Tawhid & Shirk

» What are Tawhid & Shirk? » Categories of Tawhid » Categories of Shirk » Everyday Examples of Shirk » Further Reading

This page has been written with the help of 'The Fundamentals of Tawheed' by Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips. I would recommend that all Muslims purchase a copy of this book.

What are Tawhid & Shirk?

Encapsulated in the shahada "La ilah ha ilallah" (There are no gods besides Allah), Tawhid is the very cornerstone of Islam as it means maintaining the belief in true god without any equals or partners. It's opposite is shirk which, when done deliberately (i.e. when someone consciously worships a being instead of or alongside Allah - for example, Christians worshipping the prophet Isa (AS), is the gravest sin any person can commit against Allah. However, shirk can also happen without realising it in many ways, and this is the reason why I have written this page, to provide a warning to those who may be unaware of it.

Categories of Tawhid

There are three main types of tawhid, namely Tawhid ar-Rububiyah, Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat, and Tawhid al-'Ibadah.

Tawhid ar-Rububiyah (Maintaining the Unity of Lordship)

In introducing this category of tawhid, Abu Aminah Bilal Philips writes This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing; He sustains and maintains creation without any need from it or for it; and He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any real challenge to His sovereignty. In other words, Allah reigns supreme over all that exists, has existed, or will exist.

This doesn't just mean recognising the Lordship of Allah in terms of sheer power, but also recognising that Allah is responsible for all that happens within the universe, no matter whether we consider it good or bad. Everything that happens occurs by the will of Allah alone, not by luck or chance.

Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Maintaining the Unity of Allah's Names & Attributes)

This area of Tawhid has a number of aspects. Firstly, Allah should only be referred to according to what is written in the Qur'an, or how the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) referred to Him, as written in any of the hadith collections.

Secondly, Allah must not be given any attributes of any created being. For example, there are numerous examples in the Bible where Allah is given human attributes, such as fatigue and regret.

Thirdly, created beings should not be given any of the names or attributes of Allah. One example of this is a fortune-teller who claims to see the future, yet knowledge of the future is something which only belongs to Allah. This also means that to name yourself using one of Allah's names unless it is preceded with Abd' or Abdul, meaning slave or servant. For example, it is haram (forbidden) to name oneself 'Ar-Rahim' (the Most Merciful), but it is okay to use the name 'Abdul-Rahim' (servent of the Most Merciful).

Tawhid al'Ibadah (Maintaining the Unity of Worship)

This area of Tawhid is probably the most obvious one, as it ensures that any act of worship is directed at Allah alone, and not towards any people or objects (for example, the sun). It was this message which every one of Allah's prophets brought to their people.

Categories of Shirk

Just as there are different areas of Tawhid, there are also different types of Shirk which all Muslims should take care to avoid.

Shirk by Association

This is a denial of Tawhid ar-Rububiyah by means of associating equal or lesser partners to Allah. For example, Hindus worship one creator of the universe named Brahman, but they join him in a trinity with a preserver god named Vishnu, and a destroyer god named Shiva. Another example can be found in christianity, where Allah is joined with the Prophet Isa (AS) and the 'holy spirit' (who is said to exercise Allah's will on earth). Other examples of this type of shirk is found in the Zoroastrian, Yoruba and Zulu faiths, in which a supreme god is joined with lesser deities.

Shirk by Negation

This is a denial of Tawhid ar-Rububiyah by means of denying the existence of Allah altogether. Most obviously, this is a sin commited by Atheists and those who follow faiths which deny the existence of Allah, such as Buddhism.

Shirk by Humanisation

This is a denial of Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat by means of giving human attributes to Allah. One example (which was mentioned above) is the biblical notion that Allah feels fatigue, so much so that after He created the universe, He needed to take a rest for an entire day! This is refuted in Ayat Al-Kursi.

Shirk by Deification

This is a denial of Tawhid al-Asmaa was-Sifaat by means of giving divine names or attributes to any of Allah's creations. In his book, Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips mentions that during Muhammad's time, there was a false prophet named Yamamah who called himself 'Rahman', a name which only belongs to Allah and can only be used by people if 'Abdul' is prefixed to it.

Propounders of the evolution theory also commit this error. Darwinists maintain that life emerged from inanimate matter with no divine intervention (in other words, inaminate matter is the Creator of all life!), and that lifeforms are able to transform themselves over time. The evolution theory has been refuted by scientists ever since it first surfaced - Harun Yahya has written a number of excellent books on this subject.

Ash-Shirk al-Akbar (Major Shirk)

This is a denial of Tawhid al-'Ibadah in which acts of worship are directed towards others instead of Allah - this can be praying to prophets, saints, celestial objects, idols etc. This is the worst sin anyone can commit is it denies the very reason of our existence.

A less conspicuous, but just as serious form of Major Shirk is allowing the love of anything to become an obsession. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips cites love of money and desires as good examples of this - to my mind, nationalism can also come into this category. Nationalism (extreme love of one's nation) is the most common cause of war, and often results in hatred and atrocities being committed by so-called 'islamic' countries, in spite of what is written in the Qur'an regarding murder and conduct during warfare. The barbarism of Saddam Hussain and his Ba'athist government was a prime example of this. In some instances, anyone who fails to become embroiled in nationalism is viewed as unpatriotic or treacherous - an apostate of their 'religion'.

Ash-Shirk al-Asghar (Minor Shirk)

This is a denial of Tawhid al-'Ibadah in which acts of worship are performed insincerely under false pretences, usually in order to impress bystanders. For example, if one was to publically boast that he was giving a certain amount of money to charity solely in order to enhance his reputation or to belittle others, that would be an example of Minor Shirk.

The best way to prevent this is to make each deed performed each day into an act of worship. In some cases (such as eating or setting of on a journey), this can be done by simply saying "bismillah" before starting. Abu Ameena Bilal Philips mentions that a series of du'as (informal prayers) have also prescribed by the Prophet (SAW) before and after natural habits like eating, drinking, sleeping, sex and even going to the toilet, in order to turn these everyday habits into acts of worship and develop in Muslims a keen awareness of Allah. It is this awareness, called taqwaa, which ultimately ensures that intentions remain pure.

Everyday Examples of Shirk

For Western converts, there are many hidden examples of shirk which have become a part of everyday life over the past centuries:

Astrology and Horoscopes: The art of telling the future by means of comparing the relative positions of a number of star constellations and other celestial bodies in conjunction with the time of year that a person was born. As I mentioned before, only Allah knows what is in the future, and it is therefore impossible to gain an inkling of future events by studying the stars. This is a form of Shirk by Deification in two ways: believing in astrology gives mankind the ability to see into the future, and gives created objects the ability to give good or bad fortune, both attributes which belong to Allah alone.
Fortune-Telling: Attempting to tell the future by any means (such as reading palms, looking into a crystal ball, etc) are forms of Shirk for the same reasons given above. Muhammad (SAW) took this matter very seriously and warned his followers against this on a number of occasions. It is clear that both performing fortune-telling yourself or visiting a fortuneteller are haram and must be avoided.
The Number 13: The belief that the number thirteen is an unlucky number is a common example of shirk, especially in the US where it is not uncommon for tall buildings not to have a thirteenth floor. This is shirk because it is assigning the ability to bring bad fortune to a mere object.
Lucky or Unlucky Creatures: It has been a common custom for certain animals to be associated with good or bad luck for many centuries in many parts of the world. For example, black cats have been considered unlucky because of their supposed association with witches. Here in the UK, magpies are also customarily thought to bring bad luck - if seen, one is supposed to either greet it or spit at it in order to avert any misfortune. Likewise, rabbits feet and horseshoes are thought to bring good luck. All of these examples are shirk because the ability to bring good or bad luck is being assigned to Allah's creation.