An Introduction to the History of Shirk (Associating Others with Allah) And Tawheed (Monotheism)
An Introduction to the History of Shirk (Associating Others with Allah) And Tawheed (Monotheism)
Allaah The Almighty has created all of His worshipers as Muslims, testifying the Oneness of Allaah The Almighty; however, the devils came to them and changed their religion and corrupt their faith. Allaah The Almighty says in Al-Hadeeth Al-Qudsi: ‘I have created all My slaves with the inclination to worship Me alone, but the devils come to them and turn them away from their religion. They forbid to them that which I have permitted to them, and they tell them to associate others with Me, for which I have not sent down any authority.”[1]
So whenever people commit any form of Shirk, Allaah The Almighty sends His Prophets, peace be upon them, with the suitable forms of Tawheed.
Some of them have disbelieved in the Lord, the Creator such as Thamood and Fir‘awn… so Allaah The Almighty sent the Prophets, peace be upon them, to inform them about their Lord and their Creator as Moosa (Moses), peace be upon him, said to Fir‘awn (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf):
“And let me guide you to your Lord so you would fear [Him]?”
(An-Naazi‘aat 19)
Some of them disbelieved in the matter of the Names and Attributes of Allaah The Almighty such as the Jews and the Christians who said: “Allaah is the third of three” And that “ He has a wife and a child.” Exalted is He and High above what they say by great sublimity. Allaah The Almighty says:
{Say, "He is Allah , [who is] One, Allah , the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.}[Al-Ikhlaas 1-4]
Although most of them know that Allaah The Almighty is the Lord and know some of His Names and Attributes, they committed Shirk by associating others in worshiping Allaah The Almighty and taking them as their gods as Allaah The Almighty says:
{And most of them believe not in Allah except while they associate others with Him.}[Yoosuf 106]
Therefore, Allaah The Almighty sent all the Prophets, peace be upon them, and the last of them, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to call and invite them to worship Allaah The Almighty alone and renouncing worshiping others than Him and taking Him as their One worshiped God Who has no partner. Allaah The Almighty says:
{And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid Taghut (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Taghut besides Allah).}[An-Nahl 36]
As our time has a lot of Fitan (Tribulations and trials), the three different categories of Shirk have occurred; rather, the Satanism also has appeared ‘Sufficient for us is Allaah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’ Ignorance has become widespread and all the matters have changed. That is exactly what the infallible Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Tribulations will come like patches of dark night, when a man will wake up as a believer and by evening he will be a Kaafir (disbeliever), or in the evening he will be a believer and by morning he will be a Kaafir, selling his religion for some worldly gains.”[2]
No one will be saved from them except by the sound knowledge and good deeds as it is mentioned in the narration reported by Ibn Maajah: “There would be tribulations, when a man will wake up as a believer and by evening he will be a Kaafir (disbeliever), except the one whom Allaah The Almighty endowed with knowledge.”
We ask Allaah The Almighty earnestly to protect us from the Fitan, what is apparent of them and what is concealed.
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[1] Reported by Muslim (5019).
[2] Reported by At-Tirmithi.
