Zaydi tafsir of 45:23 in relation to Shirk

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6 years 5 months ago #743 by Pro-Alid
Salamu alaykum,

Have Zaydi scholars written on why shirk is considered to be the worst sin that anyone could ever do? At first I thought it must be because shirk is a crime against Allah as opposed to a crime against a human being - which by default makes it a more serious offence. However, after looking at the following ayah I've come to arrive at a slightly different answer:

"Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire" (Surat al-Jathiyah 45:23)

The above ayah seems to suggest that it is impossible for one to engage in major sins such as rape or murder without first engaging in shirk, i.e. by taking ones own desires as a god besides Allah. In other words, this type of shirk appears to be the root cause of the most evil things we can imagine. Are any Zaydi commentators in agreement with this?

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6 years 5 months ago #752 by Imam Rassi Society
wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatullahi!

Thank you for your question! As for the relation to the verse you quoted from Jaathiya and the designation of shirk, I know not of any connection between this verse and shirk according to our imams or scholars. A person who commits open sins is not considered a disbeliever (kaafir) or idolater (mushrik) in a shari' sense. Therefore, it is permissible to marry such Muslim and bury him/her according to our rites.

The context of the verse in Jaathiya as well as its parallel verse in Furqan:43 seems to refer to the disbelievers anyway. Please refer to the previous and subsequent verses of both passages to get a sense of the address.

As for why shirk is considered the gravest offense, we have explicit text (nass) that states such. The explicit statements of the Qur'an, Prophet and imams are sufficient proof and evidence that shirk is the gravest of sins.

And Allah knows best!

IRS

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