Chapter 2: Resorting And Seeking Access To The Allah's Saints
Resorting the Saints of Allah and the generous souls and making those who have a great station and reverence near Allah as a mean to approach Him and also for the sake of nearing Allah and manifesting our humility and humble mindedness to him and asking for the fulfilment of our needs, is a decent and Allah approved deed, which becomes the cause of strengthening of relations with Almighty Allah.
Basically, the development of relations between the man of mud and Almighty Allah is not possible without a media. We observe that Allah propagated and broadcasted His messages, through the special persons who were the same apostles, to the people. And He does never Himself directly address the people.
And man too cannot communicate and develop relations with Allah without a media. Now this media can possibly be a practice like the prayers, fasting or eulogies and it is possible that it be in the form of Allah man like the Saints of Allah.
This subject has been clearly and distinctly described in Qur'an and mediation and contemplation over those meaning can make us aware and acquainted with the fact.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Oh you who believe, be careful of your (duty to) Allah and seek nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful. (5:35).
In this verse, Allah has commanded the faithful ones to seek a media and means for the sake of nearing Allah. Of course, the kind of media has not been specified here (in this verse). It is known that anything which is Allah's will and desire and the focus of His attention can become a media, such as Ka’abah, Hajar al-Aswad (the black stone fixed in Ka’abah wall), Qur'an or it may be a form of practice such as prayers Hajj or possibly the abandonments like fasting or that can be from the mankind such as the Saints of Allah, Prophets and martyrs.
Finally, anything which can near us to Allah and make us remember Allah can be a media and means (of communication) between us and Allah.
The Saints of Allah, also have this condition and therefore they have been introduced in a few Hadiths as under:
عن سعيد بن جبير قال سئل النبي عن أولياء الله قال هم الذين إذا رؤوا ذكر الله
They questioned the Prophet (S) about the Saints of Allah. He replied: They are the persons that, when people see them, they get reminded about Allah. 1
وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا
And hold fast by the covenant (rope) of Allah all together and be not disunited (3:103).
What does Hablullah (the rope of Allah) mean? Doubtlessly it is something else than Allah, for, Hablullah is not one of the names of Allah. Now, it is the Prophet (S) or Qur'an, it is the Prophet himself or the Prophet (S) and the Imams of Muslim or all of them. May whatever it be, in any case, it is a medium of contact between the people and Allah.
Anyway, the Saints of Allah are the clear and evident points of application of (term) Hablullah. To make contact with them and resorting to them causes the nearing and getting close to Allah.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا
And had they when they were unjust to themselves come to you and ask forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle has (also) asked forgiveness for them they would have found Allah oft returning (to mercy) merciful (4:64).
In this verse Allah guides people toward this fact that they should better go to the Prophet (S) for the sake of repentance and forgiveness of Allah and in connection with their own repenting they must consider the Prophet (S) a medium between themselves and Allah so that he may seek forgiveness and salvation for them (from Allah). In such case, their repentance and penitence will be accepted and granted.
This is a worthy and valuable application of resorting to the Prophet (S) which Allah has reminded the people.
This verse clearly and inconspicuously proves the legality and authenticity of resorting to persons other than Allah.
However, we will soon discuss this fact that the life and death of Prophet (S) does not have any difference in this issue of resorting.
This fact has come in the true Hadith a few specimens of which, we will see later.
Resorting (Issue) As In Hadith
The legality and authenticity of resorting the Saints of Allah and considering them a means to seek the nearing and closeness of Allah and asking for the grant of needs has been established by numerous traditions and Hadiths. The character of Muslims, right from the age of the Prophet (S) up to this time, has continuously been resting upon it and, not only that this practice is not idolatry but also it is showing humbleness and humility to Allah.
In fact, a person who makes the Prophet (S) and the Saints of Allah a medium of nearing Allah, considers himself so very small and worthless before God that he is not satisfied about Allah's attending and paying heed to him and therefore he makes those persons who have a worth and grace and are the focus of Allah's attention and kindness, a medium (between himself and Allah). So that Allah may for the sake of their honour grace and respect bestow upon him too His vast blessings and mercy. And this therefore is the utmost and extreme show of humbleness, humility and servitude towards Allah.
Now, we read a few traditions which have reached us in this scenario and context.
عن عثمان بن حنيف أنه قال إن رجلا ضريراً أتى النبي فقال: ادع الله أن يعافيني فقال: إن شئت دعوت وإن شئت صبرت وهو خير فقال: فادعه، فأمره أن يتوضأ فيحسن وضوءه ويصلي ركعتين ويدعو بهذا الدعاء: اللهم اني اسالك واتوجه اليك بنبيك نبي الرحمة يا محمد اني اتوجه بك إلى ربي في حاجتي لتقضى، اللهم شفعه في. قال ابن حنيف: فوالله ما تفرقنا وطال بنا الحديث حتى دخل علينا كأن لم يكن به ضر
Uthman Ibn Hunaif narrates that: ''a blind man came to the Prophet (S) and said: Do ask Allah to grant me fitness and cure, the Prophet (S) said: If you wish so I will pray for you and if you wish so, be patient and this is better for you
He replied, ''Do pray.
The Prophet (S) ordered him to make ablution and be very careful and particularly cautious in it and say two Rak’ats (units of prayer) and pray in this way.
Oh Allah I ask you, for the sake of Your Prophet (S), who is the Prophet of mercy, I focus my attention upon you so that my need gets fulfilled. O Allah! Make him pre-emptor (intercessor) about me. Ibn Hunaif says: By Allah we had not segregated and talked much when that man again appeared in a condition as if he did never have a vermin and calamity. 2
Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja, and Hakim has considered this tradition as a correct one. The Prophet (S) as you can observe, according to this Hadith, himself teaches that person the condition and way of resorting to Allah, while asking for a need. The resorting to the Prophet (S) is repeated, once addressing Allah and once addressing the Prophet (S).
The text of the Hadith is quite clear and does not need any kind of interpretation or allegorical explanation. The considerable point is this that in this tradition the Prophet (S) has been declared as a medium and means while he is still alive. Soon we will establish this fact that the life and death of Prophet (S) does not make any difference at the station of resorting.
Supplementarily, we must be attentive to it that, in this tradition, the Prophet (S) did not pray for that man himself, instead, he (man) himself prayed to Allah, according to the teaching of the Prophet (S) and made the Prophet (S) a medium between himself and Allah.
عن جابر بن عبد الله أن رسول الله قال: من قال حين يسمع النداء: اللهم رب هذه الدعوة التامة والصلاة القائمة أن محمداً الوسيلة والفضيلة وابعثه مقاماً محموداً الذي وعدته، حلت له شفاعتي يوم القيامة
Jabir narrates from the Prophet (S) that he said; Whosoever will be bearing the Azan (call for prayers) says, Oh Allah, Oh the owner of this perfect invitation and the prayer which has been established, bestow upon Muhammad (S) virtue, excellence and intercession and get him to the desirable post and station which you have promised him my intercession (mediation) will reach him upon the resurrection day. 3
As you observe, the Prophet (S) desires and wishes that the Muslims ask the Almighty Allah to grant him the intercession and mediation.
عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال قال رسول الله: ما خرج رجل من بيته الى الصلاة وقال: اللهم أسألك بحق ممشاي هذا فإني لم أخرج أشراً ولا بطراً ولا رياء ولا سمعة وخرجت اتقاء سخطك وابتغاء مرضاتك، فأسألك أن تعيذني من النار وأن تغفر ذنوبي أنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا انت، إلا أقبل الله عليه بوجهه واستغفر له سبعون ألف ملك.
The Prophet (S) said: Nobody comes out of His house and does not recite this prayer but Allah ascends to him and seventy thousand angels ask salvation and forgiveness for him; oh Allah! for the sake of the beggars and supplicants of Your threshold, and for the sake of this movement of mine which is not for disobedience, pleasure seeking and pomp and show (deceit) instead, it is for the sake of avoiding your anger and fury (offence) and seeking your pleasure I ask you to grant me refuge from the hell fire and forgive my sins for, no one accept You forgives the sins.4
In this tradition, the Prophet (S) reminds the people that while requesting and asking for the grant of need from Allah, they must seek the resorting to and recourse of the supplicants of the court of Allah, who are the same, Saints of Allah, and make them their mediator and intercessor.
When Fatimah Bint Asad passed away the Prophet (S), on the occasion of her burial said:
الله الذي يحيي ويميت وهو حي لا يموت اغفر لأمي فاطمة بنت أسد ووسع عليها مدخلها بحق نبيك والأنبياء الذين من قبلى
Oh Allah Who gives life and death and He is living and does not die. Forgive my mother Fatimah Bint Asad and extend and widen her (resting) place, for the sake of Your Prophet and the Prophets who were before me. 5
الخطيئة قال: يا رب أسألك بحق محمد إلا غفرت لى.
‘Umar Ibn Khattab narrates from the Prophet (S) that the Prophet (S) said: When Adam (‘a) committed that fault, he said oh my Lord! I desire and ask You that You forgive me for the sake of the Prophet (S). 6
These traditions are narrated as a specimen and resorting to the Prophets (S) and saints and the supplicants of the threshold and court of Allah is according to many true credentials which exhibit this fact, a thing commendable and praise worthy and becomes the causes of more proximity to Allah.
The Prophet (S) himself and the previous Prophets (‘a) did resort to the Auliya’ (saints) and taught the people to beseech the nearest ones to Allah at the time of prayer, eulogy and asking Allah the grant of their needs.
The point here which must be concentrated upon is that upon the station of beseeching and resorting to the Prophets and the Saints of Allah, there is no difference between their life and death.
Because the one who resorts to them, makes the station grace and place which they have with Allah a medium. Their stations and graciousness always stay, whether they live, die or be present in the link and Purgatory world (Barzakh) or the dooms day. Nobody ever resorts to their evident physical powers so that it may be said that they (dead prophets) cannot do a thing.
But beseeching and resorting to them means the resorting to their stations and greatness with Allah, which they always possess.
Therefore, we saw that the Prophet (S) resorted and beseeched the station of the previous Prophets or that Adam (‘a) resorted to the Prophet (S) himself who had not yet come to the World. We would refer to the characters of the Muslims of the period of Sahabah (companions of the Prophet) which was concurrent and consistent of gathering near the graves of the Prophets and Allah's saints and getting in touch and resorting to their souls.
Those who consider the resorting to the dead ones as polytheism or idolatry say strange thing because, if resorting to anyone else that Allah is idolatry than what is the difference whether they (saints) are living or dead?
Resorting In The Character Of Muslims
Resorting to the Allah's saints, apart from the Qur'anic verses and Hadiths which we quoted has a special place in the characters of the Muslims. The Muslims right from the origin of Islam period to this day, have always been beseeching Allah by resorting to the saints, Prophets and virtuous ones and held the most gracious and nearest ones to Allah as a medium during their eulogies, so that, Allah may grant their prayers as a respect and regard to those (near ones).
We, hereby consider a few specimens of it.
-
Once, after the death of the Prophet (S), a great famine took place in Madina. People complained to Ayesha. She said:
أنظروا إلى قبر رسول الله فاجعلوا كواً الى السماء حتى لا يكون بينه وبين السماء سقف
Look at the grave of the Prophet (S) and make a doorlet of it to the sky so that there remains no roof between the grave and the sky. People did it and it rained.7
-
‘Umar Ibn Khattab used to pray as follows:
عن أنس بن مالك أن عمر بن الخطَّاب كان إذا حصل القحط استسقى بالعباس بن عبد المطلب فيقول: اللهم إنا كنا نتوسل إليك بنبيِّنا فتسقينا وإنَّا نتوسَّل إليك بعمِّ نبيِّنا فاسقنا. قال: فيسقون.
Anas says ‘Umar Ibn Khattab, used to pray to Allah resorting to and through Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib (‘a), during draught to get the rain fall. And used to say: Oh Allah we always did beseech you by resorting to your Prophet (S) and You used to irrigate us and send rain. Now we beseech you by resorting to the uncle of the prophet (S). So let the rain fall and irrigate us. He says: the (people) got rains 8
-
A man came to Uthman Ibn Hunaif during the reign of Uthman Ibn Affan, and complained to him that the caliph did not pay heed to him and fulfil his need.
Ibn Hunaif by referring and benefiting from the words of the Prophet (S) which we have quoted before said to him, make ablution and go to the mosque and offer two rakats of prayer and then say:
اللَّهم إني أسألك وأتوجّه إليك بنبينا محمَّد نبي الرحمة. يا محمد إني أتوجه إليك بربي فتقضي لي حاجتي.
Oh Allah I ask you for the sake of and through our Prophet Muhammad (S) who is the Prophet of mercy, I divert my attention to you. Oh Muhammad (S)! I contact and attend to Allah through your medium so that my need is fulfilled. 9
-
A draught took shape in the period of the caliphate of ‘Umar, Bilal Ibn Haris came to the grave of the Prophet (S) and said:
يا رسول الله استسق لأمتك فقد هلكوا
Oh Prophet of Allah (S) ask Allah to send rain for your Ummah because they are going to be perished. 10
-
A tradition is narrated from Muhammad Ibn Harb. He said: We were sitting near the grave of the Prophet (S). An Arab came and said: ''Oh Prophet (S) salutation be upon you. Allah has said in the Book (The Holy Qur’an) revelated upon you that:
ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاؤك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله تواباً رحيماً
Hereby I have come towards you while l am repenting upon my sins and I make you my Intercessor before Allah.11
-
The Abbaside Caliph Abu Ja’far Mansoor enquired Malik Ibn Aas (the Imam of Malikis) about the condition of visiting the grave of Prophet (S) and asked him whether to face Qibla (Kabah) or turn his back towards it during the visit (Ziyarah) ' Malik replied to him:
لمَ تصرف وجهك عنه وهو وسيلتك ووسيلة أبيك آدم إلى يوم القيامة بل استقبله واستشفع به فيشفعه الله. قال الله تعالى ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاؤك….
Why do you turn your face from him? He is your intercessor and mediator, and that of your father Adam (‘a), before Allah on the resurrection day. Do turn your face towards him and make him your mediator and intercessor, since Allah accepts his Intersession about you. Allah says:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّه وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
And We did not send any messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah's permission; and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful. (4:64) 12
-
Two rhymes of Imam Shafai have been quoted in which he had resorted to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (S):
آل النبي طريقي
وهم إليه وسيلتي
أرجو بهم أعطى غداً
بيدي اليمين صحيفتي
The family of the Prophet (S) are my medium towards contacting Allah. I do expect that tomorrow on the doomsday will get my Namae Amal (report of the practices) in my right hand through their intercession and meditation.13
Similarly, Ali Ibn Ma’moon narrates from Shafai that he (shafai) used to visit the grave of Abu Hanif and say:
إذا عرضت لي حاجة صليت ركعتين وجئت الى قبره وسألت الله الحاجة عنده.
While I have a need 1 offer two rakats of (service) prayers and visit his grave and demand my needs fulfilment from the Allah. 14
-
Hasan Ibn Ibrahim, who was the Shiekh of the Hanbila (Hanbali sect) of his age used to say:
ما همني أمر فقصدت قبر موسى بن جعفر فتوسلت به الا سهل الله لي ما أحب.
I did not have any important happening but that I would visit the grave or Musa Ibn Ja’far (‘a) and resorted to him and Allah would grant me easily what I desired and wished from Him. 15
-
Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Moamil says: We visited the Shrine of Imam Ali Ibn Musa Al-Ridha’ (‘a) in Toos, along with Abu Bakr the Imam of Ahl al-Hadith, Abu Bakr Ibn Khazima, and his counterpart Abu Ali as-Saqafi and a great number of other mashaikh.
فرأيت من تعظيمه يعني ابن خزيمة لتلك البقعة وتواضعه لها وتضرعه عندها ما يحيرنا.
We were surprised to see how much of respect and regard and humbleness that Ibn Khazaima showed regarding that Shrine and the humility and humbleness which he was manifesting and showing over there.16
There are plenty number of these specimens and examples that we mentioned in the books of Hadith and history. It reflects and shows that the characters of the companions of Prophet (S) and their disciples and scholars and Imams of jurisprudence and Hadith were continuously and persistently based upon resorting to the saints of Allah. During the hour of need they used to make them a medium for approaching Allah.
Therefore, the characters of the Muslims, right from the age of Sahaba (Companion) of the Prophet (S) and their disciples, onwards have been ascertained upon the legality and even the desirability of resorting to the Saints of Allah.
- 1. Tatfsir Tabri vol. 7, p. 132.
- 2. Sunan Ibn Maja vo1. 1, p. 441 and Mustadrak Hakim Vol. 1, p. 313.
- 3. Sahih Bukhari Vol. 1, p. 253.
- 4. Sunan Ibn Maja Vol. 1, p. 261.
- 5. Kanz al-’Ummal Vol. 2, p. 455.
- 6. Hulyatul Auliya vol 3, p. 121.
- 7. Sannan Adarmi Vol. 1, p. 43.
- 8. Sahih Bukhari Vol. 2, p. 75.
- 9. Al-Majam al-Kabir (Tabarani) vol. 9.
- 10. Wafa al wafa vol. 4, p. 1374.
- 11. Wafa al -wafa vol. 4, p. 1361.
- 12. Wara al-wafa vol. 4, p. 1376.
- 13. Asaweq al-Muhrik p. 178.
- 14. Tarikh·e Baghdad vol 1, p. 123.
- 15. Tareek Baghdad Vol. 1, p. 120.
- 16. Tehzeeb ul-Tehzeeb, vol. 7, p. 388.