The Ruling on Supplicating to the Inhabitants of Graves and Seeking Their Aid

Question:
We return, at the beginning of this episode, to the message from listener Ahmad Abdullah Muhammad Ali Jum'a from Sudan. Brother Ahmad, we presented some of his questions in a previous episode, and in this episode he asks, saying: I have seen some people visit the domes that contain the graves of the awliya (close friends of Allah), and they ask them for mercy, good, and health. What is the ruling in Islam regarding these people?
May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
Indeed, Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) has prescribed for His servants what is in their well-being and what leads to their salvation in this world and the Hereafter, and He has forbidden them everything that harms them in this world and the Hereafter. He sent the messengers as bringers of good news and warners (peace be upon them), bringing good news to those who obeyed them and stood firm on what they called to, with Paradise and happiness, victory in this world, and salvation from the Hereafter, and warning those who disobeyed them with humiliation in this world and misery in the Hereafter.
The greatest, most important, and most obligatory of what Allah sent the messengers with is the oneness of Allah (tawhid), sincerity to Him, and directing worship to Him (Exalted and Majestic is He). This is the most important call of the messengers, and this is its essence: the sincerity of worship to Allah alone, as He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Surat al-Anbiya: 25]. And He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Nahl: 36]. This is the greatest and most important call of the messengers, and this is its foundation: the oneness of Allah, sincerity to Him, and not worshipping anyone alongside Him, neither a prophet, nor an angel, nor a tree, nor a stone, nor an idol, nor anything else.
Building domes over graves and shrines over graves is among the means of shirk (associating partners with Allah); because this is an exaltation of graves. When domes are built over them and mosques are established on them, the common people exalt them, call upon them instead of Allah, seek their aid, and make vows to them. This is major shirk. So, supplicating to the dead, seeking the aid of the dead, and making vows for them, this is major shirk. This is the opposite of the call of the messengers, the opposite of the tawhid with which Allah sent the messengers.
When Allah sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he said to his people: and he forbade them from worshipping anyone alongside Allah. He forbade them from worshipping alongside Allah al-'Uzza, or Manat, or al-Lat, or anything else. He commanded them to be sincere in worship to Allah alone, and Allah revealed to him regarding that: [Surat al-Isra: 23] "Know that to Allah belongs the pure religion" [Surat al-Zumar: 2-3], [Surat al-Bayyinah: 5] [Surat al-Fatihah: 5].
It is obligatory to worship Allah alone, and it is not permissible to build domes over graves, nor mosques over them. Rather, the deceased is buried, and his grave is raised by the height of a hand-span from the ground so that it is known that he is dead and so that it is not desecrated. It is not permissible to call upon anyone alongside Allah, nor to build a dome or a mosque over it. But it is left open and exposed, as were the graves of the Companions in Medina during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and after him.
It is not permissible to invoke the dead along with Allah, nor to call upon them for aid, nor to say: “O my master, O so-and-so, help me, or support me, or I am under your protection or your guardianship,” nor to ask them for mercy, or forgiveness, or any of the matters of good, such as sustenance, or marriage, or salvation from the Fire, or entering Paradise, or the like of that. All of this is disbelief in Allah; it is all major shirk (associating partners with Allah). Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:[Surat al-Dhariyat:56] Meaning:: That they may worship Me alone, directing their worship to Me alone., and He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:[Surat al-Isra:23] Meaning: He commanded that you not worship except Him. And He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:[Surat al-Nisa:36] And He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:[Yunus:106] meaning: the polytheists, and He, the Exalted, said:[Al-Mu'minun:117] so He called them disbelievers, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:: Know that the pure religion belongs to Allah alone, and those who have taken others besides Him as awliya (close friends of Allah) say, "We do not worship them except to bring us closer to Allah in nearness." Indeed, Allah will judge between them regarding that in which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a liar and a disbeliever.[Al-Zumar:2-3].
So He, the Exalted, commanded His worship alone (Exalted and Majestic is He), and the sincerity of worship to Him , and He informed that the polytheists took others besides Him as awliya (close friends of Allah), saying: [Surat al-Zumar: 3]. So they worship al-Lat, al-'Uzza, and the idols, and call upon them, and seek their aid, and say: "We do not intend except that they bring us closer to Allah in nearness, that they intercede for us with Allah," as in the verse of Yunus. He, the Exalted, says: [Surat Yunus: 18]. So He, the Exalted, refuted them by saying: [Surat Yunus: 18]. And in the verse of al-Zumar, He (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Surat al-Zumar: 3], meaning: they say: "We do not worship them" [Surat al-Zumar: 3]. So He, the Exalted, refuted them by saying: [Surat al-Zumar: 3].
So He made clear that they do not bring them closer to Allah; rather, they are disbelievers with this, and liars. So nearness to Allah is by His call (Exalted is He), and His worship alone, and asking Him. This is what brings them closer to Allah and saves them by His grace (Exalted is He). "O Lord, help me," "O Lord, aid me," "O Lord, make marriage to a righteous woman easy for me," "O Lord, pay off my debt," "O Lord, admit me into Paradise," "O Lord, forgive me," "O Lord, have mercy on me." This is what Allah has prescribed, and this is the worship of Allah, and this is tawhid.
As for saying: "O my master al-Badawi, have mercy on me," or "I am under your guardianship," or "help me," this is major shirk. Or "O my master al-Husayn," or "O my master Ali ibn Abi Talib," or "O my master al-Hasan," or "O Fatimah," or the like of that, this is major shirk. This is the worship of other than Allah, which the messengers denied, and which our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) denied. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed them in Mecca, on some days, he said: So he informed them (peace be upon him) that it does not benefit them from Allah, but rather they must ransom themselves from Allah by tawhid, faith, and obedience.
These are the people closest to him, his daughter, his uncle, and his aunt. He informed them that it does not save them from Allah, nor does it save them from the punishment of Allah, nor does it benefit them from Allah in any way, except that they make tawhid of Allah and worship Him alone. Even Fatimah, his daughter, he said: .
So it is obligatory upon everyone to worship Allah alone, and to ask Him alone (Exalted is He), and to seek His aid alone, and to fulfill His right through prayer, zakah, fasting, Hajj, dutifulness to parents, maintaining family ties, truthfulness in speech, and leaving what Allah has forbidden of the other sins, such as zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), drinking intoxicants, sodomy, undutifulness to parents, cutting off family ties, and false testimony, and other than this of sins. It is obligatory to leave them in obedience to Allah, and in exaltation of Allah, and in drawing near to Him .
This is the religion, and this is what Allah sent the messengers with, and with which He sent down the books, and with which He sent the Seal of the messengers, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah sent him calling people to the oneness of Allah, and sincerity to Him, and to obey His commands, which He commanded His servants with, such as prayer, fasting, zakah, Hajj, and other than that. And He sent him forbidding them from what Allah has forbidden them; for this reason, it is authentic from him (peace be upon him) that he said: It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, who refuses?" He said: So whoever obeys the Messenger and follows the Shari'ah, for him is Paradise, and whoever disobeys him, for him is the Fire. We ask Allah for well-being.
So my advice to everyone who fears Allah, to everyone who hopes in Allah, is to worship Allah alone, and to single Him out with his supplication, seeking of aid, vows, and slaughter, and other than that, just as he singles Him out with his prayer, his fasting, and his other acts of worship, for Allah alone.
This is tawhid, and this is faith, and this is the meaning of His saying (Exalted and Majestic is He): [Surat al-Dhariyat: 56]. And the meaning of His saying (Exalted is He): [Surat al-Baqarah: 21] is: make tawhid of Him, single Him out with worship, with your supplication, your fear, your hope, your slaughter, your vows, your prayer, and your fasting.
As for the one who comes to the people of the domes and calls upon them alongside Allah, this is major shirk, whether they are prophets or others. The one who says: "O Messenger of Allah, help me," this is major shirk, after his death (peace and blessings be upon him). As for in his lifetime, saying: "Give me such and such," "Give me from the wealth of Allah that is with you," "Help me with such and such," there is no harm in his lifetime (peace and blessings be upon him), just as it is said to kings and others: "Help us in your lifetimes." But after his death, it is said: "Help us, O Messenger of Allah," or "Aid us," or "Intercede for us." No, it is asked from Allah, saying: "O Lord, intercede for Your Prophet," "O Lord, help me," "O Lord! Save me from the Fire."
Likewise, 'Umar is not called upon, nor al-Siddiq, nor 'Uthman, nor 'Ali, nor anyone else. And likewise, those after the Companions are even less to be called upon alongside Allah or sought for aid. This is the right of Allah. The dead are to be shown mercy to, and supplication is made for them. The prophets are to be followed, and supplication is made for them. They are not to be called upon alongside Allah. Worship is the right of Allah. [al-Baqarah:163], [al-Fatihah:5], [al-Isra:23], [al-Bayyinah:5].
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: meaning: one who is similar to or like him, calling upon him alongside Allah, seeking aid from him, and making vows to him. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
So it is obligatory to be cautious of this shirk (associating partners with Allah), and it is obligatory to have insight and understanding in the religion. This is obligatory upon all Muslims, in every place, and upon all those who are accountable, in every place, in the Arab lands and elsewhere, in Europe, in America, in Africa, in Asia, in every place. It is obligatory for those who are accountable to worship Allah alone, to single Him out with their supplication, their vows, their seeking of aid, and the like; because they were created for this. Allah created them to worship Him, to magnify Him, to single Him out with worship, and with this they were commanded.
And by this, O questioner, you know that building domes is an abomination and one of the means to shirk (associating partners with Allah), and likewise building mosques over graves. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha said, "He fears what they did." It is agreed upon that it is authentic. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the hadith of Jundub ibn 'Abdullah al-Bajali, saying:: Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that the people before us would take the graves of their prophets and righteous people as mosques, venerating them, praying at them, making supplication at them, and reciting at them. So he forbade them from this; he forbade them from doing this act. Therefore, it is obligatory for the servants of Allah to leave this act, because it is a means to shirk (associating partners with Allah). When a mosque or dome is built over it, the ignorant and common people come and say: “This is a wali (close friend of Allah), and this one benefits, and this one intercedes.” So they began to call upon him besides Allah and seek aid from him, and this is major shirk. We seek refuge in Allah.
And likewise, building over graves, even if it is not a mosque. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade plastering a grave, sitting on it, or building over it.” Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. Al-Tirmidhi and others added: “and writing on it.”
So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade plastering graves and building on them. This includes domes and other structures. Nothing is to be built on them. And he forbade sitting on them as well; because it is a desecration of them. So one does not sit on them; because it is a desecration. And one does not build on them, nor plaster them; because plastering them and building on them are means of magnification. If they are plastered or built upon, people magnify them until shirk occurs, calling upon them besides Allah, and magnifying them.
So it is obligatory that it be left exposed like other graves, even if it is the grave of a prophet or a righteous person, so that he is not called upon besides Allah, and so that he is not singled out with any part of worship. But when the Companions feared that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would be called upon and worshipped, they buried him in the room of 'Aishah in the house of 'Aishah, to protect him so that he would not be worshipped besides Allah. But the people of exaggeration did not leave that; they worshipped him outside the room, and in every place. They seek aid from him, and make vows to him. And this is the major shirk that he (may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him) forbade and warned against, and he said: .
So it is not permissible for anyone to exaggerate in calling upon him, calling upon him besides Allah, or making vows to him, or seeking aid from him, or slaughtering for him. All of this is major shirk.
And likewise, other prophets and righteous people are not called upon alongside Allah, nor is aid sought from them, because that is what Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has forbidden..
So you should, O servant of Allah, be at the height of caution from this shirk, its small and large aspects. And the affliction with it has become widespread in many lands, in the Arab lands and elsewhere, as is not hidden from anyone with the slightest knowledge of the conditions of people. What happens at the grave of al-Badawi, and al-Husayn, and al-Sayyidah Zaynab, and Nafisa in Egypt, and at al-'Idris in the southern Yemen, and at the grave of Ibn 'Alwan, and at other graves, and at many graves, at the grave of Ibn 'Arabi in the Levant, and at many graves in Iraq, and elsewhere, they are called upon besides Allah, and sought for aid.
So caution is obligatory. And likewise, those who come from some of the pilgrims to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), or to the graves of the Companions in al-Baqi', calling upon them besides Allah. This is an abomination and major shirk. Caution is obligatory from that. And it is obligatory for the people of knowledge to make it clear. It is obligatory for the scholars in every place—and may Allah guide them—to make it clear to the people; because ignorance may prevail over people, and they consider it religion.
So it is obligatory for the scholars—and may Allah guide them—to clarify to the people that it is obligatory to worship Allah alone, and to be sincere in worship to Allah alone, and that the people of the graves are not to be called upon alongside Allah, nor sought for aid, nor made vows to, nor slaughtered for, nor built upon their graves, nor made into mosques. So the people are under the responsibility of the scholars. It is obligatory for the scholars to make it clear, and to clarify to the people the Shari'ah of Allah, and especially what relates to tawhid (the oneness of Allah), for it is the greatest of matters and the most important. And shirk is the greatest of sins. And upon the scholars is only the conveying of the message, just as upon the messengers. And Allah guides whom He wills. And upon the rulers is the implementation, upon the judges, the leaders, the kings, the heads of republics, and whoever has the ability to implement, to prevent the common people from shirk with Allah, and to call them to the tawhid of Allah, and sincerity to Him. And to make it clear to them that this is not permissible, and that it is obligatory to worship Allah alone. The slaughter is for Allah, the seeking of aid is from Allah alone, not from the graves. And the vow is for Allah alone, not for the people of the graves. The graves are visited to supplicate for them, and to show mercy to them. They are in need of supplication for them. One visits them and says: supplicating for them. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit the graves and supplicate for them—and may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him. And he used to teach his Companions when they visited the graves to say: And Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) mentioned that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited the graves of the city, he said: And he used to teach his Companions this—and may Allah's prayer and peace be upon him—as narrated by Muslim in the Sahih. He used to teach them when they visited the graves to say: And in the other hadith: .
So it is obligatory for the people of Islam to adhere to what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and to follow it, in visiting graves and in other matters in all affairs, as Allah, the Exalted, said:[Surah al-Hashr: 7] He, the Exalted, said:[Surah al-Nur: 54] So guidance is in his obedience (peace and blessings be upon him),[Surah al-Nur: 54] And He, the Exalted, said:[Surah al-Nisa: 80] He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:: [Surah al-Nur: 63] So all good is in the obedience of the Chosen One (peace and blessings be upon him), and following his Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law), and venerating his command and prohibition; and that is by venerating the Book of Allah (the Qur'an) and adhering to it, and taking from what is in it, and venerating the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) which he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought, for Allah gave him the Qur'an and its like with him, which is the Sunnah.
So it is obligatory for the people of Islam to understand the Book of Allah, and to understand the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to act upon them, in all circumstances, and especially in the foundation of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and the foundation of the religion and its basis, which is the greatest of matters, and it is the capital. We ask Allah for all Muslims and for us success, guidance, and understanding in the religion. And there is no power and no strength except with Allah.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.