Seeking Assistance from the Dead

[Abbas.Abu.Yahya]

Part 2 - Seeking Assistance from the Dead

The Second: The Isteegatha which is prohibited, is of two types:

a) Seeking assistance from living people with that which only Allaah Ta’ala has the ability to help with, and there is agreement amongst the scholars, that this is prohibited.

And from amongst the evidences for this issue, is the saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<And invoke not besides Allaah, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you…..>>

b) Making Isteegatha with the dead, from the Prophets or the righteous people.

And from the proofs of this prohibition is the following:

1) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<And if My slaves ask you about Me, then I am close, and I answer the Dua’ of the caller if he supplicates to Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. >>

So ponder - may Allaah look after you – about when the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- was faced with questions, and the answer would come from Allaah Ta’ala, and Allaah Ta’ala would make the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- an intermediary to convey the answer, so Allaah would say to him : <<Say….>> meaning O Muhammad tell them. The following are examples of that:

1) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you about the new moons. Say: these are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage. >> 2:186

2) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala : <<They ask you concerning fighting in the Sacred Months (i.e. 1st, 7th, 11th and 12th months of the Islaamic calendar). Say, "Fighting therein is a great (transgression) but a greater (transgression) with Allaah is to prevent mankind from following the Way of Allaah, to disbelieve in Him,>> 2:217

3) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you (O Muhammad ) concerning alcoholic drink and gambling. Say: ‘In them is a great sin, and (some) benefit for men, but the sin of them is greater than their benefit.’ >> 2:219

4) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you what they should spend. Say : whatever you spend of good>> 2 : 215

5) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you for a legal verdict. Say: ‘Allaah directs (thus) about Al¬Kalâlah (those who leave neither descendants nor ascendants as heirs) >>

6) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you what is lawful for them as food. Say : lawful unto you are all kinds of halaal food. >> 5:4

7) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you about the Hour (Day of Resurrection): ‘When will be its appointed time?’ Say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (Alone). >>

8) The saying of Allaah Ta’ala: <<They ask you about the spoils of war. Say: the spoils of war are for Allaah and the Messenger>> 8: 1


So, the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- was an intermediary to convey the message directed to him from Allaah Ta’ala by His saying : <<Say…>>, except in the issue of Dua’. Indeed Allaah Ta’ala did not make the Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- an intermediary for Dua’, but Allaah Ta’ala Himself undertakes the answering of the Dua’ directly without saying: <<Say…>>

When the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- was asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, is our Lord close so we can have intimate discourse with Him, or is He far, so that we have to call in a loud voice?’ Then Allaah revealed: <<And if My slaves ask you about Me, then I am close, and I answer the Dua’ of the caller if he supplicates to Me.>>

Narrated by Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal in his book ‘Kitab as-Sunnah’1/ 277 and Ibn Hibban in his book ‘ath-Thiqaat’8/436, and at-Tabari mentioned it as a reason for the revelation of the Ayaah in his Tafseer book 2/158, and Ibn Katheer in his Tafseer book 1/219, and Qurtubi in his Tafseer book 2/308, and he mentioned it as a reason for it being revealed, on the authority of Hasan al-Basari – may Allaah have mercy upon him.

And this is a divine indication that Allaah does not love that, nor is a slave in need of intermediaries or intercessors when he supplicates to his Lord Azza wa Jaal, rather he supplicates to Allaah directly and the saying of Allaah Ta’ala <<So let them obey Me >> means : that they supplicate to Me.