What is the ruling on slaughtering and making vows for the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous, on the pretext of seeking nearness to Allah through them?
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The questioner : ... a question about ... our master 'Umar (peace be upon him) ... out of ignorance or ... this matter is not ... ?
The Shaykh : I am asking you.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you a question.
The questioner : ... Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Jahl, or ... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you, Professor. Do you have a question regarding the previous research? Tell me, yes, did I address the topic of tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) in the previous hadith? I did not address the topic of tawassul, ... according to the topics or according to what was read, meaning ... you started your speech ... with vows and ended with tawassul, I ... .
The questioner : ... and it was said that if one agrees with tawassul, is the matter out of ignorance?
The Shaykh : Do they slaughter here for the Prophet by the status of the Prophet?
The questioner : If...
The Shaykh : They slaughter for the Prophet.
The questioner : Supplication.
The Shaykh : Do you know the reality we are dealing with? Do you know that the people here go and slaughter for the awliya (close friends of Allah)? Well, what does tawassul by status have to do with this? This is slaughter for other than Allah, and I hope you and those like you are not influenced by the atmosphere in which you live to the extent that you should be influenced by the verses recited to you. I have said more than once that Allah the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:162] my sacrifice. Well, if you believe in this verse, how can you say that it is permissible to slaughter for the awliya and the righteous? This slaughter is not for Allah; it should be for Allah [Al-An'am 6:162-163] there is no partner for Him in my prayer, there is no partner for Him in my sacrifice, there is no partner for Him in my life and my death, there is no partner for Him ... from that. So you are telling me to mix one issue with another. When you speak about the issue of tawassul, that is another research, and perhaps it is ... here. Now, we have questions, and the lecture may continue until the break of dawn. Perhaps there will be a question about tawassul, and you have the right to ask, like our other brothers, what is your opinion on tawassul? What is your opinion on the saying of some Muslims today, "O Allah, by the status of so-and-so, have mercy on me, grant me well-being, etc."? We will give you the answer, but we do not mix Sha'ban with Ramadan. We do not say that this tawassul is like slaughter for other than Allah and vows for other than Allah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1978b What does slaughter for other than Allah have to do with it, my brother? I say the one who says it is wrong, and I say it clearly: what does the one who slaughters for other than Allah, who is cursed by the explicit text of the Messenger's hadith, have to do with the one who says, "O Allah, by the status of Muhammad, have mercy on me"? Instead of saying, "O Lord, by Your status, by Your great name, have mercy on me," he says, "O Allah, by the status of Muhammad, by the status of such-and-such a Prophet." This is another issue in which there is disagreement among Muslims, and we may discuss it if time permits. But you must know that slaughter for other than Allah and vows for other than Allah are major shirk (associating partners with Allah). It does not benefit the one who slaughters for other than Allah and makes vows for other than Allah; none of his righteous deeds benefit him at all, starting with his saying "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no deity but Allah). For Allah the Mighty and Majestic says in the Noble Qur'an about the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah): [Al-Furqan 25:23] And He said, addressing the Muslim community through the person of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [Az-Zumar 39:65] So, unfortunately, the majority of Muslims today, including the great shaykhs, have not yet realized its severity, even though the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Therefore, we must know shirk and guard against it, as Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The people used to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil, fearing that I might fall into it." This is a wise man, a sensible man. And from here, the poet said:
"I knew evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it *** And whoever does not know evil from good falls into it" .
So we must know shirk (associating partners with Allah) along with our knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), so that when we know shirk, we do not fall into it. Because if we fall into it, our deeds are nullified and we become among the losers, may Allah forbid it. So slaughter for other than Allah, vows for other than Allah, and calling for aid from other than Allah "O hawk, help me" all of this is shirk. But the saying of the one who says "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" is one thing, and instead of saying "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" he says "O hawk, help me" this is shirk. This is not shirk. The saying of the one who says "O Allah" this is direct address to Allah, but he puts in an intermediary, saying "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" We say this is wrong, but this is not shirk, except according to what some ignorant people express, and we hear this often. We have incidents with people; we forbid it. We were in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, we entered the market there, and we stopped in front of ...
The Shaykh : I am asking you.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you a question.
The questioner : ... Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Jahl, or ... .
The Shaykh : I am asking you, Professor. Do you have a question regarding the previous research? Tell me, yes, did I address the topic of tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) in the previous hadith? I did not address the topic of tawassul, ... according to the topics or according to what was read, meaning ... you started your speech ... with vows and ended with tawassul, I ... .
The questioner : ... and it was said that if one agrees with tawassul, is the matter out of ignorance?
The Shaykh : Do they slaughter here for the Prophet by the status of the Prophet?
The questioner : If...
The Shaykh : They slaughter for the Prophet.
The questioner : Supplication.
The Shaykh : Do you know the reality we are dealing with? Do you know that the people here go and slaughter for the awliya (close friends of Allah)? Well, what does tawassul by status have to do with this? This is slaughter for other than Allah, and I hope you and those like you are not influenced by the atmosphere in which you live to the extent that you should be influenced by the verses recited to you. I have said more than once that Allah the Exalted said:
Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.
قل إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمينmy sacrifice
نسكي"Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. (163) No partner has He
قل إن صلاتي ونسكي ومحياي ومماتي لله رب العالمين لا شريك لهAllah cursed him who sacrificed for anyone besides Allah
من ذبح لغير الله فهو ملعونAnd We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وقدمنا إلى ما عملوا من عمل فجعلناه هباء منثوراthat if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers."
لئن أشركت ليحبطن عملك ولتكونن من الخاسرينShirk in my Ummah is more subtle than the crawling of ants
الشرك في أمتي أخفى من دبيب النمل"I knew evil not for the sake of evil, but to avoid it *** And whoever does not know evil from good falls into it" .
So we must know shirk (associating partners with Allah) along with our knowledge of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), so that when we know shirk, we do not fall into it. Because if we fall into it, our deeds are nullified and we become among the losers, may Allah forbid it. So slaughter for other than Allah, vows for other than Allah, and calling for aid from other than Allah "O hawk, help me" all of this is shirk. But the saying of the one who says "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" is one thing, and instead of saying "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" he says "O hawk, help me" this is shirk. This is not shirk. The saying of the one who says "O Allah" this is direct address to Allah, but he puts in an intermediary, saying "O Allah, help me by the status of the hawk" We say this is wrong, but this is not shirk, except according to what some ignorant people express, and we hear this often. We have incidents with people; we forbid it. We were in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, we entered the market there, and we stopped in front of ...