Traveling to Shrines and Asking Their Inhabitants to Fulfill Needs

Your Eminence! We received this message from the sender (J.M.A.) from As-Saloum. He says in his message: After the introduction: I would like to present to you this issue, which concerns a large segment of Muslims seeking the truth. The issue is that many people travel to shrines and the graves of the righteous, asking the deceased inhabitants for the cure of their illnesses or the fulfillment of their needs. They offer vows and sacrificial animals to the owners of these shrines, and they call upon them and seek their aid, along with similar actions. Opinions differ on this issue: those who uphold this practice say that Allah has servants on earth for whom He answers supplication, while those who oppose this practice say that it is clear shirk (associating partners with Allah) and that it expels its practitioner from the religion. We ask that you shed more light on the aspects and angles of this topic, and clarify whether it is permissible to pray behind those who commit these acts or not. May Allah guide you.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance.
After the introduction: This question is very important and very great. It concerns traveling to shrines to ask for needs and the healing of the sick from the owners of the graves, and to call upon them, seek their aid, make vows to them, and offer sacrificial animals and the like.
As for traveling merely to visit graves, this is not permissible according to the correct opinion of the scholars, because it is prohibited, and because it is a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). The basis for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the authentic hadith: These three are the ones for which one travels, by the explicit statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Anything other than these is not a destination for travel. This includes the remaining mosques, and it also includes shrines, a fortiori. If it is not permissible to travel to mosques, which are the most excellent of places, then other places that people travel to for the virtue of the one buried there or the like are even more prohibited from being a destination for travel. For this reason, the most authentic opinion of the scholars in this matter is the prohibition of traveling to visit graves. Graves are to be visited without traveling specifically for that purpose. Visiting them is a recommended practice (sunnah), as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So, the recommended practice is to visit graves and supplicate for their inhabitants with forgiveness and mercy, for men only, not for women. This is because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the visiting of graves and said: He taught his Companions this, teaching them that when they visit graves, they should say: He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit al-Baqi' and supplicate for them, asking for forgiveness for them. However, traveling specifically for this is not allowed. One does not travel to visit graves just as one does not travel to visit other mosques other than the three.
As for traveling with the intention of calling upon the dead and seeking their aid, this is an abomination and forbidden by the consensus of the Muslims. Even if one did this without traveling, if one came to the graves in his own land without traveling, and sought their aid, or made vows to them, or slaughtered for them, or asked them to fulfill needs, heal the sick, or relieve distress, this would be a great abomination and clear shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is the shirk of the first people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). They used to do this with the dead. The pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to associate partners with Allah through the dead, seek their aid, and make vows to them. They said: [Yunus:18], and they said: [Az-Zumar:3], as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) related about them. Indeed, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Yunus:18]. So Allah responded to them by saying: [Yunus:18].
And He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Az-Zumar:2-3], meaning: They say, "We do not worship them except to bring us closer to Allah in nearness." So Allah responded to them by saying: [Az-Zumar:3]. Thus, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) made clear that their worship of them through calling, supplication, seeking aid, slaughtering, vows, prostrating on graves, or the like, is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah. He made clear that this is disbelief and misguidance, and that this does not benefit them but rather harms them. Even if they claim that they are intercessors with Allah, and even if they claim that they bring them closer to Allah in nearness, it is false. Because calling upon the dead, seeking their aid, or seeking the aid of idols or trees does not bring one closer to Allah, nor does it bring one nearer to His pleasure. Rather, it distances one from His mercy, brings about His anger, brings about the Fire, and makes Paradise forbidden for them. As Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said in His great Book: [Al-Ma'idah:72], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [An-Nisa:48]. Thus, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) made clear that He does not forgive shirk (associating partners with Allah), but He forgives what is less than it for whom He wills. What is less than shirk is contingent upon the will of Allah. If He wills, He (Glorified and Exalted is He) forgives, and if He wills, He punishes its owners if they die before repenting.
As for shirk (associating partners with Allah), it is not forgiven if its owner dies upon it. And shirk also nullifies deeds, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Al-An'am:88].
The meaning of shirk (associating partners with Allah) is directing some of the worship to other than Allah, whether it be calling, fear, hope, reliance, slaughtering, vows, prayer, fasting, or the like. The one who calls upon the dead, seeks their aid, makes vows to them, and claims that they intercede for him or bring him closer to Allah in nearness, has done exactly what the first polytheists did. Likewise, if one draws near to them with sacrificial animals and vows, this is all shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It is all an abomination. It is obligatory upon the people of knowledge to denounce it, clarify its falsity, and warn the common people of it. This is the same shirk that Abu Jahl and his like committed in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance with al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat. And this is the shirk of the first people with their idols and statues in every place.
Among the misfortunes is that the common people think that this is religion and that this is a means of drawing near to Allah, and that those who are attributed to knowledge remain silent about it and are lenient in this matter. Indeed, this harms the common people greatly. If those attributed to knowledge remain silent and do not denounce this shirk (associating partners with Allah), the common people will think that it is permissible, that it is religion, and that it is a means of drawing near to Allah, so they will remain upon it and continue with it.
It is obligatory for the people of knowledge to denounce shirk (associating partners with Allah), denounce bid'ah (religious innovation), denounce sins, warn people against them, and alert the general public to everything that Allah has forbidden, so that they may fear it, from shirk down to what is less than it. There is no doubt or ambiguity that calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, asking for the healing of the sick, and seeking support is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Many people do this at some graves, as some ignorant people do at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during the days of Hajj, and as many people do at the grave of al-Sayyid al-Badawi in Egypt, at the grave of al-Husayn in Egypt, and at other graves. Likewise, people do this at the grave of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, and some people do it while far away from these graves, calling upon them from a distance and asking them to fulfill their needs and heal the sick from afar. Likewise, this is done at the graves of the People of the House by some of the Shi'ah and non-Shi'ah who visit them, and at the grave of Ibn 'Arabi in the Levant, and at other graves in lands that only Allah (Mighty and Majestic) can count. This is a widespread calamity, its evil has spread, and its harm is great, due to the lack of knowledge and the lack of those who warn about this serious matter. I call upon all the people of knowledge everywhere to fear Allah, to warn people against this shirk (associating partners with Allah), to caution them against it, and to make it clear to them that worship is the right of Allah alone, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Fatihah:5], and He (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Surat al-Isra:23], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Nisa:36], and He (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Surat az-Zumar:2-3], and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat al-Jinn:18], in many verses that indicate the obligation of making worship sincere for Allah alone, and that it is never permissible to worship anyone other than Him, whether trees, stones, the dead, idols, stars, or anything else. Worship is the right of Allah alone; no one has a right in it, not the angels, not the prophets, not the righteous, nor anyone else. Rather, worship is the right of Allah alone. The messengers were sent to teach people their religion, to warn them against shirk (associating partners with Allah), and to direct them to worship Allah alone, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat an-Nahl:36], and He (Mighty and Majestic) said: [Surat al-Anbiya:25], in many other verses. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Mu'adh: These are two rights: the right of Allah over His servants, and the right of the servants over Allah. As for the right of Allah over His servants: it is an obligatory right, a great right, which they must fulfill, for which they were created, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Surat ad-Dhariyat:56], and Allah sent the messengers for this purpose, as mentioned earlier. So it is obligatory for the servants to worship Allah alone; this is His right over them, a right He has obligated upon them, so they must fulfill it. They must also fulfill everything that Allah and His Messenger have commanded, and refrain from everything that Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. All of this is part of worshiping Him (Glorified and Exalted is He): performing the obligatory duties, avoiding the forbidden, seeking the Face of Allah, and being sincere to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). All of this is part of His worship, obedience, and glorification.
As for the right of the servants over Allah: it is a right of favor and kindness, generosity and nobility. From His generosity, bounty, and kindness, whoever meets Him with tawhid (the oneness of Allah), faith, and guidance, Allah will admit him to Paradise and not punish him with the Fire. This is His favor and kindness (Exalted and Majestic is He), as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) says: [Surat Luqman:8], [Surat at-Tur:17], [Surat al-Hijr:45].
It is obligatory for the people of Islam to worship Allah alone, to single Him out for worship, to gain understanding of the religion of Allah, and to guard against shirk (associating partners with Allah) . Indeed, the claim of Islam is of no benefit in the presence of shirk; rather, his Islam is nullified by his shirk with Allah. In fact, shirk nullifies Islam and invalidates it. Therefore, it is obligatory for one who claims to be a Muslim to make his Islam genuine, to gain understanding of the religion of Allah, and to protect his religion from the types of shirk with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), so that his Islam remains and his religion remains. Likewise, it is obligatory for all the people of the earth who are accountable, whether jinn or humans, Arabs or non-Arabs; it is obligatory for all of them to worship Allah alone and to submit to what Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, for he is truly the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. This is because Allah sent him to all the people of the earth, the jinn and the humans, the Arabs and the non-Arabs, from all the nations. It is obligatory for them to worship Allah and to submit to what His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, as Allah the Exalted commanded the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to convey to the people: [Al-A'raf: 158]. And He the Exalted said: [Saba: 28]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [Al-Anbiya: 107]. So he is the Messenger of Allah to all of them, to the jinn and the humans, to the Arabs and the non-Arabs, to the Jews and the Christians and the Persians, and to all the people of the earth, the jinn and the humans. It is obligatory for all of them to worship Allah, to affirm His oneness, and to single Him out for worship, and not to worship with Him any near angel, any sent prophet, any tree, any dead person, any idol, any statue, or anything else. Rather, it is obligatory for them to single out Allah for worship over everything else. It is also obligatory for them to submit to what His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, and to judge by it among themselves, and not to deviate from his guidance and his path, as He the Exalted and Sublime said in His great Book: [An-Nisa: 65]. And He the Exalted said: [An-Nur: 54]. (Peace and blessings be upon him). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [Al-A'raf: 157]. So the successful ones are these people, the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). As for those who deviated from the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and did not submit to his law, and did not believe in him, these are the losers, the perishing ones, the misguided ones, the disbelievers, whatever their kind may be. And He the Exalted said: [Al-A'raf: 158]. So He made guidance in following him, which indicates that whoever deviates from the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the loser, the misguided one who is not on the right path. So guidance, success, and salvation are in following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), in making worship sincere to Allah alone, and in implementing the Shari'ah of Allah which His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. By this, it is known that it is obligatory for all nations to affirm the oneness of Allah and be sincere to Him, and it is obligatory for all states to worship Allah and oblige their people to worship Allah, and to leave what they are upon of shirk and falsehood. This is general for all states and all people. However, the Muslims who claim to be Muslims have a more specific and greater obligation; because they claimed to follow the religion of Allah, and it is obligatory for them to make the religion of Allah genuine, to revere the religion of Allah, to protect it from what Allah has forbidden, and to make worship sincere to Allah alone, so that their Islam is realized and they are truly Muslims, not just by claim. For the claim is of no benefit and no use. Rather, it is obligatory that their Islam be genuine by worshipping Allah alone, being sincere to Him, revering His command and prohibition, and following His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is obligatory for the other nations that do not claim Islam, such as the Jews, the Christians, the Zoroastrians, and others from all the nations that do not follow Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), that they all worship Allah alone, and that they all submit to the Shari'ah that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. It is obligatory for them all, because they are commanded to do so, created for that, and Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to all of them, to all the people of the earth, the jinn and the humans. So it is not permissible for any of them to deviate from the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), whoever he may be. So we ask Allah for guidance and success for everyone, and knowledge of the religion, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah. Yes.