Seeking Nearness to Allah Through Created Things
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The second question of Fatwa No. ( 5441 ):
Q2: A man from the Sufi orders is the imam of a mosque. One Friday, he stood as the preacher and said: “We do not say that Allah is above, below, to the right, or to the left.” He calls people to seek nearness to Allah through His created things, such as the prophets and the awliya (close friends of Allah). He recites over people who do not perform the obligatory acts of Allah, who destroy people’s houses, and who walk in the streets shouting and beating people. He calls them the awliya (close friends of Allah). Is this the unity of existence, the indwelling of the divine, and other such numerous religious innovations? Is it permissible to pray behind him? Is it permissible to pray behind his mu'adhdhin (the one who calls to prayer)? Is it permissible to perform the five daily prayers at home, or should we pray behind this man? As for the Friday prayer, can we pray in another mosque?
A2: First: It is established by definitive evidence that Allah is in the height, above all created things, and He has risen above His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty, as the Exalted said:[Taha 20:5] This is the creed of the people of the Sunnah and the community from among the Companions, the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions), and those who followed them with excellence. We advise you to read the book [Al-'Ulu li al-'Ali al-Ghafar] by Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Uthman ibn Qaymaz al-Dhahabi. Whoever says, “We do not say that Allah is above, below, to the right, or to the left,” is thereby contradicting what the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicate, and what the Muslims have agreed upon since the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) from among the scholars and believers. It is obligatory to clarify the truth to him. If he persists, he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam, and prayer behind him is not valid.
The Muslims have held this from the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), among the people of knowledge and faith. Therefore, the truth must be made clear to him. If he persists, he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam, and prayer behind him is invalid. Second: His calling people to seek nearness to Allah (tawassul) through Allah's creations, such as the prophets and the awliya (close friends of Allah), is a false call. He must be advised regarding this. We have issued a detailed ruling on the ruling of tawassul, the text of which is: (Whoever seeks nearness to Allah in his supplication through the status of a prophet, his sanctity, or his blessing, or through the status of any other righteous person, his sanctity, or his blessing, and says: "O Allah, by the status of Your prophet, or his sanctity, or his blessing, give me wealth and children, or admit me to Paradise and save me from the punishment of the Fire," for example, is not one who commits shirk (associating partners with Allah) that takes him out of Islam, but it is prohibited; to block the means to shirk and to keep the Muslim away from doing anything that leads to shirk. There is no doubt that seeking nearness through the status of the prophets and the righteous is one of the means of shirk that leads to it over time, as experience has shown and reality has witnessed. Many proofs in the Book and the Sunnah indicate with certainty that blocking the means to shirk and prohibited matters is among the objectives of the Shari'ah. Among these is the saying of the Exalted:[Al-An'am 6:108] , so the Exalted prohibited the Muslims
from reviling the idols of the polytheists that they worship besides Allah, even though they are false, lest that become a means for the polytheists to revile the true God, the Exalted, in defense of their false idols, out of ignorance and transgression. Also included is His prohibition (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking graves as mosques, fearing that they would be worshipped. Also included is the prohibition of a man being alone with a woman who is not a mahram (a relative one may not marry), the prohibition of a woman displaying her adornment to men who are not mahram, the prohibition of her leaving her house perfumed, and the command for men to lower their gaze from the adornment of women, and the command for women to lower their gaze, because all of this is a means to being tempted by them and a path to falling into immorality. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nur 24:30-31] the verse. It is established in the hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 529, and because seeking nearness through status, sanctity, and the like in supplication is worship, and worship is based on divine legislation. Nothing indicating this type of seeking nearness has come in the Book or in the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions, so it is known to be a bid'ah (religious innovation). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1718b. Third: Those who do not perform the obligatory acts of Allah and destroy people’s houses
and walk in the streets shouting and beating people are among the awliya (close friends) of Satan, not among the awliya (close friends) of Allah. Whoever claims that they are among the awliya (close friends) of Allah has lied, and he is one of them. It is obligatory to clarify to him and to them that this action contradicts the Shari'ah of Allah, and it is obligatory for them to return to the Shari'ah of Allah. If they do not pray, they are disbelievers; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 1079Sahih (Darussalam). Fourth: This man should not be followed in prayer, neither for Jumu'ah (the Friday prayer) nor for congregation. Rather, you must perform the Friday prayer and the congregational prayer in the nearest possible mosque behind an imam whom you are satisfied with in his religion and his trustworthiness. Fifth: As for the mu'adhdhin (the one who calls to prayer), you have not mentioned to us anything about him that contradicts the religion of Allah, so that we can answer you regarding the ruling on praying behind him. And success is from Allah. And may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q2: A man from the Sufi orders is the imam of a mosque. One Friday, he stood as the preacher and said: “We do not say that Allah is above, below, to the right, or to the left.” He calls people to seek nearness to Allah through His created things, such as the prophets and the awliya (close friends of Allah). He recites over people who do not perform the obligatory acts of Allah, who destroy people’s houses, and who walk in the streets shouting and beating people. He calls them the awliya (close friends of Allah). Is this the unity of existence, the indwelling of the divine, and other such numerous religious innovations? Is it permissible to pray behind him? Is it permissible to pray behind his mu'adhdhin (the one who calls to prayer)? Is it permissible to perform the five daily prayers at home, or should we pray behind this man? As for the Friday prayer, can we pray in another mosque?
A2: First: It is established by definitive evidence that Allah is in the height, above all created things, and He has risen above His Throne in a manner befitting His Majesty, as the Exalted said:
The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىThe Muslims have held this from the time of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), among the people of knowledge and faith. Therefore, the truth must be made clear to him. If he persists, he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from Islam, and prayer behind him is invalid. Second: His calling people to seek nearness to Allah (tawassul) through Allah's creations, such as the prophets and the awliya (close friends of Allah), is a false call. He must be advised regarding this. We have issued a detailed ruling on the ruling of tawassul, the text of which is: (Whoever seeks nearness to Allah in his supplication through the status of a prophet, his sanctity, or his blessing, or through the status of any other righteous person, his sanctity, or his blessing, and says: "O Allah, by the status of Your prophet, or his sanctity, or his blessing, give me wealth and children, or admit me to Paradise and save me from the punishment of the Fire," for example, is not one who commits shirk (associating partners with Allah) that takes him out of Islam, but it is prohibited; to block the means to shirk and to keep the Muslim away from doing anything that leads to shirk. There is no doubt that seeking nearness through the status of the prophets and the righteous is one of the means of shirk that leads to it over time, as experience has shown and reality has witnessed. Many proofs in the Book and the Sunnah indicate with certainty that blocking the means to shirk and prohibited matters is among the objectives of the Shari'ah. Among these is the saying of the Exalted:
And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah, lest they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do.
وَلاَ تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَfrom reviling the idols of the polytheists that they worship besides Allah, even though they are false, lest that become a means for the polytheists to revile the true God, the Exalted, in defense of their false idols, out of ignorance and transgression. Also included is His prohibition (peace and blessings be upon him) from taking graves as mosques, fearing that they would be worshipped. Also included is the prohibition of a man being alone with a woman who is not a mahram (a relative one may not marry), the prohibition of a woman displaying her adornment to men who are not mahram, the prohibition of her leaving her house perfumed, and the command for men to lower their gaze from the adornment of women, and the command for women to lower their gaze, because all of this is a means to being tempted by them and a path to falling into immorality. Allah the Exalted said:
(30) Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. (31) And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ (30) وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّAllah cursed the Jews and the Christians that they took the graves of their prophets as mosques
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجدHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردand walk in the streets shouting and beating people are among the awliya (close friends) of Satan, not among the awliya (close friends) of Allah. Whoever claims that they are among the awliya (close friends) of Allah has lied, and he is one of them. It is obligatory to clarify to him and to them that this action contradicts the Shari'ah of Allah, and it is obligatory for them to return to the Shari'ah of Allah. If they do not pray, they are disbelievers; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is prayer; so whoever leaves it, he has committed Kufr.
العهد الذي بيننا وبينهم الصلاة، فمن تركها فقد كفر
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.