The Ruling on Denying Shirk (Associating Partners with Allah) Among Those Who Seek Aid from Other Than Allah

Question:
He says: Some people hold that there is no need to denounce those who seek aid from other than Allah, or those who seek prophecy from the people of graves and shrines, because they claim the issue is a matter of scholarly disagreement. What is your view?

Answer:
This is resolved by saying that the issue is not one of disagreement. It is a matter of consensus (ijma') that shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah the Exalted is not permissible. The consensus of the messengers and their followers, from the first messenger to the last, is to forbid shirk. They are in agreement on forbidding shirk through graves and other means. The dissent of one who opposes this has no value if it contradicts the Book and the Sunnah; his dissent is discarded and has no worth.
The disagreement that is considered valid is that which has a share of consideration in jurisprudential issues and the derivation of rulings in transactions. As for matters of creed, they are not a place for independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) or disagreement; they are based on divine revelation. Allah and His Messenger have forbidden Satan in all its types, so it is never a matter of disagreement. The dissent of one who disagrees on this is not to be taken into account. Not every disagreement is considered valid, except for a disagreement that has a basis in rational consideration.