Chapter 3:
Understanding Shirk

In Islam, certain sins are considered extremely grave.

Among them, Shirk stands out as the gravest, making it the most severe sin.

But what exactly is Shirk?

As we previously described, Shirk stands completely opposed to Tawheed.

Tawheed emphasizes singling out Allah as the one true God in belief and worship.

Shirk is on the other hand, the Arabic term for polytheism, used to describe the act of associating partners with Allah.

It is not limited to believing in another god besides Allah. It also extends to directing any form of worship, devotion, or rights exclusively reserved for Allah towards others.

Shirk can be classified into two categories: major shirk and minor shirk.

While both involve associating partners with Allah, they differ in severity, in its impact on an individual's faith and the consequences they entail. 

Major Shirk takes a person out of the fold of Islam, nullifying all their good deeds.

On the contrary, minor Shirk involves actions or beliefs involving elements of polytheism or associating partners with Allah do not necessarily take a person out of the fold of Islam. Also, it does not nullify a person’s good deeds.

Notably, dying upon minor Shirk does not exclude a person from entering paradise.

Major Shirk, however, is considered a sin of such magnitude that the one who dies upon it, is condemned to reside in the Hellfire for eternity, prohibited from entering paradise.

It is required upon every Muslim to possess knowledge of Shirk in order to avoid it and to uphold pure Tawheed.

While some forms of Shirk may be apparent to many Muslims,

many others, both major and minor, can be subtle and easily overlooked, yet they are surprisingly common in the Muslim world.