mankind as a whole has never denied the existence of God and His sovereignty over the universe; it has rather erred in comprehending the real attributes of God, or in taking other gods besides God as His associates. This association with God has been either in belief and worship, or
in accepting the sovereignty of others besides God. Both of these aspects are Shirk
[Shirk is an Arabic word which refers to ascribing the attributes, power or authority
of God to others besides Him and/or worshipping others besides Him.] in the sense
that they take human beings away from the religion of God, which was brought by
the Prophets. After each Prophet, there was a period during which people
understood this religion, but then gradually later generations forgot it and
returned to Jahiliyyah. They started again on the way of Shirk, sometimes in their
belief and worship and sometimes in their submission to the authority of others,
and sometimes in both.