Is there a distinction in the ruling on prostrating to other than Allah?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah keep you safe. The Honorable Shaykh says: A discussion took place among some students of knowledge regarding the ruling on prostrating to other than Allah, and that it does not constitute major kufr (disbelief) unless it is done out of a sense of entitlement. If one prostrates out of a desire for wealth or to curry favor, then this is minor shirk (associating partners with Allah). Is this statement correct?
Answer:
This is a false statement. Prostrating and bowing to other than Allah is kufr (disbelief), it expels one from the religion, and it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), may Allah protect us from it, because it directs one of the greatest types of worship to other than Allah, namely bowing and prostrating.
May Allah keep you safe. The Honorable Shaykh says: A discussion took place among some students of knowledge regarding the ruling on prostrating to other than Allah, and that it does not constitute major kufr (disbelief) unless it is done out of a sense of entitlement. If one prostrates out of a desire for wealth or to curry favor, then this is minor shirk (associating partners with Allah). Is this statement correct?
Answer:
This is a false statement. Prostrating and bowing to other than Allah is kufr (disbelief), it expels one from the religion, and it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), may Allah protect us from it, because it directs one of the greatest types of worship to other than Allah, namely bowing and prostrating.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل هناك تفصيل في حكم السجود لغير الله؟ لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.