Shirk and the Explanation of Related Terms Imam A. M. Khattab here are some topics which sometimes perplex us, how to distinguish between one and the other. Then, we can T Muslims. This is the month of the birthday of the know where the mercy of God stands in regard to all these Prophet, peace be upon him, and we should know the things. message with which he came. Sometimes, you hear people quoting this “hadith” : He came with rules. We know, and we should teach “On the Day of Judgment there will be people in Hell, our children the same, that prayer, fasting, zakat, and especially women , hanging by their hair, and when they ask why, pilgrimage do not constitute those rules; this is not Islam. they will be told: ‘Those are the women who were doing this, These are means towards Islam. Islam is dealing with others; this, and this.’” But you never find anyone quoting any “hadith” Islam is relationships. How you behave towards your brother, saying that, in Hell, there will be men hanging by their ears! how you behave towards your father, how you behave towards You don’t hear this! So, what is the origin of such “hadith”, and your son, how to behave towards your wife, how to behave from where are we learning this? What is the authenticity of towards your neighbor, how to act in your daily dealings as a our books? We have thousands of junk books written by professional or as a businessman – that is Islam. The benefit of Muslims. And how – how are we to derive our pure Islam, the prayer and fasting and all these pillars is to link you with free of any junk? God, so you can remember His rules and remember God, and Mulhid is one who does not believe in God at all; remember that there is a power above you. he doesn’t believe in anything. He is the person who says: it is Sometimes we pronounce words and we don’t know this life only; we were born, we live our term, we die; there is what they mean. Someone may say to another “ unta mulhid ”; no resurrection, there is no hell, there is no paradise; I don’t someone says to another you are mushrik ; a third will declare believe in any God; there is no such word. That’s a mulhid or someone to be a kafir , while a fourth will pronounce someone atheist. The term al-had means atheism. So, according to such as a fasiq . What do these terms mean? We hear them often, but a one, we are here, on this earth, like any insect or animal. we don’t know exactly what they mean and, depending upon Mushrik is taken from the verb ashraka , and from the context, they have several shades of meaning. Let me just this word you have many modifications: sharika , ishraak , shareek , read for you some of the terms which we will be dealing with and every word has a meaning. So when I say: ‘indi shirka, it in the coming weeks: kafir , mushrik , fasiq , mulhid . Some terms means “I have a shirka .” Shirka means partnership. So it means which are connected with the rules which the Prophet laid I have someone who is my partner in a certain business. If we down include Fard , Wajib , Sunnah Mu’akkadah , Sunnah Ghayr- ā ā ā ū go into the business law, we could say: “I have sharika musahima ” mu’akkadah , Nafl , Fard Kif ya , Sunnah Kif ya , Har m, Makr h ū (public partnership). It means I have a business which is a Tahreeman , Makr h Tanzeehan , Ja’iz , and Mubah . What do these partnership made up of different people, a business in which terms mean in the Islamic sense? At least we should know everyone has a share or stock. That is called sharika musahima . 2 Shirk and the Explanation of Related Terms “Ashraka ma‘ahu ghayrohu fil amal ” means “He has that person to or do such things out of ignorance. They don’t really know. be his partner in that work.” So, all of these words are derived Some uneducated people believe that visiting the 5grave of a from the word shirka or shareek or ashraka . saint or a shaykh will bestow some sort of baraka on them; To relate the word ishraak to God, we say “ ja‘ala lil- their thinking is that he is a righteous man and maybe he will Lahi shareeka ” or “ashraka ma‘a-Allah ghayra ” which means, he pray for them and his prayer will be accepted. They don’t made a partnership, or a partner to God in His ownership. think of it as shirka or making partnership with God, as we What is the ownership of God? The Qur’an states think it is. You know, the Arabs used to worship idols, and the innumerable times: “To God belong all that is in the heavens Qur’an states in this regard: [Imam quotes Arabic verses. The and all that is in the earth and all that is between them.” So, the translation is:] universe is the ownership of God. Therefore, when someone “And thus it is: if thou ask them, ‘Who is it that has says, “this person is shareek with God”, then, it means that he created the heavens and the earth, and subjected the sun6 and owns with Him the universe. The Qur’an refutes such a the moon to His laws?’ they will7 surely answer, ‘God’…” not possibility when it says that if there was1 another god in addition Hubal, or Al-laat, or Al-‘uzza , or any of those other idols. to God this universe will be ruined. In other words, when “They serve, besides Allah, things that hurt them not there is a ship with two captains, it will sink. So a mushrik is nor profit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with one who makes someone or something shareek with God. Allah’” [10:18]. 8 But there is something we have to know. “Actions So, in the final analysis, those people were not making these are to be judged by intentions” is what the Prophet said. So we idols a partner to God. When they used to write their letters have to look into the intention of the person who is, in our at the time of the Prophet, they started the letter by bismik ā 9 view, making shareek with God. When you go to Saudi Arabia all humma . So the topic of mushrik is a very touchy one. for Hajj or Umrah, and you visit the grave of the Prophet, and Today, it is very easy to say you are mushrik, you are you touch the bronze fence around the grave of the Prophet, a kafir, you are... though, when you analyze these concepts, they guard with a stick will come by and hit you on your hand and have different connotations, and it depends mainly upon what declare you to be a mushrik . Why? Because, according to him, is in your heart. Even the Christians and the Jews of nowadays you are trying to make Muhammad a partner to God by are several denominations. There is a group of Jews who don’t touching that fence. If someone with that2 kind of mentality [as believe in the Day of Judgment. They say Heaven and Hell are the guard’s] should visit3 Ajmeer Sharif in India,4 and see how on this earth: if you have a very nice home, a very long car, a the people put nathr for Mohiyuddin Chisti , he will declare, very beautiful wife, you are in heaven! If you cannot afford to “All those people are mushrik because they are making buy even hamburger, you are in hell. That’s how a group of the Mohiyuddin Chisti a partner to God.” Jews believe nowadays. Among the Christians, there are some If you say “I swear by the grave of my father that I who even believe Jesus was a prophet – a messenger – of God. didn’t do such-and-such thing” and a certain kind of individual I have entered several churches in South Korea where you hears that, he will pronounce you a mushrik because you are won’t find any paintings, symbols, or icons on the walls. Such swearing by the grave of your father, and, since swearing is things are prohibited. You think you are in a mosque. supposed to be by God only, therefore, you are mushrik. And Christians like that exist. There is another denomination of if we follow that line of thinking, there will be no believers on Christians who say Jesus is the Son of God. And when you sit earth! Everyone is mushrik! And that is where intention is with them and discuss that matter, and ask them what they supposed to interfere. What’s the intention? Some people say, mean by “son” – God married Mary, and Jesus came as the 1 5 21:22 Blessing 2 6 The grave shrine of Mohiyuddin Chisti 29:61 3 7 Putting money, or food, or candles etc. on the grave of a “saint” The names of some of the major idols worshipped by the Arabs in the expectation that the saint will intercede with God on 8 in pre-Islamic times 4 his/her behalf so his/her prayers will be answered. 9 The pagan contemporaries of the Prophet The head of the Chisti Tareeqa In your name, O God 3 Shirk and the Explanation of Related Terms offspring? – they say, no; we don’t mean it that way.