Taken From

Ahlu Sunnah Wal

Jamaah.Com

A Refutation Of The Sufis

Who Make Duaa To Allah
Through The Dead
Awliyah & Prophets

By Abdul Kareem Ibn

Ozzie
The Sufi Ashari Maturidis belief it is halaal to make duaa to Allah
through the dead awliyah and prophets (especially the prophet
Mohammed). By duaa to Allah through the dead what is meant is
when a Muslim person says something like "O Allah give me good
children due to the status of so and so awliyah" or "O Allah grant me
paradise due to the right of the Prophet Mohammed". What is not
meant is when a Muslim makes duaa to the dead and says "O so and
so awliyah give me good children" or "O prophet Mohammed grant
me paradise".
Therefore in this article the refutation is on the act of making duaa to
Allah but through the dead awliyah and prophets (especially the
prophet Mohammed) and this not an article rebutting the act of
making duaa to the dead awliyah and prophets directly (with out the
involvement of Allah) which is haraam. Sufi Ashari Maturidis have
tried to use a few verses of the Quran and they have tried to
authenticate a number of weak and fabricated hadeeth to prove it is
halaal to make duaa to Allah through the dead awliyah and prophets
(especially the prophet Mohammed). However this act of
worship completely contradicts the Quran and Sunnah so no verses in
the Quran or authentic Sunnah prove this act of worship is halaal.
Duaa is worship; the messenger of Allah said “Duaa
(Supplication) is worship.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad
4:267, 271, 276; Tirmidhi, Tafsir of surah 2:16 (2969) and
40 (3247, 3372) (hasan saheeh); Abu Dawud Witr 1479
(saheeh); Ibn Hibban; Bukhari in al-Adab al-mufrad
(saheeh); Ibn Majah, Du`a Ch. 1 (3828)
So a Muslim can not make duaa to the dead instead of Allah as this
would mean they are worshiping the dead as the prophet told this
ummah that duaa is worship. Therefore making duaa to the dead is
major shirk which (in general) could nullify a persons Islam, destroy
all their good deeds and in the hereafter their place of rest will be hell
(if a specific individual does major shirk he may still be a Muslim as
he may have an excuse so his situation needs to be referred to the
scholars and they give a fatwa concerning that persons Islam after
they investigate the matter).
Therefore Allah would not allow mankind to make duaa to him
through the dead, as this could lead to Muslims making duaa to the
creation which would be major shirk and all the scholars of Islam
agree that Allah sent the prophet Mohammed to stop all the things
that could lead to major shirk as well as stopping the acts that are
actually major shirk. Because major shirk is haram so what leads to it
is also haram.
For example the prophet prohibited Muslim praying in grave yards
because this could lead to a Muslim praying to the person in the grave
which would be major shirk. So the prophet cut off this avenue that
could have lad to major shirk even though that action itself is not
major shirk. The Messenger of Allah said: “All the earth is a
Masjid (place of worship) except graveyards and toilets.”
Sunan Abu Dawood (Eng. Trans.) vol.1, p.125, no.492.
Authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan
Abu Dawood vol.1, p.463.
Also Sufi Ashari Maturidis doing duaa to Allah through the dead is
pointless because Allah has permitted people to call upon (make duaa
to) directly, so there is no need to go through the creation to get to
Allah. Especially when calling upon Allah is very easy, and
abandoning making duaa through the creation is also very easy. In
(Surah Baqarah:186) Allah said, "And when My servants ask
you (O Muhammad concerning Me, then answer them), I
am indeed near (to them by My knowledge) I respond to
the invocations (the duaas) of the supplicant when he calls
on Me (makes duaa directly to me without any mediator
or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so
that they may be led aright."
Plus the prophet Mohammed has indicated to us in a saheeh
(authentic) hadeeth in Muslim that a Muslims duaa is accepted as
long as he implements the verse above and calls upon Allah (the
prophets hadeeth does not contradict the Quran), does not make a
duaa that involve sins or cutting family ties. The Prophet said
"The supplication of the servant will be accepted as long as
he does not supplicate (make duaa) for what includes sin
or cutting the relations of the womb..."
Abdullah the son of Imam Ahmad recorded Ubadah bin As-
Samit saying that the Prophet said" There is no Muslim
man on the face of the earth who supplicates to Allah but
Allah would either grant it to him, or avert a harm from
him of equal proportions, as long as his supplication does
not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb. At-
Tirmidhi recorded this hadeeth.
Imam Ahmad also recorded Abu Said saying that the
Prophet said “No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a duaa
that does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the
womb, but Allah will grant him one of the three things. He
will either hasten the response to his supplication, save it
for him until the Hereafter, or would turn an equivalent
amount of evil away from him.” They said, “What if we
were to recite more (duaa).” He said, “There is more with
Allah.”
These hadeeth and the verse above (surah 2:186) proves a Muslim
just needs to make duaa directly to Allah and his duaa will be
accepted so there is no need to make duaa to Allah through the dead.
To further emphasis this point the Prophet, reported from Allah that
if a Muslim makes duaa directly to Allah his sins are forgiven even
though he has not called upon the dead to get to Allah. The Prophet
reported from Allah that he said: A servant [of Allah's]
committed a sin and said: O Allah, forgive me my sin. And
He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has
committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who
forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again
and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and
exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and
has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and
punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord,
forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He)
said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that
he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do
what you wish, for I have forgiven you. It was related by
Muslim and Bukhari.
In addition those who make duaa to the dead creation have contradict
the command of the prophet, as the prophet has command us to
make duaa directly to Allah in two separate hadeeth. The prophet
said “…If you ask(when you make duaa), ask of Allah; if
you seek help(when you make duaa), seek help of Allah…"
Narrated by Imam Nawawi in his 40 Hadeeths as saheeh
(authentic) and the messenger of Allah said: Allah the
Almighty has said: "O son of Adam, so long as you call
upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you
have done, and I shall not mind…" Narrated by Imam
Nawawi in his 40 Hadeeths as hasan (Good).
Those Sufi Ashari Maturidis who make duaa to the dead creation and
have contradict the command of the prophet (the prophet has
command us to make duaa directly to Allah), have left the prophets
guidance in this issue so they are under the threat of being destroyed.
The Prophet said, ".... I have left you upon clear guidance.
Its night is like its day. No one deviates, from it after me
except that he is destroyed." Recorded by Muslim.
Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Maajah (no. 43) and al-Haakim.
It is declared saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaanee in as-
Saheehah (no. 937).
The reason for this destruction is because his guidance is the best of
guidance. The messenger of Allah said, “Verily, the best
guidance is Mohammad’s guidance.” Recorded by Muslim.
More over one of Allahs names is Al-Mujib which means ‘The
Responding One’ therefore Allah has the attribute of being the one
who responds to every need of his slaves, indicating that no Muslim
has any reason to make duaa (call on) through the dead to Allah. As
Allah is Al-Mujib so he should be called upon directly as he is the one
who responds to the duaa and he needs no help from the dead to hear
your duaas or respond to them.
Plus making duaa through the dead to Allah is associated with
Christianity as some Christians make duaa through Isa (Jesus) and
their saints to God (Allah) hoping by doing this their duaa is more
likely to get answered by God (Allah), so making duaa through the
dead to Allah is imitating kufr (disbelieve).
However the person who does this is a sinner but not a disbeliever.
The prophet Mohammed has warned this ummah concerning
imitating the disbelievers in any outward actions or inward beliefs, so
the one who makes duaa through the creation to Allah is imitating the
disbelievers in their outward actions of kufr which is haram. The
prophet said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3512; classed as saheeh by al-
Albaani, plus the prophet said, “…Be different from the people
of the scripture (Jews and Christians).” Recorded by
Muslim and also the prophet said, “Be different from the
Mushrikeen (Those who worship others along with Allah)
…” Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim.
Ibn Taymiyyah said about this hadeeth, “This at the very least
indicates that it is haraam to imitate them, although the apparent
meaning is that the one who imitates them is a kaafir (disbeliever).
Iqtida al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 1/237. Also he said, “Imitating them
in outward matters leads to imitating them in attitude and actions,
hence we are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar…as it says in the marfu
hadeeth: ‘Whoever imitates a people is one of them.’” Majmoo al-
Fataawa, 22/154.
Additionally it is a bidah because even though there are hadeeth and
narrations of the sahaba which claim they did this not one of these
hadeeths or narrations of the sahaba are authentic all of them are
weak or fabricated. The Messenger of Allah said: "Every
innovation is misguidance and going astray" Reported by
Abu Dawood (no. 4607), at-Tirmidhee (no. 2676) and it is
saheeh. Ibn Hajr authenticated it Takhreej Ahaadeeth Ibn
ul-Haajib (1/137). Plus the prophet said: "… and every
innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the
Hellfire." Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224) from Jaabir bin
Abdullaah and it is saheeh as declared by Shaikh ul-
Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmoo' ul Fataawaa (3/58).
So making duaa through the dead to Allah is a rejected act of worship
because it is a bidah. The prophet said, “He who innovates
something in this matter of ours that is not of it, will have
it rejected.” Recorded in, Bukhari and Muslim. Also the
prophet said, “Whoever does an act which is not in
agreement with our matter, will have it rejected."
Recorded by, Muslim.
Plus in Islam there is no bidah hasanah (good innovation) all bidah is
haram. The prophet Mohammed taught the ummah everything that
was best for it. There is no way someone can teach this ummah
something else that is good for the ummah but the prophet never
taught the ummah. The prophet said, “Never was a prophet
before me, but he disclosed to his people what he knew to
be best for them, and warned them of what he knew to be
evil for them.” Recorder by Muslim.
Plus every act of worship that would bring any Muslim closer to
Jannah (Gardens of Paradise) the prophet taught us about it. The
prophet said, “There is nothing that would bring you
closer to Jannah (Gardens of Paradise) and farther from
the Fire but it has been clarified [by me] to you.” Recorded
by Ahmad and others; authenticated by al-Albaanee and
others.
Also making duaa to the Allah through the dead makes no sense
because the dead are in al-barzakh; this is the place between this
world and the hereafter (this is where the dead go before the day of
resurrection). The life of al-barzakh is a special life. This is a special
life, the nature of which is known to Allah. It is not like the life of this
world in which the soul remains with the body (a body with out a soul
is not able to hear as it is dead).
When a Muslim dies his soul is in a bird in paradise. The prophet
Mohammed said, "The soul of the believer is a bird ...Allah
returns it to his body on the day He raises him." saheeh
Albaani & Muwtta of Imam Malik
So when Sufi Ashari Maturidis make duaa to the dead creation
(awliyah) they can not responded as their soul is in a bird and birds
can not understand what humans say nor can they make duaa for
humans, plus their body can not responded with out a soul, because if
there is no soul in the body the body has no sense such as hearing,
touch, taste, smell and sight.
In addition the basic principle concerning the dead is that they do not
hear the words of the living so there is no point in making duaa to the
dead as they can not responded to your duaa because they can not
even hear you.
Allah says, “Verily, you (O Muhammad) cannot make the
dead hear and you can not make the deaf hear the call
when they turn their backs and retreat." (Surah an-Naml
27:80). In this verse Allah confirmed that those whom the Prophet
Mohammed was calling to Islam could not hear (understand the
message of Islam) in a figurative sense, by likening those kuffaar who
the prophet Mohammed called to Islam to the dead as he dead can
not hear what the living are saying to them. There is nothing in the
Quran or in the saheeh Sunnah to indicate that the dead can hear
Prophet every duaa or call from human beings.
Moreover Allah says, “Verily you cannot make the dead
hear "The living and the dead are not alike. Allah makes
whoever he wishes hear, but you cannot make hear those
who are in graves” (Faatir 35:22). In this verse Allah explains
that the dead and living are different because the dead can not hear in
their graves unlike the living who can hear what is said to them. The
verse refers to kuffaar who hear the message of Islam while they are
dead in heart and sprit, so Allah compares disbelieving kuffaar to the
dead those in the graves (dead) can not hear what is spoken to them
by the living.
However there are two exceptions to the rule that the dead do not
hear the living in their grave. The first is that after the battle of Badr
the prophet Mohammed spoke and rebuked some of the heads of the
kuffaar that day and even though they were dead and at the bottom of
a well, Allah allowed them to hear the rebuke by the Prophet
Mohammed for that moment then after that they can became like
every other dead person not being able to hear the living.
Abu Talhah reported: "On the day of the Battle of Badr,
Allah's Prophet (saws) ordered that the bodies of twenty-
four leaders of the Quraysh be thrown into one of the foul,
abandoned wells of Badr. On the third day after the battle
the Prophet called for his mount and saddled it. Then he
set out, so his companions followed him. They said
amongst themselves, "He must be going to something
important." When the Prophet (saws) arrived at the well
(into which the bodies of the slain Quraysh had been
thrown earlier), he stood at its edge and began addressing
those therein by calling upon them by their names, "O so
and so, son of so and so; and you, so and so, son of so and
so! Would it not have been easier to have obeyed Allah and
His Messenger? We have found that which our Lord
promised us to be true (that the believers would have
victory over their enemy). Did you find what your Lord
promised you to be true? (This is a reference to the
Quraysh's supplication asking their Lord to bring a
painful punishment upon them if what Muhammad (saws)
was preaching was the truth. See Surah al-Anfal, 8:32)
Thereupon 'Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, what are
you saying to these bodies without souls?! Do they hear?
For Allah, the Majestic and Mighty, says, "Verily, you
cannot make the dead hear."(Surah an-Naml 27:80) The
Prophet (saws) answered, "By Him in whose hand lies the
soul of Muhammad, you did not hear better than them and
what I just said." Qatadah (A famouse tabi'ee and a
narrator of this hadeeth) added: "Allah brought them back
(the slain Quraysh who bodies were in the abandoned
well) to life (momentarily) in order to make them hear as a
means of scorn and belittlement and (so that they would
feel) regret and remorse." Authentically reported by
Bukhari and Muslim.
In another narration of this incident there is a slight variation in the
wording of the text which follows, "Ibn Umar related, "The
Prophet (saws) stood at the edge of a well (The same well
mentioned earlier into which the bodies of the slain
Quraysh were thrown) at Badr and said, "Did you find the
promise of your Lord to be true?" Then he added, "Verily
at this moment they hear what I am saying." Later on
(most likely after the Prophet's death), this was mentioned
to Aishah (the prophets wife), whereupon she commented,
"What the Prophet (saws) meant was, "Now they know
that what I used to tell them is the truth." Then she recited,
"Verily you cannot make the dead hear,"(Surah an-Naml
27:80) up to the end of the verse. "Recorded authentically
by Bukhari and others.
The second exception to the rule is that when a person dies and the
deceased can hears the shuffling feet of those who attended his
funeral as they walk away from his grave. The Prophet said,
“After the deceased is placed in his grave and his
companions (his friends and others who attended his
burial) turn to leave, he hears the shuffling of their feet as
they walk away. Then there comes to him the two angels.”
Part of an authentic hadeeth related by Bukhari and
Muslim.
The Sufi Maturidi Asharis and some other Muslims think there is a
third exception to the rule which the prophet Mohammed can hear
the duaas of they use the following hadeeth as an evidence, the
Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever asks blessings for me at
my grave, I hear him, and whoever asks blessings upon me
from afar, it is conveyed to me." This tradition was
mentioned by al-'Uqayli in his book, adh-Dhu'afa and by
al-Khateeb, Ibn 'Asakir, et. al., but they all agreed that it is
a fabricated (mawdhu') hadeeth it has no chain of
narration, so it can not be used as evidence in the shariah.
See Shaykh al-Albani's al-Ahadith adh-Dha'eefah, vol.1,
hadith no.203
As for the prophet Mohammed he can hear the angels when they
convey our salams to him as these hadeeth (below prove), but they in
know way indicate that the prophet Mohammed can hear the speech
of mankind while he is in his grave.
Prophet said, “There is no one who sends salaams upon me
but Allah will restore to me my soul so that I may return
his salaams.” Recorded by Abu Dawood (2041) with a
hasan chain of narration.
The prophet said “Allah has appointed an angel over my
grave so whenever any one of my ummah sends blessing
on me that angel will say to me, ‘O Mohammed so and so
the son of so and so has sent blessings on you now’” It was
classified hasan by Shaykh Albaani.
The prophet said: "Indeed Allah has Angels who travel
about in order to convey the greetings of Salaam of my
ummah to me" Nasai, al Haakim (2/21) declared Saheeh
by Haakim
The prophet said, "From among the most excellent of your
days is the day of Jumaah. On it Adam was created, and
on it his soul was taken, on it will be the blowing of the
horn, and on it the tremendous cry will occur – so send
more blessings on me on it, since your blessings will be
presented to me (by the angels as the above hadeeth
indicates)" Abu Dawood 1:1042 declared Saheeh by
Shaykh Albaani
These hadeeth prove that those who make duaa to the prophet
Mohammed when they make duaa to Allah through the prophet
Mohammed are doing a pointless act because the prophet
Mohammed can not hear what happens in this world as he is in al-
barzakh. If the prophet Mohammed could hear mankind then he
would not need the angels to convey are salams to him.
Also the prophet Mohammed along with all the other prophets do not
make duaa to Allah on the livings behalf or talk to Allah for them,
because the prophets are in their graves praising our Lord, not
making duaa to Allah on behalf of the living or speaking to Allah on
our behalf for our benefit
The Prophets are alive in their graves, praying to their
Lord" Bazzar in his Musnad Abu Yala in his Musnad, al-
Albani said saheeh
Saheeh Muslim in terms of the narration of Hammad Ibn
Salamah, on the authority of Anas, on the Prophet (Allah
bless him and grant him peace), who said, “I passed by
Moses at the red dune on the night in which I was
transported (to the heavens during israh wal miraj) and
he was standing in his grave praying.”
A Muslim should not make duaa to Allah through any of the prophets
to Allah as they will not respond to your duaa by making duaa to
Allah on your behalf and they will not speak to Allah on your behalf
for your benefit so there is no point in this type of duaa.
In conclusion making duaa to Allah through the dead is pointless as it
is a waste of time, the Muslim is not allowed to waste his time,
because the blessing of time is one of the greatest blessings that Allah
can bestow upon His slaves. Allah even swears by time, as Allah
said, “By Al- Asr (the time)” (al-‘Asr 103:1) because of the
importance and blessing of time.
The Prophet said: “Make the most of five things before five
others: life before death, health before sickness, free time
before becoming busy, youth before old age, and wealth
before poverty.” Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1077.
The Prophet said: “There are two blessings which many
people do not make the most of and thus lose out: good
health and free time.” Recorded by al-Bukhari, 6412.
Most people are unaware of the importance of this blessing and
making duaa to Allah through the dead is one of the greatest wastes of
time, as this act is haram (this point has proven through out this
article, it is bidah, it also involves imitating the kuffaar and
contradicting the prophets command to make duaa directly to Allah
plus many other reasons as outlined in the article).
Important Point
To view the tafsir of the verses and checking of the many hadeeth Sufi
Ashari Matruidis claim prove duaa to Allah through the dead is halaal
click on this link inshallah, http://ahlusunnahwaljamaah.com/?
s=tawassul read the post on the first page and also go to the older and
newer post on that page inshallah.