The short answer
Shirk is the Arabic word for making a partner for Allah in His lordship, as Ibn Manzur's Lisan al-Arab puts it. Al-Tahawi's creed opens with tawhid: Allah is one, without partner. An-Nisa 4:48 speaks of shirk, and a hadith in Musnad Ahmad names the lesser shirk.
الشِّرْكُ
What is shirk in Islam?
Shirk is the Arabic word for ascribing a partner to Allah; Ibn Manzur's dictionary Lisan al-Arab gives it as making a partner for Allah in His lordship 4. An-Nisa 4:48 speaks of it. Al-Tahawi introduces his creed as that of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (the people of the Sunnah and the community) and opens it with the oneness of Allah: in our translation, Allah is one, without partner (wahid la sharika lahu) 5.
Each of the Quran, the hadith and the classical books uses the word in its own way. The sections below take them in turn, one source at a time.
What does the Arabic word shirk mean?
The linguist Ibn Faris says the letters sh-r-k have two origins, and the first points to being together, the opposite of being alone. Al-shirka is a thing that is between two, so that neither of them is alone in it, and ashraktu fulanan means "I made him a partner to you" 6. The word for a partner, sharik, has the same letters: it is the word in al-Tahawi's "without partner".
Lisan al-Arab, the dictionary by Ibn Manzur, gives the religious sense in the same entry. Ashraka billah means "he made a partner for Him in His dominion", and al-shirk is to make a partner for Allah in His lordship, "exalted is Allah above partners and rivals" 4.
What does the Quran say about shirk?
An-Nisa 4:48:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
The verse has three parts: a statement about a partner being ascribed to Allah, a statement about what He forgives and to whom He wills, and a closing line calling the ascribing of partners "a tremendous sin". It does not mention repentance or death, and it names no person or group.
Luqman 31:13 gives a father's advice to his son and the reason for it:
وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَـٰنُ لِٱبْنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُۥ يَـٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
What does the Quran report people saying?
The Quran also reports what people said while worshipping others besides Allah. Yunus 10:18 gives their words, and then a reply:
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُفَعَـٰٓؤُنَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّـُٔونَ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ
Az-Zumar 39:3 reports a reason given by those who choose protecting friends beside Him, and says Allah will judge between them:
مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ
Both verses describe the people they speak about, in the Quran's own words, and each gives their stated reason. Ilmwell does not apply them to anyone today.
What do the hadith say about shirk?
Three narrations bear on shirk.
The greatest sin
Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that he asked the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which sin is greatest with Allah. The Prophet said: that you make a rival (nidd) for Allah though He created you (Sahih al-Bukhari 4477, graded sahih). The hadith says nidd, not shirk, and the narration goes on to other sins that are not used here.
1AuthenticSahih al-Bukhari 4477
A deed in which someone else is associated with Allah
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet said that Allah says this: whoever does a deed in which he associates someone else with Me, I leave him and his shirk (tarakahu wa shirkahu). That is Sahih Muslim 2985, graded sahih. The hadith does not say what the deed is.
2AuthenticSahih Muslim 2985
The lesser shirk
Mahmud ibn Labid, whose status as a Companion scholars differ on, reported that the Prophet said what he feared most for them was the lesser shirk. They asked what it is, and he said: riya' (showing off). He added what Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection, when people are repaid for their deeds. To such people Allah will say: go to those you used to show off to in the world, and see whether you find any reward with them (Musnad Ahmad 23630, graded authentic).
Musnad Ahmad 23630, graded authentic
إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ الشِّرْكُ الْأَصْغَرُ
inna akhwafa ma akhafu 'alaykumu ash-shirku al-asghar
The thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk.
3AuthenticMusnad Ahmad 23630Sunnah.com does not carry it; read in the Risala edition of the Musnad
Every verdict we found for this narration is hasan, sahih or a similar word of acceptance (some say the chain is good or strong), so it is graded authentic. The editors of the Risala edition of the Musnad (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut and colleagues) note that this particular chain has a missing link, which another route fills. The sources list has them all. The hadith says "the lesser shirk"; it does not say "the greater".
What are greater and lesser shirk?
The hadith above names "the lesser shirk" and links it with riya'. The two books below each pair a lesser shirk with a greater one. They are set side by side here; Ilmwell does not choose between them or turn either into a ruling.
| Source | Terms it uses | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Musnad Ahmad 23630 (hadith, graded authentic) | The lesser shirk | Names riya' as the lesser shirk. No other kind is named in it. |
| Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij al-Salikin 1/348 and 1/352 | Greater (akbar) and lesser (asghar) | Two kinds. The greater is to take, besides Allah, a rival (nidd) whom one loves as one loves Allah, and he says Allah does not forgive it except by repentance from it 7. The lesser, he says, is like a little showing off, putting on a show for people, swearing by other than Allah, and sayings such as "what Allah wills and you will". He adds that such sayings may be the greater shirk, "according to the one who says it and what he means". He also reports the Prophet's reply to a man who said "what Allah wills and you will": "Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say: what Allah wills alone", and calls that wording lighter than the others 8. |
| Al-Haytami, al-Zawajir 1/43 and 1/62 | The greater shirk; the lesser shirk, which is riya' | In his book on the major sins (kaba'ir), he heads the first of the inner major sins (al-kaba'ir al-batina) "the greater shirk" and the second "the lesser shirk, which is riya'". The second chapter quotes the hadith of the lesser shirk, which he attributes to Ahmad 9. |
Both books name a greater and a lesser shirk, and both place riya' under the lesser: al-Haytami's heading equates the two, and Ibn al-Qayyim lists a little showing off among his examples.
Do these definitions judge any person or group?
No. They define a word and report how named books arrange it. They do not tell a reader whether any person or group has committed shirk, and Ilmwell does not. Al-Tahawi's creed speaks to that very point. Of the people of the qibla (the direction of prayer), he writes that we do not testify against them for kufr (rejecting faith), shirk or hypocrisy, so long as nothing of that appears from them. We leave their inner states to Allah 10. For your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
I first heard the word shirk from my grandad when I was about eight and had a lucky charm from a school fair hanging on my bag. He did not shout. He asked me what I thought it did, and I could not answer. I took it off before we got home.
Try it: four questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1According to Luqman 31:13, which thing is "a tremendous wrong"?
Answer: Ascribing partners to Allah. The verse gives it as the reason for the father's advice to his son, "ascribe no partners to Allah".
2Which phrase does Musnad Ahmad 23630 (graded authentic) use for riya' (showing off)?
Answer: The lesser shirk. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, called it "the lesser shirk" in answer to the question what that is. Graded authentic. Source 3
3In the two classical books on this page, which kind of shirk is paired with the lesser?
Answer: The greater shirk. Ibn al-Qayyim (Madarij al-Salikin 1/348) and al-Haytami (al-Zawajir 1/43) each name the greater shirk beside the lesser. The pairing is the books' arrangement; the hadith above uses only "the lesser shirk".
4What does Ibn Faris say the root sh-r-k points to, in its first origin?
Answer: Being together, the opposite of being alone. Al-shirka is a thing between two, so that neither is alone in it.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
'Abdullah (identified on dorar.net as Ibn Mas'ud) reported that he asked the Prophet which sin is greatest with Allah, and the Prophet said: that you make a rival (nidd) for Allah when He created you.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4477 Book 65, Hadith 4
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari (Al-Bukhari); sahih (Al-Albani)
- 2
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said that Allah the Blessed and Exalted says: 'I am the most free of need of partners from shirk; whoever does a deed in which he associates someone else with Me, I leave him and his shirk.'
Sahih Muslim 2985 Book 55, Hadith 58
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim (Muslim); sahih (Al-Albani); sahih (Ibn 'Uthaymin)
- 3
Mahmud ibn Labid reported that the Prophet said: the thing he feared most for them was the lesser shirk; asked what it is, he said it is riya' (showing off), and that on the Day of Resurrection, when people are repaid for their deeds, Allah will say to them: go to those you used to show off to in the world and see whether you find any reward with them.
Musnad Ahmad 23630 Musnad Ahmad 23630 (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut's numbering, Mu'assasat al-Risala edition, vol. 39, p. 39, 'hadith Mahmud ibn Labid')
Authentic: its chain is hasan (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani); its chain is hasan (al-Rub'i); sahih (Al-Albani); its chain is sahih; Mahmud ibn Labid, whose companionship is disputed (Ibn Muflih); sahih (Ibn Baz); its chain is good, jayyid (Ibn Baz); its chain is good, jayyid, and it has strong supporting reports (Ibn Baz); its chain is good, jayyid (Al-Suyuti); its chain is hasan (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut); its chain is strong (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut); its chain is good, jayyid (Al-Mundhiri); its chain is good, jayyid (Al-Albani); its chain is good, jayyid (Ibn al-Nahhas); hasan (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut); its chain is sahih (Ibn Baz); established, thabit (Ibn 'Uthaymin). Remarks: its men are reliable (Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazzi); its men are reliable, but they differed on Mahmud ibn Labid being a Companion (Al-Albani); its men are the men of the Sahih (Al-Haythami); its men are reliable (Al-Iraqi); the hadith is hasan; its men are the men of the Sahih, except that this chain is disconnected: 'Amr, son of Abu 'Amr, did not hear it from Mahmud ibn Labid, and between them in other routes is 'Asim, who is reliable (Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut and colleagues)
- 4
Ibn Manzur: ashraka billah means he made a partner for Him in His dominion, and the noun is al-shirk; al-shirk is to make a partner for Allah in His lordship, exalted is Allah above partners and rivals. The same entry has other senses (shares, snares, hadith glosses) that the page does not use.
Muhammad ibn Mukarram ibn Manzur (d. 711 AH), Lisan al-Arab, with notes by al-Yaziji and other linguists, 3rd edition, Dar Sadir, Beirut, 1414 AH (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 10, p. 449, root 'shrk' Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnmanzur-shirk-word.
- 5
Al-Tahawi introduces his creed as the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah on the school of Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, and opens it on the tawhid of Allah: Allah is one, without partner. The English is our translation.
Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahawi, al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya (Matn al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya), text as edited and checked by Husayn Sa'd Fuqara, published on Arabic Wikisource, Introduction, and the first section, 'al-Iman billah ta'ala' (belief in Allah) Read on Arabic Wikisource, an electronic text, not compared with a print edition. Record: scholarly-tahawi-tawhid.
- 6
Ibn Faris says the letters sh-r-k have two origins; the first indicates being together and the opposite of being alone: al-shirka is a thing between two so that neither is alone in it; shaaraktu fulanan fi al-shay' is said when you become his partner in it; and ashraktu fulanan means 'I made him a partner to you'.
Ahmad ibn Faris (d. 395 AH), Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, ed. 'Abd al-Salam Muhammad Harun, 2nd edition, Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, Cairo, 1389 to 1392 AH / 1969 to 1972 (shamela.ws numbering follows the print), vol. 3, p. 265, entry 'shrk' Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnfaris-shrk-root.
- 7
Ibn al-Qayyim: shirk is of two kinds, greater and lesser; the greater is not forgiven by Allah except by repentance from it, and it is to take a rival besides Allah whom one loves as one loves Allah. Reported as his statement.
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 AH), Madarij al-Salikin bayna manazil iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in, vol. 1, p. 348, section 'al-shirk nawa'an: akbar wa asghar' Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnqayyim-madarij-shirk-akbar.
- 8
Ibn al-Qayyim: the lesser shirk is like a little showing off, putting on a show for people, swearing by other than Allah, and sayings such as 'what Allah wills and you will'; such sayings may be the greater shirk according to the one who says it and what he means; he reports the Prophet's reply 'Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say: what Allah wills alone' and calls that wording lighter. Reported as his statement; the English is our translation.
Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 AH), Madarij al-Salikin bayna manazil iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in, vol. 1, p. 352, the 'fasl' beginning 'wa amma al-shirk al-asghar' Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnqayyim-madarij-shirk-asghar.
- 9
Al-Haytami heads the first of the inner major sins (al-kaba'ir al-batina) 'the greater shirk' and the second 'the lesser shirk, which is riya'; the second chapter quotes the hadith of the lesser shirk, which he attributes to Ahmad. Only the two headings and that fact are used.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974 AH according to the shamela book page), al-Zawajir 'an iqtiraf al-kaba'ir, vol. 1, p. 43 (heading of the first kabira) and p. 62 (heading of the second kabira) Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-haytami-zawajir-shirk-headings.
- 10
Al-Tahawi, of the people of the qibla: we do not testify against them for kufr or shirk or hypocrisy, so long as nothing of that appears from them, and we leave their inner states to Allah. The English is our translation.
Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Tahawi, al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya (Matn al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya), text as edited and checked by Husayn Sa'd Fuqara, published on Arabic Wikisource, Closing part of the creed: the passage beginning 'wa nara al-salata khalfa kulli barrin wa fajirin min ahl al-qibla' Read on Arabic Wikisource, an electronic text, on 27 October 2026, and compared with a second electronic text (usul.ai, al-Fawzan's commentary). No print edition checked. Record: scholarly-tahawi-no-testimony-shirk.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for An-Nisa 4:48 and Luqman 31:13; clauses of Yunus 10:18 and Az-Zumar 39:3, each cut from the verse named beside it.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- Who is Allah? The one God in Islam, in the Quran's wordsTawhid
- Shahada: meaning, Arabic and contextThe testimony of faith
- Tawbah: understanding repentanceReturning to Allah
- Al-IkhlasSurah lesson
- Start at AlifThe hub
- Tawhid explainedBelief
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