These Holy Verses, clearly indicate if someone makes ‘something’ out of one’s own desire a ‘ Wasila ’ – which is not from Allah -azwj so that would be a grave sin (Shirk).
وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَهُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ (12:106) And most of them do not believe in Allah except they are associating others (with Him) عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَبَلَةَ عَنْ سَمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ وَ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ ما يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَ هُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ قَالَ يُطِيعُ الشَّيْطَانَ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُ فَيُشْرِكُ .
A number of our companions, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Yahya Bin Al Mubarak, from Abdullah Bin Jabala, from Sama’at, from Abu Baseer and Is’haq Bin Ammar, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah -asws (Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq -asws ) regarding the Words of Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic [12:106] And most of them do not believe in Allah except they are associating others (with Him) . He -asws said: ‘He obeys the Satan -la from where he does not even know, so he associates (commits Shirk )’.
[3] عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنِ ابْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ ضُرَيْسٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ ما يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللَّهِ إِلَّا وَ هُمْ مُشْرِكُونَ قَالَ شِرْكُ طَاعَةٍ وَ لَيْسَ شِرْكَ عِبَادَةٍ Ali Bin ibrahim, from Muhammad Bin Isa, from Yunus, from Ibn Bukeyr, from Zureys, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah -asws regarding the Words of Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic [12:106] And most of them do not believe in Allah except they are associating others (with Him) .
He -asws said: ‘This is the Shirk (association) of obedience, and it is not Shirk (association) of worship’. وَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلى حَرْفٍ قَالَ إِنَّ الْآيَةَ تَنْزِلُ فِي الرَّجُلِ ثُمَّ تَكُونُ فِي أَتْبَاعِهِ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ كُلُّ مَنْ نَصَبَ دُونَكُمْ شَيْئاً فَهُوَ مِمَّنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ وَ قَدْ يَكُونُ مَحْضاً .
And about the Words of the Mighty and Majestic [22:11] And among men is the one who worships Allah superficially . So he -asws said: ‘The Verse was Revealed regarding a man, then it occurred also to be regarding his followers’.