"I came to the Prophet ﷺ while I had a cross of gold around my neck. He said: 'O 'Adi! Remove this idol from yourself!' And I heard him reciting from Surah Bara'ah: They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah (9:31). He said: 'As for them, they did not worship them, but when they made something lawful for them, they considered it lawful, and when they made something unlawful for them, they considered it unlawful.'"  

أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَفِي عُنُقِي صَلِيبٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ فَقَالَ يَا عَدِيُّ اطْرَحْ عَنْكَ هَذَا الْوَثَنَ وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقْرَأُ فِي سُورَةِ بَرَاءَةََ ( اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ) قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا أَحَلُّوا لَهُمْ شَيْئًا اسْتَحَلُّوهُ وَإِذَا حَرَّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا حَرَّمُوهُ  

[Machine] I came to the Prophet ﷺ with a gold cross on my neck. He said, "O 'Adi, take off this idol from your neck." So I removed it and approached him while he was reciting Surah Al-Bara'ah (Chapter 9 of the Quran). He read this verse, "They took their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah" until he finished it. I said, "We do not worship them." He said, "Don't they make lawful what Allah has made unlawful, and you make it unlawful, and they make unlawful what Allah has made lawful, and you make it lawful?" I said, "Yes." He said, "So that is their worship."  

أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَفِي عُنُقِي صَلِيبٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ فَقَالَ يَا عَدِيُّ اطْرَحْ هَذَا الْوَثَنَ مِنْ عُنُقِكَ فَطَرَحْتُهُ فَانْتَهَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ سُورَةَ بَرَاءَةَ فَقَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ {اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ} حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنْهَا فَقُلْتُ إنَّا لَسْنَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ فَقَالَ «أَلَيْسَ يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا أَحَلَّ اللهُ فَتُحَرِّمُونُهُ ويُحِلُّونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ فَتَسْتَحِلُّونَهُ؟» قُلْتُ بَلَى قَالَ «فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ»  

[Machine] About this verse "They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah," [Surah At-Tawbah 31], did they pray to them? He said, "No, but they made permissible for them what Allah had forbidden and they made forbidden for them what Allah had made permissible, so they became like lords with that, which is an added speech."  

عَنْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ {اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونَ اللهِ} [التوبة 31] أَكَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ لَهُمْ؟ قَالَ لَا وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُحِلُّونَ لَهُمْ مَا حُرِّمَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَسْتَحِلُّونَهُ وَيُحَرِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحَلَّ اللهُ لَهُمْ فَيُحَرِّمُونَهُ فَصَارُوا بِذَلِكَ أَرْبَابًا لَفْظُ حَدِيثِ زَائِدَةَ