The ruling on circumambulating graves and the ruling on the one who does it

Question:
Before you witness with us the availability of the grave, is it weeping or is it disbelief? And if it is disbelief, is it disliked because of his disbelief, or do we hold back on ruling until his beliefs are clarified to us?

Answer:
So, the illusion regarding graves: if it is intended as drawing near to the deceased, it is disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah) of benefit, because it is drawing near to other than Allah and worshipping other than Allah, so it matches the worship of idols. But if it is intended as drawing near to Allah, and he thinks that circumambulating this grave has merit, and he intends to draw near to Allah by circumambulating at this grave, then this is bid'ah (religious innovation), an innovation and one of the means of shirk. Nothing on the face of the earth is circumambulated except the Noble Ka'bah. Nothing is circumambulated, no structure or anything on the face of the earth, except the Noble Ka'bah, , and whatever else is not circumambulated, not the stations of the awliya (close friends of Allah), not the structures of graves, and not anything else. This is a religion legislated without Allah's permission, a religion legislated without Allah's permission. And whoever commits shirk or disbelief is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). As for hearts, their matter is with Allah. It is not our concern what is in the hearts; this is a matter for Allah. We do not know. But whoever commits shirk, slaughters for other than Allah, or bows or prostrates to other than Allah, we rule that he is a mushrik. As for what is in his heart, that is not our concern; that is the concern of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). We act by the apparent and rule by the apparent, and we do not rule on hearts. So we rule that he is a mushrik, and that his action is shirk, and we clarify that to him, and we call him to tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and to abandoning this thing.