Awlā’ika (“those people”): the final kāf may be read with either a fatḥa or a kasra.

“al-rajulu al-ṣāliḥ” (“a righteous man”) or “al-ʿabdu al-ṣāliḥ” (“a righteous servant”): this, and Allah knows best, reflects a doubt on the part of the narrator.

“tilka al-ṣuwar” (“those images”): that is, the images Umm Salamah mentioned.

“The words, ‘Thus, they combined…,’ and what follows” are from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah; the author has inserted them to clarify the meaning of the hadith.

Overall meaning of the hadith: While the Prophet ﷺ was in his final illness, Umm Salamah described to him the human images she had seen in a Christian sanctuary. He ﷺ explained the reason those people made such images: excessive veneration of the righteous, which led them to build mosques over their graves and to erect their likenesses inside. He then declared that whoever behaves in this way is among the worst of people, for they have combined two grave dangers: the trial of graves—by turning them into places of worship—and the trial of glorifying statues, a pathway to idolatry.

Relevance of the hadith to this chapter: It plainly forbids worshipping Allah at the graves of the righteous or turning them into mosques, for that practice is characteristic of the Christians; anyone who imitates them is among the most depraved of creatures.

Points derived from the hadith:

1. Worshipping Allah at the graves of the righteous is prohibited, because it leads to polytheism and is a Christian practice.
2. One may describe what the unbelievers do so that Muslims can beware of it.
3. The hadith warns against making images and setting them up, since this is a means to shirk.
4. Whoever builds a mosque at the grave of a righteous person is among the worst of mankind, even if his intention is good.