Is seeking nearness to Allah through the prophets, the messengers, and the righteous permissible, with clear evidence?
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The questioner : Is seeking nearness to Allah through the prophets, the messengers, and the righteous permissible? We ask you to clarify this for us, O honorable Shaykh, with clear evidence?
The Shaykh : Seeking nearness to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is to mention what leads one to one's objective. If one mentions something that has no effect in that regard as a means of seeking nearness to Allah, then this seeking nearness is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Based on this, we say: Seeking nearness through the prophets, if the intention is seeking nearness through following them, loving them, and believing in them, then there is nothing wrong with it, and it is a prescribed (mashru') matter. However, the one seeking nearness should not say: "I seek nearness to You by Your Prophet" or "by Your prophets" or the like. Rather, he should say: "I seek nearness to You by my love for Your prophets and my following of Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." The modifier should not be omitted but mentioned, because if he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets" and omits the modifier, one might think that he is engaging in an innovative form of seeking nearness. The innovative form of seeking nearness is to seek nearness by the very beings of the prophets, saying: "I ask You by Your Prophet," "I ask You by Your prophets," "I ask You by the status of Your Prophet," "I ask You by the status of Your prophets," or the like. This is the innovative form of seeking nearness because this seeking nearness does not lead to the objective, for the status of the Prophet does not benefit you, so it is not valid as a means to obtain what you desire. The status of the prophets is exclusive to them alone. Accordingly, if you hear someone say, "I seek nearness to You by the prophets," do not judge him as an innovator or as following the Sunnah, but say to him: "What do you intend?" If he says: "I intend to seek nearness by the very beings and persons of the prophets," say: "This is an innovation." If he says: "I intend to seek nearness to Him by the status of the prophets, for they have status with Allah," say: "This is also an innovation, because this is not a means and does not benefit you." If he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets, meaning by my love for them," this is the truth, because loving the prophets is an act of worship that leads to the objective and affects the answering of the supplication. If he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets, meaning by believing in them," this is the truth, because it is an act of worship, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:136] and so on. If he says: "I seek nearness to You by following the prophets," we say here: One must pause, because it is not obligatory to follow the previous prophets in matters that contradict our Shari'ah. But say: "I seek nearness to You by following Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then it is valid. On this occasion, I would like to clarify that seeking nearness is prohibited in some forms and permissible in others. The prohibited form is to seek nearness by what is not a means, because seeking nearness by what is not a means is either an innovation or associating partners with Allah (shirk). The permissible form of seeking nearness is to seek nearness by what is a means, and it has types. The first type: Seeking nearness to Allah by His names, saying: "O Allah, I ask You by Your beautiful names to forgive me." This is permissible due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-A'raf 7:180] and the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in the supplication for distress and sadness: Mishkat al-Masabih 2452 and so on. The second: Seeking nearness to Allah by His attributes, which is also permissible and prescribed, such as: Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 22:222 This is seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted by His attributes. Among this is the saying of the one who says: "O Merciful, by Your mercy I seek relief." The third: Seeking nearness to Allah by His actions, the actions of Allah. You say: "O Allah, as You have blessed me with wealth, bless me with knowledge," or you say: "O Allah, as You have blessed me with knowledge, bless me with wealth that suffices me from Your creation." Among this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Mishkat al-Masabih 919 Here, he sought nearness to Allah by His previous action, by which He blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, to send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.
The fourth: Seeking nearness to Allah by believing in Him. Among this is the saying of those of understanding:[Ali 'Imran 3:193] They sought nearness to Allah the Exalted by believing in Him.
The fifth: Seeking nearness to Allah by righteous deeds. Among this is His saying, the Exalted:[Ali 'Imran 3:53] And among this is the hadith of the three men who the cave closed over when they took refuge in it, and a rock closed over them, and they were unable to move it, so they sought nearness to Allah by their righteous deeds. One of them sought nearness by complete kindness, the second by complete chastity, and the third by trustworthiness, so Allah relieved them.
The sixth: Seeking nearness to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, by mentioning one's state, that one is poor, a wrongdoer to oneself, and in need of one's Lord. Among this is the saying of Musa (peace be upon him):[Al-Qasas 28:24] And among this is the saying of the supplicant: "O Allah, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." This is seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted by the state of the supplicant.
The seventh: Seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted by the supplication of a righteous man. For example, the man who entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was delivering the sermon on Friday and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has perished and the roads have been cut off, so call upon Allah to send us relief." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands and supplicated. This man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to supplicate for a general benefit for the Muslims. As for a man asking someone he believes to be righteous to supplicate for him personally, it is better to leave it, because this involves a type of asking that necessitates the humility of the asker before the one asked, and it may involve self-deception for the one asked, where he sees himself as a righteous man who is asked to supplicate. It also involves the possibility that a person may rely on asking this righteous man to supplicate for him, so he does not supplicate for himself. As for what is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab:Sunan Abi Dawud 1498Da'if (Al-Albani) This is weak and not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). As for what came in the hadith of the advice of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with his saying: This is specific to him. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order anyone to ask a righteous person among the Companions to supplicate for him. The Companions are better than Uwais al-Qarani; Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Abbas, and others among the Companions are better than Uwais without doubt. And yet, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not say to any of the people: "Whoever meets Abu Bakr, let him ask him for supplication" or the like. These are the types of permissible seeking nearness.
It is recommended for a person, when seeking nearness by the names of Allah, to seek nearness by them in general, such as:Mishkat al-Masabih 2452 As for if he intends to seek nearness by a specific name, let this name correspond to the request. If he wants forgiveness, he says: "O Allah, O Forgiver, forgive me," or he says: "O Allah, forgive me, for You are the Forgiving, the Merciful," so that the means corresponds to the desired thing. It is absolutely inappropriate for someone to say: "O Allah, O Severe in Retribution, forgive me and pardon me," or the like, because of the contradiction between the means and the desired thing. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 834 This combines multiple means, including mentioning the state of the supplicant Sahih al-Bukhari 7387, 7388 and praising Allah, Mighty and Majestic, with one of His attributes in his saying: Sahih al-Bukhari 7387, 7388 and seeking nearness by the names in his saying: Sahih al-Bukhari 7387, 7388.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Seeking nearness to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is to mention what leads one to one's objective. If one mentions something that has no effect in that regard as a means of seeking nearness to Allah, then this seeking nearness is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Based on this, we say: Seeking nearness through the prophets, if the intention is seeking nearness through following them, loving them, and believing in them, then there is nothing wrong with it, and it is a prescribed (mashru') matter. However, the one seeking nearness should not say: "I seek nearness to You by Your Prophet" or "by Your prophets" or the like. Rather, he should say: "I seek nearness to You by my love for Your prophets and my following of Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." The modifier should not be omitted but mentioned, because if he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets" and omits the modifier, one might think that he is engaging in an innovative form of seeking nearness. The innovative form of seeking nearness is to seek nearness by the very beings of the prophets, saying: "I ask You by Your Prophet," "I ask You by Your prophets," "I ask You by the status of Your Prophet," "I ask You by the status of Your prophets," or the like. This is the innovative form of seeking nearness because this seeking nearness does not lead to the objective, for the status of the Prophet does not benefit you, so it is not valid as a means to obtain what you desire. The status of the prophets is exclusive to them alone. Accordingly, if you hear someone say, "I seek nearness to You by the prophets," do not judge him as an innovator or as following the Sunnah, but say to him: "What do you intend?" If he says: "I intend to seek nearness by the very beings and persons of the prophets," say: "This is an innovation." If he says: "I intend to seek nearness to Him by the status of the prophets, for they have status with Allah," say: "This is also an innovation, because this is not a means and does not benefit you." If he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets, meaning by my love for them," this is the truth, because loving the prophets is an act of worship that leads to the objective and affects the answering of the supplication. If he says: "I seek nearness to You by Your prophets, meaning by believing in them," this is the truth, because it is an act of worship, as Allah the Exalted said:
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham
قُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَAnd to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them
وَلِلَّهِ الأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَاhe should say, “O God, I am Thy servant, the son of Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid, and at Thy disposal; my forelock is in Thy hand; Thy judgment is effective regarding me; just concerning me is Thy decree; I ask Thee by every name Thou hast by which Thou hast called Thyself
أن يقول: اللهم إني أسألك بكل اسم هو لك سميت به نفسكO Allah, I ask You by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation to keep me alive as long as You know that life is better for me, and to take my soul as long as You know that death is better for me.
اللهم إني أسألك بعلمك الغيب وقدرتك على الخلق أن تحييني ما علمت الحياة خير لي وأن تتوفاني ما علمت الوفاة خير ليHe told us to say, “O God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad’s family as Thou didst bless Abraham and Abraham’s family. Thou art indeed praiseworthy and glorious.
قولوا: اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيدThe fourth: Seeking nearness to Allah by believing in Him. Among this is the saying of those of understanding:
Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.
رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الأَبْرَارِThe fifth: Seeking nearness to Allah by righteous deeds. Among this is His saying, the Exalted:
Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger Jesus, so register us among the witnesses [to truth]."
رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَThe sixth: Seeking nearness to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, by mentioning one's state, that one is poor, a wrongdoer to oneself, and in need of one's Lord. Among this is the saying of Musa (peace be upon him):
My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need."
رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌThe seventh: Seeking nearness to Allah the Exalted by the supplication of a righteous man. For example, the man who entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was delivering the sermon on Friday and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has perished and the roads have been cut off, so call upon Allah to send us relief." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands and supplicated. This man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to supplicate for a general benefit for the Muslims. As for a man asking someone he believes to be righteous to supplicate for him personally, it is better to leave it, because this involves a type of asking that necessitates the humility of the asker before the one asked, and it may involve self-deception for the one asked, where he sees himself as a righteous man who is asked to supplicate. It also involves the possibility that a person may rely on asking this righteous man to supplicate for him, so he does not supplicate for himself. As for what is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab:
My younger brother, do not forget me in your supplication.
لا تنسنا يا أخي من دعائكWhoever meets Aws al-Qurani, let him ask him for supplication.
من أدرك أويس القرني أن يطلب منه الدعاءIt is recommended for a person, when seeking nearness by the names of Allah, to seek nearness by them in general, such as:
I ask Thee by every name Thou hast
أسألك بكل اسمٍ هو لكto teach me an invocation so that I may invoke Allah with it in my prayer. He told me to say, "Allahumma inni zalumtu nafsi zulman kathiran, Wala yaghfiru dh-dhunuba illa anta, fa ghfir li maghfiratan min `indika, wa r-hamni, innaka anta l-ghafuru r-rahim (O Allah! I have done great injustice to myself and none except You forgives sins, so bestow on me a forgiveness from You, and Have Mercy on me, You are the Forgiver, the Merciful).
علمني دعاءً أدعو به في صلاتي، فقال: قل: اللهم! إني ظلمت نفسي ظلماً كثيراً ولا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت، فاغفر لي مغفرةً من عندك وارحمني إنك أنت الغفور الرحيمO Allah! I have wronged my soul very much
اللهم إني ظلمت نفسي ظلماً كثيراًnone forgives the sins but You
ولا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنتNo doubt, You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
إنك أنت الغفور الرحيمThe questioner : May Allah bless you.