Fear of Shirk

Allāh the Almighty says:

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ‌ أَن يُشْرَ‌كَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ‌ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَمَن يُشْرِ‌كْ بِاللَّـهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا

Verily Allāh forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He wills, sins other than that.
(Sūrah-Nisāʾ, 4:116)


Ibrāhīm invoked Him saying:

وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

Keep me and my sons away from worshiping idols.
(Sūrah Ibrāhīm, 14:35)

When Ibrāhīm was supplicating to Allāh, one of the things he asked for was that he and his children be granted distance from the act of worshiping idols. He asked Allāh to protect him and his children from worshiping idols while he was the one who smashed the idols with the firmness upon Tawḥīd that he had.

In Sūrah Maryam, Ibrāhīm called his father to Tawḥīd saying:

أَبَتِ إِنِّي قَدْ جَاءَنِي مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ فَاتَّبِعْنِي أَهْدِكَ صِرَ‌اطًا سَوِيًّا ﴿٤٣﴾ يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ عَصِيًّا ﴿٤٤﴾ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِّنَ الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيًّا ﴿٤٥﴾٤

O my father! Verily, there has come to me of the knowledge that which came not unto you. So follow me, I will guide you to the Straight Path. O my father! Worship not Shayṭān (Satan). Verily, Shayṭān has been a rebel against the Most Gracious (Allāh). O my father! Verily, I fear lest a torment from the Most Gracious (Allāh) should overtake you, so that you become a companion of Shayṭān (in the Hell-Fire).
(Sūrah Maryam, 19:43-45)


Allāh has praised him with special praises: being Haneef (pure in his monotheism) and being free from ever having made shirk.

Along with that, here he is saying:

وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

Keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols.
(Sūrah Ibrāhīm, (14:35)


This clearly shows you that he was concerned and afraid of worshiping idols. He was afraid of committing shirk with Allāh along with the strength of his tawḥīd, the strength of his conviction, his sincerity, his certainty and his knowledge of Allāh. This did not lead him to feel safe from being misguided, being tricked by the Shayṭān or being led astray. Rather, he knew that only Allāh could protect him, and only Allāh could keep him from shirk, and every other thing would lead to his destruction and demise.

Lesson Drawn from the Verse:

  الخوفُ مِنَ الشركِ، فإنَّ إبراهيمَ عليه السلامُ – وهو إمامُ الحنفاءِ والذي كسَّرَ الأَ صنامَ بيدِهِ – خَافَهُ على نفسِهِ فكيفَ بِمَنْ دونِهِ.

We should (truly) be afraid of the reality of shirk since Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام) was the Imām of the monotheists, and he demolished the idols with his hands, yet still feared falling into shirk. If the Imām of the monotheists, Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام), feared shirk for his own being, should we not, as average every-day monotheists, be moreso afraid for ours?

وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

Keep me and my sons away from worshiping idols.
(Sūrah Ibrāhīm 4:35)


Ibn Taymīyyah (رحمه الله‎‎) commented: “Who can be safe from trials after that?”¹

Ibn Kathīr said: Based on this, every caller to the religion should make duʿāʾ for the safety of his own-self, the safety of his religion, and for the religion of his father or his parents, and that of his children in lineage and offspring.²

Compiled by Umm Sufyān