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As for someone who goes to the grave of a prophet or a righteous person—or to what he believes to be such a grave, though it is not—and petitions him and seeks his aid, this falls into three degrees:

One is to ask him to fulfil a need, such as curing his illness or that of his animals, settling his debt, taking vengeance on his enemy for him, or granting well-being to him, his family, and his animals, and other such things that none but Allah, Mighty and Majestic, can do. This is explicit polytheism. The person who does this must be called upon to repent, and if he does not repent, he is to be put to death.

Even if he says, “I ask him because he is closer to Allah than I am, so that he may intercede for me in these matters; for I seek access to Allah through him, just as one seeks access to a ruler through his intimates and aides,” this is among the practices of the polytheists and Christians. They claim that they take their religious scholars and monks as intercessors, seeking their intercession to obtain what they want. Likewise, Allah tells us that the polytheists said:

“We worship them only so that they may bring us nearer to Allah.”

And He, glorified and exalted is He, said:

“Or have they taken intercessors besides Allah? Say, ‘Even though they possess nothing and have no understanding?’”

“Say, ‘All intercession belongs to Allah. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens