[الواثقة بالله]

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

PART 4

He, he Almighty also said in the Holy Quran "Call on your Lord with humility and in private." (75) And "Call on your Lord with devotion" (76)
All of the above verses from the Holy Quran emphasize invocation of Allah directly without any mediation. Virtuous people and saints, them-selves, need the mercy of Allah. Allah has said in the Holy Quran "Those whom they call upon, do desire for themselves means of access to their Lord. Even those who are nearest, they hope for His mercy and fear His wrath." (77)

In the interpretation of the above verse, Ibn Abbas has said that the prophet had asserted that they adored angels, Christ and Azra. The above verse was revealed as refutation to the Jews' and Christians' false thinking. This verse emphasized that angels, who were adored by people, would themselves seek access to Allah, desire His mercy and fear His wrath. Such a creature can certainly never be invoked with Allah. (78) Ibn Taimiyah (may Allah's mercy be upon him) said that the above verse concerns all those who are taken as deities and who are themselves adorers and worshippers of Allah whether they are from among the angels, jinn or humans. This verse is addressed to all people who invoke anyone or anything which, by itself, seeks access to Allah, desires His mercy and fears His wrath. The context of this verse also includes those who invoke deceased saints or someone who is not present from the apostles or saints in the same context as those who call upon angels or jinns.(79)

EIGHTH : From the following verses, the idolaters deduce the permissibility of seeking mediators between themselves and Allah. The Almighty stated in the Holy Quran "O you who believe, do your duty to Allah and seek the means of approach to Him." (80) He the Almighty also stated in the Holy Quran "Those whom they call upon, do desire for themselves means of access to their Lord. Even those who are nearest.." (81) In fact, these verses mean that one can have access to Allah by good deeds, and not through mediation of Prophets or saints as they erroneously understand. One action is permitted, while the other is prohibited.

Permissible cases include

1. Seeking access to Allah by his beautiful names. Allah the Almighty has said, "The most beautiful names belong to Allah. So call on Him by them." (82) Muslims may ask Allah by His own names and attributes to fulfil one's needs.

2. Seeking access to Allah by showing one's need and desire for Him. As prophet Job (Allah's peace be on him) said, "Truly distress has seized me. But You are the most merciful of those who are merciful." (83) And as Zakariya (Allah's peace be on him) said, "O my Lord! Infirm indeed are my bones and the hair of my head is glistening. But never am I unblessed, my Lord, in my prayer to You." (84) And as Zun-nun the Prophet (peace be upon him) exclaimed, "No god but You, glory to You. I was indeed wrong." (85)

3. Seeking access to Allah with good deeds as Allah has said, "Our Lord! we have heard the call of one calling us to faith, Believe you in the Lord, and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and blot out from us our iniquities." (86) This is also illustrated in the Hadith regarding the three individuals who were trapped by a rock. They invoked Allah by their good deeds and were released. (87)
This is the sort of mediation mentioned in the above verses concerning seeking access to Allah by good deeds.

4. Seeking access to Allah by the prayer of living pious people, i.e., you might visit a pious man and ask him to pray Allah on your behalf. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said to some of his companions, "O, my brother, remember me when you pray to Allah." (88) The companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with him) also used to request the Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray Allah for them. Similarly, they used to request prayers from each other.

As for the invocation of a medium, which is prohibited, it means seeking favour from the dead pious men or saints or invoking the living for one's needs. It is forbidden because this may eventually lead to greater idolatry. For instance, to say, "O Allah I invoke you by the name of so-and-so (dead or living)," or to say, "O, Allah provide me for my need by the virtue of so-and-so (dead or living)" is forbidden. Adoring that medium or offering sacrifices to him is undoubtedly idolatrous as in the case of slaughtering an animal for a saint, making offerings to his shrine or invoking him for help or assistance in any form. We pray Allah to enlighten the Muslims in their religion, support them against their enemies and guide them to the right path.

NINTH : A *******ion of the idolaters is also indicated through their attachment to some controversial Prophetic traditions. They assume that these traditions provide evidence for legitimacy of their wrong-doings. They quote one Hadith from the book of Tirmidhi, (89) narrated by Uthman ibn Hanif. He related that a blind man came to the Prophet and asked him to pray Allah to cure him The Prophet told him, "If you wish, I will pray for you, but if you have patience, that will be better for you." The blind man insisted that the Prophet pray for him, so the Prophet asked him to make ablution properly and to say the following prayer : "O, Allah, I invoke You through Your Apostle, Muhammad, the Apostle of mercy, whom I approached to pray to my Guardian-Lord to fulfill my need. O, Allah, accept his mediation for me."

According to the book of Tirmidhi, this Hadith is good and correct, but we do not know of its narration except through Abu Jafar who is other than AI-Khatmi. However, even if the Hadith is correct, it is not a point of argument in this discussion because the blind man requested the Prophet to pray for him. He then invoked Allah with his own prayer in the presence of the Prophet, which is permissible. One is allowed to request a living person to pray for him.

There is no indication of invoking the dead or others for mediation, which we stress at this point is forbidden. In the case of the blind man, he was asked by the Prophet to pray Allah to accept the prophet's intercession for him in praying
Allah for a cure. Therefore, this Hadith does not prove permissibility of mediation or invoking the dead or other saints, which is the focus of this discussion. They (the idolaters) also make inference from a false and fabricated Hadith which says, "The prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Seek access to Allah with my rank, because my rank with Allah is highly exalted" This Hadith is fabricated and is a lie against the prophet (peace be upon him) as confirmed by Ibn Taimiyah (Allah's mercy be on him). (90)


TENTH The claimers of such permission of intercession also depend on tales and dreams. They say that so-and-so, for instance, came to the shrine of so-and-so and saw something in a dream. One of their famous dreams is that Atabi said, "I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet when a Bedoum came and said Peace of Allah be on you, O Apostle of Allah. Then he added, Allah has said in the Holy Quran, "If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto you and asked Allah's forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful." (91) I have therefore come to you to request your mediation with my Guardian-Lord for granting me forgiveness. Then he read his composition as follows

The best and the greatest of men is buried in this ground, the hills and plains of which have come pleasant and sweet. My soul be sacrificed for the grave you are dwelling in. It contains purity, nobility and generosity.

Atabi continued to tell us about what happened after the bedoum had gone back. He said, "I fell asleep and saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) in my dream saying to me, "O Atabi, follow the Bedouin and convey to him the good news that Allah has granted him forgiveness."

In the first place, tales and dreams do not stand as evidence for matters pertaining to ideology commands and decrees of Allah require authoritative evidence from divine sources.
Secondly, the meaning of the above verse from the Holy Quran concerns one who came to the Holy Prophet during his life time and not after his death. It is evident here that no one of the companions of the Prophet or the true followers in later generations ever came to the Prophet's grave to request his mediation for forgiveness. If such visits to the Prophet's grave had been permissible, then the companions of the Prophet would have indeed done so due to their diligence in following his commands.

ELEVENTH : The idolators also argue that. certain persons received fulfillment of their desires (it certain shrines, or through the virtue of certain pious men or saints. In fact even if we assume that some people could have their needs fulfilled through rheans of idolatry, this would not lead us to conclude that such things have become permissible. That one's wish was granted at the time that he invoked a certain pious person may be purely coincidental; since we know that all that comes to us is a result of Allah's will alone. A mere coincidence, if any, does not make things forbidden by Allah the Almighty permissible. Clearly, idolators do not have any evidence to justify their wrong doings. Allah has said in the Holy Quran "If any one invokes, besides Allah, any other god, he has no authority therefore." (92)

So, idolaters have no evidence or proof, while the Oneness of Allah is based up on absolute proofs and very clear evidence. Allah the Almighty has said in the Holy Quran "Is there a doubt about Allah, the creator of the heavens and the earth." (93)

He the Almighty has also said in the Holy Quran "O, you people, adore your Guardian-Lord who created you and those who came before you that you may have a chance to learn righteousness. Who had made the earth your couch and the heavens your canopy, and sent down rains from the heavens and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance. Then set not up rivals unto Allah when you know the truth." (94)

TWELFTH : Extremist mystics and their followers say that idolatry is the love of the worldly life and the yearning to attain its pleasure. In fact, with such argument, they intend to hide their own greater idolatry which is reflected in their veneration of graves and the cults of their saints. As far as the yearning for material life is concerned, it is rewardable as lg as it is within the limits which have been set by Allah and it is encouraged for the purpose of obtaining sustenance to continue in the worship of Allah the Almighty.



CONCLUSIONS

We may conclude here that idolatry is a most heinous sin. Allah the Almighty has said, "False worship (shirk) is indeed the highest wrongdoing." (95) The idolater will never be granted forgiveness if he has not renounced idolatry before his death. Allah the Almighty has also said in the Holy Quran "Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him. But He forgives anything else." (96) The idolater will never enter Paradise. Allah stated in the Holy Quran "... Whoever joins other gods with Allah, He will forbid him the Garden..." (97) Idolaters are unclean (mentally and spiritually due to their association of other gods with Allah or due to their rejection of the authority of Allah) and therefore they are not allowed to enter the Holy Mosque, as stated in the Holy Quran "O, you believers! Truly the pagans are unclean. So let them not after this year of theirs (i.e. live) approach the Sacred Mosque." (98)

The blood and wealth of an idolater is not inviolable. As Allah the Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran "When the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them. And seize them beleaguer them and lie in wait for them in every strategem of war. But if they repent and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them." (99)

The idolater has gone astray and sinned by turning away from Monotheism, and he has fallen a far distance, as Allah the Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran, "If any one assigns partners to Allah, he is as if he had fallen from heaven and been snatched up by birds, or the wind had swooped (like a bird on its prey) and thrown him into a distant place." (100) The true believer is not allowed to marry an idolater, as He, the Almighty stated in the Holy Quran "Do not marry unbelieving women until they believe. A slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman though she allures you. Nor marry your girls to unbelievers until they believe. A man slave who believes is better than an unbelievers who allures you." (101)

The worship and prayer of an idolater is not accepted by Allah the Almighty, for Allah the Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran "It has already been revealed to you, as it was to those before you, if you were to joining gods with Allah, truly fruitless will be your work in life, And you will surely be among those who lose." (102) He, the Almighty furthermore stated in the Holy Quran "If they were to join other gods with Allah, all that they did would be vain for them." (103)
We pray Allah to keep us away from suspicions, idolatry, hypocrisy, bad conduct and all adversities in our wealth and family. 0, Allah, guide us to the right path and enable us to follow it and keep us away from falsehood and make it clear to us.

"Glory be to the Lord, of honor and power. He is free from what they ascribe to Hi. And peace and blessings of Allah be upon the apostles. And praise to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds." (104)
"Glory to Him, and He is above the partners they ascribe unto Him" (l05)
"Glory to Him! He is high above all that they say! Exalted and Great (beyond measure)" (106)

Peace and blessings of Allah be upon our prophet Muhammad, his companions and his true followers.

footnotes:

75. H.Q. Araf (The Heights) 7 : 55.
76. H.Q. Chafir (The Believer) 40 : 65.
77. H.Q. Isra (The Children of Israel) 17 : 57.
78. Ibn Kathir Interpretation of the Holy Quran 3 : 46.
79. lbn Taimiyahs Fatwa 11:529
80. H.Q. Maidah (The Table) 5 :35.
81 H.Q. Isra (The Children of Israel 17 : 57.
82. H.O. Araf (The Heights) 7 : 180.
83. H.Q. Anbiya (The Prophets) 21: 83.
84. H.Q. Mariam (Mary) 19 : 4
85. H.Q. Anbiya (The Prophets) 21-87.
86. H.Q. AI-Imran (The Family of Imran) 3 :193.
87. Sahih Bukhari (Arabic Edition) 4 : 369-70.
88. Abu Dawood No.1498, Tirmidhi No.3557.
89. Tirmidhi No.3573.
90. lbn Taimiyah's Collection of Verdicts 1: 319,346.
91. H.Q. Nisa (Women) 4 : 64
92. H.Q. Al-Muminun (The Bclievers) 23 :117.
93. H.O. Ibrahim 14: 10.
94. H.Q. Baqarah (Cow) 2 : 21-2.
95. H.Q. Luqrnan (The Wise) 31:13
96. H.Q. Nisa (Women) 4 : 48.
97. H.Q. Maidah (Table) 5 : 72.
98. H.Q. Tawbah (Repentance) 9: 28
99. H.Q. Tawbab (Repentance) 9: 5
100 H.Q. Hajj (Pilgrimage) 22 :31.
101. H.Q. Baqarah (Cow) 2: 221.
102. H.Q. Zumar (The Crowds) 39: 65.
103. H.Q. Anam (Cattle) 6: 58.
104. H.Q. Saffat (Those Ranged in Ranks) 37 180-182.
105. H,Q. Nahl (Bee) 16 :1.
106. H.Q. IsTa (Children of Israel) 17 : 43.

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته