We know that the opposite of belief in Allah is: disbelief in Allah.
There is major and minor disbelief. Major disbelief brings a person out of the fold of Islam; Allah Almighty will not accept any compensation or ransom from him; all his good deeds are rendered worthless; and he will dwell in Hellfire eternally. Minor disbelief, on the other hand, contradicts the perfect state of belief.
Major disbelief has various kinds, which Allah Almighty mentioned in His Book, and He Almighty stated that the disbelief of disbelievers may sometimes be rejection, and it may at other times be abandonment and arrogance towards the truth. Disbelief may also take the form of denial, and it makes no difference whether the denial is expressed by the tongue or denial within the heart. At other times, it takes the form of doubt and suspicion, as the person is hesitant about the truth and doubtful about the Resurrection and the meeting with Allah. Disbelief may also take the form of cursing and mockery or turning away and barring others from the path of Allah, and it may take the form of hating the truth.
We know that there is minor disbelief, which does not contradict the core of faith, but it contradicts its perfect state. It does not cause its perpetrator to dwell eternally in Hellfire or render all his good deeds worthless. Minor disbelief has too many forms.
One of the forms of minor disbelief is fighting a Muslim. It does not take one out of the fold of Islam or cause him to languish eternally in Hellfire, for Allah Almighty calls the believers who fight one another as brothers, though they are fighting.
We know that the opposite of belief in Allah is Shirk, which is the worst wrongdoing. Shirk renders all good deeds worthless, and a person who dies as a polytheist, without repenting, shall not be forgiven and Paradise is forbidden to him, and his abode is Hellfire wherein he will abide forever.
Allah Almighty nullifies Shirk and criticizes the polytheists for their Shirk and highlights the error of them taking equals to Him. He makes clear that those partners cannot do any good or harm. Sometimes He, Exalted be He, stresses that those partners do not hear, and even if they were to hear, they would not respond to those calling upon them. At other times, Allah, the Exalted, makes clear that those partners cannot do any good or harm and cannot bring life or cause death. And some other times, Allah Almighty states that those worshiped apart from Him are even lower than those who worship them, for they cannot walk, strike, hear, or see. And He at other times describes them as little and powerless and that they do not possess even an atom's weight in the heaven or on the earth in a real way, and they are not partners in any of this, and none of them is a supporter or helper to Allah Almighty or an intercessor with Him. And some other times, our Lord points out that the existence of other gods along with Him is unreasonable, universally impossible, and religiously void.
We know that major Shirk has numerous forms.
One form is to ascribe a partner to Allah Almighty in His lordship, creation, dominion, sustenance, and management of the universe. Our Lord makes clear that to Him alone belong the creation and the command.
Another form of major Shirk is to ascribe a son to Allah Almighty, far exalted be He above that.
Another form is believe in the stars, worship them, seek rain through them, and believe that they can bring sustenance.
Another form is to associate a partner with Allah Almighty in His names and attributes, like claiming that someone knows the unseen. And there is a stern warning against anyone who calls himself or someone else with one of Allah's names which befit none but Him, like the names: 'Allah' or "the Most Compassionate".
Among its forms is to believe that a created being possesses the divine perfection or is able to do all things. This could never be true, as Allah Almighty points out the utter helplessness of the worshipers and those worshiped apart from Him.
Another form is to worship other gods alongside Allah, the Exalted.
Another form is to devote worship or part of it to anyone other than Allah Almighty.
The forms of major Shirk also include slaughtering a sacrifice to someone other than Allah Almighty, like an idol or a dead person, with the aim of drawing closer to them.
Another form is to make a vow to other than Allah Almighty. Indeed, a vow is an act of worship and must not be devoted to other than our Lord. Hence, Allah, the Exalted, praises the believers who fulfill their vows.
Another form of major Shirk is to seek refuge with other than Allah Almighty.
Its forms also include seeking help from other than Allah Almighty for things that can only be done by our Lord, or supplicating other than Allah, Exalted be He.
Another form is Shirk in obedience to other than Allah Almighty. He, Glorified be He, mentions that the People of the Book took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Him, legislating for them and declaring unlawful what Allah made lawful.
Another form is Shirk in praying, bowing, prostrating, and performing Tawāf. This is because such acts of worship must not be devoted to anyone other than Allah Almighty, Who commanded His Prophet Ibrāhīm to purify His House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up in prayer, and those who bow and prostrate. The Almighty Lord mentions that only the arrogant would disdain to worship Him and points out that all creatures prostrate to Him.
One of its forms is not judging according to what Allah has revealed and referring to other than Allah for judgment, as the People of the Book and others did. They associated partners with Allah Almighty, laying down legislation for them. This is sometimes regarded as disbelief, and at other times as wrongdoing or rebellion.
Another form is Shirk of love. This is to love a created being in a way that comprises humbleness, reverence, and submission.
Another form is Shirk of fear. This is to fear a created being in a way that comprises submission, humbleness, and reverence, like fearing that he may cause an affliction or prevent good, or committing something unlawful for his sake to win his approval. The Almighty Lord points out that His pious and close servants fear none but Him.
Another form is Shirk of hope. This is to hope for something from a created being, alive and present or absent, while that thing can only be done by Allah Almighty - or to ask the dead to relieve distress, fulfill needs, or intercede on the Day of Judgment.
Another form is magic.
Its forms also include Kihānah (soothsaying) and (‘Irāfah) divination, for those who engage in them claim to know the unseen.
We know that there is minor Shirk, which does not bring one out of the fold of Islam or contradict the core of faith; rather, it contradicts the perfect state of faith. So, it does not cause a person to dwell eternally in Hellfire or render all his good deeds worthless. Minor Shirk has too many forms.
Another form is taking evil omens, and the criterion here is that it prompts one to go ahead with his plan or cancel it, as related in the relevant Hadīth.
Another form is hanging amulets.
One of the forms is little riyā’ (show off). Yet, if a person's heart is filled with riyā’ and he begins to perform good deeds without a sincere intention, faith, or fear from Allah Almighty, this is a sheer hypocrite and his deeds are rendered worthless and rejected. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called this the Shirk of the inner self and pointed out that riyā’ is so invisible, and that his fear for his Ummah from riyā’ was greater than his fear for them from the Anti-Christ.
Another form is to seek worldly gains by one's good deeds. This oscillates between major and minor Shirk, depending on the intention within one's heart.
Another form is astrology, which may be major or minor Shirk, depending on the intention within one's heart.
Another form is saying "It is as Allah wills and you will" and similar phrases.
Another form is swearing by other than Allah Almighty.
We know that one of the things that contradict belief in Allah is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is to display Islam and conceal disbelief. Hypocrisy, which is tantamount to disbelief, is major and minor. It is to disbelieve in Allah Almighty and worship other than Him while pretending to be Muslim before people. An example is the hypocrites who lived at the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Major hypocrisy brings a person out of the fold of Islam. We bear witness, as Allah bears witness, that the hypocrites are liars in their claim of faith.
Allah Almighty will not accept from the hypocrite any ransom or compensation, and whoever dies as a hypocrite is doomed to abide in Hellfire eternally.
We know that major hypocrisy involves hatred and animosity towards the truth, and such hypocrites find joy in the defeat of Islam and its people and feel deeply sad if they see Islam victorious. Major hypocrisy comes after belief, by refusing to refer to the Shariah for judgment, not trusting Allah Almighty and His promise to support His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and religion, mocking and reviling the truth and its followers, slandering Muslims and backbiting them, and deceiving the people of faith and showing off good deeds.
Allah, the Exalted, commanded His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to strive against the hypocrites.
We know that minor hypocrisy does not bring a person out of the fold of Islam, nor does it render his good deeds worthless or cause him to dwell in Hellfire eternally; and we know that minor hypocrisy does not contradict the core of faith, but it contradicts its perfect state; and that hypocrisy has four traits, which would make a person a sheer hypocrite if he has them all; but if he possesses one of them, he has a trait of hypocrisy until he gives it up: if he speaks, he tells a lie; if he makes a promise, he breaks his promise; if he engages in a covenant, he proves treacherous; and if he is in a dispute, he acts immorally.
* Religious innovation is misguidance altogether.
We believe that Allah Almighty has perfected the religion for us and completed His favor upon us. Religious innovations are among the things that contradict the perfect state of faith. And we know that Allah, the Exalted, forbade dissension and disunity.
We know that religious innovations include extolment of graves and constructing buildings over them. This may also be lead to Shirk. Another religious innovation is making images of the righteous people in the hope of following their example after they pass away.
We know that wrong innovations include such newly introduced festivities and joining the disbelievers in their festive occasions.
We know that one of the wrong innovations is seeking blessing in something Allah Almighty did not make a cause of blessing. This may also lead to Shirk.