Pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance: After Amr b. Luhayy, the Arabs of the  Jahiliyya period mixed shirk into their talbiyah. It is recorded that the tribes of Quraysh, Kinana, and Huza’a responded with the talbiyah: “Yes, O Allah, yes! Yes, You have no partner. But you have a partner. You rule over him and what he possesses.” ([610])  In these polytheistic talbiyahs, the Arabs referred to idols named Hubal and Isaf. ([611])

They were involved in many other forms of polytheism like this. Examples of all of these can be given. We deem it appropriate to address this topic in detail, as explained by the scholars, for the sake of clarity. The scholars have addressed this issue, which Islam emphasizes, in five ways.

Shirk-i istiklal[612] : Believing in the existence of two gods. Zoroastrianism falls under this belief.

The doctrine of the Trinity[613] : Believing in the existence of three gods originating from one God. Christianity falls under this belief.

Shirk-i takrib[614] : Accepting that Allah is one, but accepting intermediaries to achieve closeness to Allah. It can be briefly described as the belief in a distant Allah. Because they see Allah as a being that cannot be approached, they believe that their devotion and loyalty to objects they consider sacred will bring them closer to Allah. Idolatry falls under this belief.

Shirk-i taklîd[615] : Believing in the religion of one’s ancestors, even if it is wrong, and committing shirk by imitating their false beliefs. Judaism falls under this belief.

Shirk-i esbâb[616] : Because the belief that it arises as a result of the cause-and-effect relationship of matter prevails, it denies the Creator. Atheism falls under this belief.

ISLAM: In Islam, polytheism and other beliefs are addressed in all their aspects, drawing attention to their errors and providing the following answers.

Shirk-i istiklal: Allah said, “Do not associate anything with Me; I am the only God, so fear only Me.”[617]

Shirk-i teb’iz: Those who say that Allah is the third of three are definitely disbelievers. There is no god but the One God. If they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. [618]

Shirk-i takrib: They take other friends besides Him, saying, “We worship them so that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Truly, Allah will judge between them in their differences. Allah does not guide the lying, disbelieving person to the right path.

Shirk of imitation: When told, “Follow what Allah has revealed,” they say, “No, we will follow what we saw our ancestors doing.” But what if their ancestors were people who could not think for themselves and could not find the right path? [620]

Shirk of causes: They said, “Life is only our life in this world; we will not be resurrected.” If only you could see them when they are brought before their Lord! Allah will say to them, “Is the resurrection not true?” They will say, “By our Lord, yes.” Allah will say to them, “Then suffer the punishment for your disbelief.” ([621])

Nowadays: All the beliefs that existed in the Age of Ignorance continue to exist today.

Shirk-i istiklâl: Beliefs based on two gods, such as Zoroastrianism ( , or Zoroastrianism, continue to exist.

Shirk-i teb’iz: The belief in three gods, seen as parts of a whole, is still seen in the Christian belief in the Trinity [623].

Shirk-i takrîb: Pagans who rely on the words of intermediaries to achieve closeness to Allah also exist today.

Shirk-i taklîd: Jews who blindly follow the religion of their ancestors continue to adhere to their beliefs in the same manner today.

Shirk-i esbâb: The materialist mindset, which denies the Creator, continues to hold its beliefs as it did in the days of ignorance.

As described in the Torah and the Gospel, after many years of waiting, while people were still holding these beliefs, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the mercy to the worlds, fulfilled his duty. However, blind adherence to opposing beliefs yields certain consequences that must be addressed. While he should have been an example to those living in ignorance through his life, the fact that there are so many people who say, “I am a Muslim,” yet are not even aware of the content of shirk, makes the situation even more frightening.

ALLAH (glory be to Him) says:

Say, “Should we invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits nor harms us? After Allah has guided us, shall we be like those who are bewildered in a barren wilderness, whom the devils have bewitched and led astray, and whose companions call them, ‘Come to us’?” Say: Guidance is only from Allah, and what is commanded of us is to submit to the Lord of the worlds. ([624])

We must be aware of all the forms that falsehood takes. The most important of these are truths that have been distorted so that their correct meaning is not understood. Accepting information at face value without examining its source means we lose ourselves in the very knowledge we need to live by. Accepting distorted information without questioning it will divert that information from its true purpose. In this regard, the Holy Quran states: O you who believe! If a wicked man comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly and afterwards become full of repentance for what you have done.[625]  Satan and his allies’ attempts to convince us that saying “I believe” eliminates the possibility of associating partners with Allah, or that polytheism is limited only to worshipping idols, are the basis of where the information accepted without investigation has brought us today. In order for our explanation of the types of shirk to be fully understood, we need to know two things well in terms of the scope they cover. These are the concepts of “LORD” and “GOD.” Not knowing these well will lead to limiting those who fall into shirk to only the groups we give as examples. For a person to be able to say, “I have not committed shirk against Allah,” they must have sufficient knowledge about the words Rabb and Ilah. Otherwise, even if they are in the mire of shirk, due to their insufficient knowledge, when they consult their heart, they will think they have received a clean report. This assumption is sufficient to cause their own destruction. Given their importance, the areas covered by these two concepts are briefly outlined as follows.

According to Ibn al-Anbari (( ), Lordship has three meanings:

1. Being the owner; that is, being the sole owner and administrator of everything under His control and power. Only He is the Lord, the owner and administrator of all things, who disposes of them as He wishes, in accordance with His knowledge and will.

2. Rabb, meaning a master to be obeyed and submitted to, is synonymous with the word “Mevlâ” in the Holy Qur’an. Again, that Rabb means the sole, unique master to be obeyed, whose commands are to be followed and whose prohibitions are to be avoided.

3. Rabb means the one who reforms, purifies, refines, and matures. In other words, Rabb is the one who corrects everything, levels out rough edges and protrusions, and educates by completely transforming things from one state to another. As is well known, one of the original meanings of the word Rabb is “the one who educates.”

To think or accept that there is an active power other than Allah in the creation and direction of every event that occurs in the universe is a form of shirk that is addressed by the word Rab. Rab means the one who disciplines and guides, establishes rules and laws, gathers and collects, and whose word and judgment are worthy of being upheld. As the verse states: Know that creation and command belong to Him alone. 

Allah (c.c.) is Malik. This means that He is the sole owner and administrator of everything under His control: He is the owner of the Day of Judgment.It is He who created man from a drop of water, who provided his mother with fresh, warm milk as nourishment at birth, and who made him inclined to walk and speak. Who has made a special effort for these? It is He who created man with a defense and response mechanism in place from the moment of birth and established the maintenance and repair factory within his internal organs, which functions without intervention. Who has made a special effort for these? It is He who, as we grow, provides the oxygen necessary for life, the rain that enters the earth by breaking it open, and countless blessings, bringing forth various plants from the soil. Who has made a special effort for these? It is He who reforms, purifies, guides to the right path, and provides sustenance and healing. Who has made a special effort for these? He is the one who created me and guided me to the right path. He is the one who feeds me and gives me drink. He is the one who heals me when I am sick. He is the one who will kill me and then resurrect me. He is the one I hope will forgive my sins on the Day of Reckoning. ([629])

When there is a Lord who appreciates all these things that come to mind or do not come to mind, is there any aspect of reason or faith that is compatible with taking people who derive their power from us as lords? Can the reckoning for such ingratitude be given on the Day of Reckoning? To such people, say: “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” Say: “Allah.” Then say: “Have you taken as friends those who possess no power to benefit or harm themselves?” Say: “Can the blind be equal to the seeing? Or can darkness be equal to light?” Or have they found partners who create like He creates, so that their creation seems similar to theirs? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things. And He is One, the Possessor of irresistible power. ([630]) On the Day of Resurrection, before the day they leave this world, we must avoid those who do not derive their power from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, and we must take a stand against them that symbolizes our existence. It is explained that on that Day of Resurrection, those who are designated as lords and gods will flee from those who designate them. Just as when We first created you, you have come to Us alone, leaving behind everything We gave you . We do not see your intermediaries, whom you thought were effective partners, beside you. All ties between you have been severed. The gods you thought were your partners have departed from you and vanished.[631] Allah (c.c.) is the One to be obeyed. He is the One to be subjugated in deeds and worship. He is the One whose commands are obeyed and whose prohibitions are avoided, the One worthy of prostration. For these are the limits set by Allah. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, Allah will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great success, the great triumph. ([632])Otherwise, He would not be designated as the Lord, Allah (swt). The situation of those who disobey Allah is described in the Qur’an as follows: Indeed, those who rebel against Allah and His Messenger (by not recognizing the boundaries they have set and attempting to set their own boundaries) have been humiliated like those before them. Yet We have sent down clear verses. There is a humiliating punishment for the disbelievers. ([633]) The reason for this is the designation of another authority to command and forbid, to declare lawful and unlawful. For this reason: Say, “My prayer, my worship, my life, and my death are for Allah, the Lord of all beings.” ([634])

Ilah is the common name for objects of worship and adoration. Taking the root of the word ilah, it means to worship, to be amazed, to stumble, to turn to someone with a need for protection and peace [635], to love excessively, to be secretive, and to be exalted. Here it is necessary to briefly explain what worship is. To worship means to love passionately and to be attached, that is, to accept as a deity. A deity is the one who is worshipped. Today, people do not fully understand the necessity of worshipping Allah, so they do not accept worship of others as worship. For informational purposes, let us briefly explain the areas covered by the word deity:

1) A deity is an entity that a person deems worthy of worship. For a person who believes in the Day of Judgment, the only deity is Allah (swt). The Holy Quran defines the boundaries of this belief for Muslims to live by as “La ilahe illallah (there is no god but Allah)” and “Iyyake na’budu (we worship only You).” The claim “La ilahe illallah” means “Never take any other god.” This is a claim that must be proven in every area of life. A Muslim who has determined that his god is Allah (swt) is required to prove this. The necessity of proof stems from the fact that human nature cannot tolerate emptiness. This is because, without a defined belief, worship will inevitably be directed towards someone else. Even materialists who say, “I do not recognize any god,” unknowingly worship people like Marx, Lenin, Mao, etc. today. Iyyake na’budu forms the basis for accepting the claim that requires proof. It is the indispensable cornerstone of proof. It is the most beautiful chain of actions performed to gain the pleasure of God. The first stage of this action is prayer. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) emphasized the importance of prayer by calling it “the pillar of religion.”

2)  God is declared to be the provider of all needs, the one from whom help is expected, the possessor of mercy, blessings, and power. Our Lord, who is instructive and educational in the Qur’an- -Kerim, the guide for believers, informs us of this in the form of “Iyyake nestain” and “Allahus samed.” Iyyake nesteyn (we seek help only from You) means that You are the only one who has power over all things and fulfills all needs; there is no one else who has power, and there is no one else from whom we expect mercy and blessings, O Lord. Allahus samed (to whom all things are in need, but who is in need of no one) means that He is not in need of anyone, that He gives continuously without diminishing His wealth. This cannot be said of false gods. Whatever they give, they give because of their own expectations or those of their ideology.

3) God is the being whose pleasure is sought, whose satisfaction and closeness are desired. In Islam, God in this sense closes the doors to all hypocrisy and deceit. Indeed, the wisdom behind polytheism being considered one of the greatest prohibitions is that it is against human dignity. Otherwise, no one can harm God by associating partners with Him (God forbid). If a person continues to be hypocritical and deceitful despite saying, “My Lord is Allah,” then there is another god being sought here. This god may be one’s own self or the self of another. If there is no duplicity or ostentation, then seeking closeness to Allah and His pleasure will naturally open the paths of sincerity and honesty. Seeking the pleasure or closeness of the true deity makes a person honorable; trying to please false deities through hypocrisy and deceit makes a person dishonorable. The Holy Quran reminds us of our purpose of creation and informs us how to achieve pleasure and closeness so that false deities are not appointed. Indeed, I have created humans and jinn only to worship Me. ([636])  The meaning of the phrase “to worship Me” is to affirm the Oneness of Allah (swt). This is the greatest commandment of Allah to humanity, tawhid. When the Holy Qur’an says, “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him,” ([637])it informs us that worshipping and obeying anything other than Allah is associating partners with Him. Some people obey others besides Allah (seeking their approval and closeness), associating partners with Him in judgment and command, and loving and cherishing these partners as if they were Allah. But the love of those who believe in Allah is much stronger, more profound, and more enduring than theirs. ([638]) The verse also describes how this association occurs.

4) Another meaning of the word “ilah” is the one who establishes rules to discipline the lives of servants and is most deserving of having His judgment enforced. The Qur’an describes those who oppose this as follows: Have you seen those who take their own desires as their god?[639]In contrast, it describes the situation of those who befriend them as follows: The situation of those who take other friends and other supports besides Allah is like that of a spider who builds a house of web. Surely, the weakest house is that of a spider. If only they could realize this. ([640])

The Almighty gives a very thought-provoking example when describing the attitude of those who follow falsehood and reject and deny the truth. That is, the rope that falsehood clings to is very rotten and weak, just like a spider’s web… It is doomed to break and disappear at any moment. The fate of those who, in the name of falsehood, blasphemy, and oppression, have taken up arms against the prophets throughout history is clear evidence of this fragility. Furthermore, as is well known, spiders weave their webs not so much for protection as for hunting, cutting off the path of weaker creatures and trying to ensnare them in their deadly web. Strong flies and powerful insects pierce that web and pass through, while the weak ones get caught. Isn’t it the same today? Weak-willed, opportunistic people who care only about their own interests quickly fall into the web of godless, materialistic, and deviant people who exploit the country, and they meet their doom by breathing their last breath in that web. With two exceptions, all spiders are poisonous. They first poison and kill their prey, then suck it dry. Materialistic deniers who reject prophets and scriptures also form associations according to their own beliefs. They present themselves with very appealing ideas. Like a spider’s web, their statutes are attractive and deceptive. They first poison those they capture with their own ideals, rendering them helpless, then begin to exploit them and do not let go until they are reduced to nothing. 

We, as Muslims, must also condemn these tyrants and those who deem their rule appropriate: Call upon the objects you believe to be gods besides Allah. They have no influence or dominion in the heavens or on earth, not even the weight of a speck. They have no share in the dominion of the heavens and the earth, nor can they assist Allah.[643]For there is no god but Him; He is the Ever-LivingThe Sustainer ( ), the Self-Subsisting (KayyûmThe One who is never overcome by sleep or slumber ( ). To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what they do and what they will do. People cannot fully know anything of His knowledge except what He reveals. His throne encompasses the heavens and the earth, and preserving them does not weary Him. He is the Exalted, the Great. 

Shirk: Shirk means to share. In religion, it means to believe and accept that Allah has a partner or equal in His essence, attributes, judgment, divinity, worship, or dominion.

[610]  Ibn al-Kalbi, Kitabul al-Asnam, p. 6; Ibn Ishaq, Sîra, p. 100

[611]  Ibn Habib, Muhabber, p.311

[612]  To be independent, not dependent on anyone, to be autonomous

[613]  To divide. To split into parts, to assign to a section

[614]  Approximation, approximation

[615]  To strive to compare and resemble

[616]  Causes, means, reasons, instruments

[617]  Surah An-Nahl, Verse 51

[618]  Surah Maida, Verse 73

[619]  Surah Zumar, Verse 3

[620]  Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 170

[621]  Surah En’am, Verses 29–30

[622]  One who worships fire worships fire; one who follows the Zoroastrian religion

[623]  In Christianity, the concept of God consists of the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Ruh’ül Kudüs).

[624]  Surah En’am, Verse 71

[625]  Surah al-Hujurat, Verse 6

[626]  Scholar of Arabic language and literature, Quranic sciences, and hadith (b. 885–d. 940)

[627]  Surah Al-Araf, Verse 54

[628]  Surah Al-Fatiha, Verse 4

[629]  Surah Ash-Shuara, Verses 78–83

[630]  Surah Ar-Rad, Verse 16

[631]  Surah Enam, Verse 94

[632]  Surah An-Nisa, Verse 13

[633]  Surah Al-Mujadilah, Verse 5

[634]  Surah Al-An’am, Verse 162

[635]  Affection, love.

[636]  Surah Zariyat, Verse 56

[637]  Surah An-Nisa, Verse 36

[638]  Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 165

[639]  Surah Al-Jathiyah, Verse 23

[640]  Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 41

[641]  Paralyzed

[642]  Celal Yıldırım, The Quran Commentary of the Century in the Light of Knowledge, Anadolu Publications: 9/4643-4644.

[643]  Surah Sebe, Verse 22

[644]  The Eternal and Ever-Living

[645]  The One who manages all existence

[646]  Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 255