The Difference Between Honoring Parents and Exaggeration: The Islamic Critique of Intermediaries

Islam places great emphasis on honoring parents and maintaining family ties, elevating this duty to a level unmatched by other systems. It even links kindness to parents directly with the worship of Allah:

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff,"[1] and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word." (Surah Al-Isra: 23)

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This respect continues after their death through supplication, charity on their behalf, fulfilling their commitments, and honoring their friends.

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However, Islam—due to its precise safeguarding of monotheism—draws a clear and decisive boundary between:

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Honoring (Birr) → which is praiseworthy

Sanctification and worship → which is forbidden

Exaggeration in revering righteous people and ancestors is historically the first gateway through which shirk entered humanity, beginning with the people of Prophet Nuh.

Ibn Taymiyyah strongly warned against this phenomenon, explaining that previous nations fell into misguidance by turning their scholars and ancestors into intermediaries—seeking from them benefit and protection.

He clarified that taking intermediaries between a servant and Allah—by invoking them, asking them, or directing acts of worship toward them—is major shirk.

The Qur’an exposes this false justification:

"O descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant." (Surah Az-Zumar: 3)

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Similarly, Allah challenges this belief:

"إِIndeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides AllŒh are servants [i.e., creations] like you. So call upon them and let them respond to you, if you should be truthful."

(Surah Al-A‘raf: 194)

Furthermore, blind imitation of ancestors is strongly condemned:

"And when it is said to them, "Follow what AllŒh has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?" (Surah Al-Baqarah: 170)

Thus, elevating ancestors to the level of objects of devotion contradicts both reason and revelation.

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