Surah Az-Zumar (39) — Ayah 3

3. Be aware! Sincere devotion [3] is due to Allah alone. And those who take protectors besides Him say, "We only worship them so that they may bring us nearer to Allah [4]." Surely, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ [5]. Allah does not guide anyone who is a liar and a persistent denier of the truth [6].

[3] The word "Deen" comes in four meanings.
(1) To accept the complete political and legal sovereignty of Allah Almighty.
(2) The second meaning is exactly the opposite, that is, to consider oneself as a full-time slave of Allah and to worship only Him.
(3) The law of reward and punishment.
(4) And to recompense good and bad people according to this law of reward and punishment. In verses 2 and 3, the word "Deen" is used in its first two meanings.

[4]
Seeking Intercession and Nearness to Allah:

The argument of the polytheists regarding calling upon others besides Allah and presenting offerings to them has always been that they do this so that these lesser gods may convey their requests to the greater God. That they may intercede for them in the presence of Allah. They do not worship them, but have only made them a means or intermediary to attain closeness to Allah. This was the response of the polytheists in the time of the Prophet. But it is unfortunate that today the Muslim Ummah is in exactly the same state. The only difference is that the status which the polytheists gave to their idols, Muslims now give to their saints or spiritual leaders, and the second difference is that the polytheists were taught the etiquettes and manners of devotion to idols by Satan, whereas the Muslim saints themselves teach these etiquettes and manners to their disciples. These saints and elders have set three stages to lead people through the ranks of shirk:
(1) Fana fi al-Shaikh (Annihilation in the Shaikh)
(2) Fana fi al-Rasool (Annihilation in the Messenger)
(3) Fana fi Allah (Annihilation in Allah)

The Concept of the Shaikh and the Stages of Spiritual Journey:

The stage of Fana fi al-Shaikh begins with the concept of the Shaikh. The concept of the Shaikh does not only mean "unconditional obedience" to the spiritual leader, but the disciple is made to believe that his Shaikh is always aware of his circumstances and comes to his aid when needed. To instill this belief in the mind of the disciple, he is taught to always keep the image of the Shaikh in his mind. This illusion and practice often becomes a reality, and the situation becomes such that:
"In the mirror of the heart is the image of the beloved,
Whenever I lower my head, I see it."
These people have imposed the art of spiritual leadership upon the masses with such a special technique that no one can attain access to Allah until he formally enters a spiritual order, first practices the concept of the Shaikh, until he becomes fana fi al-Shaikh, that is, he begins to consider his Shaikh as present and watching for himself, hearing and seeing his actions, character, and speech. Only then does this stage end, and in practice, the poor disciple spends his entire life drowning in the stage of fana fi al-Shaikh. This is, in fact, an effective and successful tactic to alienate people from Allah and His Messenger and make them their own slaves. See in the following excerpt how these people emphasize their own worship even more than Allah's, which resolves all issues like the concept of the Shaikh, calling upon others besides Allah, intercession, and seeking help.

Instructing to Call "Ya Junaid" Instead of Allah in Distress:

Its narrator is the esteemed Ala Hazrat Raza Khan Barelvi. He says, "It is probably in Hadiqa Nadiya that once Hazrat Sayyidi Junaid Baghdadi came to the river Tigris and, saying 'Ya Allah,' began to walk on it as if on land. Later, a person came who also needed to cross. There was no boat at that time. When he saw Hazrat going, he asked: How can I come? He replied: Say 'Ya Junaid! Ya Junaid!' and keep coming. He did so and began to walk on the river as if on land. When he reached the middle of the river, the accursed Satan put a whisper in his heart: Hazrat himself says 'Ya Allah,' but tells me to say 'Ya Junaid.' Why shouldn't I also say 'Ya Allah'?"

The Method of Keeping Away from Allah Instead of Nearness:

He said 'Ya Allah,' and immediately sank. He cried out, 'O Hazrat, I am drowning!' He replied: Say 'Ya Junaid! Ya Junaid!' When he said it, he crossed the river. He asked, 'Hazrat! What was this matter? When you say 'Ya Allah,' you cross, but when I say it, I drown?' He replied: 'O ignorant one! You have not yet reached Junaid, and you desire access to Allah. Allahu Akbar.'" [ملفوظات مجدد مائة حاضر حضرت احمد رضا خان بريلوي ص 117]

How the Saints Make People Worship Them:

Did you see what a powerful argument for taking the Shaikh as an intermediary is being presented by the Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah, the Mujaddid of the present century, quoting "probably Hadiqa Nadiya"? And such an unanswerable story has been fabricated that the poor man had to accept that calling upon Allah was indeed a satanic whisper. These are the wonders of the innovation called the concept of the Shaikh. These people invent such tales and thus involve people in shirk and keep them away from Allah, and in reality, make them worship themselves. And the means of nearness to Allah that Allah Himself has described is made clear in the following Qudsi Hadith:

The True Means of Nearness to Allah Are Good Deeds:

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: On the Day of Resurrection, Allah Almighty will say: "O son of Adam, I was ill and you did not visit Me." He will say: "O my Lord, how could I worship You when You are the Lord of the worlds?" Allah Almighty will say: "Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was ill, and you did not visit him? If you had visited him, you would have found Me there. O son of Adam! I asked you for food, but you did not feed Me." He will say: "O my Lord, how could I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?" The Lord will say: "Did you not know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food, and you did not feed him? If you had fed him, you would have found its reward with Me. O son of Adam! I asked you for water, but you did not give Me water." The servant will say: "How could I give You water when You are the Lord of the worlds?" Allah Almighty will say: "My servant so-and-so asked you for water, and you did not give him water. If you had given him water, you would have found its reward with Me." [مسلم۔ کتاب البروالصلۃ والادب۔ باب فضل عیادۃ المریض]

[5] Not only are they firm in their beliefs, but if they are advised, they become oppositional and accuse others of being deniers or disrespectful of saints. Such differences cannot be erased in this world, because this matter is not one of reflection and understanding, but of stubbornness and obstinacy, and there are also some worldly interests involved. Therefore, the decision of these differences will be made by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and then everyone will understand correctly.

[6] These polytheists are liars in the sense that all their beliefs are fabricated, and they are deniers of the truth in the sense that instead of understanding, they become stubborn and obstinate. And if the meaning of "kuffar" is taken as "ungrateful," then it would mean that they eat the sustenance given by Allah, but all their devotions are dedicated to others instead of Allah.