Explaining the Reality of the Awliya

The third issue that our brother (Z. A. A.) from Sudan, who resides in Riyadh, is asking about is the issue that has been discussed on this program more than once, namely the issue of the awliya (close friends of Allah) and those who believe they are righteous in their country, regarding whom there are paths to ask about. His Eminence the Shaykh is asked to provide guidance if you would be so kind?
Answer: The awliya are the believers, and they are the messengers (peace be upon them) and their followers with excellence. They are the awliya, they are the people of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah), they are the people of righteousness, they are obedient to Allah and His Messenger. These are the awliya of Allah, whether they are Arabs or non-Arabs, white or black, rich or poor, rulers or ruled. They are the awliya of Allah. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said in His great Book in Surat Yunus: [Yunus:62-63]. These are the awliya of Allah, those who obeyed Allah and His Messenger and feared His anger, so they fulfilled His right and stayed away from what He, Glorified and Exalted is He, forbade. These are the awliya, and they are the righteous Muslims, the guided ones, and the people of faith and taqwa. They are not people of sorcery or claims of Satanic miracles or fabricated karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person). No, they are the believers, whether they were given a karamah or not. Most of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them and grant them satisfaction), who are the most God-fearing and best of people after the prophets, and who are the awliya of Allah, did not have extraordinary karamah; because their faith is strong, they do not need extraordinary things with it. So it is not a condition of being a wali (close friend of Allah) that there remains an extraordinary thing that breaks the custom, such as being given food through an unknown path, or drink through an unknown path, or money or otherwise. No.
The mark and the characteristic are the fear of Allah and faith in Allah. This is the wali (close friend of Allah) who feared Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) and obeyed His commands and left His prohibitions. These are the awliya (close friends of Allah). And He, the Exalted, said in Surat al-Anfal: [Al-Anfal:34] ("Inna") is a negation, meaning: His awliya are none but the righteous. These are the awliya of Allah, the people of taqwa (mindfulness of Allah) who established tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and were sincere to Him in worship, and believed in His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and in the other prophets and messengers, and believed in everything that Allah and His Messenger informed about, and submitted to the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) by performing what Allah made obligatory upon them and leaving what Allah made forbidden. These are the awliya of Allah. However, no one has the right to worship them along with Allah, for they are created beings and are under His dominion; they have no control over the universe. Rather, they are slaves among the slaves of Allah, like the angels. As He said regarding the angels: [Al-Anbiya:26], these are likewise, from among the humans, honored slaves. It is not permissible to worship them along with Allah, so one does not make vows to them, nor rub against their graves, nor circumambulate them, nor call upon them along with Allah, such as saying: "O my master, intercede for me," or "O my master, cure my sick one," or "I am under your protection," or "I am by Allah and by you," or the like of that. Or one says: "Al-Maddad, al-Maddad" (Help, help) when he stands at his grave or from a distance, turning toward the direction of his country and saying: "Al-Maddad, al-Maddad, O my master," or "O so-and-so." All of this is shirk akbar (major shirk). It is not permissible for any person to worship the awliya, or seek aid from them, or make vows to them, or ask them for help, support, or rescue. This is not permissible; this is for Allah alone . One asks Allah, and it is permissible to ask a living, capable creature; there is no harm in asking a living, present, capable person. You say: "O my brother! Help me in this matter. I have a large family and a debt. Help me with a loan." He says: "Lend me so much and so much," or "Help me with so much and so much," or "Help me fix the car. The car broke down, help me." He helps him because he has spare parts and knowledge, so he helps you in fixing it, or in the farm, helping you with plowing or sowing or harvesting, or in building a house, helping you with building your house, and the like of tangible matters. There is no harm in this. The Companions used to cooperate. The Companions used to seek aid from one another in war, saying: "Help me with such and such" when the armies of the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah) gathered against them. They gathered and cooperated in repelling them, and cooperated in fighting them. And so they cooperate in what befalls them of needs, debts, and other necessities. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . Thus he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: , agreed upon for its authenticity from the hadith of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the other authentic hadith: , which Imam Muslim recorded in his Sahih.
So cooperation among Muslims is a required matter, as Allah (Exalted is He) said: : [Al-Ma'idah:2]. So this is not shirk (associating partners with Allah). But if you call upon the dead or the absent because you believe that there is a secret in the mountain or the idol or the tree or the angels or a living person, but you believe in him that he has control not in the tangible matters, no, rather you believe in the type of control and that if you call upon him, even in his absence, he hears your words and benefits you, and that he has a speciality in fulfilling needs, and that he knows the unseen, or that he has a secret by which he fulfills needs, this is shirk akbar (major shirk). This is the belief of the people of shirk in their objects of worship other than Allah.
So it is obligatory to be alert to this matter, and that the believer has a distinction, he has a difference, he distinguishes between the state of the dead and the state of the living, the state of the tree and the stone and the idol, and the state of the living, capable one who hears your words or you correspond with him by writing or you speak to him by telephone; by the telephone, you say: "Lend me, lend me so much, help me with such and such," or by the telegraph, from these new means, as if he is present. But if you say to the dead or to the tree or to the stone, or the jinn (the jinn) or the angels, asking them and inquiring of them, this is the shirk of the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). This is not permissible; because it occurs from the belief of a secret in them, and that you consider them worthy to control the universe, and that they have a special quality by which they can do such and such, even if you do not address them directly with speech, and even if you do not obtain for them tangible power. This occurs for many of the mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), they believe in their objects of worship that they control the universe, and that they have karamah (a miracle granted to a righteous person) such that they fulfill their needs and assist them with their requests, even if they are dead, and even if they are absent, they do not hear and do not understand. And this is from shirk akbar (major shirk) about which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [al-Jinn:18]. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said about it: [al-Mu'minun:117]. And He, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: [Fatir:13-14]. Glorified and Exalted is He.
So He made clear that calling upon the dead other than Allah, and calling upon idols, and calling upon trees and stones, all of it is shirk (associating partners with Allah). And in the other verse He said: Kufr (disbelief): [al-Mu'minun:117]. So it is obligatory upon everyone who has the least insight... upon every mukallaf (one accountable for religious duties)... upon every sane person to fear shirk (associating partners with Allah) with all its types and forms, and that he should not call upon anyone but his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, and single Him out for worship other than everything besides Him, Exalted and Majestic is He.
And as for the ordinary matters that occur among people through tangible means, you have known, O listener, that there is no harm in these. These tangible matters occur among people in matters they need, so the brother, the human being, says to his brother who hears his words: "O my brother, lend me so much, help me with such and such," or he writes to him or speaks to him by telephone, or by the telegraph that you help me with such and such, or you contact so-and-so and say to him: "Such and such," or "Buy me such and such." These are ordinary tangible matters, there is no harm in them. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.