SHIRK

(Arabic: making a partner [of someone]), in Islam, idolatry, polytheism, and the association of God with other deities. The Qur'an (Islamic scripture) stresses in many verses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik). It warns those who believe their idols will intercede for them that they, together with the idols, will become fuel for hellfire on the Day of Judgment (21:98). The great majority of mushrikun (polytheists) in the Prophet's time were those who had never become Muslims; thus the words of the Qur'an were not addressed to Muslims with the intention of keeping them firm in their faith, but rather to the pagan, polytheistic Arabs. In fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), shirk became legally equivalent to kufr (unbelief ). Those Muslims who profess it are considered outlaws who should be ousted from the Muslim community; all their legal rights are suspended until they denounce their polytheistic beliefs. Shirk, however, received considerable extension of meaning throughout the dogmatic development of Islam. It did not remain simply a term for the idolatry prevailing outside Islam but came to be used as the opposite of tawhid (the oneness of God) and became synonymous with any belief or practice rejected by a particular sect. Different grades of shirk have been distinguished, apart from pure and blatant polytheism. There is shirk al-'adah (shirk of custom), which includes all superstitions, such as the belief in omens and the seeking of help from soothsayers. Shirk al-'ibadah (shirk of worship) is manifested in the belief in the powers of created thingse.g., the reverencing of saints, kissing holy stones, and praying at the grave of a holy man. There is shirk al-'ilm (shirk of knowledge)e.g., to credit anyone, such as astrologers or interpreters of dreams, with knowledge of the future. All of these types of shirk are shirk saghir (minor shirk) in comparison with polytheism.