Is every Kafir a Mushrik?

The following is a partial translation of an entry from Kashāf Iṣṭilāḥāt al-Funūn by Muhammad b. ‘Ali al-Thanwi al-Hindi.

Entry: Shirk (polytheism, idolatry)

It’s written with a kasra (on the shīn) and it’s a verbal noun (maṣdar). Its meaning is ‘to associate and believe in a partner besides the Lord Who has no partner’ as mentioned in al-Muntakhab.

The scholars say that Shirk is of four types:

1. Shirk in godhood [ulūhiyya]
2. Shirk in necessary existence [wujūb al-wujūd]
3. Shirk in regulation [tadbīr]
4. Shirk in worship [‘ibādah]

No-one affirms the existence of a partner for Allah that is equal to Him in terms of godhood, necessary existence, omnipotence and wisdom besides the Dualists [Thanawiyyah]. They affirm the existence of two gods – one of them is wise and does all good, the other is foolish and performs all evil. They call the former Yazdān and the latter Ahraman (who is the devil as per their claim).

As for a partner in terms of worship and governing the affairs of the world, then there are many who believe in that. Among them are the worshippers of stars, and they are split into two groups:

(1) There are those who say that Allah created these stars and then relegated the regulation of the lowest universe to them. Since then, these stars are actively regulating this universe. They claim that it’s necessary for us to worship these stars by which we would be in fact worshipping and obeying Allah. These people are the philosophers.

(2) There is another extreme group from the star worshippers, they deny the existence of a Creator altogether. Instead they say that these stars are bodies that are necessarily existent and that it’s impossible for them to cease to exist. These stars are the regulators of the lowest universe. These people are the Dahriyyah.

Among those who worship other than Allah are the Christians; they worship the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and there are also idol worshippers.

Know that scholars have differed on the matter whether the word Mushrik includes disbelievers from the Ahl al-Kitāb or not. Some rejected this and said: “The word Mushrik only applies to idol worshippers since Allah has said: Surely those who disbelieve from the Ahl al-Kitāb and [wa] Mushrikīn are in the Hellfire forever. They are the worst of creation. [al-Bayyinah 2]. Allah placed a conjunction [‘atf] between ‘Ahl al-Kitāb’ and ‘Mushrikīn.’ A conjunction implies a difference between the word preceding and following it.”

Most scholars hold that the word Mushrik does include disbelievers from the Ahl al-Kitāb – this is the preferred opinion. Abu Bakr al-Asamm said that whoever rejects the Prophet Muhammad’s messengership [risālah] is a Mushrik. Allah says: “Surely Allah doesn’t forgive that a partner is taken with Him [an yushrak bihi], but He forgives all else for whomever He wills” [al-Nisā’ 48]. This verse proves that whatever is done besides Shirk can generally be forgiven. Had the disbelief of the Jews and Christians not been Shirk, it’d be necessary that Allah could forgive that too, but that is clearly false.

The claim that there’s a difference between Ahl al-Kitāb and Mushrikīn, based on al-Bayyinah 2, can be replied to in two ways:

1. The conjunction actually occurs between ‘those who disbelieve’ and ‘Mushrikīn’ (rather than ‘Ahl al-Kitāb’ and ‘Mushrikīn’). The meaning then becomes: “Those who used to believe in a prophet (or were from the Ahl al-Kitāb) and then decided to disbelieve in Muhammad, not bringing faith onto him – thereby having committed Shirk – plus those who were Mushrikīn from the offset, both of these groups are in the Hellfire forever.” (Note of translator: This means that the Ahl al-Kitāb weren’t Mushrikīn until they refused to believe in the Prophet Muhammad, once they rejected his messengership, they became Mushrikīn. On the other hand, some were Mushrikīn to begin with, never having believed in the previous prophets and scriptures.)

2. The conjunction between ‘Ahl al-Kitāb’ and ‘Mushrikīn’ is that of the general with the specific [‘atf al-‘āmm ‘ala al-khāṣṣ]. The meaning then becomes: “Those who disbelieved from the Ahl al-Kitāb and all the Mushrikīn – be the latter from the Ahl al-Kitāb (like Jews and Christians) or idol worshippers –  all of them will be in the Hellfire.’’ (Note of translator: This means that the word preceding the conjunction is more specific than the word following it, but the word preceding the conjunction is also part of the word following it.)

Those who opine that the Jews and Christians are included in the word Mushrik differ themselves. They are divided into two camps:

One group says that this word applies to them lexically speaking. However, al-Jubbā’i and al-Qāḍi [‘Abd al-Jabbār] say that this name is a Shar‘i name as it is mass-transmitted from the Prophet that he used to call every disbeliever a Mushrik. However, some disbelievers do not affirm a god in the first place, others doubt His Existence, while others doubt the existence of a partner of His.

Among the disbelievers are those who – during the Prophet’s advent – rejected the Resurrection and Day of Judgement, and thereby the Prophet’s advent and taklīf. Meanwhile they didn’t worship any idol. There also were idol worshippers who didn’t claim that their idols were partners of Allah in creation and regulation of the universe. Instead, they claimed that those idols were their intercessors with Allah.

It can be established that most used to acknowledge that Allah is the sole god of the universe. They also affirmed that He has no partner or likeness in His godhood (in the sense of creating and regulating the world), as is indicated by the verse: “If you ask them who created the heavens and earth, they will surely say that the all-Mighty and all-Knowing created them” [al-Zukhruf 9].

Thereby, it’s determined that the application of the word ‘Mushrik’ for a disbeliever isn’t a lexical one but  rather a Shar‘i one (like the terms Zakat, Salah etc.). So it is necessary to classify every disbeliever as a Mushrik.

All of this is a summary of what can be found in al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr under the following verses:

• When Ibrahim said to his father: “Have you taken idols as gods?” [al-An‘ām 84]
• Don’t marry the Mushrikāt until they believe. [al-Baqarah 221]