The Ruling on Praying Behind One Who Has Committed Some Acts of Shirk (Associating Partners with Allah)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A message was received by the program from a listener (M. A. M.) from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He asks: Is it permissible to pray behind an imam who has committed some acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), if he is ignorant of the ruling regarding what he has done?
Answer:
It is not permissible to pray behind one who engages in some acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) after being certain of it; because some people may think that a certain thing is shirk, when it is not shirk. So, if it is known that this imam engages in some shirk-like actions, it is not permissible to pray behind him. If it is known that he calls upon other than Allah, such as al-Badawi, or al-Husayn, or al-Hasan, the sons of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), or Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, or others among the people, or calls upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or other prophets, one does not pray behind him. This is disbelief, and one does not pray behind him.
As for if he swears by other than Allah, this is not major shirk, but rather minor shirk, such as the one who says: "By the Ka'bah," or "By the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)," or "By trustworthiness." The prayer behind him is valid; because this is minor shirk, which does not take him out of Islam. However, he should not remain an imam. He should be removed from the imamate, unless he repents and knows the Shari'ah ruling. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. But as long as he persists in swearing by other than Allah, or in open sins, he should not remain an imam. He is engaging in some open sins, or some acts of minor shirk. He should be removed and replaced by one who is better than him.
As for if he engages in what is major shirk, such as calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, or from idols, or from prophets, or from the jinn, or from the angels, this is major shirk; because Allah the Exalted says: [Yunus:106]. Meaning: the polytheists. When oppression is mentioned in a general sense, it refers to shirk, as He the Exalted said: [al-Baqarah:254].
And He the Exalted said: [Luqman:13]. And He the Exalted said: [al-Mu'minun:117]. So He named them disbelievers for their calling upon other than Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), by calling upon the dead, whether a righteous person, a prophet, or other, or calling upon the angels. Even if they were alive, they would be occupied with their own affairs and unable to answer you. Or the jinn, likewise. Allah the Exalted said: [Fatir:13]. Al-qatmīr: the husk on the date pit. [Fatir:13] [Fatir:14] So He named their calling shirk. Thus, it is known that calling upon the dead, or the angels, or the jinn is all major shirk, from which one must beware.
And He the Exalted said: [al-Jinn:18]. "Anyone" is a general term, encompassing the prophets, the angels, the jinn, the righteous, and others. An indefinite noun in the context of prohibition encompasses everyone. And Allah the Exalted says: [al-An'am:88]. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [al-Zumar:65]. So the shirk that the disbelievers of Quraysh were upon is this. They worshipped idols and called upon Hubal, al-Lat, al-'Uzzah, and other idols and the dead. They sought aid from them and made vows for them. So Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to call them to the oneness of Allah and to warn them of this shirk. When they persisted and were arrogant, he migrated from among them to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, and Allah established His religion there through him, and it became the Islamic capital there. Then there occurred between him and them the wars that are well known, such as the Battle of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench. Allah gave him victory over them at Badr and the Trench, and the Muslims were tested at Uhud with what Allah made a purification for them. Then Allah opened Makkah for him, and the people entered into the religion of Allah in great numbers.
So the conclusion is: this shirk that people do today at the shrine of al-Badawi, or at the shrine of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or at the shrines of others, all of it is the shirk that the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) did. It is all the shirk of Quraysh and their like, in calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, circumambulating graves, and other types of shirk. We ask Allah for safety and well-being.
It is obligatory upon the scholars to advise the people. It is obligatory upon the scholars in every land to fear Allah, and to declare their advice in writing, and in the sermons in the congregations, and by visiting the graveyards; so that they call upon those who are around the graveyards, teaching them and guiding them to the Shari'ah-prescribed visit. The Shari'ah-prescribed visit is to visit the graves to make du'a' (supplication) for them and seek mercy for them. This is the Shari'ah-prescribed visit. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1569Sahih (Darussalam) And he (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions when they visited the graves to say: Sunan Ibn Majah 1547Sahih (Darussalam).
And when he (peace and blessings be upon him) visited al-Baqi', he would say: He did not call upon them, nor seek aid from them. Nor did the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them peace), nor the people of knowledge and faith.
It is not permissible for anyone to be content with his own opinion and his own desires. Rather, he should ask and study Islamic jurisprudence, read the Qur'an, read the Sunnah, and look into the biography of the Companions, the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions. He should look into the biography, the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the people of Makkah, when he was in Makkah calling them to the oneness of Allah. And he should look into his biography with the people of al-Madinah, and look into the biography of the Companions and what they were upon, so that he may be upon clear knowledge. This is the religion. The religion is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon. This is the religion. As for what people have innovated after that which contradicts it, it is not the religion. We ask Allah for all of us guidance, clear knowledge, and understanding of the religion. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
A message was received by the program from a listener (M. A. M.) from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He asks: Is it permissible to pray behind an imam who has committed some acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), if he is ignorant of the ruling regarding what he has done?
Answer:
It is not permissible to pray behind one who engages in some acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) after being certain of it; because some people may think that a certain thing is shirk, when it is not shirk. So, if it is known that this imam engages in some shirk-like actions, it is not permissible to pray behind him. If it is known that he calls upon other than Allah, such as al-Badawi, or al-Husayn, or al-Hasan, the sons of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), or Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, or others among the people, or calls upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) or other prophets, one does not pray behind him. This is disbelief, and one does not pray behind him.
As for if he swears by other than Allah, this is not major shirk, but rather minor shirk, such as the one who says: "By the Ka'bah," or "By the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)," or "By trustworthiness." The prayer behind him is valid; because this is minor shirk, which does not take him out of Islam. However, he should not remain an imam. He should be removed from the imamate, unless he repents and knows the Shari'ah ruling. If he repents, Allah will accept his repentance. But as long as he persists in swearing by other than Allah, or in open sins, he should not remain an imam. He is engaging in some open sins, or some acts of minor shirk. He should be removed and replaced by one who is better than him.
As for if he engages in what is major shirk, such as calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, or from idols, or from prophets, or from the jinn, or from the angels, this is major shirk; because Allah the Exalted says:
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.'"
وَلا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَAnd the disbelievers - they are the wrongdoers.
وَالْكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَAnd He the Exalted said:
Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice."
إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌAnd 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 لا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَThat 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 قِطْمِيرٍAnd those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed.
وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْ قِطْمِيرٍIf you invoke them, they do not hear your supplication; and if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection they will deny your association. And none can inform you like [one] Acquainted [with all matters].
إِنْ تَدْعُوهُمْ لا يَسْمَعُوا دُعَاءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُوا مَا اسْتَجَابُوا لَكُمْ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ وَلا يُنَبِّئُكَ مِثْلُ خَبِيرٍAnd He the Exalted said:
And [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone.
وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًاBut if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَAnd it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers."
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَSo the conclusion is: this shirk that people do today at the shrine of al-Badawi, or at the shrine of Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or at the shrines of others, all of it is the shirk that the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah) did. It is all the shirk of Quraysh and their like, in calling upon the dead, seeking aid from the dead, circumambulating graves, and other types of shirk. We ask Allah for safety and well-being.
It is obligatory upon the scholars to advise the people. It is obligatory upon the scholars in every land to fear Allah, and to declare their advice in writing, and in the sermons in the congregations, and by visiting the graveyards; so that they call upon those who are around the graveyards, teaching them and guiding them to the Shari'ah-prescribed visit. The Shari'ah-prescribed visit is to visit the graves to make du'a' (supplication) for them and seek mercy for them. This is the Shari'ah-prescribed visit. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.
زوروا القبور؛ فإنها تذكركم الآخرةAs-salamu ‘alaykum ahlad-diyar minal-mu’minina wal- muslimin, wa inna insha’ Allah bikum lahiqun, nas’alul-laha lana wa lakumul-‘afiyah
السلام عليكم أهل الديار، من المؤمنين والمسلمين، وإنا -إن شاء الله- بكم لاحقون، نسأل الله لنا ولكم العافية، يرحم الله المستقدمين منا والمستأخرينAnd when he (peace and blessings be upon him) visited al-Baqi', he would say:
Peace be upon you, abode of a people of faith. And we, if Allah wills, are to follow you. Tomorrow we are delayed. You have come to you what you were promised. Then he would say: O Allah, forgive the people of al-Baqi' al-Gharqad.
السلام عليكم دار قوم مؤمنين، وإنا -إن شاء الله- بكم لاحقون، غدًا مؤجلون، أتاكم ما توعدون، ثم يقول: اللهم اغفر لأهل بقيع الغرقدIt is not permissible for anyone to be content with his own opinion and his own desires. Rather, he should ask and study Islamic jurisprudence, read the Qur'an, read the Sunnah, and look into the biography of the Companions, the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions. He should look into the biography, the biography of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the people of Makkah, when he was in Makkah calling them to the oneness of Allah. And he should look into his biography with the people of al-Madinah, and look into the biography of the Companions and what they were upon, so that he may be upon clear knowledge. This is the religion. The religion is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon. This is the religion. As for what people have innovated after that which contradicts it, it is not the religion. We ask Allah for all of us guidance, clear knowledge, and understanding of the religion. There is no power and no strength except with Allah. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.