The Ruling on Supplicating to the Poles and Pillars and Seeking Their Aid

Question:
A question from the brother: A. M. H. from Yemen, in which he says:
In our land, there are people who cling to invocations for which Allah has sent down no authority, some of which are religious innovations and some of which are acts of associating partners with Allah. They attribute these to the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and others, and they recite these invocations in gatherings of remembrance or in mosques after the Maghrib prayer, claiming that they are a means of drawing near to Allah. For example, they say: "By the right of Allah, O men of Allah, help us with the help of Allah and be our support by Allah," and they say: "O Poles, O Pillars, O Masters, answer us, O you who possess aid, in us, and intercede with Allah; this is your servant standing, at your door waiting, and fearing from his shortcoming. Help us, O Messenger of Allah, and I have no recourse but to you, and from you is obtained the request, and you are the best of the people of Allah, by Hamzah, the master of the martyrs, and from you is obtained aid for us. Help us, O Messenger of Allah," and they say: "O Allah, send blessings upon the one You made the cause for the splitting of Your majestic secrets and the bursting forth of Your merciful lights, so that he became a deputy for the Divine Presence and a successor to Your essential secrets. We ask for clarification of what is religious innovation and what is associating partners with Allah, and is the prayer valid behind an imam who makes this supplication?"
Answer: Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows: Know, may Allah guide you, that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, created the creation and sent the messengers, peace and blessings be upon them, to be worshipped alone, with no partner, and none other. As He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Dhariyat: 56]. And worship is obeying Him, Glorified and Exalted is He, and obeying His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) by doing what Allah and His Messenger have commanded and leaving what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. This is regarding faith in Allah and His Messenger and sincerity to Allah in deeds, as He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Isra: 23], meaning He commanded and advised that He alone be worshipped. And He, the Exalted, said: the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy Master of the Day of Judgment You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help [Surat al-Fatihah: 2-5]. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, made clear in these verses that He is the one who deserves to be worshipped alone and to be asked for help alone. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [Surat al-Zumar: 2]. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Surat Ghafir: 14]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Jinn: 18].
There are many verses in this meaning, and all of them indicate the obligation of singling out Allah for worship. It is known that supplication, in all its types, is a form of worship, so it is not permissible for anyone among the people to supplicate to anyone other than their Lord, nor to seek help or aid from anyone other than Him, in accordance with these noble verses and what has come in their meaning. This applies except for ordinary matters and physical causes that a living, present creature is capable of handling, for those are not worship. Rather, it is permissible by explicit text and scholarly consensus for a person to seek help from a living, capable person in ordinary matters that they are capable of, such as seeking their help or aid in repelling the harm of their child, servant, dog, or the like. And it is permissible for a person to seek help from a living, present, capable person, or an absent person through physical means such as writing letters or the like, in building their house, repairing their car, or the like. And from this category is the saying of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the story of Moses, peace and blessings be upon him: [Surat al-Qasas: 15]. And from this is seeking aid from one's companions in jihad and war and the like.
As for seeking aid from the dead, the jinn, the angels, trees, and stones, that is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), and it is of the same kind as the actions of the first polytheists with their gods, such as al-'Uzza, al-Lat, and others. Likewise, seeking aid and help from those believed to be close friends of Allah among the living in matters that only Allah is capable of, such as healing the sick, guiding hearts, entering Paradise, and being saved from the Fire, and the like. The previous verses and what has come in their meaning from verses and hadiths all indicate the obligation of directing the hearts to Allah in all matters and making worship sincere to Allah alone, because the servants were created for that and commanded to do so, as mentioned in the previous verses, and as in His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He: [Surat al-Nisa: 36]. And His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He: the verse [Surat al-Bayyinah: 5]. And the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him): agreed upon for its authenticity. And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): narrated by al-Bukhari. And in the two authentic collections from the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he sent Mu'adh to Yemen, said to him: , and in another wording: , and in a narration by al-Bukhari: , and in Sahih Muslim from Tariq ibn Ashim al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
There are many hadiths in this meaning, and this tawhid (the oneness of Allah) is the foundation of the religion of Islam, it is the basis of the faith, it is the head of the matter, it is the most important of the obligations, and it is the wisdom behind the creation of the two groups (humans and jinn) and the wisdom behind the sending of all the messengers, peace and blessings be upon them, as the verses indicating this have preceded. Among them is His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He: [Surat al-Dhariyat: 56]. And among the evidence for this is also his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): [Surat al-Nahl: 36]. And His saying, Glorified and Exalted is He: [Surat al-Anbiya: 25]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding Noah, Hud, Salih, and Shu'ayb, peace and blessings be upon them, that they said to their people: [Surat al-A'raf: 59]. And this is the call of all the messengers, as the two previous verses indicate.
The enemies of the messengers have admitted that the messengers ordered them to single out Allah for worship and to remove the deities worshipped besides Him. As He ﷻ said in the story of their worship, they said to Hud (peace be upon him): [Al-A'raf: 70]. And He ﷻ said regarding the Quraysh when our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) called them to single out Allah for worship and to leave what they worshipped besides Him, such as the angels, the awliya, the idols, the trees, and others: [Sad: 5]. And He, the Exalted, said about them in Surat al-Saffat: and they say, "Are we really to leave our gods for a mad poet?" [Al-Saffat: 35-36]. The verses indicating this meaning are numerous.
From the verses and hadiths we have mentioned, it becomes clear to you—may Allah guide you and me to understanding in religion and insight into the right of the Lord of the Worlds—that these supplications and the types of calling for aid that I detailed in your question are all types of major shirk; because they are worship of other than Allah and seeking matters that none but He can do from the dead and the absent. This is uglier than the shirk of the former people; because the former people only associated partners with Allah in times of ease, but in times of hardship they would be sincere to Allah in worship; because they knew that He, the Exalted, is the One capable of delivering them from the hardship, and no one else. As He, the Exalted, said in His clear Book about those mushrikin: [Al-Ankabut: 65]. And He ﷻ addressed them in another verse in Surat al-Isra: [Al-Isra: 67].
If one of these later mushrikin were to say: We do not intend that those people benefit by themselves, or cure our sick by themselves, or help us by themselves, or harm an enemy by themselves, but rather we intend their intercession to Allah in that matter.
The answer to them is: This is the intention and purpose of the first disbelievers, and it is not their intention that their gods create, provide, benefit, or harm by themselves, for that is refuted by what Allah mentioned about them in the Qur'an. Rather, they intended their intercession, their status, and their bringing them near to Allah. As He ﷻ said in Surat Yunus (peace be upon him): . Allah refuted that by saying, the Exalted: [Yunus: 18]. Thus, He, the Exalted, made it clear that He does not know any intercessor in the heavens or on earth in the way the mushrikin intend. And what Allah does not know to exist does not exist; because He, the Exalted, nothing is hidden from Him.
And He, the Exalted, said in Surat al-Zumar: "Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth, so worship Allah in pure devotion to Him. Know that to Allah belongs pure religion" [Al-Zumar: 1-3]. Thus, He, the Exalted, made it clear that worship is for Him alone, and that it is obligatory for the servants to be sincere to Him (Exalted and Majestic is He); because His command to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be sincere in worship to Him is a command for everyone.
The meaning of "religion" here is worship, and worship is obedience to Him and obedience to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as mentioned before. It includes supplication, calling for aid, fear, hope, slaughter, and vows, just as it includes prayer, fasting, and other things that Allah and His Messenger commanded. Then He ﷻ said after that: [Al-Zumar: 3], meaning they say: We do not worship them except to bring us near to Allah. Allah refuted them by saying, the Exalted: [Al-Zumar: 3]. Thus, He, the Exalted, clarified in this noble verse that the disbelievers did not worship the awliya besides Him except to bring them near to Allah.
This is the objective of the disbelievers, both in the past and the present. Allah has refuted this by saying: . Thus, the Exalted made clear their lie in their claim that their gods bring them closer to Allah, and their disbelief in the worship they directed to them. By this, everyone with the slightest discernment knows that the disbelief of the first disbelievers consisted of taking the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), trees, stones, and other created things as intercessors between them and Allah. They believed that these beings would fulfill their needs without the permission of the Exalted or His satisfaction, just as ministers intercede with kings. So they compared Him to kings and leaders, saying: "Just as one who has a need with a king or leader seeks intercession through his intimates and ministers, so we seek nearness to Allah by worshipping His prophets and His awliya."
This is the refutation of falsehood; for the Exalted has no likeness and is not compared to His creation. No one intercedes with Him except by His permission, and He does not grant permission for intercession except to the people of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). He is All-Powerful over all things and All-Knowing of all things, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful. He does not fear anyone, nor does anyone fear Him; for the Exalted is the Subjugator above His servants, and He disposes of them as He wills. This is unlike kings and leaders, for they are not able to do everything, nor do they know everything. Therefore, they need those who assist them with what they may be unable to do, such as their ministers, intimates, and soldiers. They also need those to convey to them the needs of those whose needs they do not know. And because kings and leaders may commit injustice or become angry without right, they need those who soften them and please them from among their ministers and intimates. As for the Lord , the Exalted is free of need of all His creation, and He is more merciful to them than their mothers. He is the Just Ruler, placing things in their proper places according to His wisdom, knowledge, and power. Therefore, it is not permissible to compare Him to His creation in any way.
For this reason, He, the Exalted, clarified in His Book that the mushrikin have admitted that He is the Creator, the Provider, the Manager, and that He is the One who answers the distressed, removes evil, and gives life and death, among other actions of His, the Exalted. The dispute between the mushrikin and the messengers is only in the sincerity of worship to Allah alone. As He ﷻ said: [Al-Zukhruf: 87]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Yunus: 31].
The verses in this meaning are numerous, and we have previously mentioned the verses indicating that the dispute between the messengers and the nations is only in the sincerity of worship to Allah alone, such as His, the Exalted, saying: the verse [An-Nahl: 36]. And the verses that came with its meaning. And He, the Exalted, mentioned the matter of intercession in many places in His noble Book. He, the Exalted, said in Surat al-Baqarah: [Al-Baqarah: 255]. And He said in Surat An-Najm: [An-Najm: 26]. And He said in Surat Al-Anbiya, describing the angels: [Al-Anbiya: 28]. And He ﷻ informed that He is not pleased with disbelief from His servants, but rather He is pleased with gratitude from them. And gratitude is tawhid and acting in obedience to Him. He, the Exalted, said in Surat Al-Zumar: the verse [Al-Zumar: 7].
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: O Messenger of Allah, who is the most happy of people with your intercession? He said: . And in the Sahih from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . And the hadiths in this meaning are numerous.
All that we have mentioned of verses and hadiths indicates that worship is the right of Allah alone, and that it is not permissible to divert any of it to other than Allah, neither to the prophets nor to others. And intercession is the property of Allah ﷻ, as He, the Exalted, said: the verse [Al-Zumar: 44]. And no one deserves it except after His permission to the intercessor and His satisfaction with the one for whom intercession is sought. As He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Muddaththir: 48]. And He, the Exalted, said: the verse [Ghafir: 18]. And injustice, when used in its general sense, is shirk. As He, the Exalted, said: [Al-Baqarah: 254]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Luqman: 13].
As for what you mentioned in your question regarding the saying of some Sufis in the mosques and elsewhere: “O Allah, send blessings upon the one You made a cause for the splitting of Your *jabarutiyyah* (divine) secrets and the bursting forth of Your *rahmaniyyah* (merciful) lights, so that he became a deputy for the Divine Presence and a successor to Your essential secrets... etc.” The answer is:
It should be said: This statement and its like are among the artificiality and affectation that our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against, as Muslim narrated in the Sahih from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The Imam al-Khatibib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The *mutanattiq* (affecter) is the one who delves deeply into a matter, artificially seeking it out according to the schools of the people of *kalam* (theology) who enter into what does not concern them and delve into what their minds cannot reach.
And Abu al-Sa'adat Ibn al-Athir said: They are the ones who delve deeply and exaggerate in *kalam* (theology), speaking with the utmost of their throats. It is derived from *nat'* which is the highest part of the mouth, and then it was used for every deepening in speech and action.
And by what these two imams and other imams of language mentioned, it becomes clear to you and to everyone with the least insight that this manner of sending prayers and blessings upon our Prophet and our master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is among the artificiality and affectation that is forbidden. And what is prescribed for the Muslim in this matter is to seek the manner established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the description of sending prayers and blessings upon him, and in that is sufficiency over others. Among that is what al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated in the two Sahihs, and the wording is al-Bukhari's, from Ka'b ibn Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: O Messenger of Allah, Allah has commanded us to send prayers upon you, so how do we send prayers upon you? He said: Say: .
And in the two Sahihs from Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him) that they said: O Messenger of Allah, how do we send prayers upon you? He said: . And in the Sahih of Muslim from Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Bashir ibn Sa'd said: O Messenger of Allah, Allah has commanded us to send prayers upon you, so how do we send prayers upon you? So he was silent, then he said: .
These words and their like, and others established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), are what the Muslim should learn in his sending of prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). For the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most knowledgeable of people about what is fitting to be used in his right, just as he is the most knowledgeable of people about what should be used in the right of his Lord in terms of words. As for the artificial and newly invented words, and the words loaded with an incorrect meaning, like the words mentioned in the question, it is not appropriate to use them; because of the *takalluf* (artificiality) in them, and because they may be interpreted with false meanings, while they are contrary to the words chosen by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and to which he guided his *ummah* (the Muslim community). He is the most knowledgeable of creation, the most sincere, and the furthest from *takalluf* (artificiality). Upon him and his family and his Companions and his followers with excellence, be the best of prayers and peace from his Lord.
And I hope that what we have mentioned of evidence in explaining the reality of *tawhid* (the oneness of Allah) and the reality of *shirk* (associating partners with Allah), and the difference between what the first polytheists and the later polytheists were upon in this matter, and in explaining the prescribed manner of sending prayers upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is sufficient and convincing for the seeker of the truth.
As for the one who has no desire to know the truth, he is a follower of his desires. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Qasas: 50]. Thus, the Exalted made it clear in this noble verse that people, with regard to the guidance and the religion of truth with which Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), are of two types: the first is the one who responds to Allah and His Messenger, and the second is the one who follows his desires. And the Exalted informed that there is no one more misguided than the one who follows his desires without any guidance from Allah.
So we ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) to protect us from following our desires, just as we ask Him, the Exalted, to make us and you and all our brothers among those who respond to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and who hold His Shari'ah in high esteem, and who warn against everything that contradicts His Shari'ah, such as religious innovations and desires. Indeed, He is Generous and Noble. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon His servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence.