The Origins of Shirk

Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) [1]




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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." (Soorah Baqarah 2:213)



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, fre 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." [4]



Secondly: His (the prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) saying: "Every child
is born upon the Fitrah [5] 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." (Soorah
ar-Rum 30:30) [6]



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." (Soorah Nooh 71:23)



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."[7]



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"[8]



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.





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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. Related by Muslim (8/159) and Ahmad (4/162) from 'Iyaadh ibn Himaar al-Mujaashi'ee
radiallaahu 'anhu



5. [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



6. Related by Al-Bukhaaree (11/418) and Muslim (18/52)



7. Related by al-Bukhaaree (8/534)



8. 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.