Kufr and Shirk
Q. What are kufr and shirk?
A. Kufr means not believing in any important article of faith—such as Allah, angels, books, prophets, Fate, the Day of Judgment, or the commands of Allah. Shirk means to make someone share in Allah’s qualities or His Person.
Q. What is the sharing of Allah’s qualities in person?
A. It means believing in two or more gods. Christians believe in three gods; Fire-worshippers believe in two; Hindus believe in many. This is shirk.
Q. What is sharing in qualities?
A. It means giving Allah’s unique qualities to someone else—whether an angel, prophet, wali, martyr, imam, or pious person.
Q. In what ways can Divine qualities be shared?
A. There are many ways. Some are explained below.
Q. What is Shirk fil-Qudrat?
A. To believe someone other than Allah can give rain, give children, fulfil desires, give food, kill, bring life, or give benefit or harm.
Q. What is Shirk fil-'Ilm?
A. To believe someone knows the unseen, knows everything, or is aware of all our affairs.
Q. What is Shirk fis-Sam'a wal-Basar?
A. To believe someone can hear or see everything—near and far—like Allah.
Q. What is Shirk fil-Hukm?
A. To obey someone like Allah, believing their words must be followed even above Allah’s command.
Q. What is Shirk fil-'Ibaadah?
A. To worship anyone besides Allah—like doing sajdah at graves, fasting for a wali, giving vows for someone other than Allah, or doing tawaaf around a grave.
Q. Are there any more acts of Shirk?
A. Yes—like astrology, palmistry, omens, believing diseases spread without Allah’s permission, making Ta’aziyas, offering flowers at graves, swearing on someone other than Allah, keeping hair for a wali, or pretending to be a faqeer in Muharram.