What is the ruling on circumambulating graves?

The questioner : What is the ruling on circumambulating graves?

The Shaykh : Circumambulating graves is shirk (associating partners with Allah); there is no doubt or ambiguity in that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as in Sahih Muslim: . This is an explicit text that it is not permissible to take a grave as a qiblah (direction of prayer), because the qiblah of the Muslim is only the House of Allah the Sacred or the Noble Ka'bah. If a person circumambulates around a grave, that means he has transferred a form of worship that belongs to Allah alone, to whom there is no partner, to that buried person who is believed to be a prophet, a wali (close friend of Allah), or a righteous person. There is no doubt that such an act is a violation of the right of "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no deity but Allah), because the meaning of this beautiful phrase is: there is no one worthy of worship in existence except Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) says: . So any worship directed to other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is shirk in the oneness of worship. Because, as I believe, you know that the accurate scholars divided tawhid (the oneness of Allah), which saves one on the Day of Resurrection, the Day of the Lord of the Worlds, into three categories. If a Muslim neglects one of them, he is not a true monotheist:
The first category is tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship).
The second category is tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship); that is, the oneness of worship.
The third category is tawhid al-asma' wa al-sifat (oneness of the names and attributes).
So whoever directs a form of worship, from the acts of worship by which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has commanded His servants to worship Him, to other than Him (Mighty and Majestic), has taken him as a god alongside Him. Therefore, we find in the Noble Qur'an that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was calling the polytheists of his people to worship Allah alone, to whom there is no partner, with the beautiful phrase: , and also, it was reported that they said: . The polytheists did not deny the first type of tawhid, which is tawhid al-rububiyyah and the oneness of creation; rather, they fully acknowledged it. They only denied the oneness of worship; therefore, they said: . They objected to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he ordered them not to slaughter except for Allah, not to swear except by Allah, and not to make vows except for Allah. They found that objectionable and made it a sign of their disbelief and shirk in the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in worship. So, when any Muslim says: "La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammad rasul Allah" (There is no deity but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), this undoubtedly saves him from the punishment of this world, which is killing, as he (peace be upon him) said: . So whoever says "La ilaha illa Allah" saves himself from death, but he will not be saved before Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from eternal abode in the Fire unless he fulfills the right of this phrase. The first of its rights is to worship Allah (Mighty and Majestic) alone, to whom there is no partner. So if a person circumambulates around graves, this means he has honored a buried person with a form of worship that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made a worship for Himself, and this misguided person transferred it from worshiping Allah to worshiping a buried person, and this is shirk, without doubt or ambiguity.
Is there anything else?

The questioner : Yes, Shaykh, regarding the issue of the circumambulator, does he believe in it or not? Or is it just outwardly...?

The Shaykh : Ah, this question is relevant when it comes to establishing the hadd (fixed punishment) upon him, because with this act he becomes an apostate. If there is someone who establishes the hadd, meaning killing the apostate, then this person is brought and asked to repent. He is not asked: "Do you believe or not?" Because his action is proof of his belief. He is asked to repent after the argument is established against him, that this circumambulation is a worship and submission to Allah, like prostration, with no difference. If a person prostrates to his Shaykh or his ruler, he is not asked: "Why are you prostrating? Do you believe that this person deserves honor?" Because his action indicates honor. But he is asked to repent; if he repents, well and good, otherwise he is killed. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said, as you know: . So prostration is a sign of honor; there is no need to ask: "Why are you prostrating?" But we need to make him understand that this prostration is shirk with Allah, honoring the one he honors with the same means by which he honors his Lord. So either he desists, or ahead of him is—may Allah forbid—killing.
The reason for this last hadith is that Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) came to Sham (Syria) during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he was absent from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for a while. Then, when he came to Madinah and his eyes fell upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he wanted to prostrate to him. So he said to him: Wait, O Mu'adh! He said: O Messenger of Allah, I came to Sham and found the Christians prostrating to their priests and scholars; so I saw that you are more worthy of prostration than they are. So he (peace be upon him) said the aforementioned hadith: لو كنت آمرًا أحدًا أن يسجد لأحد لأمرت الزوجة أن تسجد لزوجها لعظم حقِّه عليها If I were to command anyone to prostrate to anyone, I would command the wife to prostrate to her husband because of the greatness of his right over her.. But prostration is not appropriate except for Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). So, whether one prostrates to other than Allah or circumambulates other than the House of Allah, we do not need to ask him what he means? Do you believe that this deserves worship? He will say to you: No, I do not believe; because he does not understand what worship is. But we establish the argument against him and make him understand that this is shirk in a category of tawhid. The first: we said lordship, and the second: worship or uluhiyyah. If he responds—and that is what we desire—then it is good and excellent. Otherwise, he is killed for disbelief, and he is not buried in the graves of the Muslims.