What is the ruling on one who believes that the awliya (close friends of Allah) can bring benefit and harm, and who believes in Allah and prays, then dies? Is he to be treated as a disbeliever?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
May Allah know that we love you for the sake of Allah, O honorable Shaykh. As for our question, it concerns one who believes that the awliya (close friends of Allah) or the visitors of graves believe that they benefit them, while they also believe in the existence of the Creator and in prayer. Yet they show loyalty and sincerity to these righteous people. What is the fate of these people after their death? Are they considered disbelievers, or are they among the monotheists?
The Shaykh : I ask Allah to love you as you have loved me in Him, and to make us all among the beloved of Allah and His awliya (close friends of Allah).
The awliya (close friends of Allah) of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, are those who combined two descriptions: faith and righteousness, as Allah the Exalted said:[Yunus 10:62-63]. Therefore, before we say that this is the grave of a wali (close friend of Allah) or not, we need to look at the biography of this deceased person: is he among the believers who are righteous?
It is hoped that he is among the awliya (close friends of Allah).
Is he among the charlatans, sorcerers, and deceivers who appear to people with the appearance of righteousness, while they are the farthest people from righteousness?
Such a person is not a wali (close friend of Allah), even if whoever claims that he is a wali claims so.
Second: If it is established that, based on what appears to us of his condition, he is among the believers who are righteous, then we hope for him good, and we know that he himself does not possess any benefit or harm for himself, and that he did not believe and be righteous except out of fear of the punishment of Allah. He has no share in the matter. If he does not possess anything for himself, how can he possess it for us?!
Then how can he possess that for us when he is now a lifeless corpse, perhaps eaten by the earth? And if Allah said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):[Al-A'raf 7:188], and said to him: [Al-An'am 6:50], and said to him: [Al-Jinn 72:21-23], meaning: My duty is only to convey the message. If that is the case, then those below him are even more so.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), when drought and barrenness descended upon them during the time of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the famous year known as the Year of the Mud, did not seek rain through the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did they come to his grave saying: "O Messenger of Allah, call upon Allah to give us rain, call upon Allah to send us relief." Rather, they called upon Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and 'Umar asked al-'Abbas to stand and call upon Allah the Exalted for rain.
But despite that, these people who come to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and call upon them are ignorant; there is no one with them to teach them or alert them, but they say: "We are Muslims who pray."
May Allah know that we love you for the sake of Allah, O honorable Shaykh. As for our question, it concerns one who believes that the awliya (close friends of Allah) or the visitors of graves believe that they benefit them, while they also believe in the existence of the Creator and in prayer. Yet they show loyalty and sincerity to these righteous people. What is the fate of these people after their death? Are they considered disbelievers, or are they among the monotheists?
The Shaykh : I ask Allah to love you as you have loved me in Him, and to make us all among the beloved of Allah and His awliya (close friends of Allah).
The awliya (close friends of Allah) of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, are those who combined two descriptions: faith and righteousness, as Allah the Exalted 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 * الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَIt is hoped that he is among the awliya (close friends of Allah).
Is he among the charlatans, sorcerers, and deceivers who appear to people with the appearance of righteousness, while they are the farthest people from righteousness?
Such a person is not a wali (close friend of Allah), even if whoever claims that he is a wali claims so.
Second: If it is established that, based on what appears to us of his condition, he is among the believers who are righteous, then we hope for him good, and we know that he himself does not possess any benefit or harm for himself, and that he did not believe and be righteous except out of fear of the punishment of Allah. He has no share in the matter. If he does not possess anything for himself, how can he possess it for us?!
Then how can he possess that for us when he is now a lifeless corpse, perhaps eaten by the earth? And if Allah said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed.
قُلْ لا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعاً وَلا ضَرّاً إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُI do not tell you that I have the depositories [containing the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel
قُلْ لا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ(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. (23) But [I have for you] only notification from Allah, and His messages."
قُلْ إِنِّي لا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرّاً وَلا رَشَداً * قُلْ إِنِّي لَنْ يُجِيرَنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَداً * إِلَّا بَلاغاً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِسَالاتِهِThe Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), when drought and barrenness descended upon them during the time of the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the famous year known as the Year of the Mud, did not seek rain through the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), nor did they come to his grave saying: "O Messenger of Allah, call upon Allah to give us rain, call upon Allah to send us relief." Rather, they called upon Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and 'Umar asked al-'Abbas to stand and call upon Allah the Exalted for rain.
But despite that, these people who come to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and call upon them are ignorant; there is no one with them to teach them or alert them, but they say: "We are Muslims who pray."