The ruling on one who calls upon other than Allah while ignorant

Question:
He asks: Does one who calls upon other than Allah, whether a human, a stone, an angel, or something else, become a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) even if he is ignorant? And he asks: Does one who calls upon other than Allah, whether a human, a stone, an angel, or something else, become a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) even if he is ignorant and does not know that it is shirk (associating partners with Allah)?

Answer:
Yes, he becomes a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). He becomes a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah) if he calls upon the people of the graves, or the idols, or the stars, or the jinn, and seeks their aid. This is the shirk (associating partners with Allah) of the polytheists. If he is among the Muslims and is learning, that is one matter. But if he is far from the Muslims and the Qur'an and the Sunnah have not reached him, then his ruling is the ruling of the people of the period of ignorance (ahl al-fatra). He is not called a Muslim, and his affair is left to Allah on the Day of Resurrection. He will be tested on the Day of Resurrection, because his deeds are deeds of shirk (associating partners with Allah), so he will be tested on the Day of Resurrection. If he responds, he will enter Paradise; if he does not respond, he will enter the Fire. As for the one who is among the Muslims and to whom the Qur'an and the Sunnah have been conveyed, his ignorance of shirk and his persistence in shirk are not considered valid. We ask Allah for safety.