The Prohibition of Vowing to the Awliya and the Righteous
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner asks: Is making a vow to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous forbidden? How is it permissible, and how is it forbidden? What is the ruling on those who are rewarded?
Answer:
Making a vow to the righteous, or drawing near to them through slaughtering animals, or through vows, or through supplication, is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). So the one who vows a prayer, or a sacrificial animal, to the righteous—whether to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or to 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or to al-Siddiq, or to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, or calls out to them for aid, or slaughters for them, or makes a vow, or prostrates to them—he disbelieves in Allah; it becomes major disbelief. Or he calls out to them, saying, "O my master 'Ali, or O Prophet of Allah, or O Messenger of Allah, forgive me, or help me," or "O my master al-Badawi, forgive me, or help me," or "O 'Ali, or O Abu Bakr, or O 'Umar, or O so-and-so"—all of this is major shirk.
So supplicating to the dead, calling out to the dead for aid, making vows for them, slaughtering for them, and seeking their help—all of this is major shirk. This is the religion of the polytheists; this is the religion of the polytheists. We seek refuge in Allah from that.
And likewise, prostrating to them, and likewise, slaughtering for them, and likewise, seeking aid from them, and likewise, doing so for those who are absent, even if they are alive. If they are absent and one believes that they hear him and respond to him, while he is in a distant land, and he calls out to them for aid, seeks their help, and asks them to fulfill his needs—because he believes in them that they know the unseen, or that they provide aid from afar—this is major shirk, like calling out to the dead for aid. We ask Allah for well-being.
As for the way of writing, where one writes a letter and says to so-and-so, "Buy me such-and-such," or "Give me such-and-such," or "Lend me such-and-such," and writes him a letter, there is no harm in that while he is alive, or by telephone, where he speaks to him by telephone; this is not a problem. But if one believes in the absent person in a distant land that he does not hear his words, and believes in him that he hears him, or knows the unseen, or hears his words from afar because of his belief in the secret within him, and calls out to him for aid, or asks him to fulfill a need, or for help with such-and-such—this is major shirk, like the dead, like asking the dead. We ask Allah for well-being.
The presenter: May Allah reward you and bless you.
The questioner asks: Is making a vow to the awliya (close friends of Allah) and the righteous forbidden? How is it permissible, and how is it forbidden? What is the ruling on those who are rewarded?
Answer:
Making a vow to the righteous, or drawing near to them through slaughtering animals, or through vows, or through supplication, is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). So the one who vows a prayer, or a sacrificial animal, to the righteous—whether to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or to 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, or to al-Siddiq, or to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, or calls out to them for aid, or slaughters for them, or makes a vow, or prostrates to them—he disbelieves in Allah; it becomes major disbelief. Or he calls out to them, saying, "O my master 'Ali, or O Prophet of Allah, or O Messenger of Allah, forgive me, or help me," or "O my master al-Badawi, forgive me, or help me," or "O 'Ali, or O Abu Bakr, or O 'Umar, or O so-and-so"—all of this is major shirk.
So supplicating to the dead, calling out to the dead for aid, making vows for them, slaughtering for them, and seeking their help—all of this is major shirk. This is the religion of the polytheists; this is the religion of the polytheists. We seek refuge in Allah from that.
And likewise, prostrating to them, and likewise, slaughtering for them, and likewise, seeking aid from them, and likewise, doing so for those who are absent, even if they are alive. If they are absent and one believes that they hear him and respond to him, while he is in a distant land, and he calls out to them for aid, seeks their help, and asks them to fulfill his needs—because he believes in them that they know the unseen, or that they provide aid from afar—this is major shirk, like calling out to the dead for aid. We ask Allah for well-being.
As for the way of writing, where one writes a letter and says to so-and-so, "Buy me such-and-such," or "Give me such-and-such," or "Lend me such-and-such," and writes him a letter, there is no harm in that while he is alive, or by telephone, where he speaks to him by telephone; this is not a problem. But if one believes in the absent person in a distant land that he does not hear his words, and believes in him that he hears him, or knows the unseen, or hears his words from afar because of his belief in the secret within him, and calls out to him for aid, or asks him to fulfill a need, or for help with such-and-such—this is major shirk, like the dead, like asking the dead. We ask Allah for well-being.
The presenter: May Allah reward you and bless you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.