The Ruling on Supplicating to the Dead, Seeking Their Aid, and Making Vows to Them

This is a message we received from Ahmad Jasm al-Rashidi from Mosul, Iraq. He says: I send my best greetings to your beloved radio station among the Muslims in all corners of the world. The Nida al-Islam radio station from Makkah al-Mukarramah has a very large number of listeners in the Iraqi Republic, especially in the city of Mosul, and I am among these listeners. I have a question directed to the honorable scholars, and I hope for an answer. He says: In the city of Mosul, there is a shrine called the Shrine of Shaykh: Fathi Abu Abdullah. This Shaykh has a great influence on the people of Mosul, especially the women. When they fall ill or are afflicted with harm, they go to visit Shaykh Fathi and they receive immediate healing. They also make supplications and vows to Shaykh Fathi when they are healed from their illness. The phrases they say are: a vow for the sake of Allah, and the second for Abu Abdullah, or they say: a vow to Allah and Shaykh Fathi, or to Allah and its reward for Abu Abdullah. My question is: Is this lawful or forbidden? Please inform us, may Allah reward you, and peace be upon you?
Answer: I do not know the owner of this grave mentioned by the questioner, but in any case, it is not permissible to visit graves to supplicate to them, seek the aid of their occupants, or make vows to them, whether it is this grave or another, not the grave of al-Fath or any other. It is not permissible for Muslims, male or female, to visit graves to supplicate to them, seek the aid of their occupants, make vows to them, rub against their graves, or do anything similar. Rather, this is an abomination and is not permissible. Supplicating to the dead and seeking their aid is shirk (associating partners with Allah), one of the types of major shirk.
Therefore, the scholars must clarify to women and others that this is not permissible, and that they should ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). If a calamity befalls them, such as illness or otherwise, they should ask Allah and humble themselves to Him in their prostrations, at the end of the prayer, at the end of the night, and between the adhan and the iqamah. They should ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) for healing and well-being, and among that is... and ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation), where some of them perform ruqyah on others, such as the lawful ruqyah: , and by reciting and the two chapters of protection (al-Mu'awwidhatayn), al-Fatihah, the Verse of the Throne, and other verses from the Qur'an.
The point is: visiting graves to ask their occupants for healing or victory or the like is an abomination and is major shirk. This is from the practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah). Graves are only visited to greet them, to visit the graves to greet their occupants, supplicate for them, and seek mercy for them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions when they visited graves to say: and to supplicate for them, saying: O Allah, forgive them, O Allah, have mercy on them, and the like. This is the lawful visitation.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited the graves of al-Baqi', and he said: This is the lawful visitation. As for visiting to supplicate to the dead or seek their aid, this is major shirk. Or circling around their grave hoping for their intercession, hoping for their benefit, hoping that they will heal their illness, all of this is major shirk. Likewise, rubbing against the soil of the grave, and seeking healing with the soil of the grave, this is from the practice of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance and from the shirk that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has forbidden.
Therefore, it is obligatory upon the scholars to alert the general public and clarify to them that this is not permissible, and that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) is the One who is asked and hoped for in healing illness, victory over enemies, and the like, (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the One who said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Surah al-Jinn: 18], and He said: [Surah Ghafir: 60], and He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Surah Yunus: 106]. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
Therefore, it is not permissible to supplicate to anyone other than Allah, not a close angel, nor a sent prophet. Rather, supplication is for Allah alone. He is the One who is hoped for and supplicated to, (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is not permissible to say: O Messenger of Allah! Heal my sick one, help me. Or: O Shaykh Abu Abdullah! Help me. Or: O Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani! Help me or heal my sick one. Or: O Shaykh... Or: O my master al-Badawi! Or: O my master al-Husayn! Or the like of this. All of this is an abomination and all of it is major shirk.
Therefore, it is obligatory to be alert to this matter, from the brothers in Iraq and elsewhere. It is obligatory upon the scholars, may Allah guide them, to clarify to people the reality of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the reality of shirk (associating partners with Allah), and to disapprove of what the general public falls into of shirk with Allah at the graves of those they call awliya (close friends of Allah).
The result is: these are great matters that the scholars must care about and focus on, so that they may rescue the general public from shirk, and so that they may direct them to the tawhid of Allah, sincerity to Him, and supplication to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and raising their hands to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the One who heals and suffices, (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the Healer for His servants, and He is the Owner of everything and the Capable of everything, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
As for what may happen to some people, where they supplicate to the dead and are healed, this may happen as a lure, a trial, and a test. Allah is the Healer, (Glorified and Exalted is He). And the illness may be from the causes of the shayatin (devils). They cause illness for a person so that when he supplicates to the dead, they cease what they had done to him.
The result is that this is not a proof. The fact that a sick person comes to the dead, supplicates to him, seeks his aid, and is quickly healed, this may be a lure, a trial, and a test to test his patience and faith. So he should not be deceived by this. And he may coincide with the divine decree that Allah decreed for healing, and he thinks it is from the causes of the dead. And it may be something from the causes of the shaytan. The shaytan may do something to a person, meaning: he does with him an action that harms him and hurts him and makes him ill. So when he goes to the dead and supplicates to him and asks him, this shaytan ceases from him, so that he may lure him into shirk and cause him to fall into shirk, and so that this ignorant person thinks that this is from the work of the wali (close friend of Allah) and that he is the Healer. And this is one of the ugliest errors and abominations. So Allah is the One who heals and grants well-being, (Glorified and Exalted is He).
The wali (close friend of Allah) and the non-wali, they do not possess for themselves any harm or benefit, nor death, nor life, nor resurrection. They are owned by Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He). He is the Benefactor and the Harmer, (Mighty and Majestic). One should be alert to this matter. Yes.