Shirkul Akbar in Love

Shirkul Akbar The Major Shirk

Seem harmless? Woe, unto you!

Commiting Shirk in Love

"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 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 strongly enforce the penalty."

Quraan 2:165

Shirk of Love: This type means to love a creation as you love Allaah, or even more so. Allaah says in the Quran (what means): "And of mankind are some who take [for worship] others besides Allaah as rivals [to Allaah]. They love them as they love Allaah. But those who believe love Allaah more [than anything else]." [Quran 2:165] Ibn Taymiyyah said, "Whosoever loves a creation equal to his love to Allaah, he has committed Shirk; and there must be a difference between loving for the sake of Allaah and loving with Allaah." [Fataawa Shaykh Al-Islam; V15: P49]. Many people who claim to be Muslim have fallen into this type of Shirk by loving their leaders or pious people as they love Allaah, or even more so. When you ask one of them to take a false oath by Allaah (swearing in Allaah while lying) they may do so, but when you ask them to take a false oath by those pious people, they refuse. This is the Shirk of Love. There are four different types of love: Firstly, loving for the sake of Allaah and loving what Allaah and His Messenger love. This is how a Muslim should be. Ibn Al-Qayyim said about this type of love, "There are four types of love where one must differentiate between them and there were some people who have been misguided because they were unable to differentiate between them. They are:A: Loving Allaah only, which is not enough for surviving Allaah's punishment and winning His reward. For, the polytheists, the worshippers of the cross, the Jews and others also love Allaah. B: Loving what Allaah loves. This leads one to enter Islam and depart infidelity. The most beloved ones by Allaah are those with much of this type of love.C: Loving for the sake of Allaah. This is a requirement of loving what Allaah loves. And loving what Allaah loves will not be complete except by loving for Him.D: Loving with Allaah, which is the 'Shirk of love'. Everyone who loves something with the love of Allaah, not for the sake of Allaah, nor for Him, then he has associated a partner with Him. This is the love of the polytheists."Secondly: Loving lawful things, such as food, clothes or drinks. This is normal love. Thirdly: Sympathetic loving, such as loving your children or wife. This is normal love. Fourthly: Loving others equal or more than the love of Allaah. This is major Shirk.An example of what can become the category number four Shirkul Akbar for many Muslims is due to an extreme amount of love and adherence for an individual that it is not neccesary to love and to strictly adhere to their opinion.

It is not compulsory or even preferable for a person to follow a certain school of thought. A Muslim is not obligated to follow one school in particular. The great jurists who founded these schools of law were only concerned about what was found to be authentic. They warned against innovation and against emulating anyone besides the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was related that all four of them (Abu Hanîfah, Mâlik, al-Shâfi`î, and Ahmad) said: “No one is allowed to use our answers to people’s queries or our speech unless he knows where we have got it from.” Each one of them said “If a hadîth is authentic, then it is my position, whether I cited it or not.”

If a man follows Abu Hanîfah, Mâlik, al-Shâfi`î, or Ahmad, then finds that the opinion of some other school of law is more correct, he should follow that opinion. If he does this, then he is doing what is right and no one can derogate his faith.

Our intent behind this is not to is not attack the Scholars of the four schools of thought or elsewhere; rather we want to advise the Muslims and to co-operate with all of them (especially those who occupy themselves with fiqh) by understanding the deviation which has befallen some of the people due to this reason.

"You who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination."

Quraan 4:59

The scholars of the past as well as of today have a difference of opinion on a variety of issues that was first restricted to a few subsidiary issues and has now gone all the way up to Aqeedah (Islamic belief). Some of these contrasting ideas for example are: praying with hands at side (no hadith reports the Rusool (saw) ever doing this), a Muslim woman of legal age can marry herself off with out a wali do to the legality in certain countries (Any woman who marries without permission from a guardian then her marriage is false, her marriage is false, her marriage is false Al-Irwa No.1840), Alcohol in small amounts is okay as long as you dont take enough to get drunk (That which intoxicates in Large amounts, is forbidden in small amounts al-Irwa No.2375).

When the narration is found, then the opinion is invalid!

"....Allaah will inflict humiliation upon you and will not remove it until you return to your religion".
Saheeh no#11 found in al-Albannee Tafsiyya and TarbiyyaIn fact, the four Imams follow al-Salaf the good ancestors in their creed. Those who follow the four Imams actually follow al-Salaf, but there are people who claim that they follow the four Imams but at the same time they have deviated from their method.
Here are well-known saying that is ascribed to Abu Hanifa and al-Shafi'e : 'It is part and parcel of my school of thought to follow every sound Hadith'.
al-Shafi'e said: 'If anyone finds that there is some contradiction between an opinion of mine and a sound Hadith, one has to disregard my opinion'.
Malik said: 'Everyone's sayings are subject to be followed or rejected except those of Allah's Messenger'.
Ahmad said: 'Do not follow my opinions without recognizing evidence nor those of Malik or al-Shafi'e , but consult the Qur'an and Sunnah directly'.

Some of the followers of these schools of fiqh when approached with a sunnah that is authentic and clear they will say: 'This opposes my school of fiqh.'! Where then is the process by judging what Allaah has revealed regarding following the sunnah and being of the al-Salaf?!

"When a scholar judges and makes ijtihaad and is correct (in his decision), then he gets two rewards. And when he he judges and makes ijtihaad and then makes a mistake he gets one reward."
Al-Bukhari No.7352

So, why do we forget that the mujtahid (scholar who makes ijtihaad) will indeed be rewarded with at least one reward? Why can we not say that he (the scholar) has made a mistake? The reason for this is it is difficult for the people to say: 'So and so has made a mistake.' Because indeed the opinion has overcome us and in our hearts there is a reverence and respect for the imaams more than that which Allaah made obligatory upon us.

"Not from us is the one who does not honour our elder, or who does not have mercy on our young or who does not recognize the right of our scholar."
Saheeh al-Jami No.5443

This is from that which the Messenger of Allaah urged the Muslims to do, in recognizing the right of a scholar. However, is it the right of the scholar that we raise him to the level of Prophethood until we eventually give him the infallibility with our silent language? And the language of silence is clearer than the language of speech. It is not upon us that we prefer the saying of a imam over the saying of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) or Allaah's words.