Major Shirk is the Equating of Allah and His Creations in Matters that are Unique to the Creator

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Shirk thus refers to the equating of the Creator with His creations. This equivalence can occur with regard to His actions, attributes, and names, or – and above all – in worship and obedience.

This equating or making something equal means attributing to a created being something that belongs exclusively to the Creator. Therefore, shirk is also defined as ascribing to a creation any of the characteristics (khasa'is in Arabic) unique to Allah.

This described equating, also known as taswiyah in Arabic, is explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an, for example, in the following verse:

Through taswiyah/equating of this magnitude, major shirk differs from all other sins. However, the concept of equivalence is, to some extent, present in every sin. In every sin, Allah's right is violated to some degree, which is why the servant must seek forgiveness afterward.

Just as not every sin is considered polytheism, it is also clear that not every love or submission towards a created being constitutes polytheism in worship. For example, love for the prophets or the natural affection for other people and the like is not considered polytheistic association as long as this love remains within acceptable limits.

In the Qur'an, the following verse, for instance, discusses the fundamental behaviour towards one's parents:

If a person's love for another human being goes so far that he rejects Islam, commit polytheism, or engage in similar acts for the sake of that person, then the boundary has undoubtedly been crossed. In such a case, this person has equated his love and obedience for another human being with that which is due only to the Creator.

In this sense, the fundamental principle of Islamic belief holds that a Muslim loves anything only for the sake of Allah. This love is therefore always subordinate to the love for the Creator.

Regarding major shirk in love, the Qur'an states, for example:

From what was previously stated about the division of shirk, it also becomes clear why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used the terms shirk and 'adl for minor shirk. This usage of the terms was already evident from the Prophet's statement, “Have you made me equal to Allah?” since the Arabic text of this hadith uses the word 'adl.

In the following hadith, where eye service (riya') is discussed and referred to as shirk, this division becomes even clearer. The word shirk is used, even though riya' for a Muslim generally does not reach the level of major shirk.

In contrast to actual hypocrites/munafiqun, a Muslim would not perform an action solely for another human being. Therefore, it becomes quite obvious that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the following statement was referring to minor shirk when he said:

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَنَحْنُ نَتَذَاكَرُ الْمَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالَ، فَقَالَ: «أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَا هُوَ أَخْوَفُ عَلَيْكُمْ عِنْدِي مِنَ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ؟» قَالَ: قُلْنَا: بَلَى، فَقَالَ: «الشِّرْكُ الْخَفِيُّ، أَنْ يَقُومَ الرَّجُلُ يُصَلِّي، فَيُزَيِّنُ صَلَاتَهُ، لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ نَظَرِ رَجُلٍ»

From Abu Sa'id, who said: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came out to us while we remembered (together) al-Masih ad-Dajjal⁸⁶, and he said: “Shall I not tell you what I fear for you even more?” We said: “Yes.”

Then he said: “The hidden shirk – that a man stands to pray and beautifies his prayer because of the gaze of another person.”⁸⁷