Reading from the author's text with commentary and collation of manuscripts: "And as for the saying of people: 'I ask you by Allah and by kinship,' and the reading of those who read:
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The reader: "And as for the saying of people: 'I ask you by Allah and by kinship,' and the reading of those who read: [An-Nisa 4:1] it is from the category of seeking a means through it, for kinship necessitates maintaining ties and requires a person to maintain ties with his relatives, so the supplicant asking another by kinship is seeking a means to him through what necessitates maintaining ties with him, namely the kinship between them, it is not from the category of swearing an oath, nor from the category of seeking a means through what does not necessitate the desired outcome, but rather it is seeking a means through what does necessitate the desired outcome, like seeking a means through the supplication of the prophets, their obedience, and sending blessings upon them. From this category is what is narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Ja'far that he said: or as he said.
Some people thought that this was from the category of swearing an oath upon him by Ja'far, or from the category of their saying: 'I ask you by the right of your prophets,' and the like, but that is not the case; rather, Ja'far is 'Ali's brother, and 'Abdullah is his son, and he has a right of kinship over him, so 'Abdullah's maintaining ties is maintaining ties with his father Ja'far, as in the hadith:Sahih Ibn Hibban 6:125, and His saying: .
The Shaykh : with me, and maintaining ties with your kin.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : I forgot it. Okay. He pointed to this manuscript: your kin?
The reader: No.
The student: I have it with me.
The Shaykh : Your kin? Point to the manuscript.
The reader: "And maintaining ties with your kin who have no kinship with you except through them. If this had been from the category they thought, then his asking 'Ali by the right of the Prophet and Ibrahim the Friend of Allah and the like would have been more appropriate than his asking by the right of Ja'far, and 'Ali would have been quicker to respond to the supplicant by the exaltation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his love and responding to the supplicant by him, than to respond to the supplicant by another.
But there is a difference between the two meanings, for the one who asks by the prophet is seeking through him and taking him as a means. If there were not in that means what necessitates the attainment of his desire, or if it were not something by which one swears an oath, it would be false. And a person swearing an oath upon another by something is from the category of the one swearing exalting the one by whom he swears, and this is what the hadith came with regarding the command to fulfill the oath. And in such a case it was said: "Indeed, among the servants of Allah are some whom if they swore an oath upon Allah, He would fulfill it." And it may be from the category of exalting the one by whom the request is made.
The first resembles what the jurists mentioned regarding the oath intended for urging and preventing, and the second: asking the one asked by what he has of love for the one by whom he is asked, exalting him, and respecting his right.
If that is from what necessitates the attainment of the supplicant's purpose, then the asking is good, like a person asking by kinship, and in this is asking Allah by righteous deeds"
The Shaykh : And from this.
The student: Correction?
The Shaykh : No...
The reader: "And from this is asking Allah by righteous deeds, and by the supplication of His prophets and their intercession. But by the mere prophets and righteous people, and Allah's love for them and exaltation of them, and His respect for their rights by which He has blessed them, there is nothing in that which necessitates the attainment of the supplicant's purpose except by a means between the supplicant and them, either their love and obedience, for which he is rewarded, or their supplication for him, in which Allah accepts their intercession.
So seeking a means through the prophets and righteous people is by two things: either by their obedience and following them, or by their supplication and intercession. So merely supplicating by them without obedience to them from him, and without intercession from them for him, does not benefit him, even if the status of one of them is great with Allah the Exalted. And I have elaborated on these issues in other places.
And the purpose here is: if the Salaf and the imams said regarding asking by the created being what has been mentioned, how then regarding asking the dead created being? Whether he is asked to ask Allah, or asked to fulfill a need, and the like of what some people do, either at the grave of the deceased, or in his absence. And the one who established the Shari'ah (peace and blessings be upon him) cut off the source and blocked the means by cursing whoever takes the graves of the prophets and righteous people as mosques, and that one should not pray there to Allah, nor ask except Allah, and He warned His ummah of that. How then if the very fear of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the causes of shirk occurs? And the discussion on praying at graves and taking them as mosques has preceded".
The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Whether he is asked to ask Allah, or he is asked to relieve a need" There is a difference between the two. If he is asked to relieve a need, that is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). If he is asked to ask Allah, that is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and misguidance. This is because when a person dies, his deeds are cut off, and supplication is one of his deeds. So how can you ask him for something that is impossible? If you were to say, "O so-and-so, ask Allah for me," he would not ask Allah for you. Included in this is saying at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, intercede for me." This is forbidden (haram) and a denounced religious innovation. However, if you were to say, "O Messenger of Allah, save me from the Fire," that would be major shirk.
through whom you ask one another, and the wombs
تساءلون به والأرحامِI used to ask 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) for something, and if he did not give it to me, I would say to him, "By the right of Ja'far, give it to me," and he would give it to me.
كنت إذا سألت علياً رضي الله عنه شيئا فلم يعطنيه، قلت له : بحق جعفر إلا ما أعطيتنيه فيعطينيهSome people thought that this was from the category of swearing an oath upon him by Ja'far, or from the category of their saying: 'I ask you by the right of your prophets,' and the like, but that is not the case; rather, Ja'far is 'Ali's brother, and 'Abdullah is his son, and he has a right of kinship over him, so 'Abdullah's maintaining ties is maintaining ties with his father Ja'far, as in the hadith:
Indeed, among the best of righteousness is for a man to maintain ties with the friends of his father after he has passed away.
إن من أبر البر أن يصل الرجل أهل ود أبيه بعد أن يوليIndeed, among the ways of being dutiful to them after their death is: supplicating for them, seeking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their covenants after them, and maintaining ties with those with whom you have no kinship except through them.
إن من برهما بعد موتهما : الدعاء لهما، والاستغفار لهما، وإنفاذ عهدهما من بعدهما، وصلة التي التي لا رحم لك إلا من قبلهما "The Shaykh : with me, and maintaining ties with your kin.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : I forgot it. Okay. He pointed to this manuscript: your kin?
The reader: No.
The student: I have it with me.
The Shaykh : Your kin? Point to the manuscript.
The reader: "And maintaining ties with your kin who have no kinship with you except through them. If this had been from the category they thought, then his asking 'Ali by the right of the Prophet and Ibrahim the Friend of Allah and the like would have been more appropriate than his asking by the right of Ja'far, and 'Ali would have been quicker to respond to the supplicant by the exaltation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his love and responding to the supplicant by him, than to respond to the supplicant by another.
But there is a difference between the two meanings, for the one who asks by the prophet is seeking through him and taking him as a means. If there were not in that means what necessitates the attainment of his desire, or if it were not something by which one swears an oath, it would be false. And a person swearing an oath upon another by something is from the category of the one swearing exalting the one by whom he swears, and this is what the hadith came with regarding the command to fulfill the oath. And in such a case it was said: "Indeed, among the servants of Allah are some whom if they swore an oath upon Allah, He would fulfill it." And it may be from the category of exalting the one by whom the request is made.
The first resembles what the jurists mentioned regarding the oath intended for urging and preventing, and the second: asking the one asked by what he has of love for the one by whom he is asked, exalting him, and respecting his right.
If that is from what necessitates the attainment of the supplicant's purpose, then the asking is good, like a person asking by kinship, and in this is asking Allah by righteous deeds"
The Shaykh : And from this.
The student: Correction?
The Shaykh : No...
The reader: "And from this is asking Allah by righteous deeds, and by the supplication of His prophets and their intercession. But by the mere prophets and righteous people, and Allah's love for them and exaltation of them, and His respect for their rights by which He has blessed them, there is nothing in that which necessitates the attainment of the supplicant's purpose except by a means between the supplicant and them, either their love and obedience, for which he is rewarded, or their supplication for him, in which Allah accepts their intercession.
So seeking a means through the prophets and righteous people is by two things: either by their obedience and following them, or by their supplication and intercession. So merely supplicating by them without obedience to them from him, and without intercession from them for him, does not benefit him, even if the status of one of them is great with Allah the Exalted. And I have elaborated on these issues in other places.
And the purpose here is: if the Salaf and the imams said regarding asking by the created being what has been mentioned, how then regarding asking the dead created being? Whether he is asked to ask Allah, or asked to fulfill a need, and the like of what some people do, either at the grave of the deceased, or in his absence. And the one who established the Shari'ah (peace and blessings be upon him) cut off the source and blocked the means by cursing whoever takes the graves of the prophets and righteous people as mosques, and that one should not pray there to Allah, nor ask except Allah, and He warned His ummah of that. How then if the very fear of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the causes of shirk occurs? And the discussion on praying at graves and taking them as mosques has preceded".
The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Whether he is asked to ask Allah, or he is asked to relieve a need" There is a difference between the two. If he is asked to relieve a need, that is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). If he is asked to ask Allah, that is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and misguidance. This is because when a person dies, his deeds are cut off, and supplication is one of his deeds. So how can you ask him for something that is impossible? If you were to say, "O so-and-so, ask Allah for me," he would not ask Allah for you. Included in this is saying at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, intercede for me." This is forbidden (haram) and a denounced religious innovation. However, if you were to say, "O Messenger of Allah, save me from the Fire," that would be major shirk.