The Ruling on Slaughter for the Dead and Holding the Mawlid

Question:
From the Fire, those who are in it from the remainder of the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) who died upon some sins and disobedience, He, Glorified and Exalted is He, will take them out of the Fire as a favor from Him and mercy from Him, Glorified and Exalted is He. They believe in the awliya (close friends of Allah) according to their saying. So when any one of them falls ill, they cut from the ear of a goat or sheep and say, "O so-and-so," meaning they call upon the dead person to heal this sick person. They slaughter the sacrificial animals and ask one of the reciters to recite the mawlid for them after eating these sacrificial animals. Some of them slaughter in the graveyards, and some in their homes, for the sake of this dead wali (close friend of Allah), in their saying, to cure the sick. I have met some of these people and informed them that this action is not permissible, and that Allah is the Harmer and the Benefiter, and that He is the Giver of Life and the Giver of Death, and He is Able over all things. So what is the ruling on these people in this belief? What is the ruling on those who recite the mawlid for them? And what is the ruling on one who eats from these sacrificial animals? Please inform us, and may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
This is a dangerous act and a great crime. We ask Allah for safety. Slaughtering for the dead, slaughtering for the people of the graves—whom they call the awliya (close friends of Allah)—and drawing near to them through supplication and seeking aid, all of this is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). The one who slaughters for the people of the graves, and for those they call the awliya, such as al-Badawi, Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, al-Husayn, and the like, seeking aid from them, seeking their help, and seeking the healing of the sick—this is all major shirk. It is all from the deeds of the first age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), the deeds of Quraysh and their like in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. This is major shirk. The slaughtered animal is carrion (maytah); it is not permissible to eat it, and it is not obligatory to acquiesce to their practice. Rather, it is obligatory to warn them, give them notice, and teach them that this is wrong (munkar) and that this is major shirk. For Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: And He, Mighty and Majestic, says: And regarding the slaughter, just as prayer is for Allah, so is the slaughter for Allah. And He, the Exalted, said: For Allah is the slaughter, and for Allah is the prayer. So slaughtering for idols, or for trees, or for the people of the graves, to seek aid from them, or the healing of the sick, or the like of that—this is all major shirk, whether in the aspect of supplication or in the aspect of slaughter. So the one who slaughters for them is like the one who prays to them. We ask Allah for well-being. The carrion is forbidden, and the slaughtered animal becomes carrion and is forbidden; it is not permissible to eat it. As for merely holding a mawlid, that is a bid'ah (religious innovation). If it is merely holding a mawlid to celebrate the birthdays, is it among the reprehensible innovations?
And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says: So the followers of bid'ah (religious innovation),