سورة المائدة

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Amr ibn Ubayd came to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), and when he had greeted him and sat down ... he said: "I would like to know what the major sins are, from the Book of Allah." He said: "Yes, O Amr! The greatest of the major sins is associating partners with Allah (shirk), regarding which Allah says: مَنْ یُشْرِکْ بِالله فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ الله عَلَیْهِ الْجَنَّةَ [Whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden the Garden to him]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Zurarah said: "I wrote to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) and asked him about this hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) who says: 'Whoever associates partners with Allah, the Fire becomes obligatory for him, and whoever does not associate partners with Allah, the Garden becomes obligatory for him.'" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever associates partners with Allah — this is manifest shirk, and Allah says: مَنْ یُشْرِکْ بِالله فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللهُ عَلَیْهِ الْجَنَّةَ [Whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden the Garden to him]; and as for 'whoever does not associate partners with Allah, the Garden becomes obligatory for him' — what is meant is one who commits no sin and does not disobey his Lord."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): In the noble Qur'an, shirk is spoken of in four contexts. One is where He said: لَقَدْ کَفَرَ الَّذِینَ قالُوا إِنَّ الله هُوَ الْمَسِیحُ ابْنُ مَرْیَمَ وَ قالَ الْمَسِیحُ یا بَنِی إِسْرائِیلَ اعْبُدُوا الله رَبِّی وَ رَبَّکُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ یُشْرِکْ بِالله فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ الله عَلَیْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَ مَأْواهُ النَّارُ وَ ما لِلظَّالِمِینَ مِنْ أَنْصارٍ [Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah, He is the Messiah, son of Maryam; and the Messiah said: O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden the Garden to him, and his abode is the Fire; and there shall be no helpers for the unjust]. This is counted as shirk in speech and description.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Abu Hamzah al-Thumali said: I was with Imam Baqir (peace be upon him). He said to me: "O Abu Hamzah! Among the decrees that Allah has made certain and irreversible is the rising of our Qa'im (may Allah hasten his noble relief); whoever doubts this matter will meet Allah in a state of disbelief and denial." Then he said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for him, who bears my name and my kunya; the seventh after me will come. He will fill the earth with justice and equity just as it will have been filled with oppression and injustice. O Abu Hamzah! Whoever reaches him must submit to him, just as one submits to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and whoever does not submit to him — Allah has forbidden the Garden to him, and his abode is the Fire."