nor should anyone say, ‘I ask You by the rank of Your prophets.’” End of quotation from Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (1/202). The Shaykh therefore made it plain that this kind of tawassul is not permissible and was never practiced by the Companions, yet he did not label it disbelief or polytheism, as that fabricator alleges.

5- They claim that he declares anyone who does not follow his opinions to be a disbeliever, such as his supposedly excommunicating those who visit the Prophet’s grave. This, too, is of the same fabric as the preceding lies. Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn only pronounces takfīr on those whom Allah and His Messenger have deemed disbelievers—people who commit one of the nullifiers of Islam, such as calling upon the dead or any other being besides Allah. He never declared disbelievers those who make the lawful, prescribed visitation to the Messenger’s grave, as has already been explained.

6- They say that he forbids the Sufi paths. In answer to this, let us quote the Shaykh’s own words: “Praise be to Allah. As for the term ‘Sufis,’ it was not well-known in the first three generations; talk about it only became widespread after that… Because many of them exercised ijtihād and then differed, people in turn differed about their way. One group disparaged the Sufis and Sufism, saying they are innovators outside the Sunnah, and statements to that effect from a number of scholars are well known; some jurists and theologians followed this view. Another group went to the opposite extreme, claiming that the Sufis are the very best and most complete of all created beings after the prophets. Both extremes are blameworthy. The correct view is that they are worshippers striving to obey Allah, just like other obedient servants: among them is the forerunner drawn near to Allah according to his effort, and among them is the moderate who belongs to the people of the right. In both categories are those who may strive and err, and among them are those who sin and then repent—or perhaps do not…” End quote.