Types of Shirk (Greater Shirk and Lesser Shirk)

Shirk

Shirk is ascribing a partner to Allah in terms of His Rububiyyah (Lordship), Asma wa Sifaat (Names and Attributes) and Uloohiyyah (Worship). The common type of Shirk is the Shirk in Uloohiyyah, which entails supplicating others along with Allah, or dedicating to them worships such as, offerings, vows, reverence, fear, hope, and devotional love.
Shirk is the gravest of all sins due to the following:

1. It is resembling the creatures with the Creator in terms of the attributes of Divinity, for he who ascribes a partner to Allah; he in effect resembles him with Him (Allah). This is the gravest injustice. In the Qur'an, it is mentioned that: "Join not in worship others with Allâh. Verily! Joining others in worship with Allâh is a great Zûlm (wrong-doing, injustice) indeed" [Soorah Luqman (31): 13] Wrong-doing or injustice signifies putting a thing in a wrong place. Thus, he who worships other than Allah, he places the worship in a place other than its own, and dedicates it to one who does not deserve it; hence, it is a great injustice.

2. Allah has stated that He does not forgive the one who does not disavow Shirk. He says:

"Surely, Allah will not forgive (the sins of) ascribing partners to Him, but He will forgive whatever is short of that to whoever He wishes." [Soorah an-Nisa (4): 48]

3. Allah has stated that a Mushrik (one who commits Shirk) shall be banned from Jannah (Paradise) and that he shall live in Hell-fire forever. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Surely, whoever ascribes a partner to Allah, Allah shall bar him from Jannah and Hell-fire shall be his abode, and the wrongdoers shall have no helpers." [Soorah al-Maidah (5): 72]

4. Shirk nullifies all good deeds. Allah, the Exalted, says: "Were they to commit Shirk, then the good deeds, which they accomplish, would have been nullified." [Soorah al-Anam (6): 88] And Allah says: "It has been revealed to you and to those before you, if you commit Shirk your good deeds shall be nullified and you shall certainly be of the losers." [Soorah az-Zumar (39): 65]

5. The Shirk is the graves of all major sins. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Shall I inform you about the graves of all major sins?" We (Sahabah) said:"Certainly, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "Ascribing partners to Allah, and disobeying parents." (Bukhari)

The Types of Shirk: Shirk is of two types:

THE FIRST TYPE:

Major Shirk (Al Akbar) this represents the most obvious form of idolatry from which Allah (swt) sent his messengers to call the masses of mankind away from.
“Verily we sent to every nation a messenger proclaiming worship Allah (swt) and avoid the taghout (false gods)” [Qur'an 16:36]

Whoever commits this form of shirk leaves the fold of Islam.

• Shirk of Supplication
This is to call or invoke anyone besides Allah (swt), regardless of whether they are pious
people of present or past. The wrath of Allah (swt) is upon those who invoke like this.
“If anyone invokes besides Allah, any other god, he has no authority thereafter, his reckoning will only be with Allah” [Qur'an 21:117]

• Shirk of Obedience
This is obedience to the rabbis, priests, the scholars and rulers in disobeying what Allah (swt) has ordered.“They took their Rabbi's and their Monks to be lords and legislators besides Allah” [Qur'an 9:31]

• Shirk of Love
This is to love others the way Allah (swt) should be loved or even more!
“Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal. They love them as they should love Allah, but those of faith (iman) are overflowing with their love for Allah” [Qur'an 2:165]

• Shirk of Intention, wish and goal
This is to perform an action for other than the sake of Allah (swt).
“Those who desire the life of the present and its glitter, to them we shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein, without diminution. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein, and of no effect and the deeds that they do!” [Qur'an 11:15-16]

THE SECOND TYPE:

Lesser Shirk (Al Asghar), which does not constitute apostasy, but defects the Tawheed, and is conducive to greater Shirk. It is of two kinds:

1) The first kind: Obvious Shirk which constitutes of UTTERANCES and ACTIONS.

As for the UTTERANCES, such as swearing by other than Allah; the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "He who swears by other than Allah, commits Kufr, or Shirk." [At-Tirmidhee and others]
Or making a statement such as: "Whatever Allah wills and you will."

This statement was made by a man to the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) who objected his statement saying: "Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say: 'Whatever Allah Alone wills."

Or a statement like this, 'Had it not been for Allah and so and so.'

The correct statements are: "Whatever Allah wills and then you will." Because the participle 'then' denotes sequence as well as delay, thus to signify that the will of the slave is subservient to the will of Allah. Allah says: "And you will do nothing unless Allah, the Rabb of the worlds wills it to be done." [Soorah at-Takwir (81): 29] As for 'and' it signifies absolute combination and association, it does not necessitate order or sequence. Similar to those statement are: 'I have none to resort to except Allah and you' or, 'This is from the blessings of Allah and your blessings.'

As for ACTIONS, such as wearing a ring or a thread for the purpose of warding-off evil, or wearing talismanic outfit or other items for fear of bad eye, or otherwise, if the person who wears them believes that such things are the means of warding-off evil or bringing relief. In that case, wearing them is considered as lesser Shirk, because Allah does not make things as means of protection. But if he believes that these things themselves ward-off evil, then such belief constitutes a major Shirk because he depends on other than Allah.

2) The second kind: The hidden Shirk pertains to intentions and wills such as acting hypocritically and fame – that is, to do a thing which usually is done as a means for seeking nearness to Allah, but does it only so that people commend him for it; such as performing Salat in a perfect manner, or giving charitable gift to be praised, or raising his voice with the Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) or reciting Qur'aan for people to hear him and praise him. When an act of worship is done in Riya (doing an act of worship in order to make people see it or hear it), it would be nullified. Allah, the Exalted, says: "So let him who hope to meet his Rabb do good deeds without ascribing a partner to Allah in worshipping his Rabb." [Soorah al-Kahf (18): 110]

The Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "The thing I fear most that you may commit is the lesser Shirk." They asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the lesser Shirk?' He replied: "Riyaa." [Ahmed and at-Tabaranee]

Under this kind falls doing acts of worship for worldly gains, such as performing Hajj, calling our the Adhan (the call for prayer), leading Salaat for money, fame, etc or acquiring knowledge, or fighting in the cause of Allah for money, fame, etc.

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said: "As for Shirk which is pertinent to will and intention, it resembles a sea without coast; very few of those who escape it. He who intends by doing good deeds to please other than Allah, and intends to do a thing not for the sake of coming near to Allah,and requested the reward from other than Allah, commits Shirk in terms of intention.

While sincerity is to dedicate all acts of worship and utterances and intentions sincerely to Allah and this is the genuine Hanifiyyah, the deen of Ibraheem which Allah commands all of his slaves to follow. Allah does not accept any other deen from anyone. It is the essence of Islam, as Allah, the Exalted, says: "And he who wants a deen other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the world to come he shall be among the losers."[Soorah Al-Imran (3): 85]

It is the deen of Ibraheem, that Allah saved from evil and only the light-witted turns away from it. The Differences between Greater Shirk and Lesser Shirk .

The following differences between the Greater Shirk and the Lesser Shirk are deduced from the above mentioned:

1. The greater Shirk constitutes apostasy and nullifies all good deeds, while the lesser Shirk does not constitute apostasy or nullify all good deeds.

2. The greater Shirk condemns the one who practices it to eternal life in the Fire. Whereas the lesser Shirk does not condemn the one who practices it to eternal life in the Fire if he enters it.

3.Those who commit shirk akbar (greater shirk) violate their marriage contract(s) and their children will no longer be attributed to them. This is not the case for a person who commits shirk asghar.