Foundation of Islamic Study Module 1 (2/5)
Foundation of Islamic Study Module 1 (2/5)
Foundation of Islamic Study Module 1 (2/5)
Islamic
Online
University
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Islamic Online University The Foundations of Islamic Studies 101
Module ONE
‘AQEEDAH
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ُﺎﺀﺸ ﻳﻦ ﻟِﻤﻭﻥﹶ ﺫﹶﻟِﻚﺎ ﺩ ﻣﻔِﺮﻐﻳ ﺑِﻪِ ﻭﻙﺮﺸ ﺃﹶﻥﹾ ﻳﻔِﺮﻐ ﻟﹶﺎ ﻳﺇِﻥﱠ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪ
“Surely Allaah will not forgive the association of partners (shirk)
with Him, but He forgives (sins) lesser then that of whomever He
wishes.”1
Because the sin of shirk denies the very purpose of man’s creation, it is to God the
gravest of sins, the unforgiveable sin.
Shirk literally means partnership, sharing or associating,2 but Islamically it
refers to the act of assigning partners to Allaah in whatever form it may take. The
following analysis of shirk will correspond to the three broad categories
developed in the study of tawheed. Hence, we will first look at the main ways in
which shirk can occur in the area of ruboobeeyah (lordship), then asmaa ’ was-
sifaat (divine names and attributes), and finally in ‘Ibaadah (worship).
Shirk in Ruboobeeyah
This category of shirk refers to either the belief that others share Allaah’s lordship
over creation as His equal or near equal, or to the belief that there exists no lord
over creation at all. Most religious systems fall into the first sub-category of shirk
in Ruboobeeyah while it is the philosophers and their man-made philosophies that
tend to fill the second one.
1
Soorah an-Nisaa, (4):48.
2
The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, p.468.
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(a) Shirk by Association: Beliefs that exemplify shirk by association are ones in
which a main God or Supreme Being over creation is recognized, though His
dominion is shared by other lesser gods, spirits, mortals, heavenly bodies or
earthly objects. Such belief systems are commonly referred to by theologians and
philosophers as either monotheistic (having one god) or polytheistic (having more
then one god). According to Islaam, all of these systems are polytheistic, and
many represent various stages in the degeneration of divinely revealed religious
systems, which were all originally based on tawheed.
Within Hinduism the Supreme Being, Brahman is conceived as
indwelling, all-pervading, unchangeable and eternal, the abstract, impersonal
Absolute, in which all things have their origin and end. On the other hand the god
Brahma is the personified creator of the universe who forms a trinity with the
preserver god, Vishnu and the destroyer god, Shiva.3 Thus, Shirk in Ruboobeeyah
is-expressed in Hiduism by the delegation of God’s creative, destructive and
preservative powers to other gods.
Christian belief states that the one God reveals himself in the three persons
of Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Sprit. These three persons are nevertheless
regarded as a unity, sharing one ‘substance.’4 Prophet Jesus is elevated to divinity,
sits on the right hand of God and judges the world. The Holy Spirit, which in the
Hebrew Bible is the means by which God exercises His creative power, in
Christian thought becomes a part of the God-head. Paul made the Holy Spirit the
alter ego of Christ, the guide and help of Christians, first manifesting itself on the
day of Penetecost.5 Consequently, Shirk in Ruboobeeyah occurs in the Christian
belief that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God’s partners in all of His dominion, in
their belief that Jesus alone pronounces judgement on the world, and in their
belief that Christians are helped and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Zoroastrians (Parsis) conceive of God, Ahura Mazda, as being the creator
of all that is good, and is alone worthy of absolute worship. Fire is one of the
seven creations of Ahura Mazda and is considered his son or representative. But
they also commit Shirk in Ruboobeeyah by conceiving of evil, violence and death
ad being the creation of another god called Angra Mainyu whom they represent
by the symbol darkness.6 Hence, God’s sovereignty over all creation (i.e. His
3
W.L. Reese, Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, (New Jersey: Humanities Press, 1980),
pp.66-7 and 586-7. See also John Hinnells, Dictionary of Religious (England: Penguin Books,
1984) pp.67-8.
4
Dictionary of Religions, p.337.
5
Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.231.
6
Dictionary of Religions, pp.361-2.
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ruboobeeyah) is shared with an evil spirit elevated to the level of an opposing god
due to man’s desire not to attribute evil to God.
In the Yoruba religion, followed by over 10 million people in West Africa
(mainly Nigeria), there is one supreme God, Olorius (Lord of Heaven) or
Olodumare. Nevertheless, modern Yoruba religion is characterized by a great
many forms of Orisha worship, so that it appears as strict polytheism.7
Consequently, Yorubas commit Shirk in Ruboobeeyah by turning over all of
God’s functions to minor gods and spirits.
The Zulus of South Africa believe in one God, Unkulunkulu, meaning the
ancient, the first, the most revered one. The principal specific titles for God are
Nkosi yaphezulu (Lord of the Sky) and Muvelingqanqi (the first to appear). Their
supreme Being is represented as a male, who along with the earth female, brings
forth the human world. Thunder and lightening are in the Zulu religion acts of
God, whereas sickness and other troubles in life may be caused by ancestors, the
idlozi or abaphansi (those under the earth). The ancestors also protect, punish, or
neglect the living, ask for food, are pleased with ritual and sacrifice, and take
possession of fortune tellers (inyanga).8 Thus, Shirk in Ruboobeeyah occurs in the
Zulu religion not only in their concept of the creation of the human world, but
also in their attribution of good and evil in human life to the work of ancestral
spirits.
Among some Muslims people, Shirk in Ruboobeeyah is manifested in
their belief that the souls of saints and other righteous humans can affect the
affairs of this world, even after their deaths. Their souls, it is believed, can fulfil
one’s needs, remove calamities, and aid whoever calls on them. Thus grave
worshippers assign to human souls the divine ability to cause events in this life
which in fact only Allaah can cause.
Common among many Sufis (Muslim mystics) is the belief in “ Rijaal al-
Ghayb” 9 (men of the unseen) the chief of whom occupies the station called
“ Qutub” from which the affairs of this world are governed.10
(b) Shirk by Negation This sub-category represents the various philosophies and
ideologies which deny the existence of God either explicitly or implicitly. That is,
in some cases God’s non-existence is stated (atheism), while in other cases His
7
Dictionary of Religions, p.358.
8
Ibid., p.363.
9
Literally, “men of the unseen world.” The world is supposed to endure due to the intercessions of
a hierarchy of “averting” Saints whose number are fixed, the place of one who dies being
immediately filled. (Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, p.582).
10
Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam, pp.55.
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existence is claimed, but the way in which He is conceived actually denies His
existence (pantheism).
There are a few ancient religious systems in which God does not exist,
foremost among them being the system attributed to Gautama Buddha. Buddhism,
a reformist movement in Hinduism opposed to the caste system, was founded in
the 6th century B.C. during the same period as Jainism. During the 3rd century
B.C. it became the state religion. Eventually it was assimilated by Hinduism,
Buddha himself becoming one of the avatars (incarnations of God). It disappeared
from India but became dominant in China and other Eastern nations. Hinayana
Buddhism (400-250 B.C.), the earlier and more strict of the two interpretations of
Buddhism which arose after Gautama Buddha’s death, makes it clear that there is
no God; hence the burden of salvation belongs to the individual alone.11 Thus, this
ancient strain of Buddhism may be cited as an example of Shirk in Ruboobeeyah
wherein God’s existence is explicity denied.
Similarly, in the teachings of Jainism as systematized by Vardhamana,
there is no God, but liberated souls achieve something of this status, having
immortality and omniscience; and the religious community treats the liberated
ones as though they were divine, building temples to them and venerating their
images.12
Another ancient example is that of the Pharaoh of Prophet Moses’ time.
Allaah mentioned in the Qur’aan that he negated the existence of God and
claimed to Moses and the people of Egypt that he, Pharaoh, was the only true lord
of all creation. Allaah quoted him as saying to Moses,
11
Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, p.72.
12
Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion, pp.262-3.
13
Soorah ash-Shooraa, (26):29.
14
Soorah an-Naazi‘aat, (79):24.
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principal writing, The Philosophy of Redemption, 1876), states that the world
begins with the death of God, since God is a principle of unity shattered in the
plurality of the world and a principle of joy denied in the law of suffering which
dominates the world.15 In Prussia, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) supported the
idea of the “death of God” proposing that God was nothing more than a projection
of man’s uneasy conscience and that man was the bridge to the superman.16 Jeal
Paul Sartre, a French philosopher of the twentieth century, also echoed the “death
of God” thought. He claimed that God could not exist because He was a
contradiction in terms. The idea of God, according to him, is a projection which
man must make, being what he is.17
Darwin’s (d. 1882) proposal that man was merely a glorified ape was
widely adopted in the theories of social scientists and philosophers of the
nineteenth century as it provided a “scientific” basis for the non-existence of God.
According to them religion evolved from animism to monotheism along with
man’s supposed social evolution from an independant individual to a national
state and his physical evolution from ape to man.
Evolutionists attempt to escape the questions surrounding creation by
claiming that there was none, and by assigning Allaah’s attribute of being without
beginning and end to matter itself which He has created. Present day holders of
this belief are the followers of Karl Marx, Communists and scientific socialists,
who claim that the origin of everything in existence is matter in motion. They
further claim that God is figment of man’s imagination, created by the ruling
classes to justify their hereditary rule and divert the attention of the oppressed
masses from the realities in which they live.
An example of this form of shirk among Muslims is that of many Sufis
such as Ibn ‘Arabee, who claim that only Allaah exists. (All is Allaah, and Allaah
is all). They deny the separate identity of Allaah and thereby in fact deny His
existence. This idea was also expressed in the 17th century by the Dutch Jewish
philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, who claimed that God is the total of all parts of the
universe including man.
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merely transforms into matter and vice versa. However, both matter and energy
are created entities and they both will be destroyed, as Allaah clearly states:
Shirk in al-‘Ebaadah
In this category of shirk, acts of worship are directed to other than God
and the reward for worship is sought from the creation instead of the Creator. As
in the case of the previous categories, Shirk in al-’Ibaadah has two main aspects.
18
Soorah az-Zumar, (39):62.
19
Soorah ar-Rahmaan, (55):26.
20
Quoted in Francis Hitching’s, The Neck of the Giraffe, (New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1982),
p.254 from Tax and Callender, 1960, vol.III, p.45.
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specifically sent by Allaah to call the masses of mankind away from. This concept
is supported by Allaah’s statement in the Qur’aan:
ﻮﺍ ﺍﻟﻄﱠﺎﻏﹸﻮﺕﻨِﺒﺘﺍﺟ ﻭﻭﺍ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪﺪﺒﻮﻟﹰﺎ ﺃﹶﻥﹾ ﺍﹸﻋﺳﺔٍ ﺭﺎ ﻓِﻲ ﻛﹸﻞﱢ ﺃﹸﻣﺜﹾﻨﻌ ﺑﻟﹶﻘﹶﺪﻭ
“Surely we have sent to every nation a messenger saying, worship
Allaah and avoid taaghoot (false gods).”21
Taaghoot actually means anything which is worshipped along with Allaah or
instead of Allaah. For example, love is a form of worship which, in its perfection,
should only be directed to Allaah. In Islaam, the love of God is expressed by total
obedience to Him. It is not the type of love which man naturally feels toward
creation; towards parents, children, food, etc. To direct that type of love towards
God is to lower Him to the level of His creation which is Shirk in al-Asmaa ’ was-
Sifaat. Love that is worship is the total surrender of one’s will to God.
Consequently, Allaah told the Prophet (r) to tell the believers:
21
Soorah an-Nahl, (16):36
22
Soorah Aal‘Imraan, (3):31.
23
Reported by Anas and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari (English Arabic), vol.1,
p.20, no.13) and Muslim (Sahih Muslim (English Trans.), vol.1, p.31, no.71).
24
Soorah an-Nisaa, (4):80.
25
Soorah Aal‘Imraan, (3):32.
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worshipper of the dirham will always be miserable,” 26 and Allaah said in the
Qur’aan,
ﻢﻮﻥﹶ ﺇِﻥﹾ ﻛﹸﻨﺘﻋﺪ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺗﺮﺔﹸ ﺃﹶﻏﹶﻴﺎﻋ ﺍﻟﺴﻜﹸﻢﺘ ﺃﹶﺗ ﺍﻟﻠﱠﻪِ ﺃﹶﻭﺬﹶﺍﺏ ﻋﺎﻛﹸﻢ ﺇِﻥﹾ ﺃﹶﺗﻜﹸﻢﺘﺃﹶﻳﻗﹸﻞﹾ ﺃﹶﺭ
ﺎﺩِﻗِﲔﺻ
26
Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih al-Bukhari, (English-Arabic), vol.8, p.296, no.443).
27
Soorah al-Furqaan, (25):43.
28
Soorah adh-Dhaariyaat, (51):56.
29
William Halsey (ed.), Colliers Encyclopedia, (U.S.A.: Crowell-Collier Educational Foundation,
1970, vol.16, p.110.
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Ar-Riyaa’
Riyaa ’ is the practice of performing any of the various forms of worship in
order to be seen and praised by people. This sin destroys all the benefits that lie in
righteous deeds and brings on the one who commits it a serious punishment. It is
particularly dangerous, because it is natural for man to desire and enjoy the praise
of his fellow men. Doing religious acts to impress people or in order to be praised
by them is, therefore, an evil which deserves man’s utmost caution. This danger is
really significant to the believers, whose goal is to make all of the acts of their
lives religious acts dedicated to God. In fact, the likelihood that knowledgeable
true believers would commit ash-shirk al-akbar is small, since its pitfalls are so
obvious.. However, for the true believer like everyone else, the chance of
committing riyaa ’s is great because it is so hidden. It only involves the simple act
of changing one’s intention. The motivating forces behind it are also very strong,
since it comes from man’s inner nature. Ibn ‘Abbaas alluded to this reality when
he said, “ Shirk is more hidden than a black ant creeping on a black stone in the
middle of a moonless night.” 33
Thus, great care has to be taken to ensure that one’s intentions begin pure and
remain pure whenever righteous deeds are being done. In order to ensure this, the
30
Soorah al-An‘aam, (6):40.
31
Reported by Ahmad, at-Tabaraanee and al-Bayhaqee in az-Zuhd, See Tayseer al-‘Azeez al-
Hameed, p.118.
32
Collected by Ibn Khuzaymah.
33
Reported by Ibn Abee Haatim and quoted in Tayseer al-Azeed al-Hameed, p.587.
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ُاﻟّﮭُﻢﱠ إﻧﱠﺎ ﻧَﻌﻮُذُ ﺑِﻚَ أَنْ ﻧُﺸْﺮكَ ﺷَﯿْﺌﺎً ﻧَﻌْﻠُﻤَﮫُ وَﻧَﺴْﺘَﻐْﻔِﺮُكَ ﻟَﻤِﺎ ﻻَ ﻧَﻌْﻠَﻤﮫ
Allaahumma innaa na ‘oodhu bika an nushrika bika shay’an na ‘lamuh, wa
nastaghfiruka limaa laa na ‘lamuh. (O Allaah, we seek refuge in your from
knowingly committing shirk with you, and we ask your forgiveness for what we
do not know about).”34
In the following chapters a more detailed look will be taken at the most
prominent areas in which shirk in its three aspects most commonly occurs.
34
Collected by Ahmad and at-Tabaraanee.
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