What is the ruling on leaving idols that are not feared to be worshipped?
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Question:
A group of scholars has emerged in this time who distinguish between idols that are feared to be worshipped and those that are not, regarding the obligation to remove them or not. What is the correct position on this, especially since this matter may be confused for many Muslims, given that it is originally obligatory to remove and demolish them? They said that they can be worshipped, or rather, they said that they cannot be worshipped?
Answer:
Who is safe from this? If these idols are found, they are counted, even if in the distant future. Images were found in the time of the scholars and the people of faith. Images were found among the people of Noah. When the scholars died and knowledge was forgotten or abrogated, they were counted. Therefore, it is not permissible to leave them, even if they are not worshipped at the present time, because they will be worshipped in the future, and people will come in the future to worship them. It is necessary to remove them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah, he hastened to remove the idols around the Ka'bah and on the Ka'bah, and the idols around Makkah, and he hastened to destroy them all without delaying. Even though, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah, they were worshipping them, because Islam had come and the worship of idols had become invalid, the Messenger did not leave them because they were not being worshipped at that moment; rather, he ordered their destruction and hastened to destroy them. It is not permissible to leave idols when one has the ability to remove them, yes, whether they are being worshipped at the present time or not.
A group of scholars has emerged in this time who distinguish between idols that are feared to be worshipped and those that are not, regarding the obligation to remove them or not. What is the correct position on this, especially since this matter may be confused for many Muslims, given that it is originally obligatory to remove and demolish them? They said that they can be worshipped, or rather, they said that they cannot be worshipped?
Answer:
Who is safe from this? If these idols are found, they are counted, even if in the distant future. Images were found in the time of the scholars and the people of faith. Images were found among the people of Noah. When the scholars died and knowledge was forgotten or abrogated, they were counted. Therefore, it is not permissible to leave them, even if they are not worshipped at the present time, because they will be worshipped in the future, and people will come in the future to worship them. It is necessary to remove them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah, he hastened to remove the idols around the Ka'bah and on the Ka'bah, and the idols around Makkah, and he hastened to destroy them all without delaying. Even though, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah, they were worshipping them, because Islam had come and the worship of idols had become invalid, the Messenger did not leave them because they were not being worshipped at that moment; rather, he ordered their destruction and hastened to destroy them. It is not permissible to leave idols when one has the ability to remove them, yes, whether they are being worshipped at the present time or not.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم إبقاء الأصنام التي لا يُخشى أن تُعبد؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.