The obligation of scholars to warn the Muslim community against falling into shirk (associating partners with Allah), and an explanation of the hadith: (You will follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span and cubit by cubit, until if they entered the hole of a lizard, you would enter it)

The Shaykh: So calling upon other than Allah is worship of Him. Is seeking aid and help from other than Allah worship of Him? Slaughter for Him is worship of Him. Vowing for Him is worship of Him. All of this is happening today on the Islamic land, with great regret, and no one from the people of knowledge is fulfilling the obligation of advising, clarifying, and warning these Muslims from falling into what the first polytheists fell into, and from disbelieving like their disbelief.
There is no doubt that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was, as Allah said: ; and therefore we find him warning his community not to follow the ways of those who were before them, warning them from falling into such things. And I affirm that it is necessary for a group from this community to follow the ways of those who were before; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as Imam al-Bukhari narrated in his "Sahih" from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and there is a narration outside of al-Bukhari which is authentic: , he (peace be upon him) said: . Many Muslims have fallen into major shirk (associating partners with Allah), just as the polytheists before them, from the Jews and the Christians, fell into it.
The Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) compassion in warning the Muslims not to follow the ways of the former disbelievers and polytheists reached the point of the following story: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a large tree during one of his journeys, which in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) belonged to the polytheists. They used to hang their weapons on it, and this tree was known to them as "Dhat Anwat" (the Tree of Anwat). They used to tie and hang their weapons on it. So they said: O Messenger of Allah. Some of them said, when they passed by this tree: O Messenger of Allah, make for us a Dhat Anwat as they have a Dhat Anwat. Make for us a tree on which we can hang our weapons, as the polytheists have a tree on which they hang their weapons. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, consider, O our brothers, they used to... Look at how the Prophet's stance toward it was one of extreme disapproval. Then look at what the Muslims fell into of major shirk (associating partners with Allah). Then no one from the people of knowledge moves for this. When they said: Make for us a Dhat Anwat as they have a Dhat Anwat; he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: الله أكبر ! هذه السَّنن ، قلتم كما قال قوم موسى لموسى : اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ Allah is the Greatest! These are the ways. You said as the people of Moses said to Moses: Make for us a god as they have gods .
Look at the difference between the statement of some of the Companions. They did not say: O Messenger, make for us a god as they have gods. They said: Make for us a tree, Dhat Anwat, on which we can hang our weapons. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted in his argument against them, in disapproving of them, this word from His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He), which He related from the Jews: , ; he (peace be upon him) said to these people: قلتم كما قال قوم موسى لموسى : اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ You said just as the people of Musa said to Musa: "Make for us a god as they have gods" , even though these Companions who made this verbal error did not ask to take for themselves a god to worship other than Allah. But when they said: "as they have gods," there became here a resemblance to the statement of the Jews.

The questioner : .

The Shaykh: Yes... They said: Make for us a Dhat Anwat as they have a Dhat Anwat. There became a sharing in the wording, a resemblance in the wording with the Jews who said to Moses: ; so how would it be if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) saw the Muslims today preparing their saddles and traveling to such-and-such a grave? We have Sayyida Zaynab and Sayyida Ruqayyah, and I do not know what you have... Many shrines. You have Shaykh 'Isa, and there they say about Shaykh 'Isa, is it not so?

The questioner: Yes.

Another questioner: Shaykh 'Isa and...

The Shaykh: Ah, in many places, sacrifices are intended and slaughtered there for other than Allah (Mighty and Majestic). They are slaughtered for Shaykh 'Isa and his like, for Sayyida Zaynab and Ruqayyah and their like. All of that is disbelief by the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): . What is the meaning of ? Many people misunderstand , meaning there is no other entity that creates with Allah. That is not the intended meaning. And likewise when He (the Exalted) said: , it does not mean do not make a creator with Allah, another one. No, the pre-Islamic people understood this meaning to be shirk (associating partners with Allah). Therefore, they answered regarding: , He is the One who created the heavens and the earth. So, it is not said to these people: , meaning a creator with Him. Rather, it means do not make for Him equals in worship. Do not slaughter for other than Him. Do not vow for other than Him. Do not call upon other than Him. Because this calling is worship. Therefore, we say in every rak'ah of any prayer: , on the tool of restriction . So you, O Muslim, if you seek help from other than Allah, from the dead, from the awliya (close friends of Allah), the prophets, and the righteous, you have disbelieved by your saying, addressing the Lord of the Worlds: . How do you say , and in reality, when you fall into hardship, you say: "O 'Abd al-Qadir, help me," "O Baz, help me," "O Abu al-Zuhra, help me"? This is disbelief by your saying in your prayer: .
And many Muslims, due to their complete ignorance of worship, do not know that calling upon other than Allah is worship of Him. Even though the Messenger (peace be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: ; supplication to Allah is worship, and supplication to other than Allah, to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous, is worship of them. So whoever calls upon these awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous has made them equals to the Lord of the Worlds, contrary to the saying of Allah: , , what is it?

The questioner : .

The Shaykh: . You know that these are human beings like you. So how do you worship them? How do you call upon them other than Allah? How do you slaughter for them other than Allah, when when they were alive and accountable, they used to draw near to Allah by slaughtering for Allah, by vowing for Allah, and by calling upon Allah alone, having no partner? And here you are doing to them after their death what they used to do for their Lord. This is disbelief in the meaning of "There is no god but Allah."