Page 6 - The Basic Concepts in the Qur’an

Idolatry

‘Shirk’, the word used for idolatry in Arabic means “partnership/association”. In the
Qur’an, to practise idolatry is to associate any other being, any other person, or concept with
Allah, considering them to be equal to Allah, and to act upon this unsound belief.
In translations of the Qur’an, idolatry is explained as “associating a partner with Allah”. It
is expressed thus: “having another god besides Allah”, or “worshipping another god besides
Allah”.
In its broadest sense, idolatry is to adhere to principles and values, or pursue a life style
other than is consistent with the teachings and moral values of the Qur’an. Someone adopting
such principles simply sets up the person laying down these principles as a partner to Allah.
This person may be anyone; his father, grandfather, an ancestor he may so exalt the society he
is a member of, the founders of an ideology, a philosophy or its followers. In this broad sense of
idolatry, someone adhering to a different way of living other than the Qur’an, simply practises
idolatry. He may call himself an atheist, Christian, or Jew. He may even appear to be a Muslim,
performing his regular prayers, fasting and obeying the laws of Islam. Nevertheless, anyone
harboring a thought or judgment opposing the Qur’an is a mere idolater; by such a stance he
simply manifests his acceptance of the existence of a ruler other than Allah.
Idolatry does not essentially require an absolute denial of the existence of Allah. Rather,
the majority of the idolaters avoid explicitly accepting such an attribute or “title”. Never
scrupulous in conduct, they deceive themselves throughout their lives. On the Day of
Judgment, they still reject being involved in idolatry. The stance they adopt is explained in the
following verse:
One day shall We gather them all together: We shall say to those who ascribed
partners (to Us): “Where are the partners whom you (invented and) talked about?”
There will then be (left) no subterfuge for them but to say: “By Allah, our Lord, we
were not those who associated other gods with Allah.”Behold! How they lie against
thier own souls ! But the (lie) which they invented will leave them in the lurch.
(al-Ana‘am, 22-24)

An idolater does not necessarily have to make “declarations”. You will certainly never hear
a statement like this: “ I hereby take this divine being as a god besides Allah and I swear an
oath of loyalty to him.” Idolatry resides primarily, in the heart and is then disclosed through
word and deed. From the standpoint of the Qur’an, having a preference for a being other than
Allah underlies it. Giving preference to the will of some person over the Will of Allah, for
instance, fear of other people rather than fear of Allah, or an attachment to some person rather
than to Him are examples of idolatry described in the Qur’an.
From the foregoing, it is clear that idolatry is the diversion of the feeling of “love” from
Allah to other beings. The strong attachment formed to idols is explained in the following verse:

Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, as equal (with Allah):
They love them as they should love Allah. But those of the Faith are overflowing in
their love for Allah. If only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the
penalty: that to Allah belongs all power, and Allah will sternly enforce the penalty.
(Surah Al-Baqara, 165)

This verse makes it clear that “love” given to the wrong people lays the basis for
“worshipping others than Allah” as well as idolatry. Unlike believers, unbelievers can never