Shirk & Kufr

Q. What are Kufr and shirk?

A. Not believing in any one of the important articles of Iman is Kufr. For example, one who does not believe in Allah or his qualities. One who believes in two or three gods, denies the existence of angels, or denies any one of Allah's books, does not believe in any prophet, in fate, in the day of judgment, denies any of Allah's absolute orders and treats any information given by the holy prophet as false. Such a person will be Kafir. Shirk is to make somebody share in Allah's qualities or in his persons. 

Q. What is the sharing of Allah's qualities in a person? 

A. Sharing someone else in Allah's persons is to believe in two or three gods. The Christians are Mushrik as they believe in three gods. Fire worshippers are Mushrik as they believe in two gods, and Hindus by believing in many gods become Mushrik. 

Q. What is sharing in qualities? 

A. It is to attribute Allah's qualities to someone else. This is shirk because Allah's qualities. Are unequalled by any of his creatures, by they angels, prophets, Auliya, martyrs, imam or any other devoted persons. Their qualities cannot match the qualities of Allah. 

Q. In what ways the divine qualities can be shared? 

A. Many. Here we shall mention some of them: 

1. Shirk fil qudrat. To attribute Allah's quality or power to anybody else, for example, to believe that a certain prophet or wali or martyr can bring about rains or cause the birth of babies or fulfill desire or give food. Or to kill or bring anything into life or to bring benefit to damage is in their power. All these things are shirk. 

2. Shirk fil 'ilm. To attribute Allah's power of knowledge to others for example, to say that a prophet or a pious man has the knowledge of unseen, or like Allah knows about everything, or they are aware of all of our affairs or they can tell what is happening far and near. All this is shirk fil 'ilm. 

3. Shirk fil sama' and basr. To attribute Allah's power of seeing and hearing to others, for example, to believe that a certain prophet or a pious person could hear things far and near or could see all of our own acts. 

4. Shirk fil Hukm. To accept any other person as superior and obey him like Allah. For example, if a pious person has told one to say certain prayers before 'Asr, and the person does it and even delays the 'Asr prayers and makes it Makrooh, it will be shirk. 

5. Shirk fil 'ibadat is to accept any other person as worthy of worship like Allah, for example, to do sajda or bow before a grave or a pious person, or doing rukoo' likewise or to keep fast in the name of a prophet, wali or imam, or to give away Nazr or to promise an offering like that, etc., or to go round a house like one goes round Kaaba (Tawaf) ; all these are shirk fil ' ibadat. 

Q. Are there any more acts of shirk? 

A. Yes, there are many acts of shirk which must be avoided. These acts are : to ask about heavenly secrets from astrologers, or to show hands to a palmist to know about future, to ask others for fall, which is another way of trying to know future from omens, to treat diseases like smallpox, etc., as contagious without Allah's permission, to make T'azia and ' Al'ms. To offer as sacrifice sweets, flowers, etc., on graves, to swear in the name of someone other than Allah, to put pictures and pay respects to them, call any pious person one's rescuer or savior, or to grow hair in the name of a wali, to turn fakir in Muharram in the name of an imam.