Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

WHAT is the Shirk done by the Garden owner (in Sura 18: 42), is it not Kufr?

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Shirk incident in surah kahf

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 32-41:

32      Set forth to them the parable of two men: for one of them We provided two gardens of grapevines and surrounded them with date-palms: in between the two We placed corn-fields.

33      Each of those gardens brought forth its produce and failed not in the least therein: in the midst of them We caused a river to flow.

34      (Abundant) was the produce this man had: he said to his companion in the course of a mutual argument: "More wealth have I than you and more honor and power in (my following of) men."

35      He went into his garden in a state (of mind) unjust to his soul: He said "I deem not that this will ever perish.

36      "Nor do I deem that the Hour (of Judgment) will (ever) come: even if I am brought back to my Lord I shall surely find (there) something better in exchange."

37      His companion said to him in the course of the argument with him: "Dost thou deny Him Who created thee out of dust then out of a sperm-drop then fashioned thee into a man?

38      But (I think) for my part that He is Allah my Lord and none shall I associate with my Lord.

39      Why didst thou not as thou wentest into thy garden say: `Allah's Will (be done)!  There is no power but with Allah!'  If thou dost see me less than thee in wealth and sons

40      It may be that my Lord will give me something better than thy garden and that He will send on thy garden thunderbolts (by way of reckoning) from heaven making it (but) slippery sand!

41      Or the water of the garden will run off underground so that thou wilt never be able to find it."

42      So his fruits (and enjoyment) were encompassed (with ruin) and he remained twisting and turning his hands over what he had spent on his property which had (now) tumbled to pieces to its very foundations, and he could only say "Woe is me!  Would I had never ascribed partners to my Lord and Cherisher!"

 

Although in the parable quoted above the garden-owner clearly declared severe doubt in the concept or the occurrence of the Day of Judgment and would thus constitute disbelief or ‘kufr’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.  Although the exact nature of the person’s practice of ‘shirk’ is not declared by Allah Subhanah in the above parable…..there is absolutely no doubt that in addition to his ‘kufr’ this person, through his own admission as related in verse 42 above, was also guilty of associating other gods with Allah Subhanah, the Lord of the Worlds.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan