Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil in the Light of the Qur'an and Hadith, Volume 2
If someone redirects this act of worship towards anyone besides Allah ﷻ or performs it at any location other than the Kaʿbah, they are committing shirk.
"إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا"
(Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 48)
Translation: "Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has certainly committed a tremendous sin."
✔ Ṭawāf is an act of worship meant exclusively for Allah ﷻ and is only valid around the Kaʿbah.
✔ Shirk is an unforgivable sin in the sight of Allah, as explicitly stated in the Qur'an.
❖ Question
Is it permissible for someone to perform Ṭawāf (circumambulation) around a living person?❖ Answer
It is absolutely harām and an act of shirk (polytheism) to perform Ṭawāf around anyone or anything other than the sacred Kaʿbah — whether it be a grave, a shrine, or a living or deceased person. Ṭawāf is a specific form of worship solely dedicated to Allah ﷻ and is to be performed only around the Baytullāh (Kaʿbah).If someone redirects this act of worship towards anyone besides Allah ﷻ or performs it at any location other than the Kaʿbah, they are committing shirk.
❖ Shirk – The Greatest Sin in Islam
Shirk is the gravest sin in Islam. Allah ﷻ has clearly mentioned that shirk is an unpardonable sin:"إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا"
(Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 48)
Translation: "Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has certainly committed a tremendous sin."
❖ Summary
✔ Circumambulating any living or deceased person is harām and an act of shirk.✔ Ṭawāf is an act of worship meant exclusively for Allah ﷻ and is only valid around the Kaʿbah.
✔ Shirk is an unforgivable sin in the sight of Allah, as explicitly stated in the Qur'an.
