Understanding shirk begins with understanding the Divine command:

Wa qaḍā rabbuka allā taʿbudū illā iyyāhu wa bil-wālidayni iḥsānan.

Thy Lord has commanded, “Worship none but Him, and show kindness to parents… (17:24).

Explaining this verse, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II^(ra) states that shirk causes man to sink morally and spiritually. Belief in Divine Unity is a seed out of which grow all virtues, and lack of which lies at the root of all sins. True understanding of shirk, therefore, is not a theoretical exercise; it is the foundation of all moral and spiritual health.

We observe that a lot of people proclaim that they believe in One God but still commit sins.

Explaining this paradox, The Promised Messiah^(as) writes:

Belief only means accepting something in good faith, but true awareness means to actually experience that belief. It is impossible for true awareness—Ma’rifat—and sin to dwell in one heart, just as it is impossible for it to be day and night at the same time. (How to be free from sin)

In this respect, Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I^(ra) says:

To associate anyone in the name, action, or worship of Allah constitutes shirk, and to carry out all good deeds solely for the pleasure of Allah is called worship.

Lying and idol-worship are interconnected. Lying implies shirk as man by this act indicates that he is afraid of man rather than God. Of all the abominations, lying, perhaps, plays the greatest part in the moral and spiritual degradation of man. Allah says in The Holy Quran:

Fajtanibur-rijsa minal-awthāni wajtanibū qawlaz-zūr. Then shun the abomination of idols, and shun all words of falsehood, (22:31).

To truly understand shirk, then, is to recognize every subtle way in which fear of man, love of the world, or attachment to one’s ego rivals the love and fear of Allah.

When Divine Unity takes root as a living reality, worship becomes pure, truth becomes dearer than comfort, and every good deed is offered solely for the pleasure of Allah. In that state, shirk is not only avoided in creed, but uprooted from character and conduct.