This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Question: Can grave worship be called idol worship?
Answer: When a grave is worshipped, it will be called idol worship, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O Allah! Do not make my grave an idol to be worshipped. Allah Almighty sent severe wrath upon the people who made the graves of their prophets places of worship.
Reference: Muwatta Imam Malik, Book of Shortening Prayer on Travel, Chapter on Combining Prayers: 85
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed: ① those women who frequently visit graves. ② those who build mosques on graves. ③ and those who light lamps on graves.
Reference: Abu Dawood, Book of Funerals, Chapter on Women Visiting Graves: 3236], [Tirmidhi, Book of Prayer, Chapter on the Dislike of Making a Mosque on a Grave: 320, 1056
Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: That the Prophet ﷺ used to say in the later times: May Allah's curse be upon the Jews and Christians, for they have made the graves of their prophets places of prostration. Now, if there was no fear that the grave of Muhammad ﷺ would also be made a place of prostration, then he would not have been buried in a closed chamber, rather his grave would have been open.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Funerals, Chapter on What is disliked regarding making mosques over graves:1330], [Muslim, Book of Mosques, Chapter on the prohibition of building a mosque over a grave, etc.: 529 to 532
Question: Did Satan play this trick on the Ummah of Muhammad?
Answer: Satan also launched a full-scale attack on the Ummah of Muhammad, attempting in a very dangerous way to fabricate lies and present them as the Hadiths of the Prophet. Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: We have not found anyone who lies more than the pious ones; even if they do not intend to lie, falsehood involuntarily flows from their tongues.
Reference: Introduction to Sahih Muslim, Chapter explaining that the chain of narration is part of religion, etc.: 40
(The term "pious ones" at that time referred to people like the Sufis).
The devil's attack continues even today; many polytheistic beliefs are declared Islamic because they are attributed to those who are famous as luminaries of the Ummah in Pakistan and India. If these polytheistic beliefs are separated from these personalities, there is no shortage of people here who deny them. However, when these beliefs appear in the name of these personalities, many claimants of monotheism begin to support these false beliefs by resorting to very weak interpretations.
Question: Did the polytheists worship idols made of lifeless stones?
Answer: The reality of the idols is explained by Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) as follows: Wad, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr were righteous people from the people of Noah (peace be upon him). When they passed away, Satan instilled in the hearts of their people the idea that at the places where these saints of Allah used to sit, they should erect idols (so that their memory remains fresh). They did not worship these idols. When those who made these memorials passed away and the later generations did not realize that these idols were made only as memorials, they began to worship (the idols of those elders).
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Tafsir (Surah Nuh), Chapter ﴿Wad, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, and Nasr﴾: 4920
Similarly, Lat was a man who made a stool for the pilgrims.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Tafsir (Surah An-Najm), Chapter (Have you seen Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza): 4859
It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned the temple of Abyssinia, which was called Mariya, in the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It had pictures in it, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: These are the people who, when a righteous person among them died, would build a place of prostration on his grave and make pictures. These people are the worst creatures in the sight of Allah.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Prayer, Chapter on Prayer in Allegiance: 434
Therefore, Allah Almighty says about the idols of the polytheists: [اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ عِبَادٌ اَمۡثَالُکُمۡ] (O polytheists!) Indeed, those whom you call besides Allah are servants like you.
Reference: (Al-A'raf:194)
And He said: [اَمۡوَاتٌ غَیۡرُ اَحۡیَآءٍ ۚ وَ مَا یَشۡعُرُوۡنَ ۙ اَیَّانَ یُبۡعَثُوۡنَ] They are lifeless corpses; they do not even know when they will be raised.
Reference: (An-Nahl:21)
Regarding the saints whom the polytheists call upon, it is stated: [وَ اِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ کَانُوۡا لَہُمۡ اَعۡدَآءً وَّ کَانُوۡا بِعِبَادَتِہِمۡ کٰفِرِیۡنَ] And when (on the Day of Resurrection) these people are gathered, they will become their enemies and will disown their worship.
Reference: (Al-Ahqaf:6)
It is established from these three verses that the idols of the polytheists were servants of Allah and they will be raised on the Day of Resurrection.
