Manifestations Of Shirk In The Modern World
08-03-2008
Most Muslims know that shirk—associating partners with Allah—is the greatest sin
one can commit. There are numerous ayaat in the Qur’an (2:165, 4:48, 6:22,
6:137, 6:151, 31:13 and many others) that attest to this. What is less well
understood is that there are different forms of shirk. Idol-worship is only one
form; Hindus and Buddhists apart, few people now indulge in idolatry, but shirk
is widely practised, even among Muslims, without many being aware of it. We need
to identify these forms at both the individual and societal levels.
Considering one’s nationalism or nation-state superior to others or pledging
allegiance to a flag are all forms of shirk that people indulge in frequently.
Though the Qur’an recognises differences of colour, race and tribe, it
emphasizes that what counts with Allah is one’s taqwa (49:13). Instead of
nationalism, the Qur’an gives us the universal concept of the Ummah (21:92). As
members of the “One Ummah”, we have responsibilities toward fellow Muslims, as
confirmed by the well-known hadith of the noble Messenger (saws) to the effect
that Muslims are like a human body; if one part is hurt the entire body feels
the pain. Today, regrettably, this feeling of brotherhood is largely absent. The
suffering of the Palestinians, for instance, evokes little sympathy among Muslim
officials anywhere. Ordinary Muslims feel their pain and want to help but feel
powerless because the strangle-hold of the nation-State structure prevents them
from doing anything meaningful for their oppressed fellow Muslims.
This is the most obvious problem facing Muslims at the societal level. There is
another, equally serious issue that needs to be addressed. Muslims living in the
West have been put on the defensive by relentless propaganda. Some have gone to
the extent of hiding their faith, or trying to minimise its outward
manifestation in their public behaviour; others have sought refuge in adopting
Western names. This clearly reflects their weak iman and inferiority complex.
There is also another category of Muslims that shows attachment to the deen but
finds solace only when a celebrity accepts Islam or some scientific data
confirms what the Qur’an says. Let us deal with the latter first. The Qur’an
needs no validation from scientific or any other kind of data. If any Muslim has
trouble accepting it as the divine Word of Allah, and thus the total and
complete truth, then he or she must seriously examine his or her faith. Seeking
validation for the Qur’an in human scientific knowledge is a form of shirk.
Human knowledge has not advanced to the level to understand everything that the
Qur’an says; perhaps it never will. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the
revealed Word of Allah and is the ultimate truth; that should suffice.
Let us now turn to the issue of celebrity Islam. Since the arrival of Muslims in
North America, many people have been inspired by Islam’s teachings and entered
its fold. These include both what one would call ordinary people and
celebrities. Islam is the deen of the human fitrah and is for everyone—rich and
poor, commoner and king. Allah provides guidance to whomsoever He wills.
Acceptance of Islam by ordinary people is not any less proof of its validity
than its acceptance by celebrities. In fact, Allah judges people only by their
taqwa, not their status in worldly life. The salaat that we perform five times a
day is a powerful reminder of Islam’s great leveling ethos. Those who are elated
by celebrities accepting Islam miss the point; they are in fact falling into a
form of shirk. This is most acute when a “white” person accepts Islam and
Muslims feel validated; this is an inferiority complex based on racist
attitudes. Millions of African-Americans have entered the fold of Islam over the
last 50 years; this is no less a cause of celebration than the conversion of far
fewer white people.
In recent years, this disease has also affected those who have become Muslims.
True, human beings are prone to weaknesses, but to indulge their egos while
claiming to be committed to Islam’s teachings is nothing short of disastrous. In
recent years, it has also been observed that some “celebrity Muslims” bring a
huge entourage of admirers with them to conferences and conventions and walk
around like pop-stars or film actors. They thrive on the adulation of naïve
young Muslims, while posing as leaders and models of Islam. In reality, there is
no sanction for such behaviour in Islam.
Before Islam, Abu Dharr Ghiffari was a highwayman; when he accepted Islam, the
noble Messenger (saw) exclaimed: “Allah guides whom He Wills.” Many leading
figures of Makkah, puffed up by tribal pride, refused to accept the message of
Islam; some were killed in the battle of Badr, others became Muslims when Makkah
was liberated in the eighth year of the Hijrah. Bilal (ra), an Abyssinian slave,
was among the earliest converts; his conversion elevated his status among
Muslims immensely. The noble Messenger (saw) loved him dearly; he became the
first mu’adhdhin of Islam. At the liberation of Makkah, when the noble Messenger
asked him to climb atop the Ka’aba to call the adhan, many newly-converted
Makkan chiefs were dismayed. They had not grown out of their jahili arrogance
and false pride.
Today too, Muslims must rise above their arrogance, learn to be humble and stop
indulging in shirk. Allah does not like arrogance because it is a characteristic
of Iblis, who has been cursed by Allah for all eternity.
by Zafar Bangash
Submitted by a Mujahid