No worship of polytheists is acceptable.

The fundamental truth that lies at the heart of the Islamic belief system is Tawhid—the belief in one, unique God and the sense of His exclusive worship. The opposite of this Tawhid is Shirk, which means ascribing partners to God, consciously or unconsciously acknowledging someone else’s participation in His being, attributes, or worship. In Islam, Shirk is a crime that destroys any great act of worship in an instant. Therefore, it is said that no act of worship by a polytheist is acceptable to God. Because the first condition of worship is sincerity or singleness, which must be dedicated to God alone. A polytheist is a person whose worship is not single-minded; he may pray, fast, or give charity—but all of it reaches a destination where it carries no value.

We find the source of this understanding in numerous verses of the Quran. Allah Almighty has clearly declared: “Allah will not forgive that partners should be associated with Him, but He forgives all other sins to whom He wills.” (Surah An-Nisa: 48) This verse shows that shirk is a major sin that is unforgivable in the sight of Allah unless one repents and dies in that state. The consequence of this sin is that all the worship of the polytheist becomes null and void in the sight of Allah.

Worship is essentially a spiritual practice, the focus of which is obedience, love, and fear—when these three elements are dedicated to Allah alone, then it becomes worship. This is the problem of the polytheist—the underlying purpose of his worship is divided. He places someone else in the place of his need, fear, love, or gratitude along with Allah. Some may be standing in front of a stone statue praying, some may be raising their hands for help in front of the grave of a saint, saint or deceased saint, some are so afraid of a living person that the speed of their worship depends on his anger or happiness. These are examples of that mixed worship, which in Islam is called ‘Shirk fil Ibadah’ – Shirk in worship.

Another reason for the unacceptability of the worship of a polytheist is that his worship is based on fragmented and confused beliefs. He may believe in Allah, but at the same time think that if he offers a garland of flowers, eats the dust of a grave, or takes refuge in some miraculous ritual, his desires will be fulfilled. Islam has clearly rejected such beliefs. In Islam, only Allah hears the call, helps, and removes danger – even in the case of the Prophets and Messengers, no one has the right to benefit or harm anyone except with Allah’s permission. Those who distort or deny this fundamental truth will not be able to worship Allah.

Allah says in the Quran, “And if they (the polytheists) associate partners with Allah, then their deeds will be in vain.” (Surah Al-An’am: 88) This verse directly states that polytheism destroys all the values ​​of worship in the sight of Allah. It is a disease that stains the entire record of deeds. The Quran even says, “We will present some of their deeds before them on the Day of Resurrection, and We will scatter them like dust.” (Surah Al-Furqan: 23) That is, no matter how great the worship of the polytheists may seem, it is essentially as weightless as dust in the sight of Allah.

Real examples of this truth can be found in the pages of history. The polytheists of Mecca were proud of their religious identity, they circumambulated the Kaaba, offered sacrifices, performed the Hajj, and even gave charity to the community. But they associated many idols with Allah. In their eyes, Allah was a ‘great power’, but in daily needs or dangers they sought refuge in the gods and goddesses called Lat, Manat, and Uzza. Allah declared this mixed worship completely invalid. In the Quran, He says, “Those they call upon have no power to benefit or harm them, and they say, ‘These are only intercessors with Allah for us.’” (Surah Yunus: 18)

These words are a warning to us. Sometimes we understand polytheists only to mean those who follow other religions—those who worship idols or, like Christians, who consider Jesus to be the ‘Son of God.’ But shirk is not limited to other religions, but shirk can also enter Muslim society through superstitions, wrong beliefs and wrong rituals. If someone thinks that his business will not run without the good eye of a Pir Sahib, or that he will not have children unless he makes a vow to a shrine, then even if that person prays and fasts, he has fallen into the pit of shirk. And if he dies with this belief and condition, according to the Quran, all his worship will be destroyed, because no worship can survive with shirk.

This is why the importance of Tawheed in Islam is immense. Islam teaches people, “La ilaha illallah”—there is no god but Allah, no one is worthy of worship, no one is the owner of anyone, no one is the reliever of anyone’s suffering. This declaration is not just for saying it verbally, but for implementing this belief in every aspect of life. The worship of a person who develops his heart and actions in the light of this monotheism is worthy of acceptance in the court of Allah.

Therefore, if not only external worship, but also its basis and source—that is, belief and intention—is not pure, then that worship is worthless. A polytheist worships according to his own fabricated ideas, his worship is never pure for Allah, and therefore it is considered invalid. The horror of shirk is so great that even the Companions feared it, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself repeatedly prayed for his Ummah out of fear of shirk.

In the Islamic view, worship is the sole right of Allah. No one can share that right. Shirk is that unjust interference that attacks the sovereignty of Allah. The person who can protect himself from this injustice is the true believer, his