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4 5 Third Level A Repentance With No Return to Sin Third Level A Repentance With No Return to Sin Lesson One: The Major Sins Shirk (Associating Partners with Allah) The First Major Sin Allah, the Almighty, says, “Indeed, he who associates others with Allah – Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.” (Qurʾān, 5:72) What is Shirk? Shirk is to direct any form of worship—whether outward or inward—to other than Allah. Whoever offers worship to other than Allah—whether through supplication, prayer, or vows—has committed Shirk. Likewise, whoever believes that anyone other than Allah can provide sustenance, give life, or cause death has associated partners with Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He. The Prophet (PBUH) emphasized the gravity of Shirk when asked about the gravest of major sins. He said, “To set up a rival to Allah, while He is the One who created you.” (1)This Ḥadīth highlights that Shirk involves diverting the fundamen- tal principles of Tawḥīd—which we have discussed previously—to someone or something other than Allah, the Most High. Therefore, whoever directs any act of worship to anyone be- sides Allah has, in effect, set up a rival to Him. In the Prophet’s statement, “While He is the One who created you,” there is a clear indication of the severity of associating partners with Allah. For Allah alone is the Creator, the Provider, and the One who bestows blessings upon His ser- vants, yet the polytheist turns in worship (1) Narrated by Al-Bukhārī (4761).
6 7 Third Level A Repentance With No Return to Sin Third Level A Repentance With No Return to Sin to someone other than Him. The danger of Shirk lies in the fact that it takes a person out of the fold of faith, plugging them into the darkness of disbelief. For this rea- son, Allah warns against it, saying, “Whoever associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray.” (Qurʾān, 4:116) No form of misguid- ance could be worse than someone unknowingly falling back into dis- belief after having embraced faith. This is why Shirk, unlike all other major sins, is uniquely severe in three serious ways: 1. It prevents forgiveness unless there is repentance. Unlike other sins, which Allah may forgive out of His infinite mercy and generosity—even without explicit repentance—Shirk is never forgiv- en unless a person sincerely repents before death. Allah Almighty says, “Indeed, Allah does not forgive as- sociation with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.” (Qurʾān, 4:48) 2. It leads to eternal damnation in the Hellfire. A person who dies upon Shirk with- out repenting before death is eternally barred from entering Paradise. Allah Almighty says, “Indeed, he who asso- ciates others with Allah – Allah has for- bidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.” (Qurʾān, 5:72) However, this matter requires nuance, dear friend! Not every sin described as Shirk in the Ḥadīths necessarily entails the same severe consequences. Scholars categorize Shirk into two main types: Major Shirk and Minor Shirk. Major Shirk: This is the type of Shirk that expels a person from Is- lam entirely and carries the most severe warnings previously men- tioned. Minor Shirk: This refers to sins described as “Shirk” to highlight their gravity and warn against them, yet they do not amount to outright disbelief nor expel a person from Islam. How do we distinguish between the two? The distinction lies in the nature of the sinful act. If it involves direct- ing any form of worship to other than Allah, it is classified as a ma- jor Shirk. Similarly, attributing di- vine qualities—such as giving life or causing death—to anyone be- sides Allah also constitutes a major Shirk. 3. It nullifies all righteous deeds. No matter how many good deeds a per- son performs, Shirk renders them void unless he repents. Allah warned His Prophet (PBUH), saying, “If you were to associate [anything] with Allah, sure- ly all your deeds would surely become worthless, and you would certainly be among the losers.” (Qurʾān, 39:65) The Gravity of Associating Partners with Allah