The condition that indicates generality, meaning it applies to both men and women, is that one calls upon a rival for Allah, meaning one takes a rival for Him, whether it is the supplication of worship or the supplication of asking, because supplication is divided into two categories: the supplication of worship and the supplication of asking.

The Shaykh : The condition implies generality, meaning it applies to both men and women. That is, one takes for oneself an equal, whether it is a supplication of worship or a supplication of request, because supplication is divided into two categories: supplication of worship and supplication of request. For example, when you pray, you are calling upon Allah, are you not? You asked Allah in that prayer. If you fast, you have called upon Allah, because if we asked you why you fasted, you would say, "I hope for Allah's forgiveness and I fear Allah's punishment." So, by your fasting, you have said, "O Lord, save me from Your punishment and give me from Your bounty." For this reason, worship is supplication. And this is indicated by the saying of Allah the Exalted: He said, "Indeed, those who are arrogant and refuse My worship..." Thus, he made supplication a form of worship. So we say that supplication is divided into two categories: supplication of worship, and the second is supplication of request. Supplication of request is not all shirk (associating partners with Allah); it is not all shirk. Supplication of request is not entirely shirk, because if you ask a created being for something he is capable of doing, it is not shirk. If you said to a created person, "Give me water," and he is able to give you water, would that be shirk? No. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "When one of you calls you, respond to him." When one of you calls, the call of a created being for what he is capable of is not shirk, nor is it forbidden, although it has conditions. As for supplication of worship, it is all shirk. Any person who worships someone else is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), a disbeliever, committing major shirk that takes him out of the religion, may Allah protect us from it. Whether it is through prayer, or a part of the components of prayer, or through slaughter, or through fasting, whoever directs any type of worship to other than Allah is a mushrik. If a person prostrates to a person, exalting him in that prostration as he exalts Allah, he would be a mushrik. He would be a mushrik. And if he bows to him, exalting him in that bowing as he exalts Allah, he would be a mushrik. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited bending at the time of meeting. This is contrary to what some ignorant people do now; when you greet them, they bend to you. This must be denounced. It must be denounced. It is obligatory for you, if you are a believer in Allah and a monotheist, to denounce this thing, if it is an exaltation of you, because whoever exalts you at the expense of his religion, you must denounce him for it.