In Islam, God is known as al-Ghaffar and al-Raheem — the Ever Forgiving and the Most Merciful, respectively. Starting from this idea, it’s clear that God can forgive any sin, and keep in mind this precondition. The “unforgivable” sin in Islam is called shirk, or ascribing partners to God.

I need to offer one caveat. The subject of shirk is broad, and what constitutes shirk is often discussed and has many philosophical ramifications. I’m not an Islamic scholar, so I offer you my understanding of the topic, and I apologize in advance; any mistakes I might make are my own, and any benefits are due to God’s grace.

There are several major sins, ranging from adultery to murder, each of them egregious in their own right. But the most egregious in the eyes of God is shirk. In the Quran, God says, “Verily, God does not forgive the ascribing of divinity to aught beside Him, although God forgives any lesser sin unto whomever God wills: for those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God have indeed gone far astray” (Chapter 4, verse 116). The Arabic word used in this verse is shirk.

But what do we mean when we say that shirk means to ascribe partners to God? In order to discuss shirk I need to mention tawhid, which is the polar opposite of shirk.

Tawhid is the primary of the fundamental beliefs in Islam. It’s the idea that God is the ultimate and indivisible creator, the only Divine being and the only one worthy of worship. Because of this, worshiping another deity or multiple deities becomes impracticable within an Islamic framework. Doing so would be considered shirk, while true tawhid would be maintaining God as the most important focus in one’s life.

Therefore, shirk is more than just believing in multiple divinities, it’s putting anything, or any being, on an equal or higher level than God. Someone who makes wealth their ultimate priority is considered a mushrik (one who commits shirk), as well as someone so self-infatuated that their ego or reputation is paramount.

I mentioned earlier, and quoted a verse that implied that shirk is unforgivable. But God mentions His mercy in numerous places in the Quran, and that repentance can clear away sins. “But any that (in this life) had repented, believed, and worked righteousness, will have hopes to be among those who achieve salvation” (Chapter 28, verse 67).

So how do you reconcile two seemingly contradictory statements? One verse says that shirk cannot be forgiven, while other verses state that repentance can blot away any sin. The prevailing view of Islamic scholars is that shirk can be forgiven provided one repents, and it’s only dying in a state of shirk which God doesn’t forgive.

But as I said at the very beginning of the article, God is the most forgiving and merciful. God is also al-Qadir, or The Omnipotent. It’s entirely God’s prerogative whom God chooses to forgive, regardless of what state they die in. We must rely on the fact that God is also The Utterly Just, Al-‘Adl, and that we all will pay our dues and receive our rewards.

Reach columnist Zakariya Dehlawi at opinion@dailyuw.com.