How can we respond to those who say that tawaaf is like worshipping idols?
Question

                How can we respond to those who say that tawaaf is like worshipping idols?.
Praise be to Allah.
    First of all it is essential to define the essence of the 
    message to which Islamic sharee’ah calls, and how it differs from the 
    idolatry of Jaahiliyyah. Then we will be able to understand whether tawaaf 
    around the Ka’bah is a manifestation of idolatry or of Tawheed and Islam.  

    If we refer to the Book of Allaah, may He be exalted, we will 
    see that the essence of the Islamic religion is submission to the commands 
    of Allaah and taking Him as our only Lord and God, and rejecting all others 
    who are worshipped unlawfully. 

    Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation 
    of the meaning): 

    “But no, by your Lord, 
    they can have no Faith, until they 
    make you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) 
    judge in all disputes between them, 
    and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept 
    (them) with full submission”

    [al-Nisa’ 4:65]

    “And whosoever submits 
    his face (himself) to Allaah, while he is a Muhsin (good‑doer, i.e. performs 
    good deeds totally for Allaah’s sake without any show-off or to gain praise 
    or fame and does them in accordance with the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger 
    Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), then he 
    has grasped the most trustworthy handhold [Laa ilaaha illAllaah (none has 
    the right to be worshipped but Allaah)]. And to Allaah return all matters 
    for decision”

    [Luqmaan 31:22]

     “And turn in 
    repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your 
    Lord and submit to Him (in Islam) before the torment comes upon you, (and) 
    then you will not be helped”

    [al-Zumar 39:54]

    As for ignorant 
    idol-worship, it means submitting to something other than Allaah, and 
    turning to something other than Allaah, be it a rock, an idol or a “wali” 
    (“saint”), as a weak and humble slave filled with hope and fear. These 
    things – in Islam – can only be for Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. 
     

    Allaah says 
    (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “They 
    (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords 
    besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful 
    according to their own desires without being ordered by Allaah), and (they 
    also took as their Lord) Messiah, son of Maryam (Mary), while they (Jews and 
    Christians) were commanded [in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] 
    to worship none but One Ilaah (God — Allaah) Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has 
    the right to be worshipped but He). Praise and glory be to Him (far above is 
    He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)”

    [al-Tawbah 9:31] 

    “(It 
    will be said): This is because, when Allaah Alone was invoked (in worship) 
    you disbelieved (denied), but when partners were joined to Him, you 
    believed! So the judgement is only with Allaah, the Most High, the Most 
    Great!”

    [Ghaafir 40:12] 

    “They 
    have no Wali (Helper, Disposer of affairs, Protector) other than Him, and He 
    makes none to share in His Decision and His Rule”

    [al-Kahf 18:26]

    Once this is established, 
    we will be able to differentiate between the Muslim who affirms the Oneness 
    of Allaah and the idolatrous mushrik in matters which may appear outwardly 
    to be similar. For example: 

    The Muslim who affirms 
    the Oneness of Allaah loves the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him); he venerates him, respects him, sacrifices 
    himself and his wealth in support of him and obeys his commands, and all of 
    that is in obedience to the command of Allaah in the verse (interpretation 
    of the meaning): “So 
    those who believe in him (Muhammad صلى الله 
    عليه وسلم), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’aan) 
    which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful” 
    [al-A’raaf 7:157]. 

    As for the idolatrous 
    mushrik, you see him coming to the grave of the Messenger  (peace and 
    blessings of Allaah be upon him), asking him to meet his needs and seeking 
    his aid to relieve his worries, and calling upon him with utter humility, 
    regarding him as something divine. He may believe that in his hand are the 
    stores of the heavens and earth, and that al-Lawh al-Mahfooz is part of his 
    knowledge, and other things that are said or believed by some of the 
    ignorant. In this case the mushrik is not following the command of Allaah 
    and he is not submitting himself to Allaah, rather he is submitting to 
    something other than Allaah and obeying the shaytaan in that.

     Another example: 

    The Muslim who affirms 
    the Oneness of Allaah obeys the commands of Allaah in submission to His 
    greatness, may He be glorified and exalted. If He were to command him to 
    prostrate to a human being, or to venerate a human being or a rock, then he 
    would obey that as an act of worship to Allaah and in submission to His 
    command and wisdom, as the angels did when Allaah commanded them to 
    prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him), and they prostrated. 

    As for the idolatrous 
    mushrik, he prostrates to a human being or a rock out of respect for the 
    person or rock itself, and in submission to what he imagines they possess of 
    the power to benefit or harm, turning to them with hope and fear and 
    humility. In doing that he is not paying any attention to the command of 
    Allaah, or to His rulings, rather he is directing his submission and worship 
    to something other than Allaah on the basis of his own whims and desires. 

    Hence Shaykh al-Islam Ibn 
    Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

    As for submission, 
    devotion of the heart and acknowledgement of divinity and Lordship, these 
    can only be directed towards Allaah alone, and if directed towards anyone or 
    anything else they are utterly false. As for prostration it is connected to 
    the commands of Allaah, because Allaah has commanded us to prostrate to Him, 
    and if He had commanded us to prostrate to any of His creation other than 
    Him, we would have prostrated to that one in obedience to Allaah if He 
    wanted us to venerate the one to whom we were prostrating. As He has not 
    commanded us to prostrate, then we should not do it at all. The prostration 
    of the angels to Adam was an act of worship to Allaah, obedience to Him and 
    a means of drawing closer to Him, and it was a way of honouring and 
    respecting Adam. And the prostration of Yoosuf’s brothers to him was a 
    greeting. End quote. 

    Majmoo’ al-Fataawa 
    (4/360, 361). 

    Thus we may differentiate 
    between many cases in which actions may appear outwardly to be similar, but 
    in fact one is Islam, Tawheed and faith, whereas the other is shirk, kufr 
    and idolatry. 

    That includes tawaaf 
    around the Ka’bah: 

    The Muslim who affirms 
    the Oneness of Allaah obeys the command of Allaah in all matters, great and 
    small. When he hears the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning),
    “and 
    circumambulate the Ancient House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah)” 
    [al-Hajj 22:29], 
    he cannot help but obey them, so he circumambulates the sacred House out of 
    love for Allaah and in obedience to Him, hoping for mercy from Allaah and 
    fearing His punishment. And he does not go beyond what he has been commanded 
    to do of tawaaf, so he does not touch the stones of this House or think that 
    it can bring benefit or cause harm. 

    As for the idolatrous 
    mushrik, he is the one who circumambulates rocks or shrines, venerating 
    them, hoping that they will relieve his distress and answer his prayers, 
    weeping out of fear of them, beseeching them, and seeking to draw closer to 
    them by means of different acts of worship such as prostration, sacrifices, 
    circumambulation and supplication. In doing so he is not obeying the command 
    of Allaah or the laws of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be 
    upon him), rather he is obeying his own whims and desires and the shaytaan. 

    So there is a great and 
    clear difference between the actions of those who believe in Tawheed and 
    Islam, and the manifestations of idolatry and shirk. The one who does not 
    pay attention to this difference will become confused, and will no longer be 
    able to differentiate between kufr and faith.

    We hope that the 
    difference between the two is now clear. 

    And Allaah knows best.