Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
tabarani:14347[Chain 1] ʿAlī b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz > Abū Ghassān Mālik b. Ismāʿīl And Ibn al-Aṣbahānī [Chain 2] Abū Ḥuṣayn al-Qāḍī > Yaḥyá al-Ḥimmānī > ʿAbd al-Salām b. Ḥarb > Ghuṭayf b. Aʿyan from Ahl al-Jazīrah > Muṣʿab b. Saʿd > ʿAdī b. Ḥātim

[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."  

الطبراني:١٤٣٤٧حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ثَنَا أَبُو غَسَّانَ مَالِكُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَابْنُ الْأَصْبَهَانِيِّ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو حُصَيْنٍ الْقَاضِي ثَنَا يَحْيَى الْحِمَّانِيُّ قَالُوا ثَنَا عَبْدُ السَّلَامِ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَنَا غُطَيْفُ بْنُ أَعْيَنَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَزِيرَةِ عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ

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»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Tirmidhī, Bayhaqī
tirmidhi:3095al-Ḥusayn b. Yazīd

"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.'"  

الترمذي:٣٠٩٥حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْكُوفِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ السَّلاَمِ بْنُ حَرْبٍ عَنْ غُطَيْفِ بْنِ أَعْيَنَ عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ

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  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ السَّلاَمِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ وَغُطَيْفُ بْنُ أَعْيَنَ لَيْسَ بِمَعْرُوفٍ فِي الْحَدِيثِ
bayhaqi:20350ʿAlī b. Aḥmad b. ʿAbdān > Aḥmad b. ʿUbayd > Ibn Abū Qumāsh > Saʿīd b. Sulaymān > ʿAbd al-Salām b. Ḥarb al-Mulāʾī > Ghuṭayf al-Jazarī > Muṣʿab b. Saʿd > ʿAdī b. Ḥātim

[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."  

البيهقي:٢٠٣٥٠أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدَانَ أنبأ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ ثنا ابْنُ أَبِي قُمَاشٍ ثنا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ الْمُلَائِيِّ عَنْ غُطَيْفٍ الْجَزَرِيِّ عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ ؓ قَالَ

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