Q. Could you please explain which actions constitute a rejection of God’s oneness, or shirk? Some people accuse others of committing shirk for some minor actions. Could you please explain whether there is something called hidden shirk?
I. Jama
A. Certain attributes of God are well known to be His own, and that no one else has a share in them. For example, God is the one who provides everything that we need to live. We may work and earn a salary, but it is God who has given us the means to do our work and earn whatever we earn. If at any time we do something which suggests that we attribute to anyone, human or not, any measure of God’s attribute of being the provider for all His servants then that action constitutes a rejection of God’s oneness.
To elaborate I will give you the following example. Take the case of one who is employed in a government office or in a large company. One of his colleagues is subjected to ill treatment by his superior and lodges a complaint. The inspector investigating the case asks for witnesses, but this employee whose statement will make all the difference refuses to give evidence. When pressed to say why he will not give evidence, he says that since the evidence is against his superior, or the company owner, he would be kicked out of his job. He says: “They will stop my livelihood.” This statement is tantamount to rejecting God’s oneness as it means associating partners with Him in the area of providing for His servants.
If a person refuses to give evidence in such case, allowing injustice to be done, knowing that his evidence would have helped in establishing justice and thinking that it could lead to disrupting his livelihood, his feelings constitute hidden shirk. The same applies in many other situations.
It is true that some people are quick to accuse others of committing such a terrible sin, when they actually do not. This is absolutely wrong. They cannot tell what is in the mind of the person whom they so accuse. Moreover, God has not placed them in a position which requires them to make judgment on other people and their actions. If they do, then they are committing an offence against God and against other people. The proper Islamic attitude is to explain the faith to people and to leave judgment on them to God Almighty.