A summary of the concepts held by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
Minor shirk.
Minor shirk.
It refers to anything identified in the sacred texts as shirk,
yet it does not reach the level of major shirk that expels one from the fold of Islam.
Among its examples:
superstitious omens and swearing by other than Allah.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed shirk."
Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and others.
Al-Albani classified it as authentic.
Also among the examples of minor shirk is saying:
"If it were not for Allah and so-and-so,
such and such would have happened."
And saying: "Whatever Allah wills and you will."
For the Prophet, peace be upon him, said
to the person who said that to him:
"Have you made me an equal to Allah?
Say: 'Whatever Allah wills alone.'"
Narrated by Ahmad and classified as hasan by Al-Arna'ut.
In another narration:
"Have you made me a rival to Allah?"
Instead of "equal."
Recorded by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab al-Mufrad,
and classified as authentic by Al-Albani.
Also among the examples of minor shirk is
showing off (riya').
The Prophet, peace be upon him, named it as such
and warned us against it.
He, peace be upon him, said:
"The thing I fear most for you
is minor shirk."
They asked, "O Messenger of Allah,
what is minor shirk?"
He replied, "Showing off (riya')."
The hadith.
Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman,
and by Al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunnah.
Al-Arna'ut classified it as hasan.
He, peace be upon him, also named it
the hidden shirk.
Recorded by Ahmad and Ibn Majah,
and classified as hasan by Al-Albani.
Showing off is called hidden shirk
because a person may fall into it without realizing it.
It is more subtle than the creeping of a black ant
on a dark night.
It is one of the dangerous diseases of the heart that nullifies deeds,
because it involves seeking worldly gain through the deeds of the Hereafter.
It has been mentioned in the hadith
that the first three people to fuel the Fire on the Day of Resurrection are:
one who recited the Qur'an,
a fighter,
and a generous donor.
They claimed to have done so for the sake of Allah,
but Allah will expose their lies,
stating that they did so only to be called a reciter, a brave man, and a generous man.
Thus, they will be the first to fuel the Fire.
One should not underestimate such sins
just because they are described as minor shirk.
They are only named as such
in comparison to major shirk, which expels one from the fold of Islam;
otherwise, they are among the major sins that nullify one's deeds.