To invoke other than Allah

To invoke other than Allah

Supplication is among the greatest acts of worship, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Supplication is worship."

Dua (supplication) can be categorized into two types:

1- Worshipful Dua:

This refers to any form of worship offered solely for Allah, such as prayer (Salah), sacrifice (Zabiha), vows and dedications (Nazr o Niyaz), fasting, and pilgrimage (Hajj). In this type of worship, even if there is no explicit invocation, the worshipper, through their actions, is invoking Allah for entry into Paradise and deliverance from Hell.

2- Need-based Dua:

This type of dua involves seeking specific needs or benefits, such as requesting assistance or the removal of harm. The supplicant aims to derive benefits from the act of supplication.

Allah says:

ٱدْعُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًۭا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ [الأعراف: 55]

[Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly. Surely He does not like the transgressors.] 7:55.

لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ [الرعد: 14]

[Calling upon Him ˹alone˺ is the truth.] 13:14.

Allah says in Hadith Al-Qudsi: "Whosoever calls upon Me; I respond to him .'" Sincerity is essential in supplication, as Allah instructs:

فَٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ [غافر :14].

[So call upon Allah with sincere devotion] 40:14

Sincerity in supplication means calling upon Allah alone and not associating anyone with Him. Allah warns against invoking others beside Him, saying:

وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا [الجن: 18].

[The places of worship are ˹only˺ for Allah, so do not invoke anyone besides Him] 72:18.

وَلَا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ [يونس: 106].

[and ‘Do not invoke, instead of Allah, what can neither benefit nor harm you—for if you do, then you will certainly be one of the wrongdoers] 10:106.

وَٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِن قِطْمِيرٍ [فاطر: 13].

[But those ˹idols˺ you invoke besides Him do not possess even the skin of a date stone.] 35:13.

إِن تَدْعُوهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُواْ دُعَآءَكُمْ وَلَوْ سَمِعُواْ مَا ٱسْتَجَابُواْ لَكُمْ ۖ وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ يَكْفُرُونَ بِشِرْكِكُمْ [فاطر: 14].

[If you call upon them, they cannot hear your calls. And if they were to hear, they could not respond to you. On the Day of Judgment they will disown your worship ˹of them˺.] 35:14.

Preventing oneself from supplicating to anyone other than Allah is emphasized in countless verses of the Quran. In the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, people used to invoke the prophets and righteous individuals, seeking intercession with Allah. Regarding this practice, Allah conveyed the message that supplicating to them could not bring any benefit, and Allah said:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ [يونس: 18].

[They worship besides Allah others who can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our intercessors with Allah.”] 10:18.

The act of supplication by saying the following phrases is invoking others besides Allah:

• Ya Rasulullah, Help me!

• Ya Hussain, help!

• Ya Hasafi, help!

• Ya Eidros, through Allah, assist me!

• Ahl-e-Bait, protect us and pay attention to us! Ya Hussain, cast your gaze upon us!

• Sheikh Abdul Qadir, help me, grant me victory, or be my guardian!

This is considered a major form of polytheism (Shirk), and forgiveness is only attainable through sincere repentance.

If someone passes away persisting in such invocation, considering it a form of worship, he will be eternally doomed to Hell. It is essential for individuals in such a state to realize the gravity of engaging in these supplications and to seek true repentance from Allah.

Allah says:

إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ [المائدة: 72].

[Whoever associates others with Allah ˹in worship˺ will surely be forbidden Paradise by Allah. Their home will be the Fire.] 5:72

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ [النساء: 48].

[Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him ˹in worship˺] 4:48.

A person who presents the argument that this is just choosing a means of closeness to Allah through righteous individuals. In reality, such a person neither understands the spirit of the Shariah nor possesses even a basic familiarity with the Arabic language. Tawassul is to choose a means that brings you closer to Allah. However, when someone calls upon someone other than Allah, they are seeking a need directly from that entity, the power of which belongs only to Allah, and this is considered as associating partners with Allah (Shirk).

Preventing oneself from this form of Shirk is the greatest virtue, as it leads to salvation from associating partners with Allah and liberation from the servitude of deceivers and liars who corrupt their faith and unjustly consume their wealth.

We pray to Allah for the guidance and righteousness of all people.

The eighth lesson concludes here. All thanks to Allah!