“Bismillahir Rahmannir Raheem”Al-Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen was Salaatu was- Salaamu ‘Alaa Sayidinaa Muhammadin wa Aalihi wa Asabihi Ajma ‘een (tauheed- risalat- ahkirat and islam-iman-ihsan)

Asking help- FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH

WHAT IT MEANS TO ASK HELP FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH

1.To ask an individual to pray to Allah on your behalf

2.To ask help from other than Allah (from either the living or dead)

3.To make Supplication through Wasila

THE POLYTHEISTS APPROACH OF SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH

The polytheist say that their means (their idols) of are the direct providers not Allah.

28/78 —verse explains how Qarun wrongfully believed that his knowledge was what made him wealthy and Allah had no part to play in causing his success. His knowledge was merely a means through which he became successful, though he attributed his success to his knowledge, even though Allah  Azawajal  granted him his wealth. This is polytheism.

Allah condemned the polytheists of Makkah for the following reasons

They credited their idols with false attributions.

They believed their idols were their means of approach to Allah

They believed that whenever Allah did something through a means, the polytheists thought that it was the means which was in fact providing them with their needs, not Allah. (I seek shelter in Allah!)

They began to take that, which was rightful to Allah alone and offer it to their idols instead, such as sacrificing animals in the name of Allah, they would instead sacrifice their animals using the names of their idols.

They would sit and cry in front of the idols, believing that if they did so the idols would help them.

The polytheists of Makkah would turn to their idols for help, believing that they were the source that would bring benefit, comfort and ease. For example, take the battle of Uhud, where the polytheists asked their idols to help them defeat the Muslims. They told the Muslims that they have their god uzza and the Muslims have nothing.

19/81-This verse discusses the way in which the polytheists believed that if Allah did not help them or give them power, then their idols would instead.

36/22-24—These verses further inform us that they believed that if Allah punished them their idols would save them, although Allah Azawajul informs them that nor can they [the idols] save [them].

36/74-75—This verse also informs us of how they would worship the idols thinking that they would be able to help them. However, Allah Most Glorious informs us the idols have no power to help themselves or the polytheists.

12/40 -In this verse Allah informs us of the low status of the idols. He degrades them and tells us He is the only One to be worshipped and His religion is the Right religion.

THE MUSLIM MEANING OF ASKING HELP FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH

If Allah willed, He could make anything possible without the means of anyone or anything. However, we tend to see that when Allah does something He usually does it through the means of something. For example, Allah is the Creator of all, humans are created through the means of their parents, quenching one’s thirst is achieved through the means of water. A sick person is cured by Allah, however in most cases this is achieved through the diagnosis of a doctor and through the means of medicine. Even death occurs through the means of the Angel Izraeel. (Angel of death) It is His decision to use a means to approach us, we are not to question why Allah does this. there are means which He, Azawajal, chooses to go through as mentioned above.

It is permissible to attribute the act to the means Allah has chosen.

Nowhere in the Quran does it state that attributing such acts to other than Allah is polytheism.

Seeking assistance from the Prophets and pious has not been called shirk anywhere in the Quran

(dua of the Prophets and the pious) then they are simply and only a means of approach to Allah.

Muslims understand that Allah alone is the provider of all benefit and harm. 

For example, one may say The medicine cured me, when a Muslims says this, he acknowledges from the heart that it is Allah that has cured him but by taking the medicine, he has been cured. A Muslim child may say out of respect or love to their parents that you have given me life, but the Muslim child knows that Allah is the giver of life. 

While seeking assistance through the means, we are also allowed to attribute the word help to them, just as Allah attributes many acts to His creation as we will see in the coming verses: Allah provides through the angles and other creations

3/123-126 And 8/9-10 These verses clearly explain the way in which Allah Almighty sent down thousands of angels to help the brave warriors of the battle of Badr. One may say The Muslims were victorious in Badr due to the help of the angels, there is no harm in saying this, as it is true, the angels did support the Muslims during Badr. However at the same time one knows that it was Allah Most Gracious who created those very angels, who sent those angels and who made Badr a victory, the angels were purely a means to create that victory. This does not for one second suggest that Allah Most Powerful was incapable of creating victory at Badr without the angels (I seek shelter in Allah!) although it does explain to us that out of Allahs own decision, He chose to use those angels as a means to create victory.

It is permissible to attribute actions to other than Allah

8/2 -In this verse, we learn that when the sincere and faithful hear Allah’s Revelation (the verses of the Quran) their faith increases. We are fully aware, that it is Allah alone who can increase our faith, however Allah has attributed the increasing of faith to the verses of the Quran.

32/11 — This verse informs us of how the angel of death will take the souls and bring death upon everyone. We know that Allah alone is the one who takes life, though even the taking of life has been attributed towards the Sayyidina Izraeel, the angel of death. This means that attributing Allah’s doing to other than Him is permissible.

When I want to talk to allah I say prayers and when I want that he talk to me I recite quran- Hazrath Ali(ra)

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