SEEKING AID BESIDES ALLAH...

A wide spread practice particularly in the indian subcontinent where the vast
majority have adopted this heretical custom of beseeching other[s] besides
Allah, the Almighty. Its astonishing to see how many these days find
themselves in this un-mistakable error, seeking blessings and means of
approach through, and more seriously, invoking aid directly from others or
besides Allah. Satan has masterly worked his wicked deception and this heresy
has become so common that ordinary people, not well versed with religious
knowledge, take it as recommended and a praise-worthy action. Instead of
Allah, people have chosen to pray, put trust in and seek aid from others, even
those lying dead in their graves. Proclamations such as "Ya RasoolAllah
Madad!", "Ya Ghawth!", "Ya 'Ali Madad!", "Ya Data!" are heard frequently
which give rise to numerous false ideologies. How often have we heard the cry
to sheikh 'Abdul-Qadir Jeelani[r] : "al-Madad Ya Ghawth-e-Aadham
Dastgeer." The Shia utter similar invokes like : "Nade 'Ali, Nade 'Ali", and
"Mawla 'Ali mushkil kusha", which even the sunnis have adopted. They
consider prophets and saints relievers of harm and bestowers of benefit. Some
pray to auliya' to have their sins forgiven and prayers granted, while others call
aloud the righteous to have their difficulties removed, yet others might seek
influence of their mashaekh or prophets in front of Allah to immune
themselves from performing obligatory acts and believe bigotry adherence to
their sheikhs or imams guarantees them entry into paradise. Yet have
managed to hide their guilt under the guise of love and respect of awliya' wa
rasull. Others more conservative seek in-direct, intermediate means and ask
Allah via waseelah of pious individuals. Every time mullas pray you hear them
supplicating by words : "Muhammad ke sadkey 'atta farma", "Nabi key
waseelay sey dey", "Fulan ki barakat sey baksh", and so on. Anyone who does
not invoke saints or prophets is ridiculed and given all sorts of abusive titles,
such as 'khariji' or 'wahabi' etc. Instead of correcting their belief and deviant
practices that are at obvious opposition to Islaam, they invent slanders against
people of tawheed, those who invoke Allah alone making the deen sincerely for
Him, lebelling them "gustakh-e-awliya' wa rasull" i.e. 'despisers of saints and
messengers', and show as if they (people of tawheed) do not love and respect
the messengers and auliya' of Allah. Its a pity to see our brothers in Islaam in
such manifest error, sinking deeper and deeper in the depths of Shirk and
bid'ah with their reliance upon others besides Allah, the Almighty. So with this
concern, I would like them and people in general to read what follows and
hope it will provide beneficial information on this most sensitive issue of our
time along with guiding them towards correct creed and true belief.
(Insha'allah!)

Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'aala states : For Him (alone) is prayer(du'a') in

Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if
they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it
reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile)
wandering (in the mind). [Al-Qur'an, 13:14]
Prayer is a solemn plea at a time of hardship and despair. When man finds not
natural means to attain his desire or cannot accomplish which he undertakes,
he turns to divine assistance which he believes can assist in alleviating
hardship. Naturally prayer is made towards one who is believed to be all-
hearing, all-knowing, one who knows and hears all we utter loudly or seek in
silence and one who possess the ability to provide sustenance and fulfill
desires. Hence the peritioner acknowledges for the petitioned, irrespective
who or what ever that might be, ownership of forementioned characteristics.
The problem with this however is these are divine attributes and belong solely
to Allah, 'azza wa jal. He is the all-Hearing, all-Knowing, bestower of favours
and provider of sustenance, but those who invoke in their prayer other[s] Allah
attribute to them knowledge of the unseen, faculty of awareness over all
things, and bestowing of favours among other divine qualities. For example, if
one invokes an absent or deceased person he testifies that he is alive, knowing
full well who, where, and when petitions are made and has full authority of
answering them! Inevitably, adherants to such ideas are mis-guided strayed far
from Allah's Kalam and Sunnah of the beloved Prophet
Muhammad(salallau`alaihi wa sallam). The Guardian Lord states in a
beautiful passage of the beautiful Qur'an : With Him are the keys of the
unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there
is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge:
there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything
fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those
who can read). [Al-Qur'an, 6:59] Allah has kept al-Ghayb(hidden knowledge)
exclusive for Himself as it befits Him and none encompass anything of it
except to whom Allah reveals but when Allah reveals hidden to His angels,
messengers, or prophets, it does in no way mean they too accompany Allah in
His knowledge for then it no longer remains hidden and only after Allah
discloses His secrets do they understand, as the angels declaired : "Glory to
Thee, of knowledge We have none, save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it
is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom." [Al-Qur'an, 2:32] No
messenger nor prophet has access to the unseen, not even the greatest of all
prophets. 'Aisha[ra] said : "He who presumes that he would inform about what
was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allah..."[1], in
another narration : "If anyone tells you that Muhammad[s] has seen the
unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: None has the knowledge of the Unseen but
Allah. (al-Qur'an, xxvii 65).[2] It is not humanly possible for man to have or
attain divine capabilities since divinity and humanity, mortality and
immortality are oppsoite of one another. To say that humans are capable by
themselves to access hidden knowledge (ilm-e-ghayb) is associating partners
with Allah ta'aala just as relating humans with divine attributes is Shirk and
invoking deceased prophets and absent awliya' affirms this very attirbute for
them and is sharing (with others) in Allah's unique attributes. The Almighty
states : He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins
other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right). [Al-
Qur'an 4:116] Calling out to deceased prophets, saints, angels, jinn, stars and
idols etc is a major fallacy and im-morality of the greatest magnitude opening
doors to other more heinous beliefs. Christians who even though deify
Jesus[p] the son of Mary[p] as second person of their 'Holy Trinity' and 'Son of
GOD', reluctantly concede that as man atleast, Jesus[p] did not have hidden
knowledge.[See Mark' Gospel, 13:32] Then what about 'muslims' of this age
openly giving ilm al-ghayb to whomever they wish and leaving themselves
susceptible to ideas like 'Hadhir wa Nadhir'(omnipresence). Yet this serves as
another reason for us to abstain from beseeching individuals besides Allah for
to Him is ubiquitous in His wisdom and knowledge whereas all else is confined
and limited. Even the awliya', prophets and the greatest of all Prophet[s] is not
hadhir wa nadhir as such in-capable of providing aid. Moreover, designating
such knowledge and abilities like omnipresence to auliya' leads to some
serious repercussion and ascribing it to the holy Prophet[s] is an out right
slander against his noble being which need not even be elaborated.

The arabic word du'a' has severals meanings : supplication, prayer, petition,
plea and beseechment, among others and is made to whomever one places
trust(tawakkul) and for this reason the Prophet[s] said : "du'a' is itself
worship..."[4] that is... if one places tawakkul upon others or besides Allah
then he lies in the depths of darkness for he depends upon others than or with
Allah. This dear reader is what polytheism is based upon. The Makkan pagans
of jahilliyah believed in Allah as the supreme sustainer at the same time,
prayed to others besides Him i.e. believing there were other providers besides
Allah(under His command), and were yet labeled polytheists. In whomsoever
you place hope, expectation and attribute to it above mentioned qualities that
becomes your deity, your ilaah and your prayer to it is your worship of it. The
Prophet of Allah[s] called people to abandon supplications to any else than
Allah place hope in Him, reciting in the same narration cited : And your Lord
said: Call on Me, I will answer you" (xI.60)." Allah's statement "I will answer
you" being His unique authority and power in answering prayers and
declaration that none have the least ability to change what Allah, the Almighty
has decreed except He[5] and His saying : ...but those who are too arrogant to
worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!" shows
proclamations such as "al-Madad Ya Rasoolullah", or "Ya`Ali Madad" is
worship of these noble personalities and sacriledge of Allah's Tawheed as He
uses du'a'(prayer) and ibahah(worship) synonymously. In the five time daily
prayers (Salaah), a muslim recites atleast seventeen times a day : Iyyaka
na`budu wa iyyaka nasta`een, meaning : Thee (Allah) do we worship, and
Thine aid we seek. [al-Fatihah] Again worship and supplication go together
being in-separable yet venerators of self-desires revert back to their miserable
state as soon as the salaat finishes. Indeed some defy all bounds extolling the
awliya' of their choosing and in seek their influence on matters under Allah's
control. Such is the case with the shia sect and their exaggerations in praising
'Ali(ra), the son in law of the Prophet[s] and their Shia-designated in-fallible
imaam; "Call 'Ali! Call 'Ali! Call aloud to Ali, Who is the epiphanic source of
wonders, You shall surely find him helping in your troubles, All grief and
anxiety will disappear, By Your power and Authority!, O 'Ali! O 'Ali! O 'Ali!"
Others single out 'Abdul Qadir Jeelani[r] as their master, saviour alleviator of
hardship and ordeals invoking him: "al-Madad Ya Ghawth-e-Aadham
Dastgeer" meaning 'Help! O Greatest source of rescue'. "Can difficulty reach
me when you are cause of my courage? And can harm reach me in this world
when you are my helper?" In what possible way is this prayer different to those
strayed Christians who have been much deluded in their idea of intercession
and reliance upon clergymen, saints and in particular, the Christ Jesus[p] to
whom they solemnly profess : "Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ,
save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from Christ's side, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds
hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malicious enemy
defend me. In the hour of my death call me. And bid me come unto Thee. That
I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels. Forever and ever.
Amen!" Or the famous Rosary prayer to Mariam[as] : "Hail, Holy Queen,
Mother of Mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we
cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious
advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show us the
blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!"
Such invoker of vanity are not satisfied with Allah and constantly seek other
un-lawful means of satsfying their desires. Their hearts are not content with
praying Allah alone just as the Makkan mushriks would not find peace in
making their invokes sincerely for Allah. For if they truely believed in Allah as
He ought be, the sole creator, bestower of life and death, provider of
sustenance, reliever of ordeals, aider in difficulty, then surely they would
invoke Him alone and share none in His worship. Those who make such
proclamations out of ignorance should immediately repent and seek Allah's
forgivness, His infinite mercy, and people who are knowledgable yet indulged
in such sinful activities should fear Allah of a great penalty awaiting them and
leave their ideological motives. Allah Almighty necessitates for His servant that
he ask Him alone without any intermediatory as Allah, full of generosity and
kindness, is most dear to us and occupying the depths of our heart. Then ought
we distanced ourselves from Him and Him from us when Allah mentions :
When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I
listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also,
with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the
right way. [Al-Qur'an, 2:186] And ...We(GOD) are nearer to him than (his)
jugular vein. [Al-Qur'an 50:16] In each night the Rahmaan descends to the
lowest heven proclaimaing : Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond
to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his
request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive
him?"[6] What need remains for a slave to look beyond Allah if He calls us to
beseech Him and accepts our prayers? Should He not suffice His servant? Is
He not the best of sustainers? And if He rejects our prayers, who is there to
answer us and have our prayers fulfilled?[7] Allah's Messenger[s] ordained
upon his followers : "If you ask in prayer, ask only Allah and if you seek Help,
seek it only from Allah."[8] So take heed O worshipper of Allah! and realise
that Allah's right upon you is that you worship none but Him and have
trust(tawakkul) in Him.

Allah Almighty mentions : And who is more astray than he who invokes
besides Allah those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection,
and they, of their invocation, are unaware. And when the people are
gathered [that Day], they will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of
their worship. [Al-Qur'an 46:5-6] Ayaat to this effect are numerous but even
one suffices true believers. The primary defence when confronted with clear
signs of people of deviation is to restrict the meaning of Qur'anic ayaat to
pagan associationists and believe the 'un-aware' as addressed in this ayah are
not their awliya' Allah but rather idols mushriks of Makkah use to worship. By
presenting such apologetic their ignorance and mis-understanding the
meaning of these ayaat is exposed in failing to realise that idols are not some
allegorical conjectures of the human mind, instead are manifestation of love
and emmence respect for noble personalities or awliya', as ibn 'Abbaas(ra)
commenting on Surah Nooh, ayah 23 explained (read below). Furthermore, on
the day of resurrection those invoked will deny their worship and disown them
is evident proof the ayah is in reference to the pious servants not idols who
shall not be raised. The reason why Allah ta'aala has kept such invocation far
away from His noble slaves and permitted sayings of salaat and salaam is
because durood is something of a pleasure whereas supplications like that of
mushriks will only cause them grief and anxiety. And since durood is the only
supplication reaching the pious (through appointed angels), the question of
them answering our calls becomes null. The Almighty also mentions : Say (O
Muhammad) : "Will ye worship (Mary, Christ,'Uzair) besides Allah,
something which hath no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allah,- He
it is that heareth and knoweth all things."[Al-Qur'an, 5:76] Allah in this noble
verse informs the reader of the grave error in reliance upon others besides
Allah, be they recepents of His qurb and wilaya(closeness). Here Allah
dismisses dependance upon prophets and auliya' as an abomination since He
alone sees, hear, and knows all things, whereas deities taken up by
polytheists(Krishna, Jesus,'Abdul-Qadir) are un-aware of supplicant's call
therefore un-able to respond having no power to help their supplicant.
Nowadays people are told that unless you takes so and so wali or pir as
protector and waseelah, or pray to them and offer sacrifice in their name you
cannot attain Allah's pleasure. The Prophet of Islaam came to abolish this
exact theme and remove such notions from the his[s] ummah and liberate
them from human slavery. Islaam frees man from slavery of creation to slavery
of the Creator, breaking man made shakkels between the Lord and His
servants placing them directly at Allah's doorstep both in theory and practice
as in the muslim salaah. Now whoever hopes for a meeting with his Lord can
do so by performing the muslim prayer for it serves as a direct connection
between Allah and His slave, wherein a muslim sees His Lord as if He was
before him supplicating straight to Him without having any intermediate, pir-
o-murshid, sheikh or prophet. Salaah is the best waseelah and most belovbed
means by which man attains Allah's wilayah so offer salaah and beseech Allah
O headless muslim! and distribute not portion of Allah's right like free meal to
whomsoever you desire. Allah further states : He merges Night into Day, and
he merges Day into Night, and he has subjected the sun and the moon (to his
Law): each one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah your Lord:
to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye invoke besides Him have
not the least power. If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if
they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of
Judgment they will reject your association(Shirk) and none, (O man!) can tell
thee (the Truth) like the One Who is acquainted with all things. O ye men! It is
ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of
all praise. [Al-Qur'an, 35:13-15] Thus Allah alone is able to aid His needy
slaves since He alone is free from all imperfections and wants and only He
eases their affairs providing sustenance for them and removing difficulty,
ailments and harms while all else is limited, un-able and weak. Allah informs
His servants as in the previous ayah that those invoked besides Him have not
least ability to protect you or remove tribulations, for they are un-aware of who
you call out to in the first place and the same people who were invoked will
part from them and disown their petitioners as those who shared partners with
Allah. Allah's oneness(tawheed) is fully asserted only when He alone is
recognised as the supreme authority, deliverer and releaver of trials, bestower
of reward and blessings, so one ought to seek Him with sincerity if he or she
truely worships Allah. However, people of foolish utterance have believed
contrary and denied the holy ayah mentioned whereas they hypothesis Allah,
subhanahu wa ta'aala has appointed certain deputies (i.e. His awliya') to whom
He has delegated powers and authority for running the affairs of the creation.
These agents, some four thousand who remain hidden from mankind!, are
appointed to satisfy the needy, fulfilling their basic needs and relieve hardship
of those in difficulty, therefore, it is felt desirable to ask these deputies for help
in distress, cure in ailment, relief in suffering since this, according to them, is
the divine will of Allah(above is Allah of what they ascribe). Some are
designated to provide sustenance, while some to send down rain and control
thunder, yet others to protect the universe and the earth from an imminent
collapse. These are all un-Islaamic aqaa'id(beliefs) borrowed from pagan
mythologies and render the Almighty in-effective and insinuate Allah's
incompetence (a'udhubillah). In Greek circles people assigned dozens of
different gods and goddesses for a variety of roles and positions. Dionysus to
them is the god of fertility and god Saturn raises crops, Lucina is the goddess
of childbirth whereas Appolo is the healing god, yet the greeks held a supreme
deity whom they recognised as Lord of the hevens and all gods, Zeus. In
Hinduism, the supreme God is Brahma but he too is accompanied by several
other mini-gods, prominent ones like Vishnu the preserver, Shiva the
destroyer, and bringer of rain Varuna. In Islaam such ideas are abandoned as
Shirk and Kufr for none in the least degree have partnership in Allah's divine
charateristics. Assigning divine qualities to large or minor extent is similar to
what pagans of the past have done leaving the Almighty de-throned and
workless. Know O muslim! That Allah alone is the regulator of the hevens and
earth and He is suffice in guarding and preserving them. He is the creator Lord
of mankind and as such is adequate in delivering His slaves when engulfed in
tribulations, providing means of sustenance among other countless blessings
and to Him alone we should give thanks. None encompany His command,
order or divine will, whosoever Allah guides none can mis-guide him and
whosoever He chooses to mis-guide finds no light. Whoever Allah helps none
can overcome and him who Allah abandons finds no aid. If Allah protects you
none can cause you harm in the least bit, but beyond His shade of mercy you
will find no guardian (wali). For indeed with Allah is power of all things, His is
the dominion of the hevens and earth and there is no might no power except
with Him.

Love and respect of the Prophet[s] by no mean necessitate words of excessive

praise or going out of your way in exalting the man, but rather in bound
adherance to Allah's Kalam by implimenting the Sunnah(methodology) of
RasoolAllah[s]. When we glance back at the history of idol worship we find
that idolatry only flourishes when people exaggerate in reverence of the pious.
Ibn 'Abbaas[ra] said : "All the idols which were worshipped by the people of
Noah were worshipped by the Arabs later on. As for the idol Wadd, it was
worshipped by the tribe of Kalb at Daumat-al-Jandal; Suwa' was the idol of
(the tribe of) Murad and then by Ban, Ghutaif at Al-Jurf near Saba; Yauq was
the idol of Hamdan, and Nasr was the idol of Himyr, the branch of Dhi-al-
Kala.' The names (of the idols) formerly belonged to some pious men of the
people of Noah, and when they died Satan inspired their people to prepare and
place idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their
names. The people did so, but the idols were not worshipped till those people
(who initiated them) had died and the origin of the idols had become obscure,
whereupon people (of later generations) began worshipping them."[9]
Excessive veneration led the people of Nooh[as] to engrave images and make
statues of the pious. Though done with good heart in the name of exolting the
pious, it led following generations to idolatry and inevitable destruction and
for this reason the Prophet[s] warned us against over-zealousness in exalting
him : "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of
Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle."[10]
Nowadays people have exceeded limits calling upon Allah's Messenger[s] in
difficulties and seeking his aid in matters beyond him, taking him as an
intermediate between Allah, declaring him the controller of the universe and
its source, sustainer of all creation, and having the ability of being present
every where at all times, much like their Christian counterparts. If all this is
not over glorification of the Prophet[s] then there is no such thing as excessive
praise. The aqeedah(creed) of Makkan pagans is worth mentioning here, Allah
mentions there state in trials calling purely Allah but when He delivers them,
they return to their foolish ways in calling others besides Him : Now, if they
embark on a boat, they call on Allah, making their devotion sincerely (and
exclusively) to Him; but when He has delivered them safely to land, behold,
they give a share (of their worship to others)! [Al-Qur'an, 29:65] This shows
us that even the mushrik of Makkah, the worst of all creation, invoked Allah
solicitly in difiiculty unlike our 'modern muslims' who can't get pass "Ya
Ghawth-Ya Ghayth!" Allah states : Say (O Muhammad) : "Who is it that
sustains you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? or who is it that has
power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from
the dead and the dead from the living? and who is it that rules and regulates
all affairs?" They will soon say, "Allah". Say, "will ye not then show piety (to
Him)?"[Al-Qur'an, 10:31] And if indeed thou ask them who it is that sends
down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death,
they will certainly reply, "Allah!" Say, "Praise be to Allah!" But most of them
understand not. [Al-Qur'an, 29:63] The mushriks acknowledged the fact that
Allah is the regulator of His creation and provides them rizk(sustenance) being
ultimate in authority. They use to pronounce the talbiyah whilst
circumambulating the Ka'bah : "Here I am at Thy service, there is no associate
with Thee", but the Prophet[s] cursed them because they also added : "But one
associate with Thee, you possess mastery over him, but he does not possess
mastery (over you)." Even the Mushriks, when making intercession through
pious men and their sculptures, did not consider these deities independent
source of aid, infact no sources at all! Their praying the pious was that it might
bring them closer to their Rab knowing full well Allah alone provides provision
and fulfills their needs and none has any authority to grant from whom Allah
withholds and harm who Allah protects. In contrast to many of our muslim
brothers who claim the Prophet[s] is able to provide for who ever he wills and
that no blessing can reach anyone except thru RasoolAllah[s] among other
'Holy men' and they provide, nourish, protect their devotees, those who call
upon them. In truth, the pagan belief was more closer to Islaam than those of
today claiming inheritance of the Prophetic sunnah. There is no difference
between a group that invokes dead saints or prophets and an other calling
upon dead idols, between grave worshippers of today and idol worship of
jahilliyah. The former erroneous believe their 'saints' are alive in their graves
hence beseechment to them is more desirable and makes one' du'a' more
acceptable in the sight of Allah. Whereas the latter who prayed towards their
sculptures of holy men also considered their pious alive and well intercessories
with Allah. No grave worshipper adores the grave itself nor do idolaters pray to
lifeless idols, these only serve as a direction aiding them in concentration
whilst the actual prayer is towards those 'saints' burried in graves and 'hevenly
men' after whom idols are designated. This is why Allah's Messenger[s]
supplicated his Lord : "O Allah, Let not my grave be an idol, May the curse of
Allah be upon the nations who took the graves of their Prophets as places of
worship." [Musnad Ahmad] So in reality, those who make du'a' to deceased
righteous, as un-fortunately we see abundantly among us, knowingly or un-
knowingly, end up validating acts of Shirk by Makkan associationists i.e. their
prayers to dead pious people. People of jahilliyah use to say : "We only serve
them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." [Al-Qur'an, 39.3]
Jahillyah of today hold the same creed thinking their invoking occupant of the
graves bring closer to Allah and guaranties intercession, same as
associationists of old : They serve, besides Allah, things that hurt them not nor
profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: "Do
ye indeed inform Allah of something He knows not, in the heavens or on
earth?- Glory to Him! and far is He above the partners they ascribe (to
Him)!"[Al-Qur'an, 10:18] Such claims only increased mis-guidance and despite
their insistance, Allah Ta'aala labeled them Kaafirs and Mushriks. Crux being
that even Makkan mushriks believed in Allah's lordship over the hevens and
earth among other of His unique attributes but what Islaam necessitates is the
worship of Allah alone whereas it includes all acts of veneration, respect,
gratitude, sacrifice, rituals, beseechment etc. What made Makkan
associationists, allies of Shaitaan instead of allies of Rahmaan, was their
directing acts of worship to idols of pious individuals and ignorant muslims
blindly follow the way of their doomed predecessors. Allah, the Sublime said :
If indeed thou ask them who it is that created the heavens and the earth, they
would be sure to say, "Allah". Say: "See ye then? the things that ye invoke
besides Allah,- can they, if Allah wills some Penalty for me, remove His
Penalty?- Or if He wills some Grace for me, can they keep back his Grace?"
Say: "Sufficient is Allah for me! In Him trust those who put their trust."[Al-
Qur'an, 39:38]

Then there are some who, though not always pray directly to prophets and
saints as means of attainment recognising Allah's authority, seek their
shafa'a(intercession) and waseelah(means of nearness) in hope they'll plead to
Allah on their behalf due to these pious individuals having attained
honourable status, granted the right to intercede with Allah and as such feel
intercession sought from them is valid. This type of intercession is just another
deviation from the truth resembling intercession of previously destroyed
nations as they also proclaimed : "These are our intercessors with Allah", and
Allah declaired this associationism. Allah informs us concerning intercession
and its right;
Say (O Muhammad) : "To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant)
intercession..." [Al-Qur'an, 39;44]
Allah! There is no god but He...Who is there can intercede in His presence
except as He permitteth? [Ayat-ul-Kursi]
How many-so-ever be the angels in the heavens, their intercession will avail
nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He pleases and that he is
acceptable to Him. [Al-Qur'an, 53:26]
...They(angels) offer no intercession except for those who are acceptable(to
Allah), and they stand in awe and reverence of His (Glory). [Al-Qur'an,
21:28] Intercession should be sought only from Allah and none else. We can
ask Allah not to deny us His Messenger' intercession and make him[s] plead
for us on the last day but we cannot directly invoke the Messenger[s] for
intercession for that would be exception to what we've already discussed. No
prophet, no pious slave can intercede for anyone and even if they did it would
not avail them from Allah agaisnt His will until He, the Almighty grants
permission and He shall permit intercession only for those who worshipped
Him alone, without associating partners with Allah. As He, the Almighty will
not accept intercession for hypocrites : Whether thou (OMuhammad) ask for
their forgiveness, or not, (their sin is unforgivable): if thou ask seventy times
for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them: because they have rejected
Allah and His Messenger: and Allah guideth not those who are perversely
rebellious. [Al-Qur'an, 9:80] Naturally this ayah also applies more severely to
those who joined partners with Allah in His divine attributes. Allah's
Messenger[s] spoke of an incident where, on the day of resurrection, some of
his companions will be brought to him and he generously would like to share
water from al-Kawthar but suddenly they will be pulled from it whereupon the
Prophet[s] will say : "O Lord, my companions!" Allah, the Almighty will
respond : You do not know what they did after you left, they introduced new
things into the religion after you',[11] and the Prophet[s] will say to them :
"Woe to him who changes (his religion) after me."[12] Issuing bid'aat alone is
enough to nullify one' intercession, how about those who actually ascribe
partners Allah? We pray Allah grant the Prophet[s] al-waseelah and make him
intercede for us on the Last day, but the Prophet's intercession will only be
limited to and accepted for those who affirm 'la ilaha il-Allah' in letter and
spirit, pure in belief and actions seeking only the Face of Allah.

With regards to al-Waseelah, there are two derivations, 1. 'Al-Waseelah' is the

highest rank in paradise and nearest to Allah's 'Arsh only for the most pious of
His servants, the Prophet of Allah[s] said : When you hear the Mu'adhdhin,
repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes a
blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah; then beg from Allah al-
Waseelah for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's
servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given
al-Waseelah, he will be assured of my intercession (on the day of
Judgement)."[13] And 2. Means by which one comes close to desired goal, or
in the Sharee'ah, comes closer to Allah as the Alimighty states in His Glorious
Book : O ye who believe! Do your duty to Allah, seek the means of approach
(waseelah) unto Him, and strive with might and main in his cause: that ye
may prosper.[Al-Qur'an, 5:35] The correct and only waseelah (in Sharee'ah)
are righteous deeds, actions in accordance with that which Allah and His
Messenger[s] ordered. Those who interprate waseelah as seeking closeness to
Allah by means of prophets, righteous slaves, people of the grave etc then all
such people are lost in utter darkness. They often mix between natural
waseelah and Shar'ee waseelah claiming that without stairs one cannot reach
the roof, similarly one cannot reach Allah without waseelah of auliya'. This
among other such analogies are in-correct in multiple ways, also contradicts
sound reason. The use of stairs to the rooftop is a natural waseelah and is
common for muslims and non-muslims alike, each stair reaches the roof but
every act does not reach Allah for only the Shar'ee waseelah, acts in accordance
with Islaamic Sharee'ah, is acceptable in His assembly. All natural wasaa'il are
halaal(legal) with exceptions named in the Qur'an and Sunnah, but with
regading to the Shar'ee waseelah then all wasaa'il are haraam(forbidden)
unless found in the Sharee'ah (Qur'an and Sunnah). The scholars of Islaam
like Jarir at-Tabari[r] mentioned the meaning of al-waseelah as 'seeking
nearness to Allah with deeds He is pleased with", so did al-Hafidh ibn
Katheer[r] who reported from ibn 'Abbaas[ra] commenting on Suratul-Ma'eda,
ayah 35 : "The meaning of al-Waseelah is to draw closer." Also from Qatadah :
"This(waseelah) is that you draw near to Him(Allah) by obedience to Him and
through actions that are pleasing to Him." [Tafseer ibn Katheer] For those
who instead resort to call upon dead prophets and saints just because they
hold higher status with Allah, He, the Sublime states :Say (O Muhammad):
"Call on those - besides Him - whom ye fancy: they have neither the power to
remove your troubles from you nor to change them." 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: for the Wrath
of thy Lord is something to take heed of. [Al-Qur'an, 17:56-57] These ayaat
were revealed in relation to a group of people among the arab associationists
who worshipped the jinn, (calling upon them, making vows in their name etc)
un-aware those jinn had accepted Islaam and themselves sought waseelah to
their Lord. Allah also clarified that irrespective of one's closeness to Him no
one is able to remove harm from another neither provide good, for even the
most righteous of Allah's creation depend upon His Mercy and fear His anger.
It is thus not possible for them to serve as means of approach to
Allah(waseelah) when they themselves seek wasaa'il to their Lord. Ibn
'Abbaas[ra] in explanation of this ayah said : "The people of Shirk used to say
'We worship the angels and the Messiah and 'Uzayr', while these themselves
call upon Allah.'' They assumed invoking prophets and angels was means of
nearness to Allah and this was their worship of them which Allah negated. Al-
Hafidh ibn Hajr[r] elaborates : "The people who used to worship the Jinn
continued to worship the Jinn, and the Jinn were not pleased with their
worship, since they had accepted Islaam. And they were the ones who sought a
means of nearness to their Lord..." Its evidently clear from this that relying
upon the allies of Allah seeking their waseelah is equally void as beseeching
them directly, in fact is a sunnah of the Makkan pagans, while on the contrary,
the only Shar'ee wasaa'il are our righteous deeds prescribed in the Glorious
Qur'an and Prophetic Sunnah, as understood by the pious predecessors.
Allah's Messenger[s] in what is known as the hadith of auliya', said : I(Allah)
will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of
Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me,
is what I have enjoined upon him...[14] It should be clear to you that
obligratory acts of obedience (fara'id) are most superior and the only means to
attain Allah's wilayah(closeness). Seeking access to Allah Almighty through
deceased intermediatories, seeking their influence and blessings, and
supplicating to Allah by them are all in-valid wasaa'il. You must know that
none from the creation has any claim or right over the Creator. Moreover,
when we ask Allah in the name of His creation we insinuate the creaion has a
right over Allah and this is sacrilege of His rububiyyah and perfect command
over His creation. Allah Ta'aala should only be sought by means of wasaa'il
found in the Qur'an and Sunnah such as; a. Supplicating the Almighty by
means of His beaitiful names, b. By putting forward one's need or desire to
Him, c. Invoking Allah by our righteous deeds and d. Seeking access to Him by
supplication of a righteous person. All these (only) are lawful wasaa'il and to
round off this discussion we narrate Prophet of Allah[s] statement making it
clear that he could not benefit or rescue anyone of his ummah not even
members of his own house-hold, regardless of his closeness to Allah and high
status : "...O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you like, but I
cannot avail you at all against Allah."[15] That is to say 'do not ask me for I
have no power to save you against Allah's Will.' Allah, Almighty says in the
Qur'an commanding the Prophet[s] : Say (O Muhammad) : "I have no power
over any good or harm to myself except as Allah willeth. If I had knowledge
of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have
touched me: I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to those who
have faith."[Al-Qur'an, 7:188] See also; [Al-Qur'an, 46:4-5],[72:21]

Allah Ta'aala describes for us in the Qur'an the correct manner of invoking
Him, seek His aid and have our prayers granted. He taught al-Fatihah to His
slave and ordained its daily five time recital in salaah. In it we pray : Show us
the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace...
Foremost recipients of Allah's grace and favour are His prophets[as], who
being the cream of humankind offer us from their lifestyle the best pattern of
conduct to replicate. For this we beseech the Almighty to establish us on their
path so that we may acquire similar character and worship Allah in manner
most beloved to Him, the manner of His prophets[as]. The words of du'a'
imploid by prophets and awliya' as mentioned by Allah in His book are purest
and dearest to Him. These are words which He Himself taught them and Allah,
the Generous One, saved these prayers in His Book so that people of
succeeding nations may take heed therewith and call upon their Lord by them.
He, the Almighty narrates stories of His most noble servants and mentions
herewith prayer of Adam[p] and Eve[p] when they disobeyed their Lord and
were taken out of paradise, they said : "Our Lord! We have wronged our own
souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall
certainly be lost."
The prayer of Noah[p] when he saw his son drowning : "O my Lord! surely my
son is of my family! and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the justest of
Judges!"
The plea of Job[p] when overwhelmed with decease and afflictions : "Truly
distress has seized me, but Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are
merciful."
Discretion of Joseph[p] fearing shamefulness : "O my Lord! the prison is more
to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their
snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and
join the ranks of the ignorant."
David[p] in battle against Goliath : "Our Lord! Pour out constancy on us and
make our steps firm: Help us against those that reject faith."
Prayer of Moses[p] when he killed an inocent soul : "O my Lord! I have indeed
wronged my soul! Do Thou then forgive me!"
Prayer of Zechariah[p] as he prayed for his heir : "O my Lord! infirm indeed
are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I
unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee! O my Lord! Grant unto me from
Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!"
Abraham[p] when he prayed for a son : "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous!"
Jesus[p] when he sought provision : "O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven
a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of
us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance,
for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)."
The Prophet[s] in the dark days of Ta'if when he was mooked, pelted with
stones, forced to flee his city and it seemed the whole world had turned against
him : "O Allah! To You alone I make complaint of my helplessness, the paucity
of my resources and my insignificance before mankind. You are the most
Merciful of the mercifuls. You are the Rabb of the helpless and the weak, O
Rabb of mine! Into whose hands would You abandon me: into the hands of an
unsympathetic distant relative who would sullenly frown at me, or to the
enemy who has been given control over my affairs? But if Your wrath does not
fall on me, there is nothing for me to worry about. I seek protection in the light
of Your Countenance, which illuminates the heavens and dispels darkness, and
which controls all affairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never
be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. And
there is no power nor resource, but Yours alone." In the fierce battle of Badr
with a minute muslim army facing complete annihilation at the hands of
Makkan associationists, the Prophet[s] cried out to his lord : "O Allah! Should
this group be defeated today, You will no longer be worshipped."

So whom, O people of vague belief!, did the prophets, their companions and
the righteous use to seek in ordeals? The prophets of Allah[p] were tested to
utmost limit beyond endurance of normal men yet did they ever take a
handhold besides that of Allah? In fightings and jihaad, sickness and suffering,
plagues and droughts, whom did the noble prophets invoke besides Allah?
Which Ghawth or Wali, Pir or Murshid did they cry out to? By whose waseelah
or barakah or sadaqah did the righteous call upon Allah? The prophets[as]
would rely upon none but Allah in grief and anxiety, invoke Allah for aid
against the enemy, sought Allah for cure when afflicted with decease and
ailments, to Allah they prayed for progeny and well-being of elders, by Allah
they asked when summoning people to tawheed, remembered Him patiently
and thanked Him alone. Thus in each and every aspect of day to day life the
most noble of Allah's creation would rely and invoke Him, never did they
resort to any heretical waseelah or pray direct to the dead pious or sacrifce in
their name aiming to have their aims accomplished. Allah Ta'aala mentions :
Those were the (prophets) who received Allah's guidance: Copy the guidance
they received... [Al-Qur'an, 6:90] Yet our modern day mullas order their blind,
ignorant followers to seek blessing from graves, invoke deceased saints and
prophets instead of Allah, take them as providers, relievers of pain and
liberators from suffering, use them as waseelah to Allah and ask intercession
from them instead of Allah (astaghfirullah!). So who would you prefer O
muslim! these pseudo-scholars and mullas who call to un-mistakable Shirk
and destruction? Or the Almighty's Kalam which invites to tawheed and gives
glad-tidings of eternal bliss to its adherents? Know! my brothers and sisters in
Islaam that mere utterance of the kalima (la ilaha il-Allah) is not sufficient to
make us a true muslim until it be actualised with proper understanding of
meaning and implimented in worship. 'La ilaaha il-Allah' means there is no
deity worthy of worship except Allah, subsequently, utterer of the testimony
must direct all kinds of acts involving worship to their Lord and avoid all types
Shirk therein, otherwise he/she ends up breaking the covenant with Allah. 'La
ilaha il-Allah' is at evident conflict with 'al-Madad Ya Rasool' or 'Ya Ghawth'.
Both cannot possibly co-exist, being opposites of one another, as opposite as
muslim and mushrik, a circle and square. Many assume idolatry was
eliminated from muslim nation for ever after the completion of Allah's
Messenger'[s] mission. They hope to shelter their sins with a narration
attributed to the holy Prophet[s] in which he said that Shaitaan has lost hope
of being worshipped in the arabian paninsula. Their conclusion is not only
hasty but also erroneous as the famous scholars ibn Rajab[r] said : "It (the
hadith) means that Satan has despaired from the entire people falling into
 idolatry." Glorification of graves, supplication to deceased are forms of idolatry
as we've discussed previously and Allah's Messenger[s] warned the day of
resurrection will not arise until a group of people among his[s] ummah
worship idols and false deities.[16] We fear the hour might be nigh.

Allah mentions : O men! Here is a parable set forth! listen to it! Those on
whom, besides Allah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met
together for the purpose! and if the fly should snatch away anything from
them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those
who petition and those whom they petition! [Al-Qur'an, 22:73]

In the end I ask Allah Ta'aala to pardon my errors in writing this essay
and accept the intention of seeking His reward by calling people to tawheed
which is the fundamental difference between belief and kufr. I ask Him to able
us to prosper herewith or at least incite among us desire to seek His righteous
path. The aim was not to defame any particular group as i have (or tried)
addressed the issue in a general manner, rather i call the masses to read,
understand the meaning and implement the Qur'an in daily life, for only in the
Qur'an and Sunnah does the truth manifest. Our lack of religious knowledge,
evident from contemporary ignorance, and downfall in worldly affaires is
direct consequence of negligence regarding these exclusive two sources of
Islaam. It becomes in-dispensable to affiliate ourselves with Allah's book, for
we can never claim nor be sincere with Allah, the basic element for success in
both worlds, unless we follow His guidance, until His will be done. May Allah,
'azza wa jal accept from us, ameen!

Glory to thy Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! from what they ascribe (to
Him)! And Peace on the messengers! And all Praise to Allah, the Lord and
Cherisher of the Worlds.

Salamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

End Notes

1. [Sahih Muslim, 337]

2. [Sahih Bukhari,93/477]

3. [See Gospel of Mark, 13:32]

4. [Sunan Abi Dawud, 1474]

5. Allah, 'azza wa jal states : If Allah touch thee with affliction, none can remove it
but He; if He touch thee with happiness, He hath power over all things. [Al-Qur'an,
6:17]
6. [Sahih Bukhari, 93/586]

7. Allah, bari ta'aala states : If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He
forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? in Allah, then, Let
believers put their trust. [Al-Qur'an 3:160]

8. [See imam an-Nawawi's Forty Ahadith]

9. [Sahih Bukhari, 60/442]

10. [Sahih Bukhari, 55/654]

11. [Sahih Bukhari,88/173]

12. [Sahih Muslim, 5682]

13. [Sahih Muslim, 747]

14. [Sahih Bukhari, 8/509]

15. [Sahih Muslim, 402]

16. [Sunan Abu Dawud, kitabul-Fitan]