idolatry is, in his estimation, nothing to be feared; for if such conduct entails honoring Muhammad, then it is honoring the Prophet of pure monotheism, and honoring the Prophet of monotheism is itself a revival of monotheism, inasmuch as it is veneration of the very principles with which he was sent … He continues: “The hadith related by Ibn Taymiyyah and others—‘Mount no saddle for travel except to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, this mosque of mine, and the Aqsa Mosque’—in fact points to the distinction of the mosque beside which he was buried. He was interred in the house of ʿĀʾishah, the nearest of his wives’ quarters to the mosque, and it was physically contiguous to it. Had the intention been to prevent people from visiting his grave, he would have been buried in a distant place like al-Baqīʿ.” He then says: “Accordingly, we affirm that seeking blessing through visiting the Prophet’s grave is praiseworthy. The devotion we seek is neither worship nor anything approaching worship; rather, the blessing lies in remembrance, reflection, and gaining insight.”
Such is the essence of his discourse, which only exposes the ignorance, confusion, and contradiction he harbors. I clarify the matter as follows:
(1) His claim that “Ibn Taymiyyah—by forbidding tawassul through the dead, seeking blessing from graves, and calling upon the dead—has opposed the majority of Muslims.”
Response: In this very stance the Shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him, actually concurred with the unanimous consensus of the Muslims; not a single one of them disagreed with him. By “Muslims” we mean Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah among the Companions, the Followers, the favored generations, and all who follow them with excellence. Only certain later charlatans and grave-worshipers diverged from that consensus. Their opposition carries no weight; they are not the majority of Muslims, no matter what he chooses to call them, for reality, not terminology, is what counts. They are merely aberrant individuals who lay claim to Islam.
(b) His statement, “We agree to some extent with his position on visiting the graves of the righteous and making vows for them,” means that he does not fully endorse banning visits to the graves of the righteous for the purpose of seeking their blessing, calling upon them for help, and making vows to them. This shows that he allows