Shirk means to associate partners with Allah. Its religious meaning is: to believe or accept that there is a partner or equal to Allah in His essence, attributes, judgment, divinity, worship, or dominion.

ALLAH (swt) says:

Indeed, Allah does not forgive those who associate partners with Him. But He forgives whom He wills from those who associate partners with Him. Whoever associates partners with Allah has certainly strayed far astray.[259]

The most important thing that every person seeking Allah’s pleasure must avoid is shirk. As clearly stated in the verse, Allah has declared that He will not forgive those who come before Him associating partners with Him. We deemed it appropriate to address this topic in a question-and-answer format, hoping it will be beneficial. At the end of this topic, we will endeavor to discuss the causes and types of shirk.

Question: I know that shirk means associating partners with Allah, but even if it is done unknowingly, will Allah not forgive?

Answer: Undoubtedly, Allah is forgiving and merciful[260] and it is hoped that He will forgive those who repent. However, as stated in the verse, someone who dies in a state of shirk will not be forgiven. It is hoped that a person who repents before death will be forgiven. The main issue here is not these, but the necessity of leaving this state before death. Because people are unaware of the consequences of their actions, and no Muslim with self-awareness would consider associating partners with Allah to be appropriate for themselves. To escape this heedlessness, one must have enough knowledge to recognize the various forms of shirk. Those who do not know these will not know that they are in the quagmire of shirk. Such heedlessness and ignorance will allow Satan to lead that person as he pleases and cause them to live stubbornly, even if someone tells them the truth.

Question : We are people who strive to live Islam as we have seen our elders do. Some find this insufficient, while others accuse us of living in shirk. We cannot devote much time to learning our religion, but whatever the outcome, we have made it a fundamental principle to follow the path of our religious ancestors. Can you explain if there is a connection between our way of life and shirk?

Answer: Living according to the religion of one’s ancestors is not shirk. What is dangerous is to live one’s religion in that way without knowing whether one’s ancestors were involved in shirk. Because a religious understanding that is accepted without question will also contain a previously accepted error. If you accept the actions of your elders, done unknowingly or out of self-interest, as worship without questioning them, you will remain bound to a tradition reduced to a tribe, not to the order that sustains the universe. While the book of religion and the Prophet are the determinants of truth, the mentality of “If my elders did it, they must have known something” will be a blind faith surrendered to ancestors.

ALLAH (c.c.) says:

We found our ancestors following a religion. We have followed in their footsteps. [261] Whenever they are told, “Follow what Allah has revealed,” they say, “No, we will follow what we found our ancestors doing.” (But) what if their ancestors had no understanding and could not find the right path?[262]

Question: I love my child very much. An acquaintance of ours who has considerable Islamic knowledge said that there must be a measure for this, otherwise this love would fall into the category of associating partners with Allah. I love Allah very much, and I love my child too. Since I don’t fully understand the situation, I am asking you. What does the love of a child have to do with associating partners with Allah?

Answer: Loving your child has no connection to shirk. Because it is Allah (swt) who enables the feeling of love for children. The point to be emphasized is not the connection between children and shirk, but the degrees of love for children and love for Allah as determined by religion. This degree of love should be present not only in the love felt for one’s child, but in every area that adds value to life. Islam has set standards not only in love, but also in fear, deeds, and beliefs. You cannot love your child, your spouse, or your possessions more than you love Allah. For this reason, in the science of creed, the one a person loves the most is accepted as their Lord. The purpose of this ranking is to make people honorable and dignified. Because humans can only achieve an honorable and dignified life in all areas of life with a truth that comes solely from their Creator.

ALLAH (c.c.) says:

Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, the wealth you have acquired, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the homes you love are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings His judgment. Allah does not guide the transgressors.[263]

Question: They say that I have fallen into shirk because of the loyalty I show to the sheikh of the community I belong to. I am at ease because Allah knows my heart, but sometimes these accusations make me uneasy. Is there no attachment to a place in Islam? If there is, could you explain it?

Answer: There is attachment to a place in Islam. That allegiance is only to Allah and His Messenger. Other institutions connected to this can be addressed by Muslims on the condition that they show loyalty to this allegiance. The requirement of servitude to Allah is to strengthen faith and belief. I would like to elaborate on this topic a little, given its importance. Islam comes from the root of submission. Submission requires worship. Worship, that is, every action performed to gain Allah’s pleasure, is approached in two stages: doctrinal and practical. These are further divided into three categories: the doctrinal aspect is “La ilaha illallah, iyyake nabudu, iyyake nestain” (There is no god but Allah, we worship only You, we seek help only from You); the practical aspect is classified as worship performed with wealth, with the body, or with both wealth and the body. The doctrinal aspect involves establishing a way of life that affirms the oneness of God, living solely to earn Allah’s pleasure, and seeking help only from Him to meet one’s necessary needs in life. Practical worship, on the other hand, refers to zakat (almsgiving) in terms of wealth, prayer and fasting in terms of the body, and hajj (pilgrimage) in terms of both wealth and the body. Even the slightest deviation in a person’s faith corrupts their belief. Their worship and deeds are not accepted by Allah until they return to the fold of faith. If a person’s faith is sound and their belief is true and firm, even a little worship is equivalent to much worship in the sight of Allah. What I mean to say is that faith is what truly matters. For deeds to be recorded and to earn Allah’s pleasure, faith must be unwavering, even by the slightest degree. This is Islam. Communities or orders have taken on different missions within themselves over time. Therefore, it is wrong to condemn them all or to see them all as the right path. A believer takes what is good and leaves what is bad. Since I do not know what your community serves, I do not wish to comment on your guide or your area of service. For this reason, I found it appropriate to provide a summary explanation of Islam. If you now compare this information with the place you are affiliated with, you will also have an idea about that place’s area of service or your guide. If they convey Islam in this way and show an effort to live together, then no matter what anyone says, do not leave there. But if they are wasting time praising their leaders in a fairground where there are neither verses nor sunnah, then stay away from there. If your concern is to learn religion, avoid not only that place but also any place that does not teach a life based on the Quran. These people serve in an effort to please their sheikh, aiming to attain Allah’s pleasure. Because they are far from knowledge, they do not set limits for themselves and make their love boundless. In Islam, if there is no specific limit to the love felt for anyone other than Allah, it means there is no limit at all. The sheikh may be a good person in the eyes of Allah, but this does not mean that he deserves to share attributes that belong only to Allah, such as being the Sustainer (al-Kayyum), the All-Seeing (al-Basir), and the All-Hearing (al-Semi). This behavior undoubtedly makes him a partner in Allah’s attributes. To justify this association by saying, “If Allah wills it, why not?” is, God forbid, to prefer the sheikh over Allah. On the one hand, the noble verse asks its addressee, “Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?”[264]; on the other hand, it is thought that anything is possible if Allah wills it, but His essence is excluded from the realm of life. Someone who has made even a little effort to know Allah will ask this question not as “Why not, if He wills it?” but as “Why would He will it?” Even mentioning these people in Sufi circles is a great insult to Sufism. Do not dare to evaluate them together with Sufism. Because Sufism implements the moral and educational aspects of the Islamic religion. The Sheikh prays, and if the Lord wills it, He accepts it; if he wishes to see someone’s state, and if the Lord wills it, He shows him that state instantly. This is related to the person’s relationship with the Lord. The basis of these ideas lies in the distant God belief of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. People believe that because the Creator is very distant in their minds, they can bring Him closer to themselves in this way. Allah (swt) says, “I did not fit into the worlds, but I fit into the heart of My believing servant”; those who hold this belief say, “We do this to bring us closer to Allah.” All these lies are not related to the community or its leaders; they are slanders invented by a few people with sick hearts. They should be regarded as a reflection of ignorance perpetuated under the name of religion. Indeed, the Holy Quran makes a striking statement on this subject.

ALLAH (swt) says:

Those who take friends besides Allah say, “We only worship them so that they may bring us closer to Allah.”[265]

After our questions, let us briefly discuss the reasons for the emergence of shirk. Shirk arises in two ways: First, when a person does not know his Lord well; second, when he does not use what his Lord has created for its intended purpose. In the created world, which cannot tolerate emptiness, disrupting the order established by Allah (swt) is one of the reasons for the emergence of shirk. Whatever is created for a particular purpose must serve that purpose. Things should be given to the one for whom they were created; and whoever is given things should serve the one who gave them. If this order is not maintained, that is where shirk begins to take root. If you do not want to fall into shirk, know the created in accordance with their purpose of creation and respect them accordingly. The ignorant mindset that said to our Prophet (pbuh), “He even brought the rule of respecting camels!” began to worship large animals that were created to be used. Just as opposite poles attract each other, when a person distances something from its purpose of creation, he enters its sphere of attraction. At that moment, they depart from Allah’s command. When one submits to Allah’s command, objects are used in accordance with their purpose of creation. This is the benefit of obedience after faith.

After falling into shirk, a person loses the two most important things they can lose in this world at the same time. Because these two things are never separated. They are honor and faith. One cannot conceive of a believer without honor or an honorable person without faith. As the verse states, “If you believe, you are superior.”[266], meaning “you are honorable.” Those who fall into shirk change the purpose of creation, placing themselves above their purpose and appointing themselves as rulers. God, however, becomes his servant. This is the only aspect of polytheism that pleases the polytheist. For a ruler whose servants are gods becomes the most respected person among the people. The believer, however, knows his limits.

He treats every creature according to its purpose of creation. In this way, he saves himself from worshipping other gods and preserves his honor in the most beautiful way.

For example, idolatry is not, as the majority believes, the belief of fools worshipping what they have made with their own hands; it is the belief of establishing classes based on what they have made with their hands and declaring superiority through these classes. The master-servant relationship is also clear here.

When the measure of the purpose of creation is distorted, a person who has fallen into polytheism commits injustice in three ways. First, to the object itself, because it is not used in accordance with its purpose; second, to the one who brought that object to fill its place; and third, to himself, because he will be deprived of Allah’s mercy as a result of all these actions… We can understand this much better when we look at the beliefs that existed in Egyptian or Indian history. In Hinduism, killing a cow, even unintentionally, is a great sin, and even those who kill a cow by mistake are punished by death. Given this, it is quite natural to encounter cows on the streets that are exhausted from the heat, old, and skin and bones. And so, the first injustice is committed. The second injustice arises from the punishment given to those who accidentally cause the cow’s death. Here, the roles of the killer and the killed have been reversed. The injustice lies in the fact that, instead of those who must die for humans to exist, humans must die for them to exist. Here, the existence of the cow, which was created to serve humans, has come to mean the existence of humans. The person who oppresses both sides will incur Allah’s wrath and thus bring misfortune upon themselves. The third injustice is thus committed. Looking at it this way, you can understand that the consequence of worshipping idols, demons, and humans is also to be oppressed. Islam has included this in worship so that its followers do not fall into this situation. It has been stated that “ALLAHU EKBER” should be said so that it is known to whom greatness belongs, and that it is necessary to give thanks for blessings in order to benefit from that greatness. It is also stated that preserving honor and faith is only possible by refraining from the prohibitions of the One who provides blessings. Allah (swt) knows best.

ALLAH (swt) says:

We have made the sacrificial camels a sign from Allah for you. There is good in them for you. When you slaughter them, mention the name of Allah over them. When they are slaughtered, eat from them and give to those who ask and those who do not ask. We have made them subservient to you so that you may be grateful. Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allah. Only your piety reaches Him.[267]

The servant’s satisfaction with Allah is achieved by accepting what He has created in its proper place and living according to His command; Allah’s satisfaction with the servant is achieved by the servant organizing his life as if it were one deity and acting accordingly.

ALLAH (c.c.) says:

Allah said: “This is the day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the great salvation and happiness.”[268]

When examined in terms of its meanings, shirk presents such a detailed web that it becomes a possibility in every area of life. It can manifest itself in every situation, such as in obedience, prayer, intention, purpose, love, spending, fear, trust, etc. Humans must understand their Creator well from His own words so that they can complete their lives as their Lord desires, without falling into the error of associating partners with Him. It is hoped that Allah will forgive the shortcomings of those who die in this state, that is, His servants who die having lived free from shirk.

ALLAH (c.c.) says:

Undoubtedly, Allah does not forgive the sin of associating partners with Him. He forgives any other sins He wills. Whoever associates partners with Allah has committed a grave sin of slander.[269]

In conclusion, let us end our discussion here with verses that describe who the people of shirk are, their way of life, their hostility, their tyranny, their ignorance, their slanderous, deviant, and lowly mindsets, their acting on conjecture, and their inconsistent and unreliable actions. The Noble Qur’an describes the characteristics of the people of shirk as follows:

They are enemies…

O Muhammad! You will find the Jews and those who associate others with Allah to be the most hostile of enemies to the believers…[270]

They are slanderers…

Whoever associates others with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin.[271]

They are oppressors…

Remember when Luqman advised his son, saying, “O my son, do not associate partners with Allah. Indeed, associating partners with Him is truly a great injustice.”[272]

They are ignorant…

Have they taken gods besides Him? Say, “Bring your proof. Here is my book and the book of my people before me.” But most of them do not know the truth and turn away.[273]

They are misguided…

Who is more astray than those who abandon Allah and pray to things that cannot respond until the Day of Resurrection? For the things they pray to are unaware of their prayers.[274]

They are lowly…

Those who adopt the calf as their god will incur the wrath of their Lord and lowliness in this world. Thus do We punish those who invent lies.[275]

They are weak…

Those who take allies other than Allah are like a spider that builds itself a house. Surely the weakest of houses is the spider’s house. If only they knew.[276]

They are cowards…

Because they associate partners with Allah for which He has sent down no authority, We shall cast terror into the hearts of the disbelievers. Their destination is Hell. How evil is the abode of the wrongdoers.[277]

They have lost…

Whoever associates partners with Allah, Allah will surely forbid him from Paradise, and his destination will be the Fire. The oppressors will have no helpers.[278]

They act on conjecture…

If you obey the majority of those on earth, they will lead you astray from the way of Allah. They only follow conjecture and make assumptions. [279]

[259] Surah Nisa, Verse 116

[260] The forgiving, the pardoning, the merciful

[261] Surah Zuhruf, Verse 23

[262] Surah Bakara, Verse 170

[263] Surah At-Tawbah, Verse 24

[264] Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 36

[265] Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 3

[266] Do not lose heart, do not grieve, if you are believers, you are superior, Al-Imran 139. Verse

[267] Surah Al-Hajj, verses 36–37

[268] Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 119

[269] Surah An-Nisa, verse 48

[270] Surah Al-Ma’idah, verse 82

[271] Surah An-Nisa, Verse 8

[272] Surah Luqman, Verse 13

[273] Surah Al-Anbiya, Verse 24

[274] Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 5

[275] Surah Al-Araf, Verse 52

[276] Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 41

[277] Surah Al-Imran, Verse 151

[278] Surah Al-Maida, Verse 72

[279] Surah Al-An’am, Verse 116