Prayer Behind a Polytheist
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The first question of Fatwa No. ( 4299 )
Q1: I live in a village where most of the residents are Muslims, but they call upon other than Allah when a calamity or disaster strikes. These people call upon and believe that the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), the martyrs, and the righteous are those who are close to Allah, while we are sinners. Therefore, they believe we are not qualified or deserving to ask Allah without a means to Him through the awliya, martyrs, or righteous. These people also claim that the awliya bring us closer to Allah, and that they hear our supplications after their death and intercede for us with Allah. Furthermore, these people hold festivals at the graves of the righteous, calling them "the bride" or "the vow," just as the disbelievers hold festivals at their temples. There is no one in my locality who believes in the creed of the Salaf except me; I am alone in my village with my Salafi creed. Whenever I call them to the Salafi creed, they respond by saying: "You are an innovator, and you are a Wahhabi" (a reference to the Shaykh, the reformer Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him)). If the creed of these people is such, is it permissible to pray behind them and follow them out of dire necessity, or not? Or is it better to pray alone in this situation? And is it permissible to eat their slaughtered meat or not?
A1: For one whose situation is as you described, it is not permissible to pray behind him, nor
is it valid if you do so; because his actions are acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) that take him out of the religion of Islam, and his slaughtered meat is not to be eaten because he is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah); due to the evidence from the Shari'ah regarding this. We ask Allah to keep you firm upon the truth, and to guide them through your hands so that you may have a share of their rewards. We advise you to continue calling them to Allah and guiding them to the truth by good means and an effective, gentle style, and to be patient with their harm; in accordance with the saying of our Lord (Mighty and Majestic):[An-Nahl 16:125] , and His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He) regarding Luqman that he said to his son: [Luqman 31:17] , and what has come in the verses and hadiths with that meaning. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q1: I live in a village where most of the residents are Muslims, but they call upon other than Allah when a calamity or disaster strikes. These people call upon and believe that the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), the martyrs, and the righteous are those who are close to Allah, while we are sinners. Therefore, they believe we are not qualified or deserving to ask Allah without a means to Him through the awliya, martyrs, or righteous. These people also claim that the awliya bring us closer to Allah, and that they hear our supplications after their death and intercede for us with Allah. Furthermore, these people hold festivals at the graves of the righteous, calling them "the bride" or "the vow," just as the disbelievers hold festivals at their temples. There is no one in my locality who believes in the creed of the Salaf except me; I am alone in my village with my Salafi creed. Whenever I call them to the Salafi creed, they respond by saying: "You are an innovator, and you are a Wahhabi" (a reference to the Shaykh, the reformer Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him)). If the creed of these people is such, is it permissible to pray behind them and follow them out of dire necessity, or not? Or is it better to pray alone in this situation? And is it permissible to eat their slaughtered meat or not?
A1: For one whose situation is as you described, it is not permissible to pray behind him, nor
is it valid if you do so; because his actions are acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) that take him out of the religion of Islam, and his slaughtered meat is not to be eaten because he is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah); due to the evidence from the Shari'ah regarding this. We ask Allah to keep you firm upon the truth, and to guide them through your hands so that you may have a share of their rewards. We advise you to continue calling them to Allah and guiding them to the truth by good means and an effective, gentle style, and to be patient with their harm; in accordance with the saying of our Lord (Mighty and Majestic):
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best
ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُO my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] determination.
يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الأُمُورِ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.