Shirk

Q: I really need to know something so badly! In my art project at school last year in year 13, it was about festivals so I looked into Diwali and wrote about what they believe in and I also did an observational drawing of one of their deity who sits on a lotus flower. I didn’t have any intention of worship at all and I did rip it out of my book but I did leave an image of one of the deity in my sketchbook and recently saw it and ripped it out. At the time I didn’t know what shirk was really and I didn’t think what I done was bad because to me it was all part of my coursework for school and the beliefs I wrote about never was something I believed. I did write about the stories and the hindu gods and wrote down what the Hindus referred to them as but I know they’re not lord or god but I had to write down that because that is what Hindus believe and so that’s what I was meant to write but it all looks so bad that I think about it. Did I do shirk?

Q: Last night myself and my husband were having an argument about him being a bully. I bowed down to my husband to prove to him he is always right and I am wrong. Not realizing what I was doing. Is this shirk and does this nullify my nikaah?

Q: I am reverted to Islam and used to be a Hindu. I do not worship idols but during some days Hindu people worship the dead people of their family to show them respect and for that they burn something like coal in name of them and prostate in front of them. I am secretly following Islam and my mother told me to prostrate in front of that even though I was a Muslim, I just sat down and took my head down. I did not touch the ground with my nose and head and was taking name of Allah. I cannot say no to my parents. Have I done shirk? I even cried after this in front of Allah and I am now feeling that I do not deserve to be a servant of Allah. What can I do now? 

Q: Is it shirk or kufr to watch and enjoy a movie that shows shirk and kufr?

Q: People of barelevi maslak who ask their needs to the graves of dead people, are they Muslim? Is this not quit similar to hindu faith or faith of mushrikeen e Makkah because as mentioned in Saheeh Muslim they also believed in one Allah.

Q: Sometimes I knowingly start believing that there are many gods with Allah only in my mind, then I suddenly say or think no no no these all are fake things? Will Allah forgive me for these things?

Q: What is shirk?

Q: Please clarify what is shirk for me. I know Allah is alone he has no partners. Whatever happenes to us comes from Allah. He is alone worthy of worship Allah has no partners. When I do a sin I feel bad and I know it is a sin and I do taubah. Looking at the phone at pictures I do taubah. I know its a sin. Is it shirk to look at pictures?

Q: How to differentiate between sin and shirk (especially major shirk) Example:

1# If a person does many haram acts because of his desire and continues it without fearing Allah then will it be just a sin or it will be considered as he is following his desire? Is it shirk as mentioned in Quran [45:23] “Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil?

2# We know interest is haram. If a person continues to take interest after knowing it haram or does not pay zakat, does it mean that he loves money more than Allah and doing shirk as mentioned in hadith “He who became the slave of the Dinar or the Dirham will perish and be destroyed.” [Hadith Bukhari] So are these just sin or they are shirk or they may lead to shirk even major shirk?

Q: I wanted to ask that if a person rejects a sunnah or an ahkaam of deen or shariah ruling, not knowing that it is correct. i.e. out of ignorance as he did not know about it and he thought it is wrong, did this person commit shirk?