Shirk: The Unforgiveable Sin In Islam

 All sins in Islam like murder, adultery, lying, stealing etc can be forgiven, but if you commit shirk, you will NEVER be forgiven, and forever spend eternity in hell. Who says so? Allah says so.

“Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allaah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin”

[al-Nisa’ 4:48] 

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers”

[al-Maa’idah 5:72] 

It is THE biggest sin in Islam so it becomes very important that everyone learns, and understands how to keep away from it, from one extreme, and to take ourselves to the other extreme, of Tawheed, and cling onto it as if our lives depended on it.

So what is tawheed and what is shirk.

Explaining Tawhid – The Belief That Allah Is Truly One By Muhammad Ibn al-‘Uthaymin
Adapted from Ibn al-‘Uthaymin’s article “Ta’rif al-Taweed” from his book “Fatwá Arkn al-Islam.”

What Is Tawhid?

Tawhid is the special belief of Islam; no followers of any other religion truly believe in complete Tawhid except Muslims. It is the belief that Allah is truly one and unique in his lordship, his right to be worshipped, and in his names and descriptions.

Tawhid is an Arabic word, a noun that represents a belief that something is singular, that it is unique and one. This means believing two things together: believing something is true and believing something is not true. It means to believe that whatever or whoever you are making unique and one is the only unique one, and it means to believe that anything else is not like the unique one.

For example, people will only truly believe in Tawhid when they understand that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah alone. By this, we believe any form of worship is not supposed to be given to anyone or anything other than Allah, and we believe all worship is to be given to only one – Allah alone. So it is not enough to just believe Allah deserves for all people to worship him. We have to also believe that no one else deserves to be worshipped by people.

This is the true meaning of Tawhid – that Allah is the only one who should be worshipped and nothing else and no one else should be worshipped instead of Allah or along with Allah.

The Categories of Tawhid

There are different categories of Tawhid but they are all included in the basic meaning of Tawhid: Believing in and worshipping Allah alone with whatever names, actions, and descriptions that he alone deserves.

Muslim scholars explain the categories of Tawhid as three:

1. Tawhid of Lordship
   2. Tawhid of Worship
   3. Tawhid of Names and Descriptions

After studying the verses in the Quran and the hadith[Statements, actions, or approvals of Prophet Muhammad ( .(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ], scholars agreed that all forms of belief in Allah and all parts of Tawhid are included in these three categories.

Tawhid of Lordship

Tawhid of Lordship, or (Tawhid al-Rubibiyyah) in Arabic, is to understand and believe that Allah is the only one who creates, owns, and controls everything.

– Allah is the Only Creator
As for creating, Allah is the only one who creates anything. Everything other than him (and his actions and descriptions) is created. There is no creator but Allah. About this, Allah says in the Quran:

Is there a creator other than Allah that provides you with provisions (food, drink, etc.) from the heavens and earth? There is no (true) god except him.[Surah Fatir, 35:3]

Still, some people worship others besides Allah. Allah asks about those other people who are worshipped:

Is he who creates like someone who cannot create? Will you not then remember?[ Surah al-Nahl, 16:17]

So Allah alone is the only creator and believing this is a part of believing that Allah is our Lord. He created everything, planning their creation even before they were made. Allah’s creation includes everything he made himself with his own actions and also includes what people make with their actions. People do not actually create things when they make them; they simply change things that Allah has already created. For example, think about a carpenter making a wooden chair. He does not actually create the wood (from a seed to a tree); he simply changes wood into a chair. So since people are created, their actions and what they make are also considered Allah’s creation. It is part of our belief in destiny to believe that Allah is the creator of even people’s actions. He says:

Allah created you all and whatever you do.[Surah al-Saffat, 37:96]

One way to understand this is that the actions someone does are part of who that person is; they are his choices and capabilities – what he decides to do and is able to do. Since the person is created by Allah, his choices and capabilities are also parts of Allah’s creation. So the creator of the person is also the creator of the person’s actions. How do we understand that Allah is the only one who creates, but he also says in this verse:

Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.[Surah al-Muminun, 23:14]

Since Allah said he is (( the best of creators )), does this mean there are actually other creators besides him? Also, the Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about people who make pictures or statues (of people or animals):

It will be said to them (on the Day of Resurrection): “Bring to life what you have created!”[Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Do these texts mean that people create things too? No, no one creates with the actual meaning of “create” like Allah does. In other words, no one can bring something into existence from nothing just like no one can bring something dead to life like Allah can. The “creation” of people is only their changing of things from one condition to another, but it is still Allah who originally created those things that people change. Remember the carpenter making the wooden chair? He did not create a chair; he only changed the condition of the wood that Allah created from a seed into a tree.

Similarly, a picture-maker or an artist who paints or makes sculptures, when he makes an image, he does not actually bring something into existence out of nothing. Instead, the only thing he can do is change something that Allah already created from one condition to another. For example, he can change clay (dirt, water that Allah created) into the form of a bird, or he can change a plain white piece of paper (which comes from trees created by Allah) into a colorful picture by painting it with what Allah already created (water, the pigments to make colors). So the things an artist may use still originally come from things that only Allah can create.

This is the difference between saying that Allah is the only creator and saying people “create” things—everyone other than Allah simply changes the condition of things Allah already created into different conditions.

– Allah is the Only Owner
Part of Tawhid of Lordship is to believe that Allah is the only one who absolutely owns everything. About his ownership, Allah says:

Blessed is the one in whose hand is the ownership (of all things), and he is capable of doing anything.[Surah al-Mulk, 67:1]

And he also says:

Say: In whose hand is the ownership of everything, while he protects (all), and no one can protect against him?[Surah al-Muminun, 23:88]

So the true and absolute owner and king is Allah alone. By saying someone other than Allah owns something, it is simply a way of associating or connecting those things with the people. Allah even confirms this type of ownership in his book:

…or those (houses) for which you own the keys.[Surah al-Nur, 24:61]

There are other texts that show that others besides Allah have a sense of possession and ownership. However, the way people own something is not like the way Allah owns everything. People’s ownership of things is specific to each person and it is limited. What this means is that if you own your house then no one else owns it – the ownership is specific to you. Also, if you own money, you cannot do anything you want with it – the ownership is limited. People cannot physically do whatever they want with what they have and they are also not allowed to do whatever they want from a religious point. For example, we can only do things with what we have that Allah has allowed us. For this reason, the Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) forbid people from wasting money and Allah also says:

And do not give to foolish people your wealth that Allah has made as a way to support yourself.[Surah al-Nisa, 4:5]

So whatever people have, it is a specific and limited ownership. Allah’s ownership, however, is absolute and complete. He can do whatever he wants with whatever and whoever he wants since he owns everything, and he cannot be questioned about what he does but we will be questioned.

– Allah is the Only Controller
Part of Tawhid of Lordship and believing that Allah is the only Lord is to believe that he alone controls and plans everything. He is the only one who controls and decides what happens with his creation since he owns it. He controls and decides everything in the heavens and the earth just as he says:

To him belong the creation and the command. So blessed is Allah, the Lord of all creations.[Surah al-‘Araf, 7:54]

Allah’s control is a complete type of control and planning which means that when he decides something, no one can prevent it from happening. And when he commands something to happen, no one can change it. As for the type of control that people have – like someone controlling his money or his children – just like people’s ownership, this type of control is limited and specific to the person.

From what we discussed, the meaning of Tawhid of Lordship should be clear: It is to understand and believe that Allah is the only one who creates, owns, and controls everything.

Tawhid of Worship

Tawhid of Worship is to believe that Allah alone is the only one who deserves all worship. It is to worship Allah alone and worship nothing else. People should never worship anyone else instead of Allah or along with him, by doing any act of worship or seeking to get closer to them like they do with Allah. This is the type of Tawhid the disbelievers during Prophet Muhammad’s time refused to accept. This is also the main type of Tawhid Allah sent the messengers with and the main type he revealed in the books. Although the other two types of Tawhid are found in the messenger’s teachings and in all of Allah’s books, Tawhid of Worship is the main focus the prophets and messengers focused on correcting.

Tawhid of Worship means that people do not show any form of worship to anyone but Allah alone – not an angel close to Allah, not a messenger sent by Allah, not a righteous worshipper of Allah, and not to anything else of Allah’s creation. No one but Allah alone deserves worship.

Anyone who breaks this form of Tawhid (by worshipping others besides Allah), then he is not a true believer; he is a disbeliever even if he accepts Tawhid of Lordship and Tawhid of Names and Descriptions. So, if someone truly believes that Allah is the only creator, owner, and controller of everything and that Allah alone deserves the highest names and descriptions yet he worships along with Allah something else, then his acceptance of the other two types of Tawhid would never benefit him. For example, if a person completely believes in Tawhid of Lordship and Tawhid of Names and Descriptions but he goes to the grave of some dead person—even if the person in the grave was a righteous Muslim—worshipping the dead person, praying to him, making vows to him, and trying to get close to him, such a person is then a disbeliever in Allah destined for the fire if he dies doing those things. This is because Allah says:

Surely, whoever worships others with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, his final place is the fire, and there will never be any helper for the transgressors.[Surah al-Maidah, 5:72]

Anyone who has read the book of Allah knows that the disbelievers who fought Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ), they used to believe that Allah is the only Lord and creator (Tawhid of Lordship). Yet they used to worship others along with Allah and so they became disbelievers in Allah because they did not accept Tawhid of Worship. Think about this: if someone believes Allah is the only Lord and that he is the Most Merciful but that person worships other people by praying to someone other than Allah, then how could his belief that Allah is the Lord and the Most Merciful help him? If he believes Allah is the only Lord then why would he worship others? The Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) said about the importance of Tawhid of Worship:

Whoever dies without associating anything in worship with Allah will enter Paradise, and whoever dies associating anything in worship with Him will enter the fire.[Recorded by Muslim]

Tawhid of Names & Descriptions

Tawhid of Names and Descriptions is to believe in and accept the perfect names and descriptions that Allah has described himself with in the Quran or that the prophet described Allah with in the hadith. This type of Tawhid means we describe only Allah with these names and qualities and we never use them to describe others besides Allah.

To complete our belief in Tawhid of Names and Descriptions, we accept whatever names and descriptions Allah uses to describe himself but with the following rules:

1. We believe Allah’s descriptions are real and actual.
   2. We do not change the clear meanings of Allah’s names and descriptions.
   3. We do not believe his descriptions are similar to descriptions of the creation.
   4. We do not ask “how” exactly Allah’s descriptions are because we cannot truly understand everything about Allah.

So for this type of Tawhid, we name Allah and describe him with whatever names and descriptions he has described himself with in the Quran or hadith (through Prophet Muhammad). We accept and believe in these names and descriptions as being real and actual but in a way that suits Allah. We do not change their meanings, deny them altogether, and we do not question them or believe they are similar to the names and descriptions of the creation.

Let us take a real example. Allah describes himself as being the Ever-Living:

He is the Ever-Living. There is no (true) god but him.[Surah Ghafir 40:65]

We believe that the Ever-Living is one of Allah’s names. We also believe in whatever description the name means – since Allah is the Ever-Living, we believe in his description of having life. The difference between his description of life and our lives is that Allah’s descriptions are perfect so his life is perfect, ever-lasting and complete. He was always alive and his life will never end; Allah will never die like we will.

For another example, Allah names himself the All-Hearing:

And Allah is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.[Surah al-Maidah, 5:76]

So we believe it is one of his names and we also believe in the description it means – that Allah has complete hearing. While people can only hear sounds close to us, Allah’s hearing is not limited like this; he hears everything at all times. And since his name, the All-Hearing, also suggests an action (hearing, listening), we believe Allah also does the action of hearing his creation. Applying the rules above, we believe Allah really hears (rule 1), we do not change the clear meaning of hearing to mean something else like his knowledge (rule 2), and we do not believe Allah’s hearing is like our limited hearing (rule 3). As for rule 4, we do not ask how Allah hears because there is no way we can truly know everything about Allah because our minds are limited. We know we hear with our ears, but Allah is not like us so we do not imagine or ask how Allah’s descriptions are.

Let us study another example of one of Allah’s descriptions in more detail. Allah says in the Quran:

And the Jews said, “Allah’s hand is tied up (he is stingy)!” May their hands be tied up and may they be cursed for what they say. Rather, both his hands are widely outstretched. He spends (of his favors) as he wants.[Surah al-Maidah, 5:64]

In this verse, Allah says (( both his hands are widely outstretched )). So since he
says he has two hands and they are stretched, giving favors to his creation generously, we must believe that Allah does in fact have two real, actual hands (rule 1). We do not change the known meaning of “hand” and explain that Allah’s hand really means “power” as some people do (rule 2). This is completely wrong because if Allah meant “power,” he would say power, but he said “hands” so “hands” means hands.

We also do not try to imagine with our minds how Allah’s hands are, and we do not
speak about how they may be with our tongues (rule 4). We believe Allah’s hands are special and different than our hands (rule 3). Allah’s hands cannot be similar to the hands of the creation because Allah says:

There is nothing similar to him.[Surah al-Shurá, 42:11]

And Allah has forbidden:

…that you say things about Allah that you do not know.[Surah al-‘Araf, 7:33]

So whoever believes or says that Allah’s two hands are similar in any way to people’s hands then he has denied and made a lie out of Allah’s statement (( There is nothing similar to him )). Someone who believes or says that has also disobeyed Allah because he said:

So do not put forth similarities with Allah.[Surah al-Nahl, 16:74]

As for someone who questions Allah’s hands, asking “how” they are, he has then begun
speaking about Allah things he has no knowledge.

To summarize, regarding Tawhid of Names and Descriptions, we must believe in whatever names and descriptions Allah describes himself with or his messenger describes him with and we believe Allah’s descriptions are real. We do not change the meanings of them, we do not think Allah’s descriptions are like the creation’s descriptions, and we do not ask about how exactly Allah’s descriptions are.

What is the true meaning of shirk and what are its types?

One of the most important obligations is to know the meaning of shirk, its seriousness and its different types, so that our Tawheed (belief in the Oneness of Allaah) and our Islam may be complete, and our faith may be sound. We say – And Allaah is the Source of strength and true guidance comes from Him:

The word shirk in Arabic means taking a partner, i.e., regarding someone as the partner of another. It is said [in Arabic]: ashraka baynahuma (he joined them together) when he regarded them as two of equal status; or ashraka fi amrihi ghayrahu (he introduced another into his affair) when he made two people involved in it.

In terms of sharee’ah or Islamic terminology, shirk means ascribing a partner or rival to Allaah in Lordship (ruboobiyyah), worship or in His names and attributes.

A rival is a peer or counterpart. Hence Allaah forbids setting up rivals with Him and he condemns those who take them (rivals) as gods instead of  or besides Allaah in many verses of the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then do not set up rivals unto Allaah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshipped)”

[al-Baqarah 2:22]

“And they set up rivals to Allaah, to mislead (men) from His path! Say: ‘Enjoy (your brief life)! But certainly, your destination is the (Hell) Fire!’”

[Ibraaheem 14:30]

In the hadeeth it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever dies claiming that Allaah has a rival, will enter Hell.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4497; Muslim, 92.

The types of shirk: 

The texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah indicate that shirk and the ascribing of rivals to Allaah sometimes puts a person beyond the pale of Islam and sometimes does not. Hence the scholars divided shirk into two types which they call shirk akbar (major shirk) and shirk asghar (minor shirk). There follows a brief description of each type:

1 – Major shirk

This means ascribing to someone other than Allaah something that belongs only to Allaah, such as Lordship (ruboobiyyah), divinity (uloohiyyah) and the divine names and attributes (al-asma’ wa’l-sifaat).

This kind of shirk may sometimes be outward, such as the shirk of those who worship idols and graves, or the dead or absent.

Or it may sometimes be hidden, such as those who put their trust in other gods besides Allaah, or the shirk and kufr of the hypocrites. For even though  their (hypocrites’) shirk puts them beyond the pale of Islam and means that they will abide  forever in Hell, it is a hidden shirk, because they make an outward display of Islam and conceal their kufr and shirk, so they are inwardly mushriks but not outwardly.

Shirk may sometimes take the form of beliefs:

Such as the belief that there is someone else who creates, gives life and death, reigns or controls the affairs of the universe along with Allaah.

Or the belief that there is someone else who must be obeyed absolutely besides Allaah, so they follow him in regarding as permissible or forbidden whatever he wants, even if that goes against the religion of the Messengers.

Or they may associate others with Allaah in love and veneration, by loving a created being as they love Allaah. This is the kind of shirk that Allaah does not forgive, and it is the shirk of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allaah as rivals(to Allaah). They love them as they love Allaah”

[al-Baqarah 2:165]

Or the belief that there are those who know the Unseen as well as Allaah. This is very common among some of the deviant sects such as the Raafidis (Shi’ah), extreme Sufis, and Baatinis (esoteric sects) in general. The Raafidis believe that their imams have knowledge of the unseen, and the Baatinis and Sufis believe similar things about their awliya’ (“saints”), and so on. It is also shirk to believe that there is someone who bestows mercy in a manner that is befitting only for Allaah, so he shows mercy as Allaah does and forgives sins and overlooks the bad deeds of his worshippers.

Shirk may sometimes take the form of words:

Such as those who make du’aa’ or pray to someone other than Allaah, or seek his help or seek refuge with him with regard to matters over which no one has control except Allaah, whether the person called upon is a Prophet, a wali (“saint”), an angel or a jinn, or some other created being. This is a kind of major shirk which puts one beyond the pale of Islam.

Or such as those who make fun of religion or who liken Allaah to His creation, or say that there is another creator, provider or controller besides Allaah. All of these are major shirk and a grave sin that is not forgiven.

Shirk may sometimes take the form of actions:

Such as one who sacrifices, prays or prostrates to something other than Allaah, or who promulgates laws to replace the rulings of Allaah and makes that the law to which people are obliged to refer for judgement; or one who supports the kaafirs and helps them against the believers, and other acts that go against the basic meaning of faith and put the one who does them beyond the pale of Islam. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

2 – Minor shirk

This includes everything that may lead to major shirk, or which is described in the texts as being shirk, but does not reach the extent of being major shirk.

This is usually of two types:

1 – Being emotionally attached to some means which have no basis and  for which Allaah has not given permission, such as hanging up “hands”, turquoise beads etc on the grounds that they offer protection or that they ward off the evil eye. But Allaah has not made them the means of such protection, either according to sharee’ah or according to the laws of the universe.

[Translator’s note: the “hands” referred to are objects made of metal, pottery etc, usually blue or turquoise in colour, that some people hang up to ward off the evil eye, according to their mistaken belief]

2 – Venerating some people or things in a way that does not go so far as ascribing lordship to them, such as swearing by something other than Allaah, or saying, “Were it not for Allaah and So and so,” etc.

The scholars have stipulated guidelines to distinguish major shirk from minor shirk when shirk is mentioned in the texts of sharee’ah. These guidelines include the following:

(i) – When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) states clearly that this action is minor shirk, such as in al-Musnad (27742) where it is narrated that Mahmoud ibn Labeed said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The thing that I fear most for you is minor shirk.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what is minor shirk?” He said: “Showing off, for Allaah will say on the Day when people are recompensed for their actions: ‘Go to those for whom you were showing off with your deeds in the world, and see what reward you find with them.’” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 951.

(ii) – When the word shirk is used in the texts of the Qur’aan and Sunnah in the indefinite form [without the definite article al-]. This usually refers to minor shirk, and there are many examples of this, such as when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Incantations, amulets and love spells are shirk.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3883; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 331.

What is meant by shirk here is minor shirk, not major shirk.

Amulets are things that are hung on children such as turquoise beads and the like, which they claim will protect them from the evil eye.

Love spells are something that they do, claiming that it will make a woman beloved to her husband and a man beloved to his wife.

(iii) – If the Sahaabah understood from the texts of sharee’ah that what was meant by shirk here was minor shirk, not major. Undoubtedly the understanding of the Sahaabah carries weight, because they are the most knowledgeable of the people concerning the religion of Allaah, and the most knowledgeable as to the intent of the Lawgiver. For example, Abu Dawood (3910) narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Tiyarah (superstitious belief in omens) is shirk, tiyarah is shirk,” three times, and there is no one among us but (will have some of that) but Allaah will rid him of it by means of tawakkul (putting his trust in Allaah). The words “there is no one among us…” are the words of Ibn Mas’ood, as was explained by the prominent scholars of hadeeth. This indicates that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) understood that this was minor shirk, because he could not have said, “There is no one among us…” referring to major shirk. Moreover, major shirk cannot be eliminated by means of tawakkul, rather it is essential to repent therefrom.

(iv) – If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) interpreted the words shirk or kufr in a manner which indicates that what is meant is a minor form thereof and not the major form. For example al-Bukhaari (1038) and Muslim (74) narrated from Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani that he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led the morning prayer for us at al-Hudaybiyah following rainfall during the night. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished, he turned to face the people and said to them: “Do you know what your Lord has said?” They said: “Allaah and his Messenger know best.” He said: “This morning one of My slaves became a believer in Me and one a disbeliever. As for him who said: ‘We have been given rain by the grace of Allaah and His mercy,’ that one is a believer in Me, a disbeliever in the stars; and as for him who said: ‘We have been given rain by such-and-such a star, that one is a disbeliever in Me, a believer in the stars.’”

The interpretation of the word kufr here is given in another report narrated from Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you not know what your Lord said? ‘I do not send any blessing upon My slaves but a group among them become kaafirs thereby because they refer to the stars and attribute things to the stars. This explains that if a person attributes rainfall to the stars by believing that they caused it to fall – when in fact Allaah has not made the stars a means of causing rainfall – his kufr is a kind of ingratitude for the blessing of Allaah. It is well known that ingratitude for the blessing of Allaah is minor kufr. But if a person believes that the stars are controlling the universe and they are the ones that cause the rain to fall, then this is major shirk.

Minor shirk may sometimes take the form of outward actions, such as wearing talismans, strings, amulets and the like, and other words and deeds. And sometimes it may be hidden, like a little bit of showing off.

It may also take the form of beliefs:

Such as the belief that something may be a cause of bringing benefit or warding off harm, when Allaah has not made it so; or believing that there is barakah (blessing) in a thing, when Allaah has not made it so.

It sometimes takes the form of words:

Such as when they said, “We have been given rain by such and such a star,” without believing that that the stars could independently cause rain to fall; or swearing by something other than Allaah, without believing in venerating the thing sworn by or regarding it as equal with Allaah; or saying, “Whatever Allaah wills and you will,” and so on.

It sometimes takes the form of actions:

Such as hanging up amulets or wearing a talisman or string to dispel or ward off calamity, because everyone who attribute powers to a thing when Allaah has not made it so either according to sharee’ah or according to the laws of the universe, has associated something with Allaah. This also applies to one who touches a thing seeking its barakah (blessing), when Allaah has not created any barakah in it, such as kissing the doors of the mosques, touching their thresholds, seeking healing from their dust, and other such actions.

This is a brief look at the division of shirk into major and minor. We cannot go into great detail in this short answer.

Conclusion: 

What the Muslim must do is to avoid shirk in both its minor and major forms. The greatest sin is shirk and transgression against the unique rights of Allaah, which are to be worshipped and obeyed alone, with no partner or associate.

Hence Allaah has decreed that the mushrikeen will abide forever in Hell and has told us that He will not forgive them, and He has forbidden Paradise to them, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allaah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin”

[al-Nisa’ 4:48]

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers”

[al-Maa’idah 5:72]

Every wise and religiously-committed person should fear shirk for himself and should turn to his Lord, asking Him to help him avoid shirk, as al-Khaleel [Ibraaheem – peace be upon him] said:

“and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols”

[Ibraaheem 14:35 – interpretation of the meaning]

One of the salaf said: “Who can claim to be safe from this after Ibraaheem?”

So the sincere believer’s fear of shirk should increase as should his desire for his for his Lord to keep him away from it, and he should say the great du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught to his companions when he said to them: “Shirk among you will be more subtle than the footsteps of an ant, but I will teach you something which, if you do it, both minor and major shirk will be kept away from you. Say: Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika an ushrika bika wa ana a’lam wa astaghfiruka lima la a’lam (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for that of which I am unaware).”

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3731

The above refers to the difference between major and minor shirk, defining each and describing its types.

With regard to the difference between them as far as the ruling is concerned:

Major shirk puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, so the one who does that is judged to be out of Islam and to have apostatized therefrom, so he is a kaafir and an apostate.

Minor shirk does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam, rather it may be done by a Muslim but he still remains in Islam; but the one who does that is in great danger because minor shirk is a major sin. Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “If I were to swear by Allaah falsely, that is better for me than if I were to swear by something other than Him sincerely.” So he regarded swearing by something other than Allaah (which is minor shirk) as being worse than swearing by Allaah falsely, and it is well known that swearing by Allaah falsely is a major sin.