin for protection, then tell us what kind of faith this is. When reliance or trust diverted from Allah and to other things, then it has become shirk, so Allah sends punishment on the nations in which shirk is practiced.
It is also forbidden to pray for the forgiveness of a Mushrik.
Allah said:
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَنْ يَّسْتَغْفِرُوْا۠ لِلْمُشْرِكِيْنَ۠ وَ لَوْ كَانُوْۤا اُولِيْ قُرْبٰى مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ اَنَّهُمْ اَصْحٰبُ الْجَحِيْمِ
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
(Surah At-Tawbah:113)
In Surah Al-Hashr, on the one hand, Allah Himself taught the believers to pray for those who passed away before them, but on the other hand how unfortunate is the polytheist that Allah forbade Prophet ﷺ and believers not to make prayer of absolution (Pray for their forgiveness after their death) for polytheist. Therefore, the person who dies on shirk (as a polytheist), do not pray for his funeral prayer (salat ul mayat) as it is also prayer for forgiveness and do not supplicate for his forgiveness at any other time.
Marriage to Mushrik is also forbidden:
Allah said:
وَ لَا تَنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكٰتِ حَتّٰى يُؤْمِنَّ١ؕ وَ لَاَمَةٌ مُّؤْمِنَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ مُّشْرِكَةٍ وَّ لَوْ اَعْجَبَتْكُمْ١ۚ وَ لَا تُنْكِحُوا الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ حَتّٰى يُؤْمِنُوْا١ؕ وَ لَعَبْدٌ مُّؤْمِنٌ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ مُّشْرِكٍ وَّ لَوْ اَعْجَبَكُمْ١ؕ اُولٰٓىِٕكَ يَدْعُوْنَ اِلَى النَّارِ١ۖۚ وَ اللّٰهُ يَدْعُوْۤا اِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَ الْمَغْفِرَةِ بِاِذْنِهٖ١ۚ وَ يُبَيِّنُ اٰيٰتِهٖ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُوْنَ
And do not marry polytheistic women until they believe. And a believing slave woman is better than a polytheist, even though she might please you. And do not marry polytheistic men [to your women] until they believe. And a believing slave is better than a polytheist, even though he might please you. Those invite [you] to the Fire, but Allah invites to Paradise and to forgiveness, by His permission. And He makes clear His verses to the people that perhaps they may remember.
(Surah Al-Baqarah:221)
How much Allah hates the polytheist because He commands His believing servants that a believing man should never marry any polytheist woman and says that a believing slave is better than this polytheist woman no matter how much you like that polytheist woman. In the same way, a believing woman should never be married to a polytheistic man. A believing slave is better than that. This command was given because after marrying a polytheist, it is quite likely to adopt the customs and traditions and at the end it ends up in eternal hell. However, in Surah Al-Ma’ida, believing men can marry chaste women of the People of the Book. Remember that this is only a leave, otherwise the ruling is not to marry a polytheist.
At the end of this post we are quoting a verse from Surah Al-Hajj which will give you an idea of the fate of the shirk:
حُنَفَآءَ لِلّٰهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِيْنَ بِهٖ١ؕ وَ مَنْ يُّشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ فَكَاَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ اَوْ تَهْوِيْ بِهِ الرِّيْحُ فِيْ مَكَانٍ سَحِيْقٍ
Inclining [only] to Allah, not associating [anything] with Him. And he who associates with Allah – it is as though he had fallen from the sky and was snatched by the birds or the wind carried him down into a remote place.
(Surah Al-Haj:31)