worship to anyone other than Allah—such as calling upon other than Him, offering sacrificial animals and vows at graves or to the jinn and devils; fearing the dead, the jinn, or devils lest they harm or sicken him; or placing one’s hopes in anyone besides Allah for matters that only Allah can accomplish, like fulfilling needs and removing hardship. All of this is practiced today around the shrines built over the graves of saints and the righteous. Allah, exalted is He, says: “They worship beside Allah that which can neither harm nor benefit them, and they say, ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’” (Yunus 10:18)
The second kind is minor polytheism. Although it does not expel a person from the religion, it diminishes his monotheism and serves as a gateway to major polytheism. It is divided into two categories:
- Manifest minor polytheism, which appears in words and deeds. Among the words are swearing by other than Allah—the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever swears by other than Allah has indeed fallen into disbelief or polytheism” (1)—and the statement, “Whatever Allah wills and you will.” When a man once said to him, “Whatever Allah wills and you will,” the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: