Idolatry in Islam (Polytheism and Shrik Explained!)

Man can take a long time in his journey searching for the true God (Allah) and the true religion (Islam)  in order to achieve peace of mind and heart in the lifetime and to enter paradise in the Hereafter. 

Thus, it is one of the imperative duties and of the most important tasks for the servant to know the meaning of idolatry in Islam (polytheism), its danger, and its types, so that he can complete his monotheism and save his sound faith.

Polytheism In Islam

In the Arabic language, polytheism means (shirk). The lexical meaning of the word “Shirk” is taking a partner. In Islam, shirk or polytheism means believing in more than one God or believing that Allah The Almighty has a rival or a counterpart in His Lordship, Worship, or in His Names and Attributes. 

Mainly based on a pure and clear understanding of Monotheism “Tawheed”, The religion of Islam asserts the unity and oneness of God. Muslims undoubtedly believe that Allah is One in His Self, Attributes, and Actions. 

Allah The Almighty sums up this Islamic concept in The Noble Qur’an saying : “ Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.”

(Qur’an: 112)

Types Of Shirk In Islam

Shirk, in Islam, is categorized into three main types. First is Ash-Shirk Al-Akbar (Major Shirk), which involves making a rival to God, worshiping others besides Allah, and associating partners with Him. Examples include supplicating to beings other than God and obeying commands that contradict Allah’s laws.

Second is Ash-Shirk Al-Asghar (Minor Shirk), which does not lead one out of the religion but diminishes their monotheism. This includes actions like showing off in good deeds, making oaths by other than Allah, and expressing dependency on others alongside Allah. 

Lastly, there’s the Hidden Shirk, which can be Major or Minor depending on hidden intentions. If one performs Islamic rituals hypocritically, it is Major Shirk, while showing off in rituals is considered Minor Shirk. The types and examples of shirk are diverse, and Muslims are advised to seek refuge from knowingly or unknowingly associating partners with Allah.

Ash-Shirk Al-Akbar (Major Shirk): 

To make a rival to God (a partner) to call upon Him as you call upon God, or to perform a type of worship for him believing that he shares Allah in His self, actions, or attributes. This type of shirk takes the man outside the fold of Islam. Allah the Almighty says:

“Surely, those who claim that the Messiah, Son of Mary is god have fallen in disbelief since the Messiah said: Children of Israel: Worship Allah; my Lord and your Lord. Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.”

(Qur’an, 5:72)

Examples Of Major Shirk In Islam

• Shirk of supplication (Du’aa): It is the supplication of other than God from the prophets or saints believing that they have the power to harm and benefit like asking them for sustenance or for curing a disease

  Allah the Almighty says:  “And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.”

(Qur’an 10:106)

  The Prophet (PBUH) said “Whoever dies while still invoking anything other than Allah as a rival to Allah, will enter Hell (Fire).” (Bukhari)

• Shirk of Obedience: It is when obeying the orders and commands of someone other than Allah, as long as it contradicts with Allah’s laws. 

 “A man called Adi bin Hatim, who was formerly a Christian, came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and heard him reciting the verse “They have taken their rabbis and monks as well as the Messiah, son of Mary, as lords besides Allah…”

[Qur’an 9: 31]. 

  Adi asked the Prophet “What is the real meaning of the verse? For we did not take them as our lords.” The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Is it not a fact that you accept as unlawful what they declare to be unlawful, and lawful what they declare to be lawful?” Adi confessed, “Yes, it is so.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “This amounts to making them your lords.”

(Good hadith: Sunan al-Tirmidhī)

• Shirk of Love: It’s when loving someone or something like loving God or loving those who Allah hates or hating who Allah loves, for love is the basis of worship, and the goal of monotheism

  Allah the Almighty says:  “And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more (than anything else)…“ (Qur’an 2: 165)

Ash-Shirk Al- Asghar (Minor Shirk): 

 It is called on the actions that lead the man to commit major sins, but do not take him out of the religion. It decreases the Muslim’s monotheism (Tawheed).

Examples Of Minor Shirk In Islam

• Showing off: when your good deeds are done to gain worldly praise or pride- not for the sake of Allah

  It is narrated in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and at-Tabarani that Prophet  Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: “The thing I fear most for you is ash-Shirk ul-Asghar (The Minor Shirk). His companions then asked him: ‘What is The Minor Shirk?’ He (Peace be upon him) replied: ar-Riyaa (showing off).”

• Making oath by other than Allah

  The Prophet ( Peace be Upon him) said: “Whoever swears (makes oath) by other than Allah has committed shirk.”

(Authentic Hadith: Abu Dawud & AT- Tirmidhi)

• Saying: If Allah willed and so-and-so willed, or if it were not for God and so-and-so, or this is from God and so-and-so.

   This is considered minor ٍShirk, as when a man said: “O Messenger of ِAllah, as Allah willed and you willed,” the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said:  Have you made me an equal to God? but say: What Allah willed” (Good Hadith: Ahmad)

• Believing in the superstational powers using charms, talismans, and amulets for protection against the evil eye, bad luck and the like.

Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Ruqaa (spells), Tama’im (amulets) and Toula (love-charms) are shirk (polytheism).

[Reported by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majjah and Ahmad, Authenticated by Al-Albani]

The Hidden Shirk 

This can either be a Major or Minor Shirk, depending on the person’s hidden intention and belief. If a man performs all the Islamic rituals out of hypocrisy only and deep inside he disbelieves in them, (This is Major Shirk). If a man  performs all the Islamic rituals perfectly in front of people to show off, (This is Minor Shirk)

The Types and examples of shirk are not limited to the above-mentioned ones. So, the Muslim should follow the prophet and his companions in saying this Du’aa: (O Allah I seek refuge in You from knowingly associating partners with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for that which I do not know).

Shirk In Quran and Hadith

It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever dies claiming that Allah has a rival, will enter Hell.” (Bukhari)

In The Noble Quran, Allah the Almighty states that:

“If you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.”

(Qur’an 39:65)

Idolatry In Islam

Idolatry is defined as the worship of idols instead of God or besides God believing that they can harm and benefit. It is a form of Polytheism. This type of worship was widespread in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam although all Arabs were descendants of Abraham and Ismaeel (Peace be upon them all) and practiced monotheism.

 Although we are now in the 21st century, unfortunately, Idol worship exists till now in some African and Asian countries.

Are Muslims Against Idolatry?

Based on impeccable Monotheism, Islam rejects any form of polytheism including Idolatry. In the Arabian Peninsula, where worshipping idols was widespread among Arabs, Islam emerged to restore to mankind the pure monotheism taught by all the messengers of God. It called them to worship Allah only without an idol partner or mediator.

What Are The Idols In Islam?

Before the emergence of Islam, some 360 man-made idols were placed in and around the Ka‘bah (Allah’s sacred House) to be worshipped along with God.  Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) was sent to reinstate the worship of Allah alone. 

When prophet Muhammad started to present Islam to the tribes that go to Mecca, he used first to say: (O sons of so-and-so, I am the Messenger of God to you, commanding you to worship him and not associate anything with him, and to renounce these idols that you worship other than him, …)

When Islam prevailed in the Arabian Peninsula, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his Muslim followers removed all the sacred idols like Allat, Al ‘Uzzah and demolished them to make sure that the coming generations will not stray from the straight path like their ancestors.

Was Islam The First Religion To Forbid Idol Worship?

Indeed, this is the message of all the Messengers of Allah, for they all called their people to worship the one and only God (Allah). In the Noble Qur’an, Allah The Almighty mentioned the story of Prophet Abraham (PBUH) with his people saying:

 “And ˹remember˺ when Abraham said to his people, “Worship Allah, and fear Him. This is better for you, if only you knew. You worship besides Allah nothing but idols, simply creating lies ˹about them˺. Those you worship besides Allah certainly cannot give you any provision. So seek provision from Allah ˹alone˺, worship Him, and be grateful to Him. To Him you will ˹all˺ be returned.”

( 29: 16,17 Qur’an)

Do Muslims Worship Idols

  Islam and its followers, Muslims, are monotheistic; they are strongly against Idolatry and any form of polytheism. Therefore, the polytheists of Quraish, who used to worship and sanctify idols, opposed Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers and tortured them in   the past.

  When Islam prevailed in the Arabian Peninsula, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his Muslim followers removed all the idols that surround Ka’bah to be able to practise their Islamic rituals like Umrah and Hajj.

  It was narrated from ‘Urwah ibn ‘Abasah that he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “With what were you sent?” He said, “I was sent to uphold the ties of kinship, to break the idols, and so that Allah would be worshipped alone with no partner or associate.”

(Muslim)

What Is Kaaba In Islam

  As for the Ka‘bah or Allah’s Sacred House,  it is the (Qibla) point toward which Muslims face when they pray.  Although Muslims face the direction of Kaaba during prayer, they do not worship it or pray for it.  Muslims worship and pray only to God (Allah) who ordered them to Make His sacred House to be their Qibla when they pray to Him.

For more about the position of kaaba in Islam, refer to these articles:

Is kaaba an idol worshipped by Muslims?

Is Muslim hajj a sign of idolatry?

What Does The Quran Say About Idolatry?

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty describes any idols to be worshipped other than Him as falsehood, saying:

إِنَّمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْثَـٰنًۭا وَتَخْلُقُونَ إِفْكًا ۚ 

“You only worship, besides Allah, idols, and you produce a falsehood. Indeed, those you worship besides Allah do not possess for you [the power of] provision. So seek from Allah provision and worship Him and be grateful to Him. To Him you will be returned.”

(Qur’an 29:17)

Also, Allah Almighty orders Muslims to avoid worshipping idols saying:

فَٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ ٱلرِّجْسَ مِنَ ٱلْأَوْثَـٰنِ

“…avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement”

(22:30 Qur’an)

Thus, the Muslim has no room to have any kind of idolatry in his life.

Punishment For Idol Worship In Islam

  Indeed, Idol worship or idolatry is a gross injustice that one does to himself. It is a severe violation of  Allah’s core commandments in all scriptures. Thus, the sin of idolatry in particular, and polytheism in general is unforgivable, and whoever commits that sin is destined for Hell if maintained until death. In the Noble Qur’an, Allah the Almighty says:

“𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 (Muhammad) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 [𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠] 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐡, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬.”

(Qur’an, 39:65)

What Is The Biggest Sin In Islam?

Major Shirk is the greatest sin to be committed in Islam;  those who commit major shirk will never be forgiven. Their Shirk will lead them to eternal abode in Hellfire, except if they sincerely repent before death. In the Noble Qur’an Allah Almighty says:

 “Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.”

(Qur’an 4:48).

  It is narrated that a prophet companion called Ibn Masoud asked the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) which sin is the greatest? He said: “To make a rival to God, and He created you.”

(Bukhari)

Finally, The true Muslim should make sure that nothing is deviating him from the right path, especially when it comes to the core and the basis of the religion (Monotheism). Therefore, every sincere believer should fear shirk for himself and should:

1. Educate himself and read more about shirk to be as far as he can from it or anything that can lead to it.

2. Turn to his Lord, asking Him to help him avoid shirk, as prophet Ibrahim peace be upon him] said:  

Curious to know how Islam deals with idolatry? Start a conversation now to have your question answered!