Allah’s allies, ally himself with Allah’s enemies, kill the prophets, demolish mosques, desecrate copies of the Quran, show the utmost honour to disbelievers, and subject believers to the utmost humiliation. They said: ‘All these are sins that do not contradict the faith in his heart; rather, he does these things while inwardly remaining a believer in Allah’s sight.’” (1)

As for those who claim that prostrating before an idol in conformity with the polytheists does not constitute polytheism, they appeal to the following statement of Shaykh al-Islām, may Allah have mercy on him:

“Outward deeds that constitute disbelief—such as prostrating to idols, reviling the Messenger, and the like—do so only because they necessarily entail inward disbelief. Otherwise, if we were to suppose that someone prostrated before an idol without intending in his heart to prostrate to it, but instead intended in his heart to prostrate to Allah, this would not constitute disbelief. This may be permissible when he is among polytheists and fears for his safety, so he conforms to their outward action while intending in his heart to prostrate to Allah. It has been related that some Muslim scholars and scholars of the People of the Book did something similar among a group of polytheists, eventually calling them to Islam, whereupon they embraced Islam through them. They did not openly express their opposition to them at the outset.” (2)

This statement cannot, however, be understood as referring to someone who prostrates out of courtesy