Hidden Shirk

HIDDEN SHIRK Monotheism is having intense love and fear exclusively for God. Shirk means placing one’s love and fear in someone or something other than God. “ When only God is mentioned, the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter shrink with aversion, but when others are mentioned alongside Him, they rejoice.” (Quran, 39:45) Commentator Mahmud al-Alusi narrated a personal incident while explaining this verse. He witnessed someone calling upon a deceased person for help during a calamity. Alusi advised him, saying: “O person! Call upon God, for He says, ‘And when My servants ask you (the Prophet) concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.’” (Quran, 2:186) Upon hearing this, the person became enraged and replied that “the saints hear more quickly compared to God.” (Tafsir Al-Alusi, 12/266) This mindset sometimes becomes evident through