Ruling on Asking Others for Supplication
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We have heard that among the virtues of supplication is for a person to say to his brother: “Do not forget us, my brother! From your good supplication.” Do you have any details on this matter, including the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to ‘Ikamah when he said: “O Messenger of Allah, call upon Allah to make me one of them!”
Asking others for supplication, if it is for a general benefit, is permissible, such as what happened with the Bedouin man who entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon to the people and said: “O Messenger of Allah! The wealth has been destroyed and the paths have been cut off, so call upon Allah to send us relief.” And in the following Friday, this man or another said: The wealth has been lost and the buildings have collapsed, so call upon Allah to hold it back, for there is no harm in this; because the benefit is for others, so he is in the position of an intercessor. However, if it is for a private benefit, then if it is from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there is no harm in it,Meaning: There is no harm in asking people to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); because the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not like the supplication of others.
As for if it is from someone else, then Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: that it falls into the blameworthy matter,So do not say to anyone: “Call upon Allah for me,” unless you intend his benefit. How is it a benefit for him? It is a benefit for him because if he supplicates for you, he has done you good, and Allah loves those who do good;And because if he supplicates for you, the angel says: “Amen, and may you be like it,” so he benefits from this supplication that he made for you in your absence. However, if he intends his own benefit—meaning the one asking—then it is as previously mentioned from Shaykh al-Islam. And there is another concern; which is that he may rely on this man’s supplication and not supplicate for himself. And there is a third concern; which is that the one asked may become arrogant and see himself as a righteous man whose supplication is sought, so he becomes proud of himself and elevated in his own estimation. So, my brother! Call upon Allah for yourself; because your supplication to Allah is worship, whether He answers you or not, and your supplication to your Lord is a connection between you and Him. So persist with Allah in supplication instead of saying to a person from among the people, “Call upon Allah for me.” And the hadith of ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Do not forget us, my brother, from your good supplication” is a weak hadith.
Asking others for supplication, if it is for a general benefit, is permissible, such as what happened with the Bedouin man who entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon to the people and said: “O Messenger of Allah! The wealth has been destroyed and the paths have been cut off, so call upon Allah to send us relief.” And in the following Friday, this man or another said: The wealth has been lost and the buildings have collapsed, so call upon Allah to hold it back, for there is no harm in this; because the benefit is for others, so he is in the position of an intercessor. However, if it is for a private benefit, then if it is from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there is no harm in it,Meaning: There is no harm in asking people to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); because the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not like the supplication of others.
As for if it is from someone else, then Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: that it falls into the blameworthy matter,So do not say to anyone: “Call upon Allah for me,” unless you intend his benefit. How is it a benefit for him? It is a benefit for him because if he supplicates for you, he has done you good, and Allah loves those who do good;And because if he supplicates for you, the angel says: “Amen, and may you be like it,” so he benefits from this supplication that he made for you in your absence. However, if he intends his own benefit—meaning the one asking—then it is as previously mentioned from Shaykh al-Islam. And there is another concern; which is that he may rely on this man’s supplication and not supplicate for himself. And there is a third concern; which is that the one asked may become arrogant and see himself as a righteous man whose supplication is sought, so he becomes proud of himself and elevated in his own estimation. So, my brother! Call upon Allah for yourself; because your supplication to Allah is worship, whether He answers you or not, and your supplication to your Lord is a connection between you and Him. So persist with Allah in supplication instead of saying to a person from among the people, “Call upon Allah for me.” And the hadith of ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Do not forget us, my brother, from your good supplication” is a weak hadith.