The Origins
of Shirk
Author:
Shaykh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen al-Albani
From that which has been established in the Sharee'ah
(prescribed law) is that mankind was - in the beginning - a
single nation upn true Tawheed, then Shirk (directing any
part or form of worship, or anything else that is solely the
right of Allaah, to other than Allaah) gradually overcame
them. The basis for this is the saying of Allaah - the Most
Blessed, the Most High:
"Mankind was one Ummah, then Allaah sent prophets bringing
good news and warnings." [Al-Baqarah 2 :213]
{كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللَّـهُ
النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ}
Transliteration: Kana alnnasu ommatan wahidatan fabaAAatha
Allahu alnnabiyyeena mubashshireena wamunthireena
Ibn 'Abbaas - radiallaahu 'anhu - said: "Between Nooh (Noah)
and Adam were ten generations, all of them were upon
Sharee'ah (law) of the truth, then they differed. So Allaah
sent prophets as bringers of good news and as warners." [2]
Ibn 'Urwah al-Hanbalee (d.837 H) said: "This saying refutes
those historians from the People of the Book who claim that
Qaabil (Cain) and his sons were fire-worshippers." [3]
I say: In it is also a refutation of some of the
philosophers and athists who claim that the (natural) basis
of man is Shirk, and that Tawheed evolved in man! The
preceeding aayah (verse) falsifies this claim, as do the two
following authentic hadith:
Firstly: His (the prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
saying that he related from his Lord (Allaah) : «I created
all my servants upon the true Religion (upon Tawheed, free
from Shirk). Then the devils came to them and led them
astray from their true Religion. They made unlawful to
people that which I had made lawful for them, and they
commanded them to associate in worship with Me, that which I
had sent down no authority.» [Related by Muslim (8/159) and
Ahmad (4/162) from 'Iyaadh ibn Himaar al-Mujaashi'ee
radiallaahu 'anhu]
«إني خلقت عبادي كلهم حنفاء وإنهم أتتهم الشياطين فاجتالتهم عن
دينهم وحرمت عليهم ما أحللت لهم وأمرتهم أن يشركوا بي ما لم
أنزل به سلطانا» رواه مسلم
Secondly: His (the prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
saying: «Every child is born upon the Fitrah [4] but his
parents make him a jew or a christian or a magian. It is
like the way an animal gives birth to a natural offspring.
have you noticed any born mutilated, before you mutilate
them.
Abu Hurayrah said: «Recite if you wish: “Allaah's fitrah
with which He created mankind. There is to be no change to
the creation (Religion) of Allaah.” [Ar-Rum 30 :30]»
[Related by Al-Bukhaaree (11/418) and Muslim (18/52)]
«ما من مولود إلا يولد على الفطرة فأبواه يهودانه وينصرانه
ويمجسانه كما تنتج البهيمة بهيمة جمعاء هل تحسون فيها من جدعاء
ثم يقول أبو هريرة واقرءوا إن شئتم فطرة الله التي فطر الناس
عليها لا تبديل لخلق الله»رواه البخاري ومسلم واللفظ لمسلم
After this clear explanation, it is of the upmost importance
for the Muslim to know how Shirk spread amongst the
believers, after they were muwahhideen (people upon Tawheed).
Concerning the saying of Allaah - the most perfect - about
the people of Nooh:
"And they have said : You shall not forsake your gods, nor
shall you forsake Wadd, nor Suwaa', nor Yaghooth, nor Ya'ooq,
nor Nasr." [Nooh 71: 23]
{وَقَالُوا لَا تَذَرُنَّ آلِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّا
وَلَا سُوَاعًا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًا }نوح 23
Transliteration: Waqaloo la tatharunna alihatakum wala
tatharunna waddan wala suwaAAan wala yaghootha wayaAAooqa
wanasran
It has been related by a group from the Salaf (Pious
Predecessors), in many narrations, that these five deities
were righteous worshippers. However, when they died,
Shaytaan (Satan) whispered into their people to retreat and
sit at their graves. Then Shaytaan whispered to those who
came after them that they should take them as idols,
beautifying to them the idea that you will be reminded of
them and thereby follow them in righteous conduct. Then
Shaytaan suggested to the third generation that they should
worship these idols besides Allaah - the most high - and he
whispered to them that this is what their forefathers used
to do!!!
So Allaah sent to them Nooh alayhis-salaam, commanding them
to worship Allaah alone. However none responded to hiscall
except a few. Allaah - the mighty and majestic - related
this whole incident in Soorah Nooh Ibn 'Abbas relates:
«Indeed these five names of righteous men from the people of
Nooh. When they died Shataan whispered to their people to
make statues of them and to place these statues in their
places of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this.
However, none from amongst them worshipped these statues,
until when they died and the purpose of the statues was
forgotten. Then (the next generation) began to worship
them.» [Related by al-Bukhaaree (8/534)]
«عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما:....أسماء رجال صالحين من قوم نوح،
فلما هلكوا أوحى الشيطان إلى قومهم: أن انصبوا إلى مجالسهم
التي كانوا يجلسون أنصابا وسموها بأسمائهم، ففعلوا، فلم تعبد،
حتى إذا هلك أولئك، وتنسخ العلم عبدت.» رواه البخاري
The likes of this has also been related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree
and others, from a number of the salaf (Pious Predecessors)
- radiallaahu 'anhum. In ad-Durral-Manthoor (6/269): 'Abdullaah
ibn Humaid relates from Abu Muttahar, who said: Yazeed ibn
al-Muhallab was mentioned to Abu Ja'far al-Baaqir (d.11H),
so he said: He was killed at the place where another besides
Allaah was first worshipped. Then he mentioned Wadd and
said: "Wadd was a Muslim man who was loved by his people.
When he died, the people began to gather around his grave in
the land of Baabil (Babel), lamenting and mourning. So when
Iblees (Satan) saw them mourning and lamenting over him, he
took the form of a man and came to them, saying : I see that
you are mourning and lamenting over him. So why don't you
make a picture of him (i.e. a statue) and place it in your
places of gatherings so that you maybe reminded of him. So
they said: Yes, and they made a picture of him and put in
their place of gathering; which reminded them of him. When
Iblees saw how they were (excessively) remembering him, he
said : "Why doesn't every man amongst you make a similar
picture to keep in your own houses, so that you can be
(constantly) reminded of him." So they all said "yes". So
each household made a picture of him, which they adored and
venerated and which constantly reminded them of him. Abu
Ja'far said: "Those from the later generation saw what the (pevious
generation) had done and considered that........to the
extent that they took him as an ilah (diety) to be
worshipped besides Allaah. He then said : «This was the
first idol worshipped other than Allaah, and they called
this idol Wadd» [5]
Thus the wisdom of Allaah - the Blessed, the Most High - was
fufilled, when he sent Muhammed sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam as the final prophet and made his Sharee'ah the
completion of all divinely Prescribed Laws, in that He
prohibited all means and avenues by which people may fall
into Shirk - which is the greatest of sins. For this reason,
building shrines over graves and intending to specifically
travel to them, taking them as places of festivity and
gathering and swearing an oath by the inmate of a grave;
have all been prohibited. All of these lead to excessiveness
and lead to the worship of other than Allaah - the Most
High.
This being the case even more so in an age in which
knowledge is diminishing, ignorance is increasing, thre are
few sincere advisors ( to the truth) and shaytaan is
co-operating with men and jinn to misguide mankind and to
take them away from the worship of Allaah alone - the
Blessed, the Most High.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Tahdheerus-Saajid min Ittikhaadhil-Quboori Masaajid
(pp.101-106)
2. Related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree in his tafseer (4/275)
and al-Haakim (2/546) who said: "It is authentic according
to the criterion of al-Bukhari." Adh-Dhahabee also agreed.
3. Al-Khawaakibud-Duraaree fee Tarteeb Musnadul-Imaam
Ahmad'alaa Abwaabil-Bukhaaree (6/212/1), still in manuscript
form.
4. [From the Editors] Ibn-al-Atheer said in an-Nihaayah
(3/457): "Al-Fitr: means to begin and create, and al-Fitrah
is the condition resulting from it. The meaning is that
mankind were born upona disposition and a nature which is
ready to accept the true Religion. So if he were to be left
upon this, then he would continue upon it. However, those
who deviate from this do so due to following human
weaknesses and blind following of others....." Al-Haafidh
Ibn Hajar said in Al-Fath (3/248): "The people differ
concerning what is meant by al-Fitrah and the most famous
saying is that it means Islaam. Ibn 'abdul-Barr said: That
is what was well known with most of the salaf (pious
predecessors), and the scholars of tafseer are agreed that
what is meant by the saying of Allaah - the Most High -
"Allaah's fitrah wiht which He created mankind." is Islaam
5. Related by Ibn Abee Haatim also, as is in
al-Kawaakibud-Duraaree (6/112/2) of Ibn 'Urwah al-Hanbalee,
along with an isnaad which is Hasan, up to Abu Muttahar.
However, no biography could be found for him, neither in
ad-Dawlaabee's al-Kunaa wal-Asmaa, nor Muslim's al-Kunaa,
nor any one elses. And the hidden defect here is that he is
from the Shee'ah, but his biography is not included in
at-Toosee's al-Kunaa -- from the index of Shee'ah narrators.
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