Ascribing Associates To Allah,
The Most High (Shirk)
The greatest of all major sins is Shirk-that is to say, associating anyone or anything with Allah and it is of two kinds:
The first is to believe that Allah has an equal or to worship something or someone other than Him such as stone, a tree, a star, the sun, the moon, or a prophet, a saint, or an angel. This is the greatest Shirk about which
Allah says:
Indeed, associating anything with Allah is a great wrong. (Surah Luqman 31:13).
Indeed, the one who associates anything with Allah, Allah will forbid him the Garden and his abode is the Fire (Al-Maidah 5:75).
Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) asked his companions: “ Shall I not inform you about the three greatest sins?” They said: Yes, Messenger of Allah.” He then continued: “ Associating other objects of worship with Allah, disobedience to parents and lying under oath (deliberate perjury) and bearing false witness.” (Bukhari and Muslim). He also said: “ Avoid the seven noxious things, “ in which associating anything with Allah” is included.
The second kind of associating anything with Allah is insincerity and ostentation of one’s deeds as stated by Allah:
Anyone who is expecting to meet his Lord should act righteously and not make anything as a sharer in the worship of his Lord (Al-Kahf 18:110). That is to say, in all one’s deeds, one ought not to act for the sake of ostentation, but sincerely for the sake of Allah alone.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH) said: “ I warn you against the lesser polytheism.”
The companions asked: “What is lesser polytheism,
Messenger of Allah?”
He replied: “Showing off”.
On the day when Allah most high will reward people for their deeds, he will tell them, “ Go to those people for whose attention and praise you did these deeds and see whether they will reward you.” (Muslim and Ahmad).
He also said:
Allah says: “ If anyone does anything in which he associates another with Me, His action belongs to the one for whose sake he did it and I am clear of it. (Muslim and Ibn Majah).