What is worshipping?
The linguistic meaning of worship is subservience and submission. And in Shri’a (Islamic Legislation), it is as Shiekh Al-Islam Ibn Taimiah said, “ it is the obedience of Allah, in doing what He has ordered through His Messengers. And he said also: “worship is a collective name for all what Allah likes and pleases at among actions, sayings and deeds apparently and concealed”. Therefore, Muslim has to admit Oneness to His Lord in all kinds of worships, and do it sincerely the way the Prophet has ruled by word and deed.
Worship comprehends the following kinds.
Be informed that worship comprehends Salat (Prayer), Tawaf (circumambulating), Hajj (Pilgrimage), Syiamm (Fasting), Nathr (Vow), Letikaf (seclusion), Thabh (slaughtering), Sujud (prostration), Ruku (Kneeling), Khawf (fear), Rahbah (awe), Raghbah (desire), Khashiah (fear causing avoidance), Tawakkul (depending), Istighathah (call upon for help), and Rajaa (hope) and many other kinds of worship which were decreed by Allah in His Noble Book, or by His Messenger in the Sound Sunnah in word and deed. Therefore, if any of these is offered to someone besides Allah, then this is considered Shirk (Polytheism) for Allah says, - meaning- {If anyone invokes, besides Allah, any other god, he has no authority therefor; and his reckoning will be only with his Lord! And verily the Unbelievers will fail to win through!}, and He says, -meaning- “And the places of worship are for Allah (alone): so call not upon anyone along with Allah;”. And “Anyone” here includes all creatures no matter if they were Messengers, Angels, or good men.
The first time Shirk (Polytheism) occurred:
If what preceded is known, then be informed that the first time Shirk has occurred was in Noah’s people, but when Allah sent Noah to them invoke them to worship Allah alone and leave all those worshipped statues, they resisted and insisted and opposed Noah by accusing him of lying and disbelief. Moreover, they said, as in the Qur’an: -meaning- “And they have said (to each other), “ Abandon not your gods: abandon neither Wadd nor Suwa, neither Yaguth nor ya’uq nor Nasr”.
Narrated in the Sahih (Al-Bukhari) that Ibn Abbass said, ‘All the idols which were worshipped by the people of Noah formerly belonged to some pious men of the people of Noah, and when they died Satan inspired their people to (prepare) and place idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. The people did so, but the idols were not worshipped till those people (who initiated them) had died and the origin of the idols had become obscure, whereupon people began worshipping them.”
Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “More than one among the Salaf (Good Ancestors) said, ‘when they died, they went to their graves and placed idols for them, and when time passed, they worshipped them’.”
The main reason of Shirk is the extravagance in pious people
From this point we realize that Shirk happened among children of Adam because of the extravagance in pious people.
Extravagance means excessiveness in glorification in word and belief. This is why Allah(swt) said, -meaning- “O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Isa ( Jesus ) the son of Mary was (no more than ) A Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him”.
Furthermore, Aishah said, “ when the last moment of the life of Allah’s Messenger came, he started putting his ‘ Khamisa ‘ on his face. And when he felt hot and short of breath, he took it off his face and said, - meaning- “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets.”The Prophet was warning (Muslims) of what those had done. Otherwise, he would have protruded his grave, but he feared it might be taken as places of worship’. Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
In fact, extravagance appeared mostly in poetry and prose until they allowed to call the Prophet for help and so they did for the rest of the pious people. Moreover, they claimed that he – Allah’s Messenger – knows about Al-Ghaib (unseen world), and some of them said that he did not die before he had known all what had been and what will be, contradicting by this saying the Qur’an: - meaning- {With Him are the keys of the Unseen, the treasures that none knows but He}, and what Allah (swt) said, -meaning- “Verily the knowledge of the Hour (Dooms Day) is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain and He who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow; nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things)”.
In fact, Allah informed us that He ordered His Messenger to say, -meaning- “If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touches me”, and say: -meaning- “Say (O Muhammad (saw), None in the heavens or on earth, except Allah, knows what is hidden: nor can they perceive when they shall be raised up (for Judgment).”