To what extent is it valid to consider the saying: "The wind was favorable and the sailor was skilled" as shirk, and what is your preferred view and the view of the majority on this issue?

The phrase "The wind was favorable, and the sailor skillful" was mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the context of discussing ingratitude for blessings (kufr al-ni'mah) and attributing favors to other than Allah, similar to saying "We were given rain by such-and-such a star." They did not explicitly state whether it constituted major or minor shirk.

Al-Nawawi, in his commentary on the hadith "We were given rain by such-and-such a star," mentioned that scholars differed regarding the disbelief of the one who says it. Whoever believes that the star is the active manager is considered to have committed an act of disbelief that expels one from the fold of Islam, and this is the view of the majority. As for one who does not hold such a belief and whose intention is merely to specify the time, it is considered ingratitude for a blessing (kufr ni'mah) and not an act of disbelief that expels one from the fold of Islam.

Commentators on Kitab al-Tawhid are of the opinion that the phrase "The wind was favorable, and the sailor skillful" could be major shirk if the speaker believes that the created being is the originator of the blessing. It could be mere ingratitude for a blessing (kufr ni'mah) if he believes that Allah is the Bestower of the blessing and that the created being is merely a means. We have not found a prevailing view of the majority specifically regarding this phrase itself.