The Ruling on Seeking Nearness to Allah Through the Person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
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Q: We are a group of expatriates abroad, and sometimes one of the brothers leads us in the tarawih prayer. During the du'a' of qunut, he mentions certain phrases and sentences, such as: "We seek nearness to Allah through the owner of the wasilah and shafa'ah, our master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." What is the ruling on this practice? May Allah reward you with good.
A: It is not permissible to seek nearness to Allah through the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or through any other prophet or righteous person, nor is it permissible to seek nearness through his status or anything else; because that is a bid'ah (religious innovation) that was not transmitted from him (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718a It is agreed upon as authentic, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1718b It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
And what is prescribed (mashru') for Muslims is to seek nearness to Allah through their love for him (peace and blessings be upon him), their faith in him, and following his Shari'ah in his lifetime and after his death (peace and blessings be upon him), due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-Imran: 31] and His saying (Exalted and Majestic is He): [Ali 'Imran 3:190-191] up to His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Ali 'Imran 3:193] the verse [Al-Imran: 190 - 193].
And since it is established in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the story of the three men in the cave, where one of them sought nearness to Allah through his kindness to his parents, the second through his chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) after having the ability to commit it, and the third through fulfilling a trust. So Allah answered their du'a' and relieved their distress. And likewise, seeking nearness through his (peace and blessings be upon him) du'a' in his lifetime and on the Day of Resurrection, which is by the Muslim asking him to make du'a' for him. As it is established in the authentic hadith from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said on the minbar on the day of the prayer for rain:Sahih al-Bukhari 1010 and they were given rain. This is seeking nearness by the Companions through the du'a' of the Prophet for them in his lifetime. So when he (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, they left that because they knew that it was not permissible, and they sought rain through the du'a' of al-Abbas because he was alive and present, making du'a' for them, and they believed in his du'a'.
And likewise on the Day of Resurrection, the believers will turn to Adam, then to Noah, then to Abraham, then to Moses, then to Jesus. All of them will make excuses, and Jesus (peace be upon him) will say to them: "Go to Muhammad, the servant whose previous and subsequent sins Allah has forgiven." So they will come to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him to intercede for them with Allah until He relieves them from the distress of the standing. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) will advance to his Lord and prostrate before Him, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will say to him:Sahih al-Bukhari 7510 The hadiths in this meaning are established and mutawatir (mass-transmitted). And likewise, it is prescribed to seek nearness through the names of Allah the Exalted and His attributes, due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Al-A'raf: 180] And success is from Allah.
A: It is not permissible to seek nearness to Allah through the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or through any other prophet or righteous person, nor is it permissible to seek nearness through his status or anything else; because that is a bid'ah (religious innovation) that was not transmitted from him (peace and blessings be upon him) or from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: He who innovates things in our affairs for which there is no valid (reason) (commits sin) and these are to be rejected.
من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو ردHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردAnd what is prescribed (mashru') for Muslims is to seek nearness to Allah through their love for him (peace and blessings be upon him), their faith in him, and following his Shari'ah in his lifetime and after his death (peace and blessings be upon him), due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He):
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ(190) Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. (191) Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ * الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِOur Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed
رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّاAnd since it is established in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the story of the three men in the cave, where one of them sought nearness to Allah through his kindness to his parents, the second through his chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) after having the ability to commit it, and the third through fulfilling a trust. So Allah answered their du'a' and relieved their distress. And likewise, seeking nearness through his (peace and blessings be upon him) du'a' in his lifetime and on the Day of Resurrection, which is by the Muslim asking him to make du'a' for him. As it is established in the authentic hadith from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said on the minbar on the day of the prayer for rain:
O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain.
اللهم إنا كنا نتوسل إليك بنبينا فتسقينا، وإنا نتوسل إليك بعم نبينا فاسقناAnd likewise on the Day of Resurrection, the believers will turn to Adam, then to Noah, then to Abraham, then to Moses, then to Jesus. All of them will make excuses, and Jesus (peace be upon him) will say to them: "Go to Muhammad, the servant whose previous and subsequent sins Allah has forgiven." So they will come to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him to intercede for them with Allah until He relieves them from the distress of the standing. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) will advance to his Lord and prostrate before Him, and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) will say to him:
raise your head and speak, for you will be listened to; and ask, for your will be granted (your request); and intercede, for your intercession will be accepted
ارفع رأسك، وقل يسمع لك، وسل تعط، واشفع تشفع، فيرفع رأسه ويشفع عليه الصلاة والسلامAnd to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.