The ruling on one who directs some acts of worship to the people of the graves
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Question:
A letter from one of the listening brothers, which ended with his saying: Your brother in Allah (K. M. S), asks and says: What is the ruling in Islam regarding one who testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and fasts and prays, but he offers sacrifices to other than Allah, swears oaths by other than Allah, and travels to the graves of the righteous and calls upon them, and seeks their aid?
The requirement is to clarify the identity of one who does this: Is he a Muslim? And is his prayer valid, or is it otherwise?
May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
A great number of those who claim to belong to Islam have fallen into this issue due to their ignorance and their following of their fathers and predecessors. The one who testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and prays and fasts, but at the same time draws near to the people of the graves with sacrifices, seeks their aid, makes vows for them, or for the jinn or to idols, is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), and his prayer is invalid, and his testimony is invalid; because he has nullified it with his acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), just like the hypocrites who pray with the people, fast, and testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, but they say: Muhammad is not truthful in their inner selves, and they deny the resurrection and rising in their inner selves. These are in the lowest depth of the Fire, as Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [Al-Nisa: 145] And He said about them, the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:142] mudhabhdabin bayna dhalika la ila hawla'ha wa la ila hawla'ha [Al-Nisa: 142-143] Not with the Muslims, and not with the disbelievers. And He said in the other verse: meaning: the hypocrites, [At-Tawbah 9:54] fa la tu'jibka amwaluhum wa la awladuhum innama yuridu Allahu liyu'adhdhibahum biha fi al-hayati al-dunya wa tazhaqa anfusuhum wa hum kafirun [Al-Tawbah: 54-55] So He called them disbelievers, and did not accept their deeds, even though they pray. Why? Because in the inner and hidden aspect, they lied to the Messenger ﷺ, and denied the resurrection and rising, so they became disbelievers by their inner belief, and their prayers and their outward testimony do not benefit them; because their inner selves contradict that.
So likewise, the one who draws near to the graves with sacrifices and vows, seeks their aid, and slaughters for them, is not a Muslim; he is a disbeliever, even if he prays and fasts, and even if he testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, according to the scholars, according to all the people of the Sunnah and the community, there is no disagreement in this, praise be to Allah; because when any of the nullifiers of Islam is found, the deeds of the servant are invalidated. And among these is what clarifies this matter: if a person testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and prays and fasts, but he insults Allah, curses Allah, and curses the Messenger ﷺ, then he is a disbeliever according to all scholars. Even if he testifies, if he curses Allah, or curses the Messenger ﷺ, he is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims. Or if he says: The Messenger ﷺ is stingy, he blames him, saying: stingy, or says: cowardly, he is a disbeliever according to all scholars, even if he testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And likewise, if he insults Allah, he is a disbeliever by consensus. Or if he says as the Jews said: (That Allah is stingy), he is a disbeliever by consensus. Or if he says: (His hands are chained), he is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims, even if he prays and fasts. Or if he says in the inner matter: There is no Paradise there, and no Fire, it is a lie, just as the hypocrites say, he is a disbeliever by consensus, even if he testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This is a very important and great issue. And likewise, if a person prays and fasts, and testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and says: Zina is lawful, there is no harm in a person committing zina, or there is no harm in drinking khamr (intoxicants), or there is no harm in being undutiful to his parents, there is no problem, there is no harm, he has become a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims.
So the sensible person should be alert to this, he should be alert to this, and likewise every Muslim man and woman must be alert to this matter. So drawing near to the graves with sacrifices and vows and seeking aid from the people of the graves is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), as some people do at the grave of Ibn 'Alwan in Yemen, or at al-'Idris in Yemen, or at Ibn 'Arabi in the Levant, or at Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Iraq, or at the grave of Abu Hanifah in Iraq, or with al-Badawi in Egypt, or with al-Husayn in Egypt, or with others. All of this is major kufr (disbelief), major shirk (associating partners with Allah). The one who seeks aid from these people, makes vows for them, slaughters for them, and asks them for aid, victory, and healing, is a disbeliever according to all the people of the Sunnah and the community. And his prayer does not benefit him, nor his fasting, nor his testimony that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, just like the hypocrites who say it while they insult the Messenger and lie to Allah in their inner selves.
So these great issues must be noted by all Muslims, and it is obligatory upon the scholars in any country and in any place to alert the people to this matter, so that the Muslims may understand, and so that the worshippers of graves and others may understand, and so that they may be upon clear evidence, and so that they may abandon this bad action, and so that they may repent to Allah from it.
This is the duty of the scholars wherever they are, in this kingdom and in the Levant and in Egypt and in Africa and in Iraq, and in every place. It is obligatory upon the scholars of the Shari'ah, the scholars of the Sunnah, to clarify to the people the rulings of these matters, and to guide them to the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah and sincerity to Him, as the Exalted said: [Al-Isra: 23] And the Exalted said: [Al-Fatihah: 5] And he ﷺ said: : [Al-Bayyinah: 5] And He said about the disbelievers of Quraysh and others: [Yunus: 18] He made their intercession, their seeking intercession from their gods, made it kufr (disbelief), major shirk (associating partners with Allah), He made it kufr (disbelief) and major shirk (associating partners with Allah). So how about the one who slaughters for them, makes vows for them, and seeks their aid? It is greater and greater.
It is obligatory for all Muslims, and for all who have fallen into these matters, to be alert, to repent to Allah, to make their worship sincere for Allah alone, not to slaughter except for Allah, not to call for aid except to Allah, and not to make vows except for Allah. He, the Exalted, says in Surat al-An'am, near its end: meaning: Say, O Muhammad! [Al-An'am 6:162] meaning: Say, O Muhammad! to the people, [Al-An'am 6:162] meaning: my slaughter, [Al-An'am 6:162] and 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]. And He, the Exalted, says addressing His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): [Al-Kawthar 108:1] So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [al-Kawthar: 1-2]. So the prayer is for Allah and the slaughter is for Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). And He (Exalted and Majestic is He) says: [Ghafir: 14]. He (Exalted and Majestic is He) said: [al-Jinn: 18]. This includes the prophets and others. And He, the Exalted, says: [Yunus: 106], meaning: the polytheists. And the verses in this meaning are many.
And the Prophet ﷺ said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2856, and he said to Ibn Abbas: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2516Hasan (Darussalam)
As for the created being, if he is alive, there is no harm in seeking his aid in the present living state. You say to him: Help me in repairing my car, there is no harm. Help me in building my house, there is no harm. He is present, he hears your words, and he helps you.
As for asking the dead and seeking aid from the dead, or from stones or idols or trees or jinn, this is major kufr (disbelief), and the greatest shirk (associating partners with Allah). We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
A letter from one of the listening brothers, which ended with his saying: Your brother in Allah (K. M. S), asks and says: What is the ruling in Islam regarding one who testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and fasts and prays, but he offers sacrifices to other than Allah, swears oaths by other than Allah, and travels to the graves of the righteous and calls upon them, and seeks their aid?
The requirement is to clarify the identity of one who does this: Is he a Muslim? And is his prayer valid, or is it otherwise?
May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
A great number of those who claim to belong to Islam have fallen into this issue due to their ignorance and their following of their fathers and predecessors. The one who testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and prays and fasts, but at the same time draws near to the people of the graves with sacrifices, seeks their aid, makes vows for them, or for the jinn or to idols, is a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), and his prayer is invalid, and his testimony is invalid; because he has nullified it with his acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah), just like the hypocrites who pray with the people, fast, and testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, but they say: Muhammad is not truthful in their inner selves, and they deny the resurrection and rising in their inner selves. These are in the lowest depth of the Fire, as Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said:
Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِIndeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little,
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَى يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا And what prevented them
وَمَا مَنَعَهُمْtheir expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger and that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling.
أَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْهُمْ نَفَقَاتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ وَلا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلاةَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كُسَالَى وَلا يُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ So likewise, the one who draws near to the graves with sacrifices and vows, seeks their aid, and slaughters for them, is not a Muslim; he is a disbeliever, even if he prays and fasts, and even if he testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, according to the scholars, according to all the people of the Sunnah and the community, there is no disagreement in this, praise be to Allah; because when any of the nullifiers of Islam is found, the deeds of the servant are invalidated. And among these is what clarifies this matter: if a person testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and prays and fasts, but he insults Allah, curses Allah, and curses the Messenger ﷺ, then he is a disbeliever according to all scholars. Even if he testifies, if he curses Allah, or curses the Messenger ﷺ, he is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims. Or if he says: The Messenger ﷺ is stingy, he blames him, saying: stingy, or says: cowardly, he is a disbeliever according to all scholars, even if he testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. And likewise, if he insults Allah, he is a disbeliever by consensus. Or if he says as the Jews said: (That Allah is stingy), he is a disbeliever by consensus. Or if he says: (His hands are chained), he is a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims, even if he prays and fasts. Or if he says in the inner matter: There is no Paradise there, and no Fire, it is a lie, just as the hypocrites say, he is a disbeliever by consensus, even if he testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This is a very important and great issue. And likewise, if a person prays and fasts, and testifies that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and says: Zina is lawful, there is no harm in a person committing zina, or there is no harm in drinking khamr (intoxicants), or there is no harm in being undutiful to his parents, there is no problem, there is no harm, he has become a disbeliever by the consensus of the Muslims.
So the sensible person should be alert to this, he should be alert to this, and likewise every Muslim man and woman must be alert to this matter. So drawing near to the graves with sacrifices and vows and seeking aid from the people of the graves is major shirk (associating partners with Allah), as some people do at the grave of Ibn 'Alwan in Yemen, or at al-'Idris in Yemen, or at Ibn 'Arabi in the Levant, or at Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Iraq, or at the grave of Abu Hanifah in Iraq, or with al-Badawi in Egypt, or with al-Husayn in Egypt, or with others. All of this is major kufr (disbelief), major shirk (associating partners with Allah). The one who seeks aid from these people, makes vows for them, slaughters for them, and asks them for aid, victory, and healing, is a disbeliever according to all the people of the Sunnah and the community. And his prayer does not benefit him, nor his fasting, nor his testimony that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, just like the hypocrites who say it while they insult the Messenger and lie to Allah in their inner selves.
So these great issues must be noted by all Muslims, and it is obligatory upon the scholars in any country and in any place to alert the people to this matter, so that the Muslims may understand, and so that the worshippers of graves and others may understand, and so that they may be upon clear evidence, and so that they may abandon this bad action, and so that they may repent to Allah from it.
This is the duty of the scholars wherever they are, in this kingdom and in the Levant and in Egypt and in Africa and in Iraq, and in every place. It is obligatory upon the scholars of the Shari'ah, the scholars of the Sunnah, to clarify to the people the rulings of these matters, and to guide them to the tawhid (the oneness of Allah) of Allah and sincerity to Him, as the Exalted said:
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُIt is You we worship and You we ask for help.
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُAnd they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth
وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَAnd they worship other than Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, "These are our intercessors with Allah
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِIt is obligatory for all Muslims, and for all who have fallen into these matters, to be alert, to repent to Allah, to make their worship sincere for Allah alone, not to slaughter except for Allah, not to call for aid except to Allah, and not to make vows except for Allah. He, the Exalted, says in Surat al-An'am, near its end:
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
قُلْ إِنَّSay, "Indeed, my prayer
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاتِيIndeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice
إِنَّ صَلاتِي وَنُسُكِيmy living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.
وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al-Kawthar.
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ So invoke Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, although the disbelievers dislike it.
فَادْعُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَso do not invoke with Allah anyone.
فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًاAnd do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.'"
وَلا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَAnd the Prophet ﷺ said:
Allah's right on His slaves is that they should worship Him (Alone) and should not worship any besides Him
حق الله على العباد أن يعبدوه، ولا يشركوا به شيئًاWhen you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's aid.
إذا سألت فاسأل الله، وإذا استعنت فاستعن باللهAs for the created being, if he is alive, there is no harm in seeking his aid in the present living state. You say to him: Help me in repairing my car, there is no harm. Help me in building my house, there is no harm. He is present, he hears your words, and he helps you.
As for asking the dead and seeking aid from the dead, or from stones or idols or trees or jinn, this is major kufr (disbelief), and the greatest shirk (associating partners with Allah). We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.