Shirk (Islam) - Greater and Lesser Shirk - Lesser Shirk

Lesser Shirk

Lesser shirk or Shirke-e-Asghar means hidden polytheism.

A person commits hidden polytheism when he says tawhid, there is no god except Allah, but his thoughts and action does not reflect his belief.

Lesser shirk fundamentally stems from an underestimation of God. This intellectual defect leads to pride, arrogance, and self-delusion.

• Muhammad said

"One who offers the ritual prayers in an ostentatious way is a polytheist. One who keeps the fast, or gives alms, or performs the Hajj to show the public his righteousness or to earn good name is a polytheist"

• Other accounts

"Mahmud ibn Lubayd reported, "God's messenger said: "The thing I fear for you the most is ash-Shirk al-Asghar."

The companions asked "Oh! messenger of God, what is that?"

He replied "Ar-Riya (showing off), for verily God will say on the Day of Resurrection when people are receiving their rewards, 'Go to those for whom you were showing off in the material world and see if you can find any reward from them."

"Mahmud ibn Lubayd also said, "The Prophet came out and announced, 'O people, beware of secret Shirk!'

The people asked, 'O messenger of God, what is secret Shirk?'

He replied, 'When a man gets up to pray and strives to beautify his prayer because people are looking at him; that is secret Shirk."

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed an act of kufr or shirk.’” (graded hasan by Al-Tirmidhi and saheeh by Al-Hakim)

Ibn Mas’ood, one of Muhammad’s companions, said: "That I should swear by Allah upon a lie is more preferable to me than that I should swear by another upon the truth.”