The Majority of People Fall into Shirk Due to Ignorance
Another issue lies in the belief that all or most polytheists from past nations or other religions rejected the message of the prophets with full awareness. In reality, the opposite is true.
As previously mentioned, the idolaters of pre-Islamic Arabia were exposed to great ignorance regarding monotheism. If it were possible to consider a polytheist as a Muslim, this would certainly apply more to those people, rather than to those who hold the Qur'an in their hands and perhaps have even memorized parts or the entire book.
However, among many people today, it seems that the more knowledge a polytheist has – or the more access he has to knowledge – the more excusable he becomes! A clear contradiction.
How could, for example, an idolater from two thousand years ago, who lived in the desert, was illiterate, and had not a single written verse in his possession, be less excusable than someone who reads Arabic and memorizes from the Qur'an?!
According to the proponents of this theological error, even many Jews and Christians today would have to be far more excusable, since their access to Islamic sources is undoubtedly much more difficult.
In contrast, Islamic sources mention that most people were led into shirk precisely through ignorance.
In this regard, the Qur'an – for example, in sura Nuh – mentions four individuals by name who were finally worshiped by their descendants.
In the Sahih collection of al-Bukhari, it is narrated from the Companion of the Prophet, Ibnu 'Abbas رضي الله عنهما, that he explained this Qur'anic passage and clarified how the first polytheism emerged among the people of Nuh/Noah:
عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا صَارَتْ الْأَوْثَانُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي قَوْمِ نُوحٍ فِي الْعَرَبِ بَعْدُ أَمَّا وَدٌّ كَانَتْ لِكَلْبٍ بِدَوْمَةِ الْجَنْدَلِ وَأَمَّا سُوَاعٌ كَانَتْ لِهُذَيْلٍ وَأَمَّا يَغُوثُ فَكَانَتْ لِمُرَادٍ ثُمَّ لِبَنِي غُطَيْفٍ بِالْجَوْفِ عِنْدَ سَبَإٍ وَأَمَّا يَعُوقُ فَكَانَتْ لِهَمْدَانَ وَأَمَّا نَسْرٌ فَكَانَتْ لِحِمْيَرَ لِآلِ ذِي الْكَلَاعِ أَسْمَاءُ رِجَالٍ صَالِحِينَ مِنْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ فَلَمَّا هَلَكُوا أَوْحَى الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ أَنْ انْصِبُوا إِلَى مَجَالِسِهِمْ الَّتِي كَانُوا يَجْلِسُونَ أَنْصَابًا وَسَمُّوهَا بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَفَعَلُوا فَلَمْ تُعْبَدْ حَتَّى إِذَا هَلَكَ أُولَئِكَ وَتَنَسَّخَ الْعِلْمُ عُبِدَتْ
(They are) the names of righteous men from the people of Nuh. When they died, Satan inspired their people to name statues after them and place them in their gatherings.
Finally, they did so. However, these statues were not worshiped until those people died and knowledge was lost. Only then were they worshiped.
Thus, Nuh عليه السلام – like all other prophets عليهم السلام – was sent to a people of mushrikin who, due to their ignorance, believed themselves to be Muslims and followers of the prophetic teaching.
Despite this prevailing ignorance, Nuh, just like all other prophets عليهم السلام, judged his people as mushrikin. That is why he addressed his people as described in the following Qur'anic verse:
﴿لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَى قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ﴾
We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have nothing worthy of worship other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day.”
[sura al-A'raf, 7:59]
﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحاً إِلَى قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ﴾
And We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have nothing worthy of worship other than Him; then will you not fear Him?”
[sura al-Mu'minun, 23:23]
This one example shall suffice at this point. Anyone who carefully reads the Qur'an will undoubtedly recognize that monotheism is repeatedly emphasized in this manner as the core message of all prophets.
It is also worth recalling the statement of the early Qur'an exegete Ibnu Jarir at-Tabari regarding the verse in sura az-Zumar [39:29], where he said:
﴿بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ يَقُولُ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ: وَمَا يَسْتَوِي هَذَا الْمُشْتَرَكُ فِيهِ، وَالَّذِي هُوَ مُنْفَرِدٌ مُلْكُهُ لِوَاحِدٍ، بَلْ أَكْثَرُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِاللَّهِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُمَا لَا يَسْتَوِيَانِ، فَهُمْ بِجَهْلِهِمْ بِذَلِكَ يَعْبُدُونَ آلِهَةً شَتَّى مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ.
“But most of them do not know”, meaning: This one, who is divided among multiple masters, and the one who belongs to only one master, are not equal.
But most of these “who associate something with Allah” do not know that the two are not equal. In their ignorance of this, they worship various different alihah besides Allah.