some degree of those practices, even though they are acts of worship directed to other than Allah and thus constitute major shirk. The laxity this betrays toward the gravity of idolatry and his indifference to sound doctrine are obvious.
(c) He further says: “Yet we differ with Ibn Taymiyyah completely regarding the visitation of the Noble Rawdah. His prohibition of visiting the Rawdah for the purpose of seeking blessing and good fortune rests on a fear of paganism—a fear where no fear is warranted. For if such a visit involves honoring Muhammad, then it is honoring the Prophet of pure monotheism, and honoring the Prophet of monotheism is itself a revival of monotheism.”
Our reply to this is as follows:
First: The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—does not forbid visiting the Noble Rawdah with the intention of praying there; to ascribe such a prohibition to him is incorrect. On the contrary, like the rest of the Muslim scholars, he recommends it in accordance with the sound Sunnah.
Second: In Islamic law the sole purpose of visiting the Noble Rawdah is to perform prayer there, based on the Prophet’s statement, “Between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise.” The visit is not meant for seeking blessing or good fortune from the spot, nor for venerating Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—as Abū Zahrah alleges, for that aim is either polytheistic or innovative.
Third: Such “veneration” can easily turn into the excess that is forbidden. What is due to Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—is love, obedience, adherence to his law, and avoidance of what he forbade. He explicitly prohibited exaggerated praise. When a man once said to him, “Whatever Allah wills and you will,” he replied, “Have you made me a rival to Allah? Say instead, ‘Whatever Allah alone wills.’” Venerating a created being is not, as claimed, a form of venerating Allah; rather, when it crosses the proper bounds it may become shirk with Allah, exalted is He.
(d) As for his statement that the hadith, “Do not saddle mounts for travel except to three mosques,” proves the distinction of the mosque beside which he was buried—our answer is that the merit of the mosque