Shirk is equating other than Allah with Allah Ta’ala in matters that fall into the category of specialness that only Allah Ta’ala possesses (Read the full article “Beware of Shirk”)
[lwptoc]
Small sins of shirk are more terrible than big sins
A number of scholars have stated that the sin of minor polytheism is more serious than the sin of disobedience which is included in the major sins ( al-kabaair ). Among these statements are:
- Ibn al-Qayyim Rahimullah’s words when explaining the sin of swearing in the name of someone other than Allah, which is minor shirk, he said,
الشرع يجعله شركاً فرتبته فوق رتبة الكبائر
“Allah Ta’ala states that swearing by the name of other than Allah is polytheism, so that its level exceeds the level of major sins.” [I’lam al-Muwaqqi’in 6/572]
- The words of Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdillah Alu asy-Sheikh (may Allah have mercy on him) when commenting on the atsar which stated that Ibn Mas’ud preferred to swear to a lie by mentioning the name of Allah rather than swearing to the truth by mentioning a name other than Allah. He stated,
وفيه دليل على أن الشرك الأصغر أكبر من الكبائر
“In this atsar there is evidence that the level of minor shirk is worse than major sins.”
- Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Alu asy-Syaikh stated that one example of minor shirk is rendering a legal decision in a case based on one’s own desires while still believing in the truth of the law of Allah and His Messenger. He said,
The message
- “Even though this act of disbelief does not exclude the perpetrator from the religion of Islam, it is a very big disobedience that exceeds big sins.” [Tahkim al-Qawanin p. 8]
Why is the level of minor shirk considered higher?
Perhaps some people ask, why is the level of minor shirk considered by some scholars to be higher than major sins, even though isn’t major shirk also a major sin, even the greatest major sin?
It should be noted that major sins themselves are divided into two types, namely (a) major sins related to the belief in shirk towards other than Allah, which results in the activity of acts of worship, and (b) major sins in the form of activities that are not accompanied by belief in other than Allah.
The first type of major sin is the activity of praying to other than Allah; slaughtering or making sacrifices (giving offerings) to other than Allah, making vows to other than Allah, and the like. This physical activity is a major sin accompanied by a belief that makes it classified as major shirk because it has turned worship away from other than Allah. Shirk is committed because there is a glorification of creatures so that they become rivals to Allah and are considered worthy of worship, whether used as a goal or an intermediary.
The second type of sin is major sinful activities that are not accompanied by belief in someone other than Allah, such as committing adultery, drinking wine, stealing, consuming usury, consuming the property of orphans, running away from war, and other major sins.
In this second type, it is said that minor shirk has a higher level of sin than major sin. Thus, small shirk even in the form of words such as saying “it’s up to Allah and up to you”; swear by name other than Allah; attributing favors to other than Allah; tying a talisman; or something similar, in terms of type, it has a higher level of sin than the second type of major sin, namely major sins that are not accompanied by a belief in shirk in other than Allah.
Why is this so? This is because major sins such as adultery, theft, and alcohol do not lead to negative prejudice against Allah or a diversion from worship to others. The motivating factor is simply following one’s desires. This is different from minor shirk, where the act involves the act of making creatures rivals and equals to Allah ta’ala. It is commonly known that the greatest sin is when someone creates rivals to Allah ta’ala, even though He is the One who created them. [at-Tamhid li Syarh Kitab at-Tauhid 2/359-360]
But, is this absolutely true?
Shaikh Dr. Abdurrahman bin Nashir al-Barrak hafizhahullah said,
“والظاهر أيضًا: أنّ قول السّلف “الشرك الأصغر أكبر من الكبائر” يعني مما هو من جنسه كالحلفِ، فالحلفُ بغير الله أكبر مِن الحلف بالله كذبًا Facebook name الكبائر، ففي God bless you message وشئت. And in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”
“What is clear from the sayings of the Salaf is that minor shirk is a higher sin than major sin, which applies to major sins of the same type. This is like swearing by a name other than Allah, which is a greater sin than swearing falsely by the name of Allah, as mentioned in the atsar of Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
Major shirk is also considered a major sin, so it doesn’t mean that every time an act is categorized as minor shirk, it is a higher sin than all major sins. Some major sins are actually reprimanded and threatened with very severe threats, while similar threats are not stated for some minor shirk, as previously explained regarding someone saying, “It’s up to Allah and it’s up to you.” [ الشرك الأصغر والأكبر , accessed from: https://sh-albarrak.com/article/383 ]
Another example of this is the comparison between someone who swears by their parents’ names out of respect for them and someone who intentionally kills their parents. The first act is a minor act of shirk, while the second is a major sin. Would it be said that the sin of the first act is greater than the second, because the former is a minor act of shirk? The first act is a greater sin because it violates the faith, while the second does not?
If we agree with this, the consequence is that the level of sin of all forms of minor shirk exceeds that of major sins. Yet we know there is a clear difference between the attitude of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) toward those who swear by names other than Allah and his attitude toward those who kill others who have uttered the words of tawhid, even under the threat of the sword. His rebuke, peace and blessings be upon him, was harsher toward those who commit the second act than those who commit the first. Evidence shows that the second act, although a major sin, is of a higher level than the first act, which is considered minor shirk.
Conclusion
The conclusion from the description above is summarized in several points as follows:
- There are sayings from some of the Salaf who state that minor shirk has a higher level of sin than major sins.
- This statement is based on the assessment that in minor acts of shirk there is an element of turning away from worship to other than Allah, creating rivals and equals for Him, which is not found in acts of disobedience that are classified as major sins.
- Major sins themselves are divided into two, namely (a) major sins that originate from belief in other than Allah, thus giving rise to deeds in the form of major polytheism; (b) major sins in the form of activities that are devoid of belief in other than Allah. The statement of some of the Salaf in point (1) applies to the second type of major sin (point b).
- The above statement by some of the Salaf is not absolute. This means that, on a case-by-case basis, there are sins classified as major sins that are clearly of a higher level than minor shirk. For example, the sin of intentionally killing a Muslim is greater than the sin of swearing by a name other than Allah.
That’s all I can say. I hope it’s helpful.