Daanish Malik, Jamia Ahmadiyya Canada
Mankind, since time immemorial, has been preaching the unity of God. Look back millennia to the time of Prophet Adamas or look to any of the Abrahamic faiths; all profess a message of one Supreme, Almighty, All-Powerful God. The Islamic declaration of faith is laid upon the foundation of belief in one, singular God. The Holy Quran goes as far as to say:
اِنَّ الشِّرۡکَ لَظُلۡمٌ عَظِیۡمٌ
“Surely, associating partners [with God] is a grievous wrong.” (Surah Luqman, Ch.31: V.14)
God repeatedly and emphatically commands believers to never associate any equal with Him, be it apparent or hidden. In fact, idolatry is the one sin that God will not forgive. He admonishes:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
“Allah will not forgive that anything be associated with Him as partner, but He will forgive what is short of that to whomsoever He pleases. And whoso associates anything as partner with Allah has indeed strayed far away.” (Surah an-Nisa, Ch.4: V.117)
But why does God care so deeply about the worship of such insignificant creatures? He is definitely not in need of any praise. He is exalted above anything which man may associate with Him. So what is the big deal?
Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, on the occasion of Jalsa Salana Qadian 1921, delivered a brilliant address on the Being of God the Exalted. In this speech, he outlined the four main reasons for God’s disdain of idolatry. (Hasti Bari Ta’ala, pp. 148-150)
Firstly, Huzoorra explains that idolatry sparks the غیرت (honour, self-respect) of God. He dislikes that something else be given His glory, because all others are completely undeserving of it. In fact, the trait of غیرت is one of the perfect attributes of Allah, not a flaw.
Secondly, God has immense mercy and compassion for His creation. The reality is that most people, out of sheer complacency, will consider the worship of small idols enough. They will never strive towards that which is beyond their idols and will be deprived of the worship of the true God. Such men are deprived of spiritual progress. So, according to His infinite mercy and to protect man from ruin, God specifically forbids the evil of idolatry over other vices. This warning is for man’s own good.
Thirdly, if the false notion that idols besides God held divine power was permitted to persist, then it would be tantamount to God, allowing a divide or veil to come in between Him and mankind. Man was created to attain the nearness of the Divine. Idolatry is a hindrance to this objective. It lessens devotion to God. More dangerously, it obscures the actual purpose of creation. If God allowed idolatry to persist, then man would be misled to think God desires a barrier between us. God the Almighty wants to eradicate this conjecture. Because it is only through monotheism that perfect divine love can be acquired.
Fourthly, Huzoorra explains that shirk fosters falsehood, ignorance and cowardice. God does not want His servants to delve into such sins. Thus, He forbids the root cause of these impurities. Falsehood in shirk is to assign powers to things that God has not granted. Ignorance is derived from the fact that those things that God sent for the benefit and service of man are made into those in command, and, accordingly, man fails to acquire the intended benefit. He is led to seek benefit from those things that could never benefit him. Cowardice results from idolatry because man fears things that cannot harm him.
Shirk terribly limits man. It is a cancer that destroys courage and purpose. It misleads people to believe that one cannot reach God directly without a mediator. Spiritual progress is impossible until this false belief is rooted out. It erects a wall between man and his Creator. Allah the Almighty desires that a bond of devotion and affection be sparked between Himself and each one of us. This is why He hates shirk. Out of his infinite love and mercy, He desires the best for His servant. God would never be a bystander, as His servants strayed farther and further into moral destruction. Thus, His hatred for shirk is the manifestation of His love for us.