Seeking blessing from scholars and righteous people, and their relics

 

There are people who think that it is permissible to seek blessing from the scholars and righteous people, and their relics, based on the reports of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) seeking blessing from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). What is the ruling on that? Does that not involve likening someone who is not the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? Is it possible to seek blessing from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after his death? What is the ruling on seeking means of drawing closer to Allaah (tawassul) by seeking blessing from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?

Praise be to Allaah. 

It is not permissible to seek blessing from anyone other
than the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), not from his wudoo’ or his hair or his sweat
or anything else from his body. All of that applies only to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), because of the goodness and blessing that Allaah has put
in his body and whatever he touches.

 Hence the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
did not seek blessing from any one of their number during the lifetime
of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) or after his death, not with the Khulafaa’ al-Raashideen
or anyone else. This indicates that they knew that this applied only
to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and not to anyone else. And because this is a
means that could lead to shirk and worshipping someone other than Allaah.
Similarly it is not permissible to seek means of drawing closer to Allaah
(tawassul) by virtue
of the position and status of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or his person, or his attributes,
or his blessing, because there is no evidence (daleel) for that, and
because these are among the means that may lead to shirk and they are
ways of exaggerating about him
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).  

Also, these things were not done by the Sahaabah, and if they were
good then they would have done them before us. And this goes against
the evidence of sharee’ah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
(all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them”
[al-A’raaf 7:180] 

Allaah did not command us to call upon Him by virtue of
the position or status or blessing of anyone. 

Part of that is seeking means of drawing closer to Him
by virtue of His attributes, such as His Glory, His Mercy, His Words,
etc. An example of that is to be found in the saheeh ahaadeeth which
speak of seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allaah, and seeking
refuge in the Glory and Power of Allaah. 

Also connected to that is the idea of seeking means of
drawing closer to Allaah by loving Allaah and loving His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), by believing in Allaah
and His Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), and seeking to draw nearer to Allaah by virtue
of one’s righteous deeds, as described in the story of the people in
the cave, whose need for shelter in the rain led them to enter a cave,
then a rock fell down from the mountain and blocked the entrance of
the cave. They were not able to push it away, so they discussed amongst
themselves ways of getting out. 

They came to an agreement that the only way they would
be saved from their predicament would be if they called upon Allaah
by virtue of their righteous deeds. So one of them called upon Allaah
by virtue of his honouring his parents, and the rock moved a little,
but they could not get out… The second one called upon Allaah by virtue
of his keeping away from zinaa on an occasion when he was able to indulge
in it, and the rock moved a little but they still could not get out…
Then the third one called upon Allaah by virtue of his fulfilling a
trust, and the rock moved and they were able to escape.

 This hadeeth is reported in al-Saheehayn
from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him); it is one of the stories of the people who came
before us, in which there is a lesson and a reminder for us. 

The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) stated the
points mentioned in this answer, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah,
his student Ibn al-Qayyim, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan in Fath
al-Majeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, and others. With regard
to the hadeeth about the blind man who sought to call upon Allaah (to
cure him of his blindness) by virtue of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his life time, so
the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) interceded for him and prayed for him, and Allaah
restored his sight – this was a case of seeking the help of Allaah by
means of the du’aa’ and intercession of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), not by means of his status
and virtue. This is clear from the hadeeth… And similarly, the people
will seek his intercession on the Day of Resurrection for Judgement
to be passed, and the people of Paradise will seek his intercession
on the Day of Resurrection for them to be admitted to Paradise. In all
these cases, the help of Allaah is sought through him when he is alive,
whether that is in this world or in the Hereafter, and it is seeking
the help of Allaah through his du’aa’ and intercession, not by virtue
of his person or status, as was clearly stated by the scholars, including
those whom we have mentioned above.

Ruling on seeking barakah (blessing) from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

 

What is the ruling on seeking barakah from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as touching the walls and doors in the Prophet’s Mosque etc.?

Praise be to Allaah.  

Seeking barakah from
the relics of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was done at the time of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), from things like the water he used for wudoo’,
his garment, his food and drink, his hair and everything from him. The
‘Abbaasi (Abassid) khaleefahs and the ‘Uthmaanis (Ottomans) after them
preserved the cloak of the Prophet, seeking barakah
from it, especially at times of war.  

Seeking blessing from things that touched his body,
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as his wudoo’, sweat,
hair and so on, was something which was known to and was permissible
according to the Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them), and those who followed them in truth,
because of the goodness and barakah
that are to be found in that. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of this.  

But touching the doors, walls, windows, etc, of al-Masjid al-Haraam
or al-Masjid al-Nabawi is bid’ah (reprehensible innovation) for which
there is no basis. This must not be done, because acts of worship are
tawqeefi (not subject
to personal opinion) and it is not permissible to do any acts of worship
except those which are approved by sharee’ah. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates
something is this matter of ours [Islam] which is not part of it, will
have it rejected” (saheeh, agreed upon). According to a report narrated
by Muslim, which al-Bukhaari also narrated mu’allaq
majzoom, “Whoever does an action that is not in accordance
with this matter of ours [Islam], will have it rejected.” 

In Saheeh Muslim it
is narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The
Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to say in his khutbah on Fridays: ‘The best
of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance
of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). The Most evil of matters are those which are
newly-invented, and every innovation is a going-astray.’” And there
are many similar ahaadeeth. So the Muslim is obliged to follow that
which Allaah has prescribed, such as acknowledging the Black Stone and
kissing it, and acknowledging al-Rukn
al-Yamaani.  

Hence there is a saheeh report which says that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said, when he kissed the Black Stone,
“I know that you are a stone and you cannot bring benefit or cause harm.
If I had not seen the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed
you.”  

From this we know that acknowledging the other corners
of the Ka’bah, and the walls or pillars, is not prescribed, because
the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not do that, and he did not teach others
to do it, because that is one of the means of shirk.
The same applies even more so to the walls, pillars and windows of the
Prophet’s grave, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not prescribe that or
teach people to do it, and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with
them) did not do it either.

 

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 106

Ruling on travelling to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)

 

What is the ruling on travelling to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others graves of awliya’ and righteous people and others?

Praise be to Allaah. 

It is not permissible to travel with the intention of visiting
the grave of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the grave of any other person,
according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, because
the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said:

“No one should travel for the purpose of visiting (any mosque) except
three: al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), this mosque of mine (in Madeenah)
and al-Masjid al-Aqsaa (in al-Quds/Jerusalem).” Agreed upon). 

It is prescribed for the one who wants to visit the grave
of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and who lives far from Madeenah to have the intention
of travelling to visit al-Masjid al-Nabawi; that will include by implication
visiting the grave of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the graves of Abu Bakr
and ‘Umar, and the graves of the martyrs and people of al-Baqee’.

If he has the intention of visiting both (the mosque and
the grave), this is permissible, because things may be permissible as
part of something else which are not permissible on their own. But having
the intention only to visit the grave and travelling for that purpose
is not permissible. Intending to visit the grave only is not permissible
if it involves travelling. But if a person lives close by and does not
need to travel, and his going to the grave is not regarded as “travel”
or a “journey”, then it is OK, because visiting the grave of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) and the graves of his two companions without having to
travel is Sunnah and is an act of worship. The same applies to visiting
the graves of the martyrs and of the people of al-Baqee’. Similarly,
visiting the graves of Muslims in all places is Sunnah and is an act
of worship, but without travelling for that purpose, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “Visit graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.”
(Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh).

The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to teach his Sahaabah, when
they visited graves, to say, “Al-salaamu
‘alaykum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-Muslimeen, wa innaa in
shaa’ Allaah bikum laahiqoon, nas’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah
(Peace be upon you, O believing and Muslim dwellers of this place. We
will join you soon, if Allaah wills. We ask Allaah to keep us and you
safe).” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh).

Ruling on the Husseiniyahs of the Raafidis and the sacrifices which are offered on these occasions

 

What is the ruling on the Husseiniyahs of the Raafidis and the things that are done there such as slapping and scratching the cheeks, wailing, rending one's garments and beating oneself, sometimes with chains, whilst calling upon the dead and the noble Ahl al-Bayt (members of the Prophet’s household) for help?

Praise be to Allaah. 

This is a great evil and a reprehensible bid’ah (innovation)
which should be avoided. It is not permissible to take part in it or
to eat the food that is offered on these occasions, because the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with
them) of the Ahl al-Bayt and others did not do that. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates
something in this matter of ours (Islam) which is not part of it will
have it rejected” (saheeh, agreed upon). And he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does an action
that is not a part of this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected”
(narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh,
and narrated by al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his Saheeh,
mu’allaq majzoom). And
there are many ahaadeeth with similar meanings.

 With regard to seeking the help of the dead and the
Ahl al-Bayt, this is a form of major shirk, according to the consensus
of the scholars, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “And
whoever invokes (or worships), besides Allaah, any other ilaah (god),
of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely,
Al‑Kaafiroon (the disbelievers in Allaah and in the Oneness of
Allaah, polytheists, pagans, idolaters) will not be successful”[al-Mu’minoon
23:117] 

“And the mosques are for Allaah
(Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allaah”[al-Jinn 72:18] 

“And who is more astray than one who calls 
on (invokes) besides Allaah, such as will not answer him till the Day
of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations)
to them?

And
when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false
deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping
[al-Ahqaaf 46:5-6] 

“He
merges the night into the day (i.e. the decrease in the hours of the
night is added to the hours of the day), and He merges the day into
the night (i.e. the decrease in the hours of the day is added to the
hours of the night). And He has subjected the sun and the moon, each
runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allaah, your Lord; His
is the kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him,
own not even a Qitmeer (the thin membrane over the date stone).

If you invoke (or call upon) them,
they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could
not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection,
they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O Muhammad)
like Him Who is the All‑Knower (of everything)[Faatir 35:13-14]

 And there are many aayaat with similar meanings. 

The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ (supplication) is
a form of worship.” (Narrated by the four authors of Sunan
with a saheeh isnaad). And Muslim narrated in his Saheeh,
from Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is cursed who offers sacrifices
to anyone other than Allaah.” 

What
is obligatory upon all of the Shi’ah and on everyone else is to worship
Allaah alone in sincerity, and to beware of calling upon anyone other
than Allaah for help, or of praying to the dead or absent, whether they
are from the Ahl al-Bayt or otherwise. 

It is also obligatory to avoid praying to or seeking the
help of inanimate objects such as idols, stars, etc., on the basis of
the same shar’i evidence (daleel) that we have mentioned above.

The scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, of the Sahaabah
and others, are unanimously agreed upon this matter.

Secondly: what is the ruling on the sacrifices which are
offered in those places on these occasions? What is the ruling on the
drinks that are distributed in the streets and to the general public?

The answer to this question is the same as the answer to
the first question, which is that it is a reprehensible bid’ah and it
is not permissible to take part in it, or to eat the meat of these sacrifices,
or to drink any of these drinks. If the sacrifices have been made to
anyone other than Allaah, from among the Ahl al-Bayt or anyone else,
this is major shirk, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say
(O Muhammad): ‘Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living,
and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn
and all that exists).

He has no partner. And of this
I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims’”

[al-An’aam 6:162-163]

“Verily, We
have granted you (O Muhammad) Al‑Kawthar (a river in Paradise).

Therefore turn in prayer to your
Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).

[al-Kawthar 108:1-2]

And there are many aayaat and ahaadeeth with similar meanings.

We
ask Allaah to help us and you and all the Muslims to do all that He
loves and is pleasing to Him, and to grant us and you and all of our
brothers refuge from misleading temptations, for He is Ever Near and
Ready to respond.

The meaning of “The bonds of Islam will be undone one by one”

 

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The bonds of Islam will be undone one by one. Each time one bond is undone, the people will move to the next one (and adhere to that). The first bond to be undone will be ruling (al-hukm) and the last one will be prayer (al-salaah).”

What does this hadeeth mean? And what is meant by the undoing of ruling (al-hukm)?

Praise be to Allaah. 

The hadeeth mentioned was narrated by Imaam Ahmad in his
Musnad, al-Tabaraani in
al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, and
Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh,
with a jayyid isnaad from Abu Umaamah al-Baahili (may Allaah be pleased
with him) from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said:

“The bonds of Islam will be undone one by one. Each time one bond
is undone, the people will move to the next one (and adhere to that).
The first bond to be undone will be ruling (al-hukm)
and the last one will be prayer (al-salaah).”

The meaning of this hadeeth is apparent, which is that
the more Islam becomes “strange”, the more people will go against its
teachings and will undo its bonds, which is a reference to its obligations
and commandments. As the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam began as a
stranger and will go back to being a stranger as it started, so give
glad tidings to the strangers.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh).

 The meaning of the phrase “the first bond to be undone
will be ruling (al-hukm)”
is apparent; it refers to the failure to rule according to the sharee’ah
of Allaah. This is what is happening today in most of the so-called
Muslim countries. It is known that what is obligatory upon all is to
rule according to the sharee’ah of Allaah in all things, and to beware
of ruling according to laws and customs which go against the sharee’ah,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“But no, by your Lord, they can
have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes
between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions,
and accept (them) with full submission [al-Nisaa’ 4:65]  

“And so judge
(you O Muhammad) among them by what Allaah has revealed and follow not
their vain desires, but beware of them lest they turn you (O Muhammad)
far away from some of that which Allaah has sent down to you. And if
they turn away, then know
that Allaah’s Will is to punish them for some sins of theirs. And truly,
most of men are Faasiqoon (rebellious and disobedient to Allaah).

Do they then seek the judgement
of (the days of) Ignorance? And who is better in judgement than Allaah
for a people who have firm Faith [al-Maa’idah 5:49-50] 

“And whosoever
does not judge by what Allaah has revealed, such are the Kaafiroon (i.e.
disbelievers — of a lesser degree as they do not act on Allaah’s Laws
[al-Maa’idah 5:44]

 “And
whosoever does not judge by that which Allaah has revealed, such are
the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers — of a lesser degree). [al-Maa’idah
5:45]

 “And
whosoever does not judge by what Allaah has revealed (then) such (people)
are the Faasiqoon [the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree)]
to Allaah [al-Maa’idah 5:47]

 The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) explained
that the rulers of the Muslims are obliged to rule according to the
sharee’ah of Allaah in all the Muslims’ affairs and in all the conflicts
that arise among them, in obedience to these verses. They explained
that the one who rules by anything other than that which Allaah revealed,
if he believes that it is permissible for him to do so, is guilty of
major kufr which puts him beyond the pale of Islam… But if he believes
that this is not permissible, but he rules by something other than that
which Allaah revealed for a bribe or for some other purpose, although
he believed that that is not permissible, and that it is obligatory
to rule according to that which Allaah revealed, then he is guilty of
lesser kufr, lesser zulm and lesser fisq.

 We ask Allaah, may He be glorified, to make all the
Muslim rulers rule and judge according to the sharee’ah and to make
their people adhere to it, and to cause them to beware of whatever goes
against it, for He is the Most Generous, Most Kind. Undoubtedly ruling
according to sharee’ah and acting in accordance with it is in our best
interests in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be a source of
pride in this world and in the Hereafter. It will keep us safe from
the plots of our enemies and help us to be victorious over them, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

 “O you who believe!
If you help (in the cause of) Allaah, He will help you, and make your
foothold firm” [Muhammad 47:7]

 “and
(as for) the believers, it was incumbent upon Us to help (them)” [al-Room
30:47]

 “Verily, Allaah
will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allaah is All-Strong,
All-Mighty.

Those (Muslim rulers) who, if
We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqaamat-as-Salaah
[i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salaah (prayers)
(the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakaah and they enjoin Al-Ma‘roof
(i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid
Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden)
[i.e. they make the Qur’aan as the law of their country in all the spheres
of life]. And with Allaah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures)
[al-Hajj 22:40-41]

 “Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers
and those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism)
in this world’s life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth,
(i.e. Day of Resurrection)

The Day when their excuses will
be of no profit to Zaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers and disbelievers
in the Oneness of Allaah). Theirs will be the curse, and theirs will
be the evil abode (i.e. painful torment in Hell-fire)” [Ghaafir
40:51-52]

And there are many similar aayaat.

With regard to the words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “and the last one will
be prayer (al-salaah)”,
this refers to large numbers of people who do not pray and who are negligent
with regard to salaah. This is what is happening today in many Muslim
countries. We ask Allaah to put the Muslims’ affairs right and to help
them to adhere strongly to His religion and to be steadfast.