Quoted from the book (An Hour with Ghosts) By Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilli

Mosques

People have associated by their work and deeds which should be devoted to God, even as regards building mosques; so that when one of them intends to build a mosque, he will associate Hussein¹with God when he will write over the gate "Husseiniah and mosque".

And because this mosque is shared between God and one of the imams, so God will not accept it from its builder, and will not recompense him for it because he associated in the mosque one of God's servants.

God – be glorified – said in the Quran 72: 18
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا
The explanation:
(The mosques [: the places of worship] are for God [alone], so pray not to anyone along with God.)

This is God's word; but they prayed, along with God, to tens not ones, and actually hundreds whom they loved like loving God and actually more [than the degree of their loving God.]

God – be glorified – said in the Quran 2: 165
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ أَندَاداً يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللّهِ
The explanation:
(Yet [some] of people choose [to worship], other than God, rivals [to God]; they love [these rivals] as God should be loved.)

So this is the "associating" or "association".

Therefore, man should devote himself to God alone, so that he should love God more than his children, his fathers and his clan.

God – be glorified – said after the first part of the preceding Quranic aya
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلّهِ
The explanation:
(But those who believe love God more ardently).

However, people started to love imams, sheikhs and saints more than their love of God; therefore, this is the "association".

God – be glorified – said in the Quran 12: 106
وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللّهِ إِلاَّ وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ
The explanation:
(But the most part of them do not believe in God unless that they associate [others with Him.])

It means: They believe that God is their "Creator" and "Provider" and that He is the "All Able" to grant them their needs, but [in spite of that] they associate the creatures with the Creator in the worship and servitude and they seek provision from them and they forget about the Provider; they ask their needs from those that cannot accomplish their needs, while they forget about the All-Able God.

Moreover, God – be glorified – said in the Quran 29: 17
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا فَابْتَغُوا عِندَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ

The explanation:
(Surely those – apart from God – whom you worship cannot control any provision for you; therefore seek provision with God.)

It means: Ask the provision from God, and don't ask from those other than Him.

In addition, God – be glorified – said in the Quran 16: 73
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ مَا لاَ يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ رِزْقًا مِّنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
The explanation:
(And they serve besides God what cannot control for them any provision in the heavens and the earth and have no power [at all.])

Someone built a mosque in the Babylon Province in Iraq, and wrote over the gate of the mosque: "Husseiniah and Mosque of Ali, the son of Abu Talib"!
So think about that, dear reader! This builder associated two persons with God, and actually he didn't specify any part of it for God; because the Husseiniah: he ascribed to Hussein the son of Ali, while he ascribed the mosque to Ali, the son of Abu Talib and nothing of it remained for God.

The work of the pagan Arab was similar to this; because the part of their cattle consecrated to God: they used to offer it to their idols, while the share of their idols: they did not offer to God; as it is indicated from His saying – be glorified – in the Quran 6: 136
وَجَعَلُواْ لِلّهِ مِمِّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُواْ هَذَا لِلّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلاَ يَصِلُ إِلَى اللّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَآئِهِمْ سَاء مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
The explanation:
(They set apart for God, out of what He produced of crops and cattle, a portion; and they say: "This [portion] is for God" – as do they claim – "and this [portion] is for our associates." So what [portion] is for their associates reaches not God; and what [portion] is for God reaches their associates. Evil is such judgment of theirs. )

Similarly, this builder made the mosque shared between God and Hussein, then the portion of the mosque consecrated for God: he offered it to Ali – salam be to him. Therefore, nothing of it remained for God; while God – be glorified – said in the Quran 72: 18
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا
The explanation:
(The mosques [: the places of worship] are for God [alone], so pray not to anyone along with God.)

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¹ [By doing so, it will be as if he considers God and Hussein as partners or associates, so that he worships and serves them both.
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