What is the ruling of the Shari'ah regarding those who go to the people of graves and shrines and ask them to relieve distress, grant offspring, and ease life, while they perform
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The questioner : What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, in your view, regarding those who go to the people of graves and shrines and ask them to relieve distress, grant offspring, and ease life, while they slaughter animals and offer money to the caretakers? If we ask them why they do this, they say that these are awliya (close friends of Allah) and are brought closer to Allah than others. I ask for your guidance. May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Our answer to this question is from two aspects. The first aspect is establishing that these buried people are among the awliya (close friends of Allah). It is not known whether they are among the awliya of Allah or among the awliya of Satan. For the awliya of Allah, Allah the Exalted described them with a description; whoever is excluded from that description is not among the awliya of Allah. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:[Yunus 10:62-63] So we do not know the state of these buried people: are they characterized by faith and piety, or are they not characterized by that?
This is one point. And even if we assume that they are among the awliya of Allah who believed and were pious, they do not possess the ability to benefit themselves or others, nor to harm themselves or others. Rather, they are lifeless corpses who cannot even repel the insects of the graves from themselves, let alone repel the hardships and evils from others, or bring others good and joy. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in His Book:[An-Nahl 16:20-21] And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Ahqaf 46:5] And if the noblest of creation, the leader of the awliya and the pious, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was commanded by Allah the Exalted to say: [Al-Jinn 72:21-22] Those who call upon these dead and seek their aid are misguided, and no one is more misguided than you, because you call upon other than Allah one who does not respond to you until the Day of Resurrection. And we say to them: By calling upon these dead, even if they are awliya in your belief, you have committed shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah, Mighty and Majestic. For whoever calls upon other than Allah or seeks His aid in what He alone can do, he becomes one who associates partners with Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And those who are in the graves are not able to aid you with anything, nor are they able to repel evil from you, nor to bring you benefit. So let those who go to the graves repent to Allah, and return to their Lord, and direct their needs to Allah. For Allah the Exalted is the One who said in His Book: [Ghafir 40:60] So Allah the Exalted is the One to be hoped for in removing evil, and the One to be called upon for seeking good. Allah the Exalted said: [An-Naml 27:62] So no one is able to remove evil, nor to answer the supplicant, except Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, alone, with no partner.
So my advice to these people is to repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to abandon what they are doing of calling upon the dead and seeking their aid, so that they may thereby establish tawhid (the oneness of Allah). And let them know that whoever commits shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah, then Allah the Exalted does not forgive his sin, as He said:[An-Nisa 4:48] And He said: [Al-Ma'idah 5:72] Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a message from Ta'if from the listener Umm Ali, who says:
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Our answer to this question is from two aspects. The first aspect is establishing that these buried people are among the awliya (close friends of Allah). It is not known whether they are among the awliya of Allah or among the awliya of Satan. For the awliya of Allah, Allah the Exalted described them with a description; whoever is excluded from that description is not among the awliya of Allah. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said:
(62) Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allah there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve (63) Those who believed and were fearing Allah
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ * الذين ءامنوا وكانوا يتقونThis is one point. And even if we assume that they are among the awliya of Allah who believed and were pious, they do not possess the ability to benefit themselves or others, nor to harm themselves or others. Rather, they are lifeless corpses who cannot even repel the insects of the graves from themselves, let alone repel the hardships and evils from others, or bring others good and joy. And Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in His Book:
(20) And those they invoke other than Allah create nothing, and they [themselves] are created. (21) They are, [in fact], dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.
وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ * أَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَاءٍ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَAnd who is more astray than he who invokes besides Allah those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they, of their invocation, are unaware.
وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ(21) Say, "Indeed, I do not possess for you [the power of] harm or right direction." (22) Say, "Indeed, there will never protect me from Allah anyone [if I should disobey], nor will I find in other than Him a refuge.
قُلْ إِنِّي لا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلا رَشَدًا * قُلْ إِنِّي لَنْ يُجِيرَنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًاAnd your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَIs He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allah
أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الأَرْضِ أَإله مَعَ اللَهSo my advice to these people is to repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to abandon what they are doing of calling upon the dead and seeking their aid, so that they may thereby establish tawhid (the oneness of Allah). And let them know that whoever commits shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah, then Allah the Exalted does not forgive his sin, as He said:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُIndeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.
إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍThe questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a message from Ta'if from the listener Umm Ali, who says: