The Obligation of Caring for Creed

Question:
The listener (S. A. M. L.) from Ethiopia, residing in the city of Jeddah, sent a message saying: I learned some religious sciences in my country, Ethiopia, but I do not know their correctness, especially regarding creed, as they are interspersed with some Sufi wanderings. I realized this after arriving in this country. I ask for your guidance. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Creed is the most important of matters; it is the root of the religion and the foundation of the faith. It is with it that the messengers, peace be upon them, began with their nations, and it is with it that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began with his nation. He remained in Makkah for ten years after the prophethood, calling to the oneness of Allah, sincerity to Him, belief in His names and attributes, that He is the Lord of all the worlds, that He is the Creator and the All-Knowing, and that He is the sole one worthy of worship. The Arabs knew that Allah is the Lord of all the worlds and their Creator, but they took alongside Him equals and gods from trees, stones, idols, the children of Adam, the jinn, and others. ... He (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified to them that worship is the right of Allah alone, and that it is obligatory upon them to be sincere in worship to Allah alone. He said: . When he said this to them, they rejected it, and Allah revealed concerning them that they said: [Surah Sad: 5].
So creed is the most important of matters and the foundation of the religion. It is obligatory for the student of knowledge to care for it until he masters it with insight and knows it with clarity.
The summary of this is that what the people of the Sunnah and the community are upon, and what Allah sent the messengers with, and sent with them their seal, our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), is faith in Allah alone, and sincerity in the worship of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), and faith that He is the sole one worthy of worship. So He alone is called upon, He alone is called for aid, He alone is relied upon, and to Him alone one draws near with sacrifices and vows. … and so on with other acts of worship, as He the Exalted said: [al-Bayyinah:5], He the Exalted said: [al-Isra:23], and He the Exalted said: [al-Fatihah:5], and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : There is no partner for Him, and with that I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims [al-An'am:162-163].
This worship is the purpose for which Allah created the two heavy burdens, as He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Dhariyat: 56]. The meaning is: to make me exclusive in worship through supplication, fear, hope, reliance, prayer, fasting, slaughter, vows, and the like. And Allah sent the messengers with this . He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Nahl: 36]. And taghut is everything worshipped besides Allah. He, the Exalted, said: [Surah al-Anbiya: 25].
So drawing near to the people of graves with sacrifices or vows or supplication or seeking healing or aid is from associating partners with Allah , and it contradicts the saying: There is no god but Allah. It is obligatory upon the Muslims to worship Allah alone and to make Him exclusive in their supplication, fear, hope, slaughter, vows, prayers, fasting, and the like.
As for the deceased Muslims, one supplicates for them with forgiveness and mercy. Their graves are visited for the remembrance of the Hereafter... the remembrance of death, and for supplicating for them: O Allah, forgive them, O Allah, have mercy on them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit the graves and supplicate for them with forgiveness and mercy, saying: . And he used to teach his companions when they visited the graves to say: . So he taught his companions to supplicate for the deceased, seek forgiveness for them, and ask for mercy for them, not to be called upon alongside Allah, nor to be called for aid, nor to be asked for help. No, they are incapable of that. This is in the hand of Allah , and they are in need of supplication for them, in need of their Muslim brother supplicating for them and seeking forgiveness for them.
He used to visit al-Baqi' (peace and blessings be upon him) and say: . He used to supplicate for them (peace and blessings be upon him). This is the obligation and this is the prescribed practice in visiting the dead: supplicating for them, asking for mercy for them, and seeking forgiveness for them. As for asking them for aid, aid, aid, O so-and-so! This is from major shirk. Or O my master, heal my sick one, O my master al-Badawi, O my master al-Husayn, or O so-and-so, or O so-and-so, this... or heal our sick ones, or aid, aid, or help us, or the like of this. This is not permissible; rather, this is from the types of major shirk. And so if one does this with idols or with trees or with the jinn, it is all shirk with Allah .
As for the living, there is no harm in asking him for what he is capable of from ordinary matters, the living person who is present and capable. You say: O my brother! Help me with such-and-such, lend me such-and-such, be a servant to your servant, come to your servant, or to your wife, stop him from me, do not harm with such-and-such, your servant harmed so-and-so, harmed your neighbors, so that the harm is prevented from him. The ordinary thing is not a problem between people and is not shirk. Shirk is asking the deceased, or calling for aid to the deceased, or to the absent ones, believing that they have a secret, that they hear from afar, calling them, asking them for aid. This is major shirk.
As for a living person who is present and capable, you address him in matters he is capable of, or you write to him, or by telephone, you say to him: Lend me such-and-such, or help me in my farm with such-and-such, or sell me such-and-such, or what do you think about such-and-such, you consult him about such-and-such. These are ordinary matters between Muslims and non-Muslims, between the living, whether by way of speech, or by way of writing, or by way of telephone - the phone - or telegram, or the like of that. These are ordinary matters with no harm in them. The evil and shirk is that you call the deceased, or idols, stones, or trees, you call them, you ask them for intercession, you ask them for aid, for help, or the absent ones from you whom you believe hear you, that they have a secret, or you call the jinn or the like of that. This is the evil and this is the shirk that the messengers, peace be upon them, rejected, and our Prophet, peace be upon him, rejected, and Allah sent the messengers to reject it and warn against it.
We ask Allah to guide the Muslims to all good, and to make the Muslims see what brings His pleasure, and to guide all the Muslims to understanding in the religion.

The presenter: O Allah, amen. May Allah reward you with good.