what has been mentioned. Accordingly, whoever believes that one may saddle up for a destination other than those specified (1)—or that doing so is obligatory or even meritorious—has contravened an explicit prohibition, and to violate a prohibition is a sin. It may amount to disbelief, or to a lesser offence, according to the gravity of the prohibited matter, whether it is deemed obligatory or forbidden, and to the nature of the prohibition itself.

Visiting is, from one angle, more narrowly defined: a visit that involves no journey is not forbidden, whereas a visit for which one undertakes a journey is forbidden.

In short, what Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn stated, in the qualified manner already explained, warrants neither punishment nor censure.

Royal clemency is all the more suited to ease his situation and to look upon him with kindness and mercy, for regal judgments are ennobled by added generosity.

Prepared by Ibn al-Kutbī al-Shāfiʿī (2), praising Allah for His bounties.

Another response

Allah is the One who grants success.

The answer given by the illustrious, matchless shaykh—the remnant of the early generations, exemplar for those who follow, leader of the verifiers, quintessence of the precise scholars, the pious one of the community, of truth and of religion—concerning the points of disagreement in this question is sound and is transmitted in more than one work of the scholarly corpus. There is no room for objection to it, for it contains neither disparagement of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, nor any diminution of his rank, peace and blessings be upon him.