the real aim is to call upon the persons represented by those figures, just as the ignorant idolaters used to do. Yet in every one of these practices they are, in truth, worshipping Satan, even though they do not intend to worship him; for he may appear before them in a form they imagine to be that of the being they revere and declare, “I am al-Khidr; I am the Messiah; I am George; I am Shaykh So-and-so.”

Such occurrences have befallen more than one individual who claims to be Muslim or Christian. Satan may even enter some of the statues, address their devotees, and at times satisfy certain of their requests. It was through causes such as these—ancient and modern—that polytheism spread, and that the Christians and others like them perpetrated the idolatry they committed.

By contrast, the prophets and messengers—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all—forbade every one of these practices; none of them legislated any part of it. The Christians do not order the veneration of solid idols, but they do command the glorification of pictorial images. Consequently they are neither upon pure monotheism nor identical to the pagans who worship carved idols and deny the messengers. For this reason Allah sometimes classes them as a category distinct from the outright idolaters, while at other times He censures them for the elements of shirk they introduced.

When the term shirk (polytheism) is used without qualification, however, one group of Muslims counts under it all disbelievers—People of the Book and others alike—in accordance with His words:

“Do not marry polytheistic women until they believe; a believing slave-girl is better than a polytheist, even though she pleases you. And do not marry your women to polytheistic men until they believe.” ⦗al-Baqarah 2:221⦘.