In the process of transfering this book in its entirety. Originally posted by a brother at IN Forums.

The First Argument

Of these doubts is their saying: "We don't commit shirk with Allah! Rather, we testify that there is no deity or power that creates, or gives sustenance, or benefits anyone or harms anyone except Allah; He is Alone, having no partners or equals. And we testify that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is not able by himself to cause any benefit or cause any harm, much less the saint 'Abd al Qadir, or anyone else besides him. But, even though I testify all this, I realize that I am sinful, and these righteous people have a great status in front of Allah, so I ask Allah through them."

So, when he presents this argument to you, respond to him with what has gone before in this tract, and that is that the same people that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fought used to acknowledge all that you have mentioned, O negator of truth! And they openly admitted that their idols did not control anything. Rather, they desired from these objects their status in front of Allah, and their intercession to Allah on their behalf. And recite to him the verses that Allah has mentioned in His Book, and explain these verses to him.

The Second Argument

Now, if he responds, "But these verses were revealed regarding people who used to worship idols! How can you compare the pious people that we turn to idols? And how can you make prophets into idols?"

Then once again respond to him with knowledge that has already gone before in this tract. And that is because, if he admits that the pagans of old believed in the complete Rububiyyah of allah, and that they only desired by turning to their idols intercession on their behalf, and he desires to differentiate between what they used to do and what he is doing, then show him that amongst the disbelieving pagans were those that worshipped idols and stones, and also others that worshipped pious people. It is concerning these people that were worshipped besides Allah that Allah says , "These people are the ones calling out to their Lord, trying to find a means of nearness to Him, which of them will be closer (to Him)..." [Surah Al-Isra; 57]. And some of these pagans would worship Jesus the son of Mary, and his mother even though Allah says: "Jesus the son of Mary is only a messenger, many are the messengers that have come before him. And his mother was a righteous woman" [Surah Al-Maidah; 75]. And remind this person of the statement of Allah, "And on the Day shall We resurrect them all, then He will say to the angels, 'Did these (people) used to worship you?' They will respond: 'Glory be to you..." [Surah Saba'; 40-41]. And remind him also of Allah's statement, "And when Allah will ask, 'O Jesus the son of Mary, did you tell the people: take me and my mother as gods besides Allah?'" [Surah al-Ma'idah; 116]

So after presenting all of these evidences tell him: "You now realize that Allah pronounced disbelief upon hose people who turned to idols, and He also pronounced disbelief upon those who turned to pious people. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fought all of these people and did not differentiate between them.

The Third Argument

Now, it is possible that he will respond, "But the disbelievers actually intended from these objects benefit or help. AS for me, then I testify that only Allah is the One Who gives benefit and has the power to harm, the One Who controls all affairs. I only desire help from Him, and I fully realise that these pious people don't control anything. But I turn to them, hoping that their intercession will be accepted by Allah."

So the response to this excuse is to say: This is exactly the excuse of the pagan Arabs of old - word for word. And the proof for this is when you recite to him the verse, "And those that have taken protectors besides Him (say): We only worship them to come closer to Allah [ Surah Al-Zumar; 3]. And recite to them also the verse, "And they say that these (idols) are our intercessors in front of Allah." [Surah Yunus; 18].

And know that these three doubt and arguments that they have are the greatest evidences that they possess. So if you realize that Allah has already made the futility of these doubts clear in His Book, and you have understood this well, then what follows is easier to understand and refute than what has preceded.

The Fourth Argument

Now, if he says, "I only worship Allah. But this turning that I do to these pious people and saints, and my calling upon them for my needs is not considered worship! then respond to him as follows:

"Do you agree that Allah has made it obligatory for you to single Him out in worship (ikhlas), and that his worship is His sole right, and thus cannot be directed to any other object?"

So when he responds, "Yes," then ask him: "Explain to me this concept that Allah has made obligatory on you, meaning this sincerity that you must have to Him in your worship, and which is His sole right."

Then you will see that he does not know the meaning of worship ('ibadah) nor is he familiar with its categories.

Now that he has shown his ignorance, you explain to him by quoting the verse in which Allah says, "Call upon your Lord in humility and fear" [Surah Al-A'raf;55]. Once you have explained this verse to him, ask him, "Is this calling and du'a a type of worship to Allah?"

Then he must of a surety respond: "Yes! Du'a is a type of worship."

So ask him, "If you admit that this du'a is an act of worship, and you called upon Allah, day and night, in fear of having your du'a rejected and hopeful of a response from Him, but then at the same time called upon a prophet, or other than a prophet, to respond to the request that you made to Allah - did you by this action commit shirk with Allah?"

Then he must of a surety respond, "Yes."

Then move on to another example and quote him the verse, "So pray to your Lord, and sacrafice (only to Him)" [Surah Al-Kawthar; 2].

Now ask him "If you obey Allah, and sacrifice an animal to Him using His name, is this an act of worship?"

Then of a surety he must respond: "Yes!"

So ask him, "Then if you sacrifice to a created object, whether a prophet or a jinni or anything else, would you not have committed shirk in this act of worship, by directing it to other than Allah?"

Then of a surety he must respond, "Yes."

Now ask him, "The pagan Arabs that the Qur'an refers to and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent amongst, did they not worship angels, and pious people, and al-Lat, and other objects?"

Then he must respond, "Yes."

So ask him, "and what else was their worship of them except in their du'a, and sacfrifice, and turning towards them to seek help, and other such acts? For verily they used to admit that these objects of worship were servants of Allah, and under His control, and that only Allah controls all matters. So they would only turn to them and make du'a to them due to their status in the sight of Allah and to achieve their intercession. And all of this is very obvious to understand.

The Fifth Argument

Now, if he argues with you and says, "Do you deny the intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and free yourself from it?" Then respond to him, "I do not deny it, nor free myself from it. Rather he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the intercessor, and the one whose intercession will be accepted. And I pray that I too will be able to attain his intercession. But the right of intercession belongs solely to Allah, as He says: "Say: To Allah belongs intercession, all of it" [Surah Al-Zumar; 44]. And so it will not occur except after Allah permits it to occur, as He states, "Who is there that can intercede, except with His permission?" [Surah al-Baqarah; 255]. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) will not intercede on behalf of anyone until Allah allows such intercession on his behalf, as He states, "And they will not intercede except on (behalf of those) whom He is pleased with" [Surah Al-Anbiya'; 28]. And Allah will never be pleased except with a person upon tawhid, as He states, "So whoever desires as a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him" [Surah Al-'Imran; 85]. So if the right of intercession belongs only to Allah, and will only take place after He allows it, and neither the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) nor anyone else will intercede unless Allah allows them to intercede on his behalf, and Allah will not allow this intercession except for the people of tawhid, then it is clear that the whole concept of intercession belongs to Allah. Therefore I will ask Him for it, so I will say 'O Allah! Do not prohibit me from his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intercession. O Allah cause himt o intercede for me.' And I make similar du'as, in this fashion.

The Sixth Argument

Now if he starts a new line of reasoning, and tries to justify his acts by saying, "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has been given the right of intercession (shafa'ah) on the Day of Judgement, so I am asking him something that Allah has given him," then the response to this is to say: "Indeed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has been given the right of Intercession by Allah, and at the same time Allah has prohibited you from asking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for it. Allah states, "Then do not call anyone besides Allah" [Surah Al-Jinn; 18]. So the act of asking Allah to bless you with the Intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is itself an act of worship. Thus, Allah has prohibited you from committing shirk by directing this act of worship to other than Him. So if you wish to pray to Allah to grant his (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intercession for you, then obey Him when He says, "Then do not call anyone besides Allah" [Surah Al-Jinn; 18]

Furthermore, another way to refute this line of reasoning is to realize that the right to intercede has been given to other than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as well. It has authentically been narrated that the angels intercede, and children who died before they reached the age of puberty will intercede on behalf of their parents, and the pious saints will intercede. Are you going to say that Allah has given all of them the right to intercede, therefore I will ask it from them all? Because if you say this, then you have returned clearly to the saint-worship that Allah has mentioned in His Book and which the pagan Arabs used to do. And if you say, "No, I will not ask intercession from all of them," then your own statement, "Allah has given him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the right of intercession, therefore I will ask it of him," is refuted.

The Seventh Argument

Now, if he says trying yet another argument, "I do not commit shirk with Allah - it is not possible, and I would never do such a thing! But turning to pious people is not shirk in the first place."

Then ask him, "if you truly believe that Allah has prohibited shirk more severely than He has prohibited illicit intercourse (zina), and you admit that Allah will not forgive it, then what is this grave matter that Allah ahs prohibited, and stated that He will not forgive?"

Then you will see that in reality he will not know what shirk is.

So ask him, "How can you free yourself from shirk, and yet you don't even know what it is? Or how is it possible that Allah has made this prohibited upon you, and has mentioned that He will not forgive it, and yet you do not ask about it, nor know it? Do you presume that Allah prohibited it, yet did not explain it to us?"

So if he says, "Shirk is the worship of idols, and we don't worship idols, " then ask him, "What is the meaning of worshipping these idols? Do you think that the pagan Arabs used to believe that these rocks and stones actually create, and give sustenance, and control the affairs of those who beseech them? If you claim then then the Qur'an itself refutes this idea."

But if he responds, "They used to turn to these planks and stones, and mausoleums built over graves, and other icons, and would call out to them for their needs, and sacrifice to them, in order to come closer to Allah, and so that Allah would divert an evil afflicting them, or grant them their wishes due to their holiness and high status," then respond, "You have spoken the truth... and this is exactly what you people do in front of structures and edifices built on graves!"

So this person has finally admitted that these acts that they themselves do are in fact equivalent to idol worship, and this is the point that is meant to be understood.

Also, as a clarification of your statement, "Shirk is idol-worship,' do you mean to imply that shirk only occurs by this act? Do you presume that relying upon pious saints to answer you needs, and calling out to them dose not come under shirk? If you believe so then the Qur'an clearly refutes this misconception, as Allah mentions the disbelief of those who attach themselves to the angels and direct acts of worship to them, and those who attach themselves to Jesus, or other pious people.

Therefore, in summary he who is honest must admit that whoever does shirk in the worship of Allah by directing an act of worship to pious people has indeed fallen into the exact same type of shirk that is mentioned in the Qur'an, and this is the whole point that we wish to make them understand.

The crux of the matter is that, if he tells you, " I don't commit shirk with Allah," then ask him, "what is the meaning of committing shirk with Allah? Explain to me!"

And if he responds to that by saying, " It is the worshipping of idols," then ask him, "And what does it mean to 'worship' idols? Explain it to me!"

And if he responds by saying, "But I only worship Allah!" then ask him, "And what does it mean to 'worship' Allah? Explain it to me!"

Now, if he explains all of these terms according to the definitions that Allah has clarified in the Qur'an, then that is what is desired. And if he doesn't know the proper definitions, then how can he claim to be free of something while he is ignorant of its meaning? And if he explains these terms incorrectly, contradicting the proper definitions given in the Qur'an, then you must explain to him with clear verses of the Qur'an the precise meaning of shirk. You must prove to them that idol-worship is exactly what they themselves are doing in our times by worshipping these graves, and they criticize you when we try to worship Allah alone! So they cry out, just like their brethren of old did, and say, "Has he indeed made the objects of worship into one object? Verily this is a very strange thing!" [Surah Sad; 5]

The Eighth Argument

Now, it is possible that he will start a totally different tactic to try to prove his beliefs, and he will say, "They meaning, the pagan Arabs, did not disbelieve because of their du'a to the angels or prophets, or because they directed their acts of worship to other than Allah! Rather, they disbelieved by claiming that the angels are daughters of Allah. And we don't say that 'Abd al-Qadir, or these other saints are the sons of Allah!"

The First Response

The response to this misconception is to say: "Claiming that Allah has a child is a different type of disbelief, since Allah says, "Say: He is Allah, the Unique (al-Ahad). Allah is the Eternally besought of all (al-Samad)" [Surah al-Ikhlas; 1-2]. And the meaning of al-ahad is that there is nothing that is similar or equal to Him. And the meaning of al-Samad is that all objects turn to Him for their every need. So whoever denies this has committed disbelief (kufr), even if he doesn't deny the last verse in the Surah. Allah then says, "Neither does He beget, nor is He begotten" [Surah al-Ikhlas; 3]. So whoever denies this has committed disbelief, even if he doesn't deny the first part of the Surah.

The Second Response

And Allah also said, "Allah did not take any son, nor is there any other god besides Him" [Surah al-Mu'minun; 19].

So Allah differentiated between the type types of disbelief, and made every single type a separate category of disbelief. And Allah said, "And they made partners besides Allah (by worshipping ) jinns" [Surah Al-An'am; 100], thus differentiating between the two types of disbelief.

The Third Response

And yet another proof for this is that those who disbelieved by praying to al-Lat did not consider him to be the son of Allah, even though he was a pious man. Likewise, those that fell into disbelief by worshipping the jinn did not consider them to be children of Allah.


The Fourth Response

And yet another proof is that all the scholars, and the four madh-habs, mention in the chapter concerning the rules pertaining to the murtad (the one who has renounced his faith after accepting Islam) that if a Muslim presumes that Allah has taken a son, then he is a murtad, and if he commits shirk, he is also a murtad. So they differentiate between the two, and this matter is extremely clear and does not need further explanation.

The Ninth Argument

Now, if he tries yet another practice to prove his shirk and says: "Verily the friends of Allah - there is no fear for them, nether will they worry" [Surah Yunus; 62] thus trying to prove that such people are worthy of intercession, then respond to him: Thi