The ruling on one who circumambulates the grave and calls upon it for aid
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Question:
A disagreement arose between two individuals regarding declaring as disbelievers those who circumambulate the grave and call upon it for aid. One of them says: This act is an act of shirk (associating partners with Allah) without dispute, but the person who does it is excused due to his ignorance of the matters of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). The other says: That person who calls upon other than Allah for aid is declared a disbeliever, and he is not excused due to ignorance of the matters of tawhid, but he is excused in branch issues and jurisprudential matters. The question is: Which of the two opinions is correct and which is wrong?
Answer:
The correct opinion is that of the one who said: He is not excused; because these are great matters and they are from the fundamentals of the religion. It is the first thing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called to before prayer, fasting, zakah (the obligatory alms), and other things. So the fundamentals of the religion are not excused by ignorance for one who is among the Muslims, hears the Qur'an, and hears the hadiths.
Calling upon the people of the graves for aid, making vows to them, supplicating to them, and seeking healing and support from them, all of this is among the greatest shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says in His great Book: [Al-Mu'minun: 117] So He named them disbelievers because of that.
And He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):[Fatir 35:13] If you call upon them, they will not hear your call, and even if they did hear, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disavow your shirk (associating partners with Allah), and no one can inform you like one who is well-informed [Fatir: 13-14] (Mighty and Majestic) He named their calling upon them shirk (associating partners with Allah), and Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Al-Jinn: 18].
And He says (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Yunus: 106].
So the wrongdoers are the polytheists. If "wrongdoing" is mentioned in a general sense, it refers to shirk (associating partners with Allah), as He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Luqman: 13].
And likewise, circumambulating the graves. If one circumambulates them to draw near to the person in the grave, it is like if he supplicates to him and calls upon him for aid; it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). But if he circumambulates them thinking that circumambulating the graves is a means of drawing near to Allah—his intention is to draw near to Allah, just as people circumambulate the Ka'bah—to draw near to Allah by that, and he does not intend the deceased, then this is from bid'ah (religious innovation) and from the forbidden and dangerous means of shirk (associating partners with Allah). But the common practice of those who circumambulate the graves is that they draw near to their inhabitants by the circumambulation and seek reward from them and intercession from them. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah)—we ask Allah for safety from it—just like supplication.
A disagreement arose between two individuals regarding declaring as disbelievers those who circumambulate the grave and call upon it for aid. One of them says: This act is an act of shirk (associating partners with Allah) without dispute, but the person who does it is excused due to his ignorance of the matters of tawhid (the oneness of Allah). The other says: That person who calls upon other than Allah for aid is declared a disbeliever, and he is not excused due to ignorance of the matters of tawhid, but he is excused in branch issues and jurisprudential matters. The question is: Which of the two opinions is correct and which is wrong?
Answer:
The correct opinion is that of the one who said: He is not excused; because these are great matters and they are from the fundamentals of the religion. It is the first thing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called to before prayer, fasting, zakah (the obligatory alms), and other things. So the fundamentals of the religion are not excused by ignorance for one who is among the Muslims, hears the Qur'an, and hears the hadiths.
Calling upon the people of the graves for aid, making vows to them, supplicating to them, and seeking healing and support from them, all of this is among the greatest shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He).
And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) says in His great Book:
And whoever invokes besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof - then his account is only with his Lord. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
وَمَنْ يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَAnd He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):
That is Allah, your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty. And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed.
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍ so do not invoke with Allah anyone.
فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًاAnd He says (Glorified and Exalted is He):
And do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"
وَلَا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَSo the wrongdoers are the polytheists. If "wrongdoing" is mentioned in a general sense, it refers to shirk (associating partners with Allah), as He said (Glorified and Exalted is He):
Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice."
إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌAnd likewise, circumambulating the graves. If one circumambulates them to draw near to the person in the grave, it is like if he supplicates to him and calls upon him for aid; it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). But if he circumambulates them thinking that circumambulating the graves is a means of drawing near to Allah—his intention is to draw near to Allah, just as people circumambulate the Ka'bah—to draw near to Allah by that, and he does not intend the deceased, then this is from bid'ah (religious innovation) and from the forbidden and dangerous means of shirk (associating partners with Allah). But the common practice of those who circumambulate the graves is that they draw near to their inhabitants by the circumambulation and seek reward from them and intercession from them. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah)—we ask Allah for safety from it—just like supplication.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.