or habr, with the initial vowel pronounced either i or a. The monks are the Christians who dwell in hermitages. If it is asked, “But they did not worship their rabbis and monks,” we reply: This means that they obeyed them in disobedience to Allah: they deemed lawful what their rabbis and monks declared lawful, and forbidden what they declared forbidden. Thus, they took them as lords.

It is narrated from Adi ibn Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, wearing a cross of gold around my neck. He said to me, “Adi, cast this idol from your neck.” So I cast it off. Then I came to him while he was reciting: “They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah,” until he had completed it. I said to him, “We did not worship them.” He said, “Did they not forbid what Allah had made lawful, and so you forbade it; and declare lawful what Allah had forbidden, and so you deemed it lawful?” I said, “Indeed.” He said, “That was their worship of them.” (1)

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said:

Who has changed the religion but kings,
And corrupt rabbis and its monks?

“And the Messiah, son of Mary”: that is, they took him as a god. “Yet they were commanded only to worship One God. There is no god worthy of worship but Him. Exalted is He above what they associate with Him.”