Shirk and kufr:
• Kufr (disbelief) is broader than shirk (associating partners with Allah). Whoever denies what the Messenger brought—or denies any part of it without a valid interpretive excuse—is a disbeliever, whatever religion he claims, whether he does so out of obstinate defiance or out of ignorant misguidance.
• Shirk is of two kinds:
– Shirk in His lordship (rubūbiyyah), as with the dualists who posit another creator alongside Allah.
– Shirk in His divinity (ulūhiyyah), as with the rest of the polytheists who worship Allah yet also worship others, setting created beings beside Him and equating them with Him in any of the exclusive prerogatives of His Godhood.

This shirk may be major and obvious, such as when a servant directs any act of worship to someone other than Allah.

It may also be minor, meaning the pathways that lead to shirk, such as showing off (riyāʾ), swearing by something other than Allah, and the like.

Hypocrisy (nifāq) is to display goodness while concealing evil, and it is of two kinds:
• Major hypocrisy: a person outwardly professes faith in Allah and His Messenger while his heart harbors disbelief.
• Minor hypocrisy: lying, breaking promises, and outrageous conduct in disputes.

Arrogance (kibr) and humility (tawāḍuʿ): the Prophet ﷺ defined arrogance as “rejecting the truth and despising people” (1). Its opposite is humility toward the truth—accepting it wherever it appears and from whomever it comes—together with gentleness and humble conduct toward people.