Question :
A question was asked about [the legitimacy of] calling upon the Prophets and the Righteous for help [intercession].
Fatwa in Brief: Whoever calls for help from
anyone other than God, [and in particular] from someone
that has departed this life, is guilty of a major form
of disbelief (shirk) (polytheism). Calling upon
the Prophets and the Righteous people is an act of
innovation (bid‘a) and a form of disbelief.
Shaykh Ibn Baz, Collected Fatawa: 5/319
Shaykh Ahmad Farid,
www.alsalafway.com (Standing Committee for
Research and Religious Opinion)
Response:
Like the preceding ones, this opinion opens the door for
groundless accusations of kufr based on poor reasoning
and a disputable lack of evidence. It maligns most of
the Muslim peoples and describes them as non-believers
while the majority of jurists would view those actions
as ordinarily unobjectionable. At any given time, it is
very common for ordinary Muslims to make some mistakes
in terms of doctrine and worship, however, the proper
response to such mistakes is to advise, educate, and
treat with kindness. Unfortunately, their accusers
instead expel these ordinary Muslims from the fold of
Islam, calling them unbelievers. Furthermore, the
blasphemous type of calling for help – from sources
other than God – that would land its practioner into
stark polytheism is almost unheard of in modern Muslim
circles. And it should be made clear that not all forms
of supplication are innovation or forbidden.
Commentary:
If a Muslim asks a creature [i.e. someone that was once
mortal and/or created] to do something that is beyond
their skills, such as asking them to reduce befallen
calamities or to bestow bounties, this call for help is
Islamically prohibited. Indeed, it is unbelief on the
basis of the Qur’anic verse that states:
“Never pray to anything that does not cause benefit
or harm other than Allah, and if thou didst so, thou are
unfair”. (Surat Yunus 106)
However, if the person prays to God by way of an
intermediary, without demanding anything from the
intermediary him/herself, there is no harm. Hence, for
example, this person might say: “O God Almighty I ask
you with the honor of your Messenger to ease my
suffering”. Here, he addresses God, exclusively, and
seeks help only from Him, and not from the Prophet (upon
him be peace) or the intermediary.
The jurists agree that this form [of prayer for
intercession] does not constitute polytheism because the
demand for help is addressed to God Almighty, and not to
anything or anyone other than Him. Yet, the jurists
disagree as to whether this form of prayer should be
considered permitted or prohibited.
The first opinion is that such prayers – in which
Muslims ask for help from the Prophets and pious people
– are permitted, and that this is the opinion of the
majority of the scholars. Proponents support their view
drawing upon many evidence, like, mentioning the prayers
attributed to the Prophet (upon him be peace): “I ask
Thee through the right of those who ask Thee, and by the
right of my footsteps to Thee”. Likewise, there is also
the prayer of the Prophet (upon him be peace) on behalf
of Fatima, daughter of Asad: “Forgive the mother of
Fatima, daughter of Asad, and grant her entry [to
Heaven], in the right of Thy Prophet and the Prophets
before me, Thou are the Most Merciful”. Another piece of
evidence is found in the Prophetic hadith:
“Whoever visits my tomb will deserve my intercession”;
and [finally] the hadith of the blind man who
implored God through the Prophet (upon him be peace) to
restore his sight.
The second opinion states that it is forbidden to seek
help from God through the Prophets and righteous people,
be these alive or dead. This opinion is attributed to
Ibn Taymiyya and his later followers. In order to
support this view, they [Ibn Taymiyya et al] refer to
the following Qur’anic verse:
“And who is further astray than those who, instead of
Allah, pray unto such as hear not their prayer until the
Day of Resurrection, and are unconscious of their
prayer?”. (Q. 46:5)
According to the Fatwa Centre, under the Supervision
of Dr. ‘Abdullah el-Faqih:
Calling upon the person and right of Prophet Muhammad
(upon him be peace) for intercession is a subject that
has been much debated amongst Muslim jurists and
thinkers. Most jurists, from the Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanafi,
and Hanbali schools of law have allowed it.
And God knows best.
Dr. Muhammad Fouad
