[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] 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