Going to a fair involving shirk for the sake of trade

Question

A saint’s shrine, where nowadays ‘urs (death-anniversary celebrations of a saint) or fairs are held and where things contrary to the Shariʿa are done, and people of different religions also take part there. There is a great and accomplished scholar here, a graduate of Deoband, who says that by going to such a place, where at the ‘urs fair things contrary to the Shariʿa and even shirk take place, a person becomes an apostate (murtadd).

Answer

Going to such fairs and ‘urs is not permissible; one should not go even for buying and selling. Just as committing things contrary to the Shariʿa and acts of shirk is forbidden, so too is going to such a place and adding to their crowd and splendour forbidden.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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