[Machine] I went to the Prophet ﷺ with a golden cross necklace around my neck. He said, "I heard him say, 'They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah' [at-Tawbah 9:31]." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, they did not worship them." He said, "Indeed, but they made permissible for them what Allah had forbidden and they forbade for them what Allah had made permissible. So, that is their worship of them."  

أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَفِي عُنُقِي صَلِيبٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ قَالَ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ {اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ} [التوبة 31] قَالَ قُلْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ قَالَ أَجَلْ وَلَكِنْ يُحِلُّونَ لَهُمْ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ فَيَسْتَحِلُّونَهُ وَيُحَرِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحَلَّ اللهُ فَيُحَرِّمُونَهُ فَتِلْكَ عِبَادَتُهُمْ لَهُمْ