What is it that sets Shirk apart from all other sins?

Mushriks usually bow down to animals and graves and statues and wood and stuff,
And it provokes Allah's wrath,
Because it is stated in sahih Muslim that He is jealous for His honour.
It is He who created it all and and gave all the favours and blessings we have,

Bear in mind that there is shirk in many practices of atheism, and definitely in Satan worship, there are even forms of shirk among practicing Muslims or Christians - where they bow down to the graves of dead saints and ask them for favours.
In atheism, atheists often pass on the subservience and attributes they should give to God - and give it to criminals who deceive them and who rule over them and legislate abominations for them.
Even anarchists who don't submit to any authority but their own whims and deviant thoughts "take their desires as their god" as stated in the Quran:



Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah ? Then will you not be reminded?
Quran 45:23

So we can see that many things fall into the category of shirk,
but what can more easily be forgiven are mistakes and sins out of foolishness or ignorance from which one repents.

I'm sure you would rather an adulterous woman never knew you, than you be married to her while she's being trash and getting on her knees before some sick minded impostor.

shirk and kuffr both are unforgiven if one dies on such states not just shirk.
Either act denotes that you've completely missed the point of why you were created. You've looked for something else to be your guradian and sustainer outside of God.

Greetings Darth Ultor,

Is not a trangression against the right of God worse than any transgression against the right of a human being?

What sets Shirk apart from other Sins?

From amongst those things that distinguishes Shirk from all sins whether they are major or minor sins is that Shirk is oppression to Allah Azza wa Jall and will not be forgiven unless a person repents sincerely to Allah before he dies as Allah says:

"Indeed Allah shall not forgive that you associate partners with Allah but He forgives what ever is less than that for whom whoever He wills"

Likewise Allah says:

"Indeed We sent our Messengers with Bayyinaat [guidance and proofs and evidences miracles] and We sent down with them the Book and the Meezaan [scales] so that the people can establish the Qist [Justice]." [surah Hadeed:25]

Ibnul Qayyim (rahimahullah) mentioned concerning this verse:

"So Allah Subhaanahu informed us that verily He sent His Messengers and Sent down His books so that humanity can establish Al-Qist [Justice] and al-Qist is Justice and the greatest of all Qist [Justice] is Tawheed [singling out llah alone for all acts of WORSHIP] and it is the Ra'sul Adal Qawwaamah [The head of Justice or the uppermost pinnacle of Justice and correctness] and indeed Shirk is the greatest of oppression and Shirk is the most oppressive of oppressions and Tawheed is the most just of justices, so whatever is more severe in denying this intent then it is the greatest of major sins..."

So in order to establish justice, the greatest justice is to worship Allah alone, Allah did not send any prophet nor messenger nor revealed His books nor sent them with the Meezaan [the scales] except to establish this Qist [justice] and it is to single out Allah for all acts of worship. And Shirk is a type of Tashbeeh [likening or equating Allah with His creation] in something that is only to specific to Allah alone [like ibaadah] and from amongst those things that are specific to Allah are: singling out Allah alone for worhiphip and knowwing with certainty that Allah has the power and ability to bring about benefit or harm to give or withhold utimately, all of this is from Allah alone for Allah has power over all things so this is but one reason why we worship Allah. I hope this clear things up a bit.

format_quote Originally Posted by Darth Ultor

The Quran states that shirk, specifically polytheism is the only sin that will not be forgiven by God if you die unrepentant. The question is why is it so bad?

1 It is clear and it warrants investigation as it is a "****ing" statement.
2 It invites you to investigate
3 It gives you evidences (if you see it)
4 It then invites you to choose

Personally, I am glad that IT IS just one rule that Allah has set that is very clearly for muslims, an area not worth going to, syirk. Even then, He has given a way out..The rest of the sins, meaning EVERYTHING can be forgiven even if we do not repent before death by Allah's mercy. Isn't that great!

So why look only at the one sin He does not forgive?

Peace

format_quote Originally Posted by Darth Ultor

The question is why is it so bad? I think there are plenty of sins against God Himself that are worse than polytheism like committing evil act in His name for personal gain, Atheism, or Satan-worshiping acts. What sets polytheism apart from any other sin?

Shirk means "associating partners with God". The "partners" can mean anything, literally, anything. To attribute something that belongs to God to something else, whether it be an animal, an object, a person, or an action, that is associating partners with God. Polytheism is merely another form of Shirk.

Some examples of Shirk:
-Saying you are better than God
-Believing that the stars have effects on the daily things that happen to us in life. So, astrology is full of Shirk then
-Believing you don't need God, because science explains everything, thus God has no part. This is Shirk as well.
-etc.

Why is Shirk so bad apart from all other sins? There are two types of deeds that all people do, for humanity, or for God. We are also humans ourselves, so if we do acts for ourselves that comes under humanity. You can wrong yourself, but that is yourself. God can always forgive you for what you do to yourself. He made us. If we do a wrong to someone else, we wronged that other person. This forgiveness requires some action of forgiveness from the other person, or some kind of suffering in this life or the hereafter. That is how wrongs against other people are dealt with. In fact, punishment works for ourselves as well.

But when it comes to God Himself, the Highest Being in the universe, the One Who created everything, even us and all of creation, the King of all kings, the Master of the universe, etc., you better believe that giving any rights that belong to Him to someone else is a grave wrong. Shirk involves the belief in something other than God with those same Godly attributes and traits. We were created to worship God, that is the very purpose of our existence. So when we go against that purpose and start doing something contrary to it, then this is an affront to God.

The only way to fully grasp the concept of attributing partners with God, from the Islamic perspective, you would have to study the concept of God in Islam, by understanding the attributes and the rights due to God.

In the end, what is worse, going against the All-Powerful God, or against a human?

format_quote Originally Posted by Darth Ultor

It just seems odd that it's worse than murder. Murder is the only thing you cannot reverse. You can pay back stolen money, you could apologize to your parents for disrespecting them, you could stop drinking, and you could realize the error of your ways and see that God is One and only He is worthy of worship. But no matter how sorry you are about murdering someone, you can never bring your victim back.

But shirk actually leads to other crimes, including murder. How many people are murdered in polytheistic and satan-worshipping sacrificial rites? When God says "Do not Commit Shirk" it means that you must only worship and obey only God and accept only God's laws and commands. Thus you will be stopped from actions and sins not allowed by God. On the other hand, when one does shirk, they obey the commands of the object they have made their lord and so disobey God. That object may be Satan or an idol or even one's own self. How many murders are committed for the sake of one's own pride? Stopping shirk actually stops all such crimes.