The Dead Supplicating To Allah On Behalf Of The Living

[Shehzad Sattar]

Question: There is a person who visits a grave believing that the person in this grave was pious. Because of this belief, he beseeches Allah through the deceased saying ‘O pious man! Please supplicate to Allah on my behalf so that He blesses me with children.’ Is such an act permissible?

Response: To visit anyone’s grave, beseeching the dead person to supplicate to Allah on his or her behalf, [is an act of major shirk, requiring that the violator be sent to hellfire as his eternal abode should he die without repenting for it ] with the mistaken belief that the deceased is acting as an intermediary is impermissible [Haraam]; as such an act has not been established in the Shariah.

This act is based upon the false belief that the dead can listen to the beseeching of the living, that they have the ability to supplicate to Allah on their behalf, and that the supplication of the deceased is accepted because of their piety and holiness. Not a single one of the aforementioned reasons has been established authentically, from the Qur’an or Sunnah , so how can such an act ever be permissible?

And Allah knows best.

Reference: Fataawaa Nadheeriyah – Book of Iman and Beliefs – Volume 1, Page 29

Footnotes

1) Refer to the fatwa of Allamah Abdul-Aziz bin Baz (d.1420 AH) known as ‘The Islamic ruling on seeking help from the Messenger of Allah, may the praise and peace of Allah be with him’ published by dar-alqassem, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, pages 39-45,1424 AH published in the book known as ‘The fortification of Monotheism’. Also refer to Allamah Badeeud-Deen Sindhi’s (d.1416 AH) book ‘Tawheedai-Khaalis’ pages 513-624 for a detailed refutation on the people of bidah (innovation) and all their distorted arguments and evidence on this issue. [TN]

2) Rather it goes against the correct Islamic Aqeedah as mentioned by Allah, the Most High in His noble book; The Qur’an. Refer to Surah 46 Al-Ahqaf Ayah no 5-6: And who is more astray then one who calls on (invokes) besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them. And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping. [TN]

Refer to Surah 16 An-Nahl Ayah no: 20-21: ‘Those whom they (those who set up rivals with Allah, and those who worship others along Allah) invoke besides Allah have not created anything, but are themselves created. (They are) dead, not alive, and they know not when they will be raised up. [TN]

Refer to Surah 35 Fatir Ayah no 22: Nor are (alike) the living (i.e. believers) and the dead (i.e. the disbelievers) Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in the graves. [TN].

3) He is Imam Sayyid Nadhir Husain Dehlawi. Born in the year 1220 AH corresponding to 1805 CE. He left home at the age of 17 in search of Islamic knowledge, arriving in Delhi on the 13th of Rajab 1243 AH where he studied under the most prominent scholars of Islam of that era. Those from amongst his teachers include Allamah Shah Muhammad Ishaaq Dehlawi (1192 AH-1262 AH) who was the grandson of Allamah Shah Abdul-Aziz Dehlawi. Imam Sayyid Nadhir Husain Dehlawi authored over 60 books, from amongst them is his Fatãwaa known as Fatãwaa Nadheeriyyah in 2 volumes, and Mayaarul-Huq on the issue of Taqleed (blind-following a particular Fiqh Madhab). He called to Tahweed and taught Hadeeth and defended the Sunnah all his life. He is considered unanimously amongst Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama’aah as one of the Imams of his time who revived Ad-Dawah-Salafiyyah in the Indian subcontinent. He died on the 10th of Rajab 1320 AH corresponding to 15th of October 1902 CE. Those amongst his senior students include Allamah Shamsul-Huq Adheemabaadee (d. 1329AH), Allamah Abdur-Rahmãn Mubarakpuree (d.1353 AH), Allamah Thanaullah Amritsaree (d.1368 AH.) and many others. Refer to the introduction of Fatãwaa Nadheeriyyah page 26-51 for a detailed biography of the Imam. [TN]