The Ruling on Seeking Aid from the Inhabitants of Graves

Question:
The first message in this episode is from the Yemeni Republic, Hadramaut, sent by the listener Abd al-Hafiz Abd al-Rahman Ba'Abbad. Our brother Ba'Abbad has a question in which he says: We have graves that are said to be the graves of some of the righteous. Some people visit them to ward off evil from them, to bring them good, and to cure their illnesses, as they claim. They say that this righteous person has a status in this matter. At the end of their visit, they place some money on this grave. What is the ruling on their action?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Indeed, Allah has prescribed for His servants visiting the graves for the sake of remembrance, seeking forgiveness for the deceased, and making du'a for them, as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to tell his companions, may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him, to say when they visited the graves: , and he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say when he visited al-Baqi': and he would say: then he would say: This is the Sunnah: to make du'a for them at the time of visiting and to seek mercy for them, because they are in need of du'a.
As for visiting them to seek healing for the sick, or to seek aid and victory over enemies, or the like of that, this is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is disbelief in Allah. This is not permissible. This is the state of the worshippers of idols, who hope for the dead, the idols, the trees, the stones, and the stars, and ask them to fulfill their needs, relieve their distress, and heal the sick, and ask them for aid in everything that helps them. All of this is major shirk. So it is obligatory to beware of this evil action.
The graves of the righteous are visited to make du'a for them and to seek mercy for them, not to make du'a to them other than to Allah. There is no difference between al-Idris, or Ibn 'Alwan, or anyone else. All graves, even the graves of the Prophets, even the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the grave of al-Siddiq, and 'Umar, and all the people of al-Baqi', they are not called upon with Allah. They are not sought for aid. No vows are made to them. Even the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is addressed by saying: (Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! And the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May Allah reward you for your Ummah with the best and most beautiful reward). And one does not make du'a to anyone other than Allah. One does not say to him: "Give us aid," or "Heal our sick," or "Help us." This is major shirk.
And so it is with al-Siddiq, and so it is with 'Umar, so it is with 'Uthman, so it is with 'Ali, so it is with the graves of the people of the House (Ahl al-Bayt) all together; they do not call upon anyone with Allah, it is not said: "Help us," or "Heal our sick," or "You know our needs." All of this is major shirk, and the unseen is not known except by Allah . Allah the Exalted said: : [Surat al-Naml: 65]. It is He who knows the unseen (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And when a necklace fell from 'A'ishah during one of the journeys, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made the people dismount and sought the necklace, and sent people to look for it and search for it. He did not know where it was (peace and blessings be upon him), and he is the master of creation and the best of them. He did not know where the necklace was. He asked them to search for it, but they did not find it. When they saddled the camel on which 'A'ishah was riding, they found it underneath it.
If he had known the unseen, he would have said: "Look under the camel," and he would not have needed to send people to look for it.
And when the hypocrites slandered 'A'ishah, and some people followed them and slandered her, he did not know the truth, and he waited until the revelation came to him with her safety and her innocence, may Allah be pleased with her and satisfy her.
So the unseen is not known except by Allah. It is not known by a Prophet, nor by an angel, nor by anyone else, except what Allah has taught His servants, except what Allah revealed to His Prophets and taught them.
So they are not called upon with Allah, and they are not sought for aid. And they are Prophets. Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Jinn: 18]. This (one) is general. It is an indefinite noun in the context of prohibition, which includes the Prophets and others. He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Mu'minun: 117].
So He named the one who calls upon other than Allah a disbeliever, meaning: the callers of the dead and the Prophets, and the calling of the trees and the idols, and the like of that. And Allah said to His Prophet: [Surah Yunus: 106], meaning: the polytheists.
And the intent is to warn him (peace and blessings be upon him) and to warn the Ummah. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) does not associate partners with Allah; Allah has protected him from this. But the intent is to warn the Ummah, and to make clear that this matter is serious, and that it is not permissible for anyone to do it.
And so is His saying, the Exalted: [Surah al-Zumar: 65]. Allah revealed this matter to him so that people would know that shirk (associating partners with Allah) is forbidden, and that it is the greatest of sins, and that it is forbidden for the Prophets, and for others.
And He, the Exalted, said: "If you call them, they will not hear your call, and even if they heard, they would not respond to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disavow your shirk (associating partners with Allah), and none can inform you like one who is well-informed" [Surah Fatir: 13-14] (Mighty and Majestic) . So He made calling upon other than Allah, whoever it is, shirk (associating partners with Allah). And He informed that those who are called do not hear the call of those who call, and that even if they heard, they would not respond.
So it is obligatory to beware of this grave shirk, and to warn people of it. And it is obligatory upon the scholars in every place to make this great matter clear to people, and to warn them from attaching themselves to the graves, and attaching themselves to the dead, and seeking aid from them, and making vows to them, and asking them for aid and help. All of this is among the heinous prohibitions, indeed, it is major shirk. And if this is not permissible with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and with the Rightly Guided Caliphs, how is it permissible with al-Idris, or with Ibn 'Alwan, or with Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir, or with 'Ali, or with al-Hasan, or with Fatimah, or with others? It is never permissible with anyone. Worship is the right of Allah alone. He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Dhariyat: 56]. And He said: [Surah Ghafir: 60]. And He said: [Surah al-Baqarah: 21]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Fatihah: 5]. So He is the One worshipped in truth, and He is the One from whom help is sought (Exalted and Majestic is He). So no one is called upon with Him, no angel, no Prophet, no idol, no tree, no stone, no dead person. Worship is the right of Allah alone (Glorified and Exalted is He). He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Bayyinah: 5]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Zumar: 2]. And He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Surah Ghafir: 14].
As for the living, there is no harm in saying to him: "O 'Abdullah! Help me with such and such." To the living person present, you say: "Help me with repairing my car," "Lend me such and such." A living person hears you and is able to do it. You say to him: "Help me with such and such," "Help me with building my house," "Help me with holding my mount," "Help me with repairing my car." This is not a problem, as Allah said in the story of Musa (peace be upon him) : [Surah al-Qasas: 15]. Because he is a living person who is able to do it. As for the dead, they are not called upon with Allah. And so it is with the idols, so it is with the trees and the stones, so it is with the stars. All of that is major shirk. We ask Allah for safety.
So my advice to every Muslim is to beware of this. And upon the scholars is to warn people of this grave shirk. Upon the scholars in every place is to fear Allah, and to pay attention to this matter, in writing, and in the Friday sermons, and in other ways. And so it is with visiting the graves, so that people are alerted. The grave to which du'a is made other than to Allah is visited so that its people are alerted. The scholar visits it and says: "O people, this is not permissible. Greet them and make du'a for them with forgiveness and mercy. As for making du'a to them other than to Allah: 'Aid, aid, O my master so-and-so, intercede for us, help us,' this... this is major shirk. We seek refuge in Allah. So it is necessary to beware. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.