The Ruling on Attaching Oneself to Graves, Exalting Them, and Visiting Them

Question:
Your Eminence! This questioner is from Addis Ababa, Eritrea. He says in this question: What is the ruling in the Shari'ah regarding attaching oneself to the graves of the righteous, exalting them, and visiting them? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
This requires a detailed explanation: visiting graves is prescribed for the purpose of making du'a' for their inhabitants, seeking mercy for them, and asking forgiveness for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Therefore, visiting the graves of the righteous, the good, and relatives, and making du'a' for them and asking forgiveness for them, is an act of drawing near to Allah and obedience.
As for attaching oneself to graves, making du'a' to their inhabitants, or calling for aid from them, this is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is because one calls upon them saying: "My master, help me, support me, I am under your protection, I am under your patronage, pay off my debt, or fix my offspring, or cure my sick person." All of this is major shirk. This is calling upon other than Allah. If one does this with the graves of the righteous, or with the jinn, or with absent people, or with the angels, it is major shirk. We ask Allah for safety from it. This is based on the saying of the Exalted and Majestic: [Az-Zumar: 65], and His saying, the Exalted and Majestic: [Al-Ma'idah: 72], and His saying, the Exalted: [Fatir: 13], [Fatir: 14]. He named their calling as shirk. And He said, the Exalted: [Al-Mu'minun: 117].
This is a point of consensus among the people of the Sunnah and the community, with no disagreement. The one who calls upon the dead, or calls for aid from the dead, or from the jinn, or from the angels, or from the prophets, or similar to that, all of this is major shirk. This is because all the prophets have died, and none remain except Isa (Jesus), who is raised and absent in the sky.
And the angels are absent, so it is not permissible to call upon them or seek aid from them. Likewise, absent people are not called upon or sought for aid from, except through a sensory means, such as writing, or the telephone. One speaks to him by telephone while he is in another country, saying: "Lend me such and such," or "Send me such and such." There is no harm in this, just as if he spoke to him by telephone or by writing, there is no harm, like the present person. However, if one believes that this absent person has a secret and that he knows the unseen, and addresses him from afar saying: "Fulfill my need, support me," believing that he knows the unseen and hears his du'a', or calls upon the angels, or calls upon the dead and seeks aid from the dead, all of this is major shirk. We ask Allah for safety from it.