The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "… and keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols. My Lord, indeed they have led much of mankind astray. So whoever follows me is of me, and whoever disobeys me—You are indeed the Forgiving, the Merciful."

The Shaykh : Pay attention, my brother. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was the intimate friend of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the leader of the Hanifs, and yet he said, This indicates the greatness of the sin of worshipping idols, because no one is more astray in religion or more foolish in intellect than one who worships other than Allah. Are you with me, people? No one is more astray in religion than one who worships other than Allah, and no one is more foolish in intellect than one who worships other than Allah. The evidence is the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) regarding foolishness: What is it? And His saying regarding misguidance: And no one is more astray in religion than this. Therefore, we see that the most foolish of creation in intellect and the most astray in religion are those who come to the grave of so-and-so or so-and-so and say, "O so-and-so, give me…" A woman comes to the grave and says, "O Master so-and-so, I am not pregnant, so make me pregnant." To whom is she speaking? To whom, people? To a lifeless corpse, perhaps the worms have eaten it all except the tailbone, because the earth does not eat the tailbone. She comes to a lifeless corpse and calls upon it to bring her a child, or perhaps she is a woman who only bears females and she wants a male. She comes to Master so-and-so and says, "O Master, I do not bear anything but females, so grant me from You a male." This is misguidance and foolishness. And the sad and distressing thing is that this exists in some Islamic countries. Although, praise be to Allah, the Islamic awakening is present, you find many of those who have the awakening have no concern except talking about declaring people disbelievers: this one is a disbeliever, this one is not a disbeliever, this ruler is a disbeliever, this ruler is an open sinner, this ruler is righteous, and this one is corrupt. But they do not speak about the major shirk (associating partners with Allah) that exists in their societies. Which is greater: the major shirk, about which no two people differ, and yet they are silent? The common people drag each other along. You find that if he wants to go to this grave, he goes adorned and perfumed. Why? Because he wants to reach the presence of Master so-and-so, so he adorns himself and perfumes himself. But if he goes to the mosque, he goes in his work clothes, smelling foul, and perhaps he offends the worshippers. If this man exalts the grave more than he exalts the mosque, then it is obligatory for the students of knowledge to clarify. But how do they clarify? Do they come to the poor commoner who left his house adorned to go to the presence of Master so-and-so, believing that it will lead him to Paradise, and say, "Come here, you mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah)! You are a mushrik! Why do you call upon this grave?" Or do they come to him and say, "Where are you going?" He says, "To the presence of Master so-and-so." They say, "No, go to the House of Allah and call upon Allah. For Allah the Exalted says: And Allah says: He did not say, "Call upon so-and-so and so-and-so." And he approaches him with gentleness. Which is better in calling to Allah: the first way or the second? The second. The second, by Allah, is better, and perhaps he will respond with submission and conviction. Also, some people take awliya (close friends of Allah), though they may not take them in a physical sense, but in an imaginary sense. They say that so-and-so manages the universe, and the universe is managed by four or three or fewer or more, based on imagination, based on imagination.