• futility • of • shirk •

The prophet  detailed the futility of shirk in many different ahadith. Perhaps the most explicit parable given in the sunnah is the hadith in which the Prophet  narrated a sermon that Yahya (as), the cousin of Isa (as) gave to the children of Israel.

Yahya said: the example of he who commits shirk with Allah is like that of a person who purchased a slave from his most precious money, with gold or silver, then placed him in a house and said: ‘work, and give me some of your wages.’ so the slave began to work, but gave the money to other than his master. so which one of you would be pleased that his slave act like that? verily, Allah created you and gave you sustenance, so worship Him, and do not commit any shirk with Him.”

ibn al Qayyim writes:

So in this noble and great hadith that every Muslim should memorize and attach himself to, the Prophet  mentioned matters which save a person from shaytaan, and cause him to achieve success in this world and the Hereafter. He mentioned a parable of the person upon tawheed, and the one upon shirk. The person upon tawheed is like one who works for his master in his house, and does the work his master laid out for him. and the one upon shirk is like the person who works in his master’s home but gives his income to other than his master. Such is the state of the mushrik, for he works for other than Allah, while living in the land of Allah. And he seeks to draw close to the enemy of Allah by using the blessings of Allah. And if a slave of any person were to be like this, then such a slave would be the most despised slave to his master, and he would be extremely angry with him, and seek to expel him from his service. Yet, such a slave is a created being, just like he is. Both of them are in need of external favors (ie help from Allah). So how, then, will be the case with the Lord of the Worlds who provides every single person with every single need of his? None does so except He, and none provides any good except He, and none repels any evil except He. To Him alone is attributed the creation of His servant, and the giving of blessings, and His protection, and sustenance, and forgiveness, and the caring of his needs. So how is it befitting, when this is the case, that a person equates another being as worthy of love, and fear, and hope… such that he loves this object just like he loves Allah, or even more so, and he fears it and hopes from it, just like he does from Allah, or even more so!”

– Sharh Kashf Ash-Shubuhaat