| Refuting the grave-worshippers | As for venerating the graves, honouring them, kissing them, placing perfumes on them, decorating them with a cloth, invoking and calling upon their occupants |
Al Hāfidh Ibn Al Jawzi al-Hanbali (Rāhimaullah) reports in his noble work Tablees Iblees that Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali (Rāhimaullah) said:
“When the religious duties became burdensome upon the ignorant and common riff-raff, they turned away from the symbols of worship of the Shariah (and took to) veneration of other symbols (of religious practice) they had devised for themselves. Thus, (the affair) became easy for them as they were no longer under the authority of others.”
He (Ibn Aqeel) said: And they are disbelievers in my view on account of these symbols (of practice), such as veneration of the graves, honouring them with that which is prohibited in the Shariah, such as lighting fire (besides them), kissing them, placing perfume on them (takhleeq, from khaluq, a form of perfume), and verbally addressing the dead with needs [alwaah means hawaa'ij], and placing written requests on them, "O master, do such and such for me," and taking the soil to attain blessing, following (in all of that) the one who worshipped al-Laat and al-Uzzaa. You will not find amongst them one who verifies a matter pertaining to zakaah, asking about its ruling so that he can abide by it....” (Tablees Iblees, Dar Ibn Khalidoon, page 398, translated by Dr. Abu Iyaad Amjad Rafiq).