for al-Lāt, al-ʿUzzā, and Manāt—devouring people’s property in falsehood and diverting them from the path of God. The resident devotees at those sites resemble the idol-worshippers to whom Abraham, the Friend of the Most Merciful and leader of the pure monotheists, said:

“What are these statues to which you remain so devoted?” (21:52)

He also declared,

“Have you considered what you and your forefathers have been worshipping? They are enemies to me—except for the Lord of all worlds.” (26:75–77)

Likewise were the people whom Moses, peace be upon him, and his nation encountered, as the Most High says:

“We carried the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people who were devoted to their idols.” (7:138)

Any vow made to such custodians and resident devotees in these places—places to which the Sacred Law assigns no special merit—is a sinful vow. It resembles the vows made to the keepers of crosses and their attendants, or to the guardians of the Hindu idols and those who linger by them. If, however, the vowed wealth is redirected toward a lawful form of worship—such as repairing mosques or supporting pious, needy Muslims who