Shirk

Non-Muslim parents forcing one to worship the dead

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? 

Thoughts of shirk

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?

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?

Difference between sin and shirk

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?