Islam - Seeking Aid Besides Allaah

Bismillah wal-hamdulillah, wa-salaatu wa-salaam 'alaa rasoolillah,

SEEKING AID BESIDES ALLAAH... A wide spread practice particularly in the indian subcontinent where the vast majority have adopted this heretical custom of beseeching other[s] besides Allaah, the Almighty. Its astonishing to see how many these days find themselves in this unmistakable error, seeking blessings and means of approach through, and more seriously, invoking aid directly from others or besides Allaah. Satan has masterly worked his wicked deception and this heresy has become so common that ordinary people, not well versed with religious knowledge, take it as recommended and a praise-worthy action. Instead of Allaah, people have chosen to pray, put trust in and seek aid from others, even those lying dead in their graves. Proclamations such as "Ya RasoolAllaah Madad!", "Ya Ghawth!", "Ya 'Ali Madad!", "Ya Data!" are heard frequently which give rise to numerous false ideologies. How often have we heard the cry to sheikh 'Abdul-Qadir Jeelani[r] : "al-Madad Ya Ghawth-e-Aadham Dastgeer." The Shia utter similar invokes : "Nade 'Ali, Nade 'Ali", and "Mawla 'Ali mushkil kusha", which even sunnis have adopted. They consider prophets and saints relievers of harm and bestowers of benefit. Some pray to auliya' to have their sins forgiven and prayers granted, while others call aloud the righteous to have their difficulties removed, yet others might seek influence of their mashaekh or prophets in front of Allaah to immune themselves from performing obligatory acts and believe bigotry adherence to their sheikhs or imams guarantees them entry into paradise. Yet have managed to hide their guilt under the guise of love and respect of awliya' wa rasull. Others more conservative seek in-direct, intermediate means and ask Allaah via waseelah of pious individuals. Every time mullas pray you hear them supplicating by words : "Muhammad ke sadkey 'atta farma", "Nabi key waseelay sey dey", "Fulan ki barakat sey baksh", and so on. Anyone who does not invoke saints or prophets is ridiculed and given all sorts of abusive titles, such as 'khariji' or 'wahabi' etc. Instead of correcting their belief and deviant practices that are at obvious opposition to Islaam, they invent slanders against people of tawheed, those who invoke Allaah alone making the deen sincerely for Him, lebelling them "gustakh-e-awliya' wa rasull" i.e. 'despisers of saints and messengers', and show as if they (people of tawheed) do not love and respect the messengers and auliya' of Allaah. Its a pity to see our brothers in Islaam in such manifest error, sinking deeper and deeper in the depths of Shirk and bid'ah with their reliance upon others besides Allaah, the Almighty. So with this concern, I would like them and people in general to read what follows and hope it will provide beneficial information on this most sensitive issue of our time along with guiding them towards correct creed and true belief. (Insha'Allaah!)

Allaah, Subhanahu wa Ta'aala states : For

Him (alone) is prayer(du'a') in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind). [Al-Qur'an, 13:14] Prayer is a solemn plea at a time of hardship and despair. When man finds not natural means to attain his desire or cannot accomplish which he undertakes, he turns to divine assistance which he believes can assist in alleviating hardship. Naturally prayer is made towards one who is believed to be all-hearing, all-knowing, one who knows and hears all we utter loudly or seek in silence and one who possess the ability to provide sustenance and fulfill desires. Hence the peritioner acknowledges for the petitioned, irrespective who or what ever that might be, ownership of forementioned characteristics. The problem with this however is these are divine attributes and belong solely to Allaah, 'azza wa jal. He is the all-Hearing, all-Knowing, bestower of favours and provider of sustenance, but those who invoke in their prayer other[s] Allaah attribute to them knowledge of the unseen, faculty of awareness over all things, and bestowing of favours among other divine qualities. For example, if one invokes an absent or deceased person he testifies that he is alive, knowing full well who, where, and when petitions are made and has full authority of answering them! Inevitably, adherants to such ideas are mis-guided strayed far from Allaah's Kalam and Sunnah of the beloved Prophet Muhammad(salallau`alaihi wa sallam). The Guardian Lord states in a beautiful passage of the beautiful Qur'an :

With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read). [Al-Qur'an, 6:59] Allaah has kept alGhayb(hidden knowledge) exclusive for Himself as it befits Him and none encompass anything of it except to whom Allaah reveals but when Allaah reveals hidden to His angels, messengers, or prophets, it does in no way mean they too accompany Allaah in His knowledge for then it no longer remains hidden and only after Allaah discloses His secrets do they understand, as the angels declaired : "Glory to Thee, of

knowledge We have none, save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom." [Al-

Qur'an, 2:32] No messenger nor prophet has access to the unseen, not even the greatest of all prophets. 'Aisha[ra] said : "He who presumes that he would inform about what was going to happen tomorrow fabricates the greatest lie against Allaah..."[1], in another narration : "If anyone tells you that Muhammad[s] has seen the unseen, he is a liar, for Allaah says: None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allaah. (al-Qur'an, xxvii 65).[2] It is not humanly possible for man to have or attain divine capabilities since divinity and humanity, mortality and

immortality are oppsoite of one another. To say that humans are capable by themselves to access hidden knowledge (ilm-e-ghayb) is associating partners with Allaah ta'aala just as relating humans with divine attributes is Shirk and invoking deceased prophets and absent awliya' affirms this very attirbute for them and is sharing (with others) in Allaah's unique attributes. The Almighty states : He

forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allaah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right). [Al-Qur'an 4:116] Shirk is the only sin Allaah shalt never forgive inasmuch

as even if prophets, the best of creation, were to commit Shirk their works as Allaah states would've been made null. Calling out to deceased prophets, saints, angels, jinn, stars and idols etc is a major fallacy and im-morality of the greatest magnitude opening doors to other more heinous beliefs. Christians who even though deify Jesus[p] the son of Mary[p] as second person of their 'Holy Trinity' and 'Son of GOD', reluctantly concede that as man atleast, Jesus[p] did not have hidden knowledge. [See Mark' Gospel, 13:32] Then what about 'muslims' of this age openly giving ilm alghayb to whomever they wish and leaving themselves susceptible to ideas like 'Hadhir wa Nadhir'(omnipresence). Yet this serves as another reason for us to abstain from beseeching individuals besides Allaah for to Him is ubiquitous in His wisdom and knowledge whereas all else is confined and limited. Even the awliya', prophets and the greatest of all Prophet[s] is not hadhir wa nadhir as such in-capable of providing aid. Moreover, designating such knowledge and abilities like omnipresence to auliya' leads to some serious repercussion and ascribing it to the holy Prophet[s] is an out right slander against his noble being which need not even be elaborated.

The arabic word du'a' has severals meanings : supplication, prayer, petition, plea and beseechment, among others and is made to whomever one places trust(tawakkul) and for this reason the Prophet[s] said : "du'a' is itself worship..."[4] that is... if one places tawakkul upon others or besides Allaah then he lies in the depths of darkness for he depends upon others than or with Allaah. This dear reader is what polytheism is based upon. The Makkan pagans of jahilliyah believed in Allaah as the supreme sustainer at the same time, prayed to others besides Him i.e. believing there were other providers besides Allaah(under His command), and were yet labeled polytheists. In whomsoever you place hope, expectation and attribute to it above mentioned qualities that becomes your deity, your ilaah and your prayer to it is your worship of it. The Prophet of Allaah[s] called people to abandon supplications to any else than Allaah place hope in Him, reciting in the same narration cited : And your Lord said: Call on Me, I will answer you" (xI.60)." Man prays to the one whom he believes as the all-Hearing and all-Seeing, both hidden and manifest, audible, what is on the tongue, and secret invokes, deep in the heart and who (in his mind) is capable of returning his prayer. That all-Hearing, All-Seeing, and allPowerful controller of the whole universe is only Allaah. The Majestic's statement "I will answer you" refers to His absolute authority in accepting and answering prayer and power of seeing and hearing all things, and declares that none possess the least ability to change what He, the Almighty decreed[5]. One who invokes another than Allaah for succor, commit manifest Shirk, for he believes the mentioned attributes belong to that other being, which only belong to Allaah in reality. Further, Allaah's saying : ...but those who are too arrogant to worship Me

will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!" shows

proclamations such as "al-Madad Ya Rasoolullah", or "Ya`Ali Madad" is essentially worship of these noble personalities and sacrilege of Allaah's Tawheed as the Almighty uses du'a'(prayer) and ibahah(worship) synonymously. In the five time daily prayers (Salaah), a muslim recites atleast seventeen times a day : Iyyaka

na`budu wa iyyaka nasta`een, meaning : Thee (Allaah) do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. [al-Fatihah] Again worship and

supplication go together being in-separable yet venerators of self-desire revert back to their miserable state as soon as the salaat finishes. Indeed some defy all bounds extolling the awliya' of their choosing and in seek their influence on matters under Allaah's control. Such is the case with the shia sect and their exaggerations in praising 'Ali(ra), the son in law of the Prophet[s] and their Shia-designated in-fallible imaam; "Call 'Ali! Call 'Ali! Call aloud to Ali, Who is the epiphanic source of wonders, You shall surely find him helping in your troubles, All grief and anxiety will disappear, By Your power and Authority!, O 'Ali! O 'Ali! O 'Ali!" Others single out 'Abdul Qadir Jeelani[r] as their master, saviour alleviator of hardship and ordeals invoking him: "al-Madad Ya Ghawth-e-Aadham Dastgeer" meaning 'Help! O Greatest source of rescue,' or…"can difficulty reach me when you are cause of my courage? And can harm reach me in this world when you are my helper?" In what possible way is this prayer different to those strayed Christians who have been much deluded in their idea of intercession and reliance upon clergymen, saints and in particular, the Christ Jesus[p] to whom they solemnly profess : "Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from Christ's side, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malicious enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me. And bid me come unto Thee. That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels. Forever and ever. Amen!" Or the famous Rosary prayer to Mariam[as] : "Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!" Such invoker of vanity are not satisfied with Allaah and constantly seek other un-lawful means of satisfying their desires. Their hearts are not content with praying Allaah alone just as the Makkan mushriks would not find peace in making their invokes sincerely for Allaah. For if they truly believed in Allaah as He ought be, the sole creator, bestower of life and death, provider of sustenance, reliever of ordeals, aider in difficulty, then surely they would invoke Him alone and share none in His worship. Those who make such proclamations out of ignorance should immediately repent and seek Allaah's forgiveness, His infinite mercy, and people who are knowledgeable yet indulged in such sinful activities should fear Allaah of a great penalty awaiting them and leave their ideological motives. Allaah Almighty necessitates for His servant that he ask Him alone without any intermediary as Allaah, full of generosity and kindness, is most dear to us and occupying the depths of our heart. Then ought we distanced ourselves from Him and Him from us when Allaah mentions : When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am

indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My

call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way. [AlQur'an, 2:186] And ...We(GOD) are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein. [Al-Qur'an 50:16] In each night the Rahmaan descends to the lowest heaven proclaiming : Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?"[6] What need remains for a slave to look beyond Allaah if

He calls us to beseech Him and accepts our prayers? Should He not suffice His servant? Is He not the best of sustainers? And if He rejects our prayers, who is there to answer us and have our prayers fulfilled?[7] Allaah's Messenger[s] ordained upon his followers : "If you ask in prayer, ask only Allaah and if you seek Help, seek it only from Allaah."[8] So take heed O worshipper of Allaah! and realise that Allaah's right upon you is that you worship none but Him and have trust(tawakkul) in Him.

Allaah Almighty mentions : And who is more astray than he who invokes besides Allaah those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they, of their invocation, are unaware. And when the people are gathered [that Day], they will be enemies to them, and they will be deniers of their worship. [Al-Qur'an 46:5-6] Ayaat to this effect are

numerous but even one suffices true believers. The primary defence when confronted with clear signs of people of deviation is to restrict the meaning of Qur'anic ayaat to pagan associationists and believe the 'un-aware' as addressed in this ayah are not their awliya' Allaah but rather idols mushriks of Makkah use to worship. By presenting such apologetic their ignorance and mis-understanding the meaning of these ayaat is exposed in failing to realise that idols are not some allegorical conjectures of the human mind, instead are manifestation of love and immense respect for noble personalities or awliya', as ibn 'Abbaas(ra) commenting on Surah Nooh, ayah 23 explained (read below). Furthermore, on the day of resurrection those invoked will deny their worship and disown them is evident proof the ayah is in reference to the pious servants not idols who shall not be raised. The reason why Allaah ta'aala has kept such invocation far away from His noble slaves and permitted sayings of salaat and salaam is because durood is something of a pleasure whereas supplications like that of mushriks will only cause them grief and anxiety. No fear is on them, nor shall they grieve in Paradise wherein no word of vanity and idle talk (laghwa) reaches them says the Qur'an. And since durood is the only supplication reaching the pious (through appointed angels), the question of them answering our calls becomes null. The Almighty also mentions : Say (O Muhammad) : "Will ye worship (Mary, Christ, 'Uzair)

besides Allaah, something which hath no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allaah,- He it is that heareth and knoweth all things."

[Al-Qur'an, 5:76] Allaah in this noble verse informs the reader of the grave error in reliance upon others besides Allaah, be they recipients of His qurb and wilaya(closeness). Here Allaah dismisses dependence upon prophets and auliya' as an abomination since He alone sees, hear, and knows all things, whereas deities taken up by polytheists (Krishna, Jesus, 'AbdulQadir) are un-aware of supplicant's call therefore un-able to respond having no power to help their supplicant. Jesus[p] notwithstanding his virtuous status and miraculous ascension

(taken up alive by Allaah Almighty) is powerless over gain or loss, harm or benefit, whereas people nowadays take dead saints as protector and are told that unless they take so and so wali or pir as protector and waseelah, or pray to them and offer sacrifice in their name you cannot attain Allaah's pleasure. He brings (as is believed) relief to the distressed, health to the sick, children to the childless, food to the famished, and blessing to all who visit his tomb and invoke Allaah in his name or invoke him directly. The Prophet of Islaam came to abolish this exact theme and remove such notions from the his[s] ummah and liberate them from human slavery. Islaam frees man from slavery of creation to slavery of the Creator, breaking man made shakkels between the Lord and His servants placing them directly at Allaah's doorstep both in theory and practice as in the muslim salaah. Now whoever hopes for a meeting with his Lord can do so by performing the muslim prayer for it serves as a direct connection between Allaah and His slave, wherein a muslim sees His Lord as if He was before him supplicating straight to Him without having any intermediate, pir-o-murshid, sheikh or prophet. Salaah is the best waseelah and most beloved means by which man attains Allaah's wilayah so offer salaah and beseech Allaah O headless muslim! And distribute not portion of Allaah's right like free meal to whomsoever you desire. Allaah further states : He merges

Night into Day, and he merges Day into Night, and he has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allaah your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye invoke besides Him have not the least power. If ye invoke them, they will not listen to your call, and if they were to listen, they cannot answer your (prayer). On the Day of Judgment they will reject your association(Shirk) and none, (O man!) can tell thee (the Truth) like the One Who is acquainted with all things. O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allaah: but Allaah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise. [Al-Qur'an, 35:13-15] Thus Allaah alone is able to aid His needy

slaves since He alone is free from all imperfections and wants and only He eases their affairs providing sustenance for them and removing difficulty, ailments and harms while all else is limited, un-able and weak. Allaah informs His servants as in the previous ayah that those invoked besides Him have not least ability to protect you or remove tribulations, for they are un-aware of who you call out to in the first place and the same people who were invoked will part from them and disown their petitioners as those who shared partners with Allaah. Allaah's Oneness(tawheed) is fully asserted only when He alone is recognised as the supreme authority, deliverer and reliever of trials, bestower of reward and blessings, so one ought to seek Him with sincerity if he or she truely worships Allaah. However, people of foolish utterance have believed contrary and denied the holy ayah mentioned whereas they hypothesis Allaah, subhanahu wa ta'aala has appointed certain deputies (i.e. His awliya') to whom He has delegated powers and authority for running the affairs of the creation. These agents, some 'four thousand' who remain hidden from mankind, are appointed to satisfy the needy, fulfill their basic needs and relieve hardship of those in difficulty, some are designated to provide sustenance, while some to send down rain and control thunder, yet others to protect the universe and earth itself from imminent collapse, therefore, it is felt desirable to pray these 'deputies'. In the words of Hujwiri (may Allah pardon him): "He (Allaah) has made the Saints ruler of the universe and now they have become entirely devoted to His business, and have ceased to follow their sensual affections. Through their blessing the rain falls from heaven, and through the purity of their lives the plants spring up from the earth, and through their spiritual influence the Muslims gain victories over the unbelievers." [Kashf al-Mahjub]

He even constructed a complete hierarchy of saints consisting, in descending order, of the one Qutb or Ghawth - three Naqba - four Autaad - seven Abrar - forty Abdaal - three hundred Akhyaar! (Above is Allaah of what they ascribe!) These are all un-Islaamic aqaa'id(beliefs) borrowed from pagan mythologies which render the Almighty in-effective insinuating Allaah's incompetence (a'udhubillah). In Greek circles, we encounter the very same delineated myth which signed dozens of different gods and goddesses for variety of roles and positions. Dionysus to them was the god of fertility and god Saturn raised crops, Lucina being the goddess of childbirth. Among the principle gods of greek pantheon were Apollo, considered the god of healing, Poseidon, the ruler of sea, and Hera goddess of and marriage and childbirth, yet the greeks held a supreme deity whom they recognised as Lord of the hevens and all gods, pivot and ruler of Mount Olympus, Zeus. In Hinduism, the supreme God is Brahma, but he too is accompanied by several other mini-gods, prominent ones like Vishnu the preserver, Shiva the destroyer, his son Gunesh remover of obstacles, and bringer of rain Varuna. One of the famous characters among mystics in Islaam and leader of 'men of unseen' is El-Khudr(Khizr/Khidr/Elias]), about whom we've all heard numerous stories of miraculous feats of rescuing drowning men, serving broilers to starving devishes in the wilderness, or airlifting wondering immigrant to desired destination and so on, to the extent that no native book on virtues and blessings of awliya' is empty of karamaat regarding el-Khudr. Reality is however that, just like all other myths involving 'divinely appointed hidden helpers', the Qur'an and Sunnah bear no witness to such 'hidden men'(rijaal al-ghayb), moreover, the notion is borrowed from Jewish legends where el-Khudr is thought as the 'ever-living' or 'ever-green one', i.e. one who never dies (like the Chistian character Melchizedek), but reappears from time to time in order that good prevail and evil be demolished, similar to the concept of 'avatar' in hindu mythology. Jewish mothers, fearing harm to their children, invoke Khudr as "Eliyahu ha Navi," Christian likewise as "Mar Jiryis" and even foolish 'muslims' call aloud "Ya Khizr!" Prayers addressed to him are thought to be efficacious(effective) while he himself on each friday (as is believed) worships Allaah at different sanctuaries in succession: one friday at Mecca, the next at Medina, and then in turn at Jerusalem, El-Kuba, and Al-Toor. He only takes two meals a week, and quenches his thirst alternately at the well Zamzam in Mecca and that of Solomon in Jerusalem. He lives near ther land of Bulghar, a region in the North, where El-Khadir acts as ruler of the inhabiting men of the Unseen World. Thus you will in most of books and literature on virtues of auliya' by our leading mullahs, who took these deviant ideas straight from their ancestors (i.e. the Jews) who consider Elijah(Khidr) a guardian(Mawla) of Jerusalem and the whole Israelite nation! In Islaam such ideas are abandoned as Shirk and Kufr for none in the least degree have partnership in Allaah's divine charateristics. Assigning divine qualities to large or minor extent is similar to what pagans of the past have done leaving the Almighty de-throned and workless. One wonders if awliya' possess all these divine attributes who needs to call upon Allaah, practice the divine Law and pray late at night? Needles to say that crème de la crème (best of the best) of awliya', the companions[ra] of the Prophet[s], were no super-human and never possessed nor claimed such abilities. Know O muslim! That Allaah alone is the regulator of the hevens and earth and is suffice in guarding and preserving them. Sole creator Lord of mankind, as such adequate in delivering His slaves engulfed in tribulations, providing means of sustenance among other countless blessings, so to Him alone we should give thanks. None encompany His command, order or divine will, whosoever Allaah guides none can misguide him and whosoever He chooses to mis-guide finds no light. Whoever Allaah helps none can overcome and him who Allaah abandons finds no aid. If Allaah protects you none can cause you harm in the least bit, but beyond His shade of mercy you will find no guardian (wali). For indeed with Allaah is power of all things, His is the dominion of the hevens and earth and there is no might no power except with Him.

Love and respect of the Prophet[s] by no mean necessitate words of excessive praise or going out of your way in exalting the man, but rather in bound adherance to Allaah's Kalam by implimenting the Sunnah(methodology) of RasoolAllaah[s]. When we glance back at the history of idol worship we find that idolatry only flourishes when people exaggerate in reverence of the pious. Ibn 'Abbaas[ra] said : "All the idols which were worshipped by the people of Noah were worshipped by the Arabs later on. As for the idol Wadd, it was worshipped by the tribe of Kalb at Daumat-al-Jandal; Suwa' was the idol of (the tribe of) Murad and then by Ban, Ghutaif at Al-Jurf near Saba; Yauq was the idol of Hamdan, and Nasr was the idol of Himyr, the branch of Dhi-al-Kala.' The names (of the idols) formerly belonged to some pious men of the people of Noah, and when they died Satan inspired their people to prepare and place idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. The people did so, but the idols were not worshipped till those people (who initiated them) had died and the origin of the idols had become obscure, whereupon people (of later generations) began worshipping them."[9] Excessive veneration led the people of Nooh[as] to engrave images and make statues and pictures of the pious awliya' Allaah. Though in good heart, in the name of exolting the pious, it led following generations to idolatry and inevitable destruction, and for this reason the Prophet[s] warned us against over-zealousness in exalting him : "Do not exaggerate in

praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allaah and His Apostle." Also : "Verily I am a human being like you, I forget just as you forget."

'Aisha[ra] said : "Rasoolullah(saw) was from no other creation than humans, he use to wash his cloths, milk his goats and do his chores himself."[10] Nowadays people have exceeded limits calling upon Allaah's Messenger[s] in difficulties and seeking his aid in matters beyond him, taking him as an intermediate between Allaah, declaring him the controller of the universe and its source, sustainer of all creation, and having the ability of being present every where, at all times, much like their Christian counterparts. If all this is not over glorification of the Prophet[s] then there is no such thing as excessive praise. The reader should know the pious predecessors(salaf assaliheen) had no such beliefs, nor those who followed their path. We can safely trace origin of such heretical thoughts from Shiism, developed for self-promotion and to serve their sectarian motive. Due to their creed of imamate which also pertains to fore-mentioned qualities, it became inevitable that divine attributes of the Shiite imam be transferred to the Holy Prophet[s] as well, so amongst orthodox muslims the creed would be bearable, as well as attractive. The 'aqeedah(dogma) of Makkan pagans is also worth mention here, Allaah mentions there state in trials calling purely Allaah but when He delivers them, they return to their foolish ways in calling others besides Him : Now, if they embark on a boat, they call on Allaah,

making their devotion sincerely (and exclusively) to Him; but when He has delivered them safely to land, behold, they give a share (of their worship to others)! [Al-Qur'an, 29:65] This shows us that even the mushrik of Makkah, the worst of all creation, invoked Allaah solicitly in difficulty unlike our 'modern muslims' who can't have enough of "Ya Ghawth Ya Ghawth!" and "Ya Mo'in al-Deen Chisti, laga de paar meri kashti (take my ship ashore)." Allaah says : Say (O Muhammad) : "Who is it that sustains

you (in life) from the sky and from the earth? or who is it that has power over hearing and sight? And who is it that brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? and who is it that rules and regulates all affairs?" They will soon say, "Allaah". Say, "will ye not then show piety (to Him)?" [Al-Qur'an, 10:31] And if indeed thou ask them who it is that sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death, they will certainly reply, "Allaah!" Say, "Praise be to Allaah!" But most of them understand not. [Al-Qur'an, 29:63] The mushriks

acknowledged the fact that Allaah is the regulator of His creation and provides them rizk(sustenance) being ultimate in authority. They use to pronounce the talbiyah whilst circumambulating the Ka'bah : "Here I am at Thy service, there is no associate with Thee", but the Prophet[s] cursed them because they also added : "But one associate with Thee, you possess mastery over him, but he does not possess mastery (over you)." Even the Mushriks, when making intercession through pious men and their sculptures, did not consider these deities independent source of aid, in fact no sources at all! Their praying the pious was that it might bring them closer to their Rab knowing full well Allaah alone provides provision and fulfills their needs and none has any authority to grant from whom Allaah withholds and harm who Allaah protects. In contrast to many of our muslim brothers who claim the Prophet[s] is able to provide for who ever he wills and that no blessing can reach anyone except thru RasoolAllaah[s] among other 'Holy men' and they provide, nourish, protect their devotees, those who call upon them. In truth, the pagan belief was closer to Islaam than those of today claiming inheritance of the Prophetic sunnah. There is no difference between a group that invokes dead saints or prophets and an other calling upon dead idols, between grave worshippers of today and idol worship of jahilliyah. The former erroneous believe their 'saints' are alive in their graves hence beseechment to them is more desirable and makes one' du'a' more acceptable in the sight of Allaah. Whereas the latter who prayed towards their sculptures of holy men also considered their pious alive and well intercessory with Allaah. No grave worshipper adores the grave itself nor do idolaters pray to lifeless idols, these only serve as a direction aiding them in concentration whilst the actual prayer is towards those 'saints' buried in graves and 'heavenly men' after whom idols are designated. This is why Allaah's Messenger[s] supplicated his Lord : "O Allaah, Let not my

grave be an idol, May the curse of Allaah be upon the nations who took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship." [Musnad

Ahmad, Malik's Muwatta, 9/24/88] So in reality, those who make du'a' to deceased righteous, as un-fortunately we see abundantly among us, knowingly or unknowingly, only validate acts of Shirk by Makkan associationists, their prayer towards saints and sacrifices in their name. People of jahilliyah use to say : "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allaah." [AlQur'an, 39.3] Jahillyah of today hold the same creed thinking their invoking occupant of the graves bring closer to Allaah and guaranties intercession, same as associationists of old : They serve, besides Allaah, things that hurt

them not nor profit them, and they say: "These are our

intercessors with Allaah." Say: "Do ye indeed inform Allaah of something He knows not, in the heavens or on earth?- Glory to Him! and far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!"

[Al-Qur'an, 10:18] Such claims only increased mis-guidance and despite their insistance, Allaah Ta'aala labeled them Kaafirs and Mushriks. Crux being that even Makkan mushriks believed in Allaah's lordship over the hevens and earth among other of His unique attributes but what Islaam necessitates is the worship of Allaah alone whereas it includes all acts of veneration, respect, gratitude, sacrifice, rituals, beseechment etc. What made Makkan associationists, allies of Shaitaan instead of allies of Rahmaan, was their directing these acts of worship to idols of pious individuals and ignorant muslims blindly follow the way of their doomed predecessors. Allaah, the Sublime said : If indeed thou ask them who it is

that created the heavens and the earth, they would be sure to say, "Allaah". Say (O Muhammad): "See ye then? the things that ye invoke besides Allaah,- can they, if Allaah wills some Penalty for me, remove His Penalty?- Or if He wills some Grace for me, can they keep back his Grace?" Say: "Sufficient is Allaah for me! In Him trust those who put their trust." [Al-Qur'an, 39:38] "How long will you worship the tombs of holy men? Busy yourself with the works of holy men, and you are saved!" Then there are some who, though not always pray directly to prophets and saints as means of attainment recognising Allaah's authority, seek their shafa'a(intercession) and waseelah(means of nearness) in hope they'll plead to Allaah on their behalf due to these pious individuals having attained honorable status, granted the right to intercede with Allaah and as such feel intercession sought from them is valid. This type of intercession is just another deviation from the truth resembling intercession of previously destroyed nations as they also proclaimed : "These are our intercessors with Allaah", and Allaah declared this associationism. Allaah informs us concerning intercession and its right;

Say (O Muhammad) : "To Allaah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession..." [Al-Qur'an, 39;44] Allaah! There is no god but He...Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? [Ayat-ul-Kursi] How many-so-ever be the angels in the heavens, their intercession will avail nothing except after Allaah has given leave for whom He pleases and that he is acceptable to Him. [Al-Qur'an, 53:26] ...They(angels) offer no intercession except for those who are acceptable(to Allaah), and they stand in awe and reverence of His (Glory). [Al-Qur'an, 21:28] Intercession should be sought only from Allaah and none else. We can ask Allaah not to deny us His Messenger' intercession and make him[s] plead for us on the last day but we cannot directly invoke the Messenger[s] for intercession for that would be exception to what we've already discussed. No prophet, no pious slave can intercede for

anyone and even if they did it would not avail them from Allaah against His will until He, the Almighty grants permission and He shall permit intercession only for those who worshipped Him alone, without associating partners with Allaah. As He, the Almighty will not accept intercession for hypocrites : Whether thou (OMuhammad) ask for their

forgiveness, or not, (their sin is unforgivable): if thou ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allaah will not forgive them: because they have rejected Allaah and His Messenger: and Allaah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious. [Al-Qur'an, 9:80] Naturally this ayah also applies

more severely to those who joined partners with Allaah in His divine attributes. Allaah's Messenger[s] spoke of an incident where, on the day of resurrection, some of his companions will be brought to him and he generously would like to share water from al-Kawthar but suddenly they will be pulled from it whereupon the Prophet[s] will ask : O Lord, my companions! Allaah, the Almighty will respond : You do not know what they did

after you left, they introduced new things into the religion after you',[11] and the Prophet[s] will say to them : "Woe to him who changes (his religion) after me."[12] Issuing bid'aat alone is enough to nullify one' intercession, how

about those who actually ascribe partners Allaah? We pray Allaah grant the Prophet[s] alwaseelah and make him intercede for us on the Last day, but the Prophet's intercession will only be limited to and accepted for those who affirm 'la ilaha il-Allaah' in letter and spirit, pure in belief and actions seeking only the Face of Allaah, the Prophet[s] said : There is for

every apostle a prayer which is granted, but every prophet showed haste in his prayer. I have, however, reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection, and it would be granted, if Allah so willed, in case of everyone amongst my Ummah provided he dies without associating anything with Allaah. With regards to al-Waseelah, there are two derivations, 1. 'Al-Waseelah' is the highest rank in paradise and nearest to Allaah's 'Arsh only for the most pious of His servants, the Prophet of Allaah[s] said : When you hear the Mu'adhdhin, repeat what he

says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allaah; then beg from Allaah alWaseelah for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allaah's servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given al-Waseelah, he will be assured of my intercession (on the day of Judgement)."[13] And 2. Means by which one comes close to desired goal, or in the Sharee'ah, comes closer to Allaah as the Alimighty states in His Glorious Book : O ye who believe! Do your duty to Allaah, seek the means of approach (waseelah) unto Him, and strive with might and main in his cause: that ye may prosper. [Al-Qur'an, 5:35] The correct and only waseelah (in Sharee'ah)

are righteous deeds, actions in accordance with that which Allaah and His Messenger[s] ordered. Those who interprate waseelah as seeking closeness to Allaah by means of prophets, righteous slaves, people of the grave etc then all such people are lost in utter darkness. They

often mix between natural waseelah and Shar'ee waseelah claiming that without stairs one cannot reach the roof, similarly one cannot reach Allaah without waseelah of auliya'. This among other such analogies are in-correct in multiple ways, also contradicts sound reason. The use of stairs to the rooftop is a natural waseelah and is common for muslims and nonmuslims alike, each stair reaches the roof but every act does not reach Allaah for only the Shar'ee waseelah, acts in accordance with Islaamic Sharee'ah, is acceptable in His assembly. All natural wasaa'il are halaal(legal) with exceptions named in the Qur'an and Sunnah, but with regading to the Shar'ee waseelah then all wasaa'il are haraam(forbidden) unless found in the Sharee'ah (Qur'an and Sunnah). The scholars of Islaam like Jarir at-Tabari[r] mentioned the meaning of al-waseelah as 'seeking nearness to Allaah with deeds He is pleased with", so did al-Hafidh ibn Katheer[r] who reported from ibn 'Abbaas[ra] commenting on SuratulMa'eda, ayah 35 : "The meaning of al-Waseelah is to draw closer." Also from Qatadah : "This(waseelah) is that you draw near to Him(Allaah) by obedience to Him and through actions that are pleasing to Him." [Tafseer ibn Katheer] For those who instead resort to call upon dead prophets and saints just because they hold higher status with Allaah, He, the Sublime states : Say (O Muhammad): "Call on those - besides Him - whom

ye fancy: they have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them." Those whom they call upon do desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord, - even those who are nearest: they hope for His Mercy and fear His Wrath: for the Wrath of thy Lord is something to take heed of. [Al-Qur'an, 17:56-57] These ayaat were

revealed in relation to a group of people among the arab associationists who worshipped the jinn, (calling upon them, making vows in their name etc) un-aware those jinn had accepted Islaam and themselves sought waseelah to their Lord. Allaah also clarified that irrespective of one's closeness to Him no one is able to remove harm from another neither provide good, for even the most righteous of Allaah's creation depend upon His Mercy and fear His anger. It is thus not possible for them to serve as means of approach to Allaah(waseelah) when they themselves seek wasaa'il to their Lord. Ibn 'Abbaas[ra] in explanation of this ayah said : "The people of Shirk used to say 'We worship the angels and the Messiah and 'Uzayr', while these themselves call upon Allaah.'' They assumed invoking prophets and angels was means of nearness to Allaah and this was their worship of them which Allaah negated. Al-Hafidh ibn Hajr[r] elaborates : "The people who used to worship the Jinn continued to worship the Jinn, and the Jinn were not pleased with their worship, since they had accepted Islaam. And they were the ones who sought a means of nearness to their Lord..." Its evidently clear from this that relying upon the allies of Allaah seeking their waseelah is equally void as beseeching them directly, in fact is a sunnah of the Makkan pagans, while on the contrary, the only Shar'ee wasaa'il are our righteous deeds prescribed in the Glorious Qur'an and Prophetic Sunnah, as understood by the pious predecessors. Allaah's Messenger[s] in what is known as the hadith of auliya', said : I(Allaah) will declare war against him who shows

hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him...[14] It should be clear to you that obligatory acts of obedience (fara'id) are most

superior and the only means to attain Allaah's wilayah(closeness). Seeking access to Allaah Almighty through deceased intermediatories, seeking their influence and blessings, and supplicating to Allaah by them are all in-valid wasaa'il. You must know that none from the creation has any claim or right over the Creator. Moreover, when we ask Allaah in the name of His creation we insinuate the creaion has a right over Allaah and this is sacrilege of His

rububiyyah and perfect command over His creation. Even more sickening is the cry of some ultra-deviants groups : "Ya Sayidi 'Abdul-Qadir shay'an li-lahi, Give! O 'Abdul-Qadir for Gods' sake!" Here Allaah is used as waseelah in front of 'Abdul-Qadir with the sheikh exalted above Allaah Ta'aala (a'udhubillah!). Reason behind such a diabolic cry lies in the mystic belief that asserts a wali, after his fana(annihilation) and subsequent baqa(abiding), when illuminated(tajalli) with divine attributes of the Dhaat(Allaah), like for instance Ilm al-Ghayb, the wali becomes one with the Dhaat(Allaah) in that attribute of knowledge of the unseen, hence he encompasses what-ever was, is and will be and from Whom is not hidden the least little atom in the heavens or on earth! [See: Al-Qur'an, 10:61, 34:3] And if illuminated with the attribute of power and subsistence, the wali becomes the very life for all existence and nothing exists except by his means! So the theory goes that such a wali, imbued with divine qualities, has exalted beyond mere human qualities inasmuch as he becomes a mirror for the name Allaah, which consequently is also applicable to the wali! So if you invoke Allaah, the wali shall answer your call, and if you call upon the wali, Allaah Himself answers you, for they are like two opposite mirrors, is efficacious whomever you invoke! Moreover, applicable to the wali are the words of ayatu'l-Kursi (a’udhubillah!) :

…the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth…His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them (heavens and earth) for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).This is nothing but disbelief, a denial of the

Qur'an and a believer should be aware that none accompany Allaah Almighty in any of His divine attributes: knowledge, vision, hearing, power, control, sovereignty. The idea that nothing reaches us except through the Prophet[s], or Ghawth is entirely pagan, same as the Christian concept of redemption and their corrupt philosophical notion of using prophets, saints, clergymen as intermediaries. He, the Exalted says : And call not, besides

Allaah, on another god. There is no god but He. Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face. To Him belongs the Command, and to Him will ye (all) be brought back. Allaah Ta'aala should only be sought by

means of wasaa'il found in the Qur'an and Sunnah, such as; a. supplicating the Almighty by means of His beautiful names and attributes, b. By putting forward one's need or desire to Him, c. Invoking Allaah by our righteous deeds and d. Seeking access to Him by supplication of a righteous person. All these (only) are lawful wasaa'il and to round off this discussion we narrate Prophet of Allaah[s] statement making it clear that he could not benefit or rescue anyone of his ummah not even members of his own house-hold, regardless of his closeness to Allaah and high status : "...O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, ask me whatever you like, but I cannot avail you at all against Allaah."[15] That is to say 'do not ask me for I have no power to save you against Allaah's Will.' Allaah, Almighty says in the Qur'an commanding the Prophet[s] : Say (O Muhammad) : "I have no

power over any good or harm to myself except as Allaah willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me: I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have faith." [Al-Qur'an, 7:188] See also; [Al-Qur'an, 46:4-5], [72:21]

Allaah Ta'aala describes for us in the Qur'an the correct manner of invoking Him, seek His aid and have our prayers granted. He taught al-Fatihah to His slave and ordained its daily five time recital in salaah. In it we pray : Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace... Foremost recipients of Allaah's grace and favour are His prophets[as], who being the cream of humankind offer us from their lifestyle the best pattern of conduct to replicate. For this we beseech the Almighty to establish us on their path so that we may acquire similar character and worship Allaah in manner most beloved to Him, the manner of His prophets[as]. The words of du'a' employed by prophets and awliya' as mentioned by Allaah in His book are purest and dearest to Him. These are words which He Himself taught them and Allaah, the Generous One, saved these prayers in His Book so that people of succeeding nations may take heed therewith and call upon their Lord by them. He, the Almighty narrates stories of His most noble servants and mentions herewith prayer of Adam[p] and Eve[p] when they disobeyed their Lord and were taken out of paradise, they said : "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls:

If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost." The prayer of Noah[p] when he saw his son drowning : "O my Lord! surely my son is of my family! and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the justest of Judges!" The plea of Job[p] when overwhelmed with decease and afflictions : "Truly distress has seized me, but Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are merciful." Discretion of Joseph[p] fearing shamefulness : "O my Lord! the prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me: Unless Thou turn away their snare from me, I should (in my youthful folly) feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant." David[p] in battle against Goliath : "Our Lord! Pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm: Help us against those that reject faith." Prayer of Moses[p] when he killed an innocent soul : "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! Do Thou then forgive me!" Prayer of Zechariah[p] as he prayed for his heir : "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee! O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!" Abraham[p] when he prayed for a son : "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous!" Jesus[p] when he sought provision : "O Allaah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)." The Prophet[s] in the dark days of Ta'if when he was mocked, pelted with stones, forced to flee his city and it seemed the whole world had turned against him : "O Allaah! To You

alone I make complaint of my helplessness, the paucity of my resources and my insignificance before mankind. You are the most Merciful of the mercifuls. You are the Rabb of the helpless and the weak, O Rabb of mine! Into whose hands would You abandon me: into the hands of an unsympathetic distant relative who would sullenly frown at me, or to the enemy who has been given control over my affairs? But if Your wrath does not fall on me, there is nothing for me to worry about. I seek protection in the light of Your Countenance, which illuminates the heavens and dispels darkness, and which controls all affairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. And there is no power nor resource, but Yours alone." In the fierce battle of Badr with a minute muslim army facing complete annihilation at the hands of Makkan associationists, the Prophet[s] cried out to his lord : "O Allaah! Should this group be defeated

today, You will no longer be worshipped."

So whom, O people of vague belief!, did the prophets, their companions and the righteous use to seek in ordeals? The prophets of Allaah[p] were tested to utmost limit beyond endurance of normal men yet did they ever take a handhold besides that of Allaah? In fighting and jihaad, sickness and suffering, plagues and droughts, whom did the noble prophets invoke besides Allaah? Which Ghawth or Wali, Pir or Murshid did they cry out to? By whose waseelah or barakah or sadaqah did the righteous call upon Allaah? The prophets[as] would rely upon none but Allaah in grief and anxiety, invoke Allaah for aid against the enemy, sought Allaah for cure when afflicted with decease and ailments, to Allaah they prayed for progeny and well-being of elders, by Allaah they asked when summoning people to tawheed, remembered Him patiently and thanked Him alone. Thus in each and every aspect of day to day life the most noble of Allaah's creation would rely and invoke Him, never did they resort to any heretical waseelah or pray direct to the dead pious or sacrifice in their name aiming to have their aims accomplished. Allaah Ta'aala mentions : Those were the

(prophets) who received Allaah's guidance: Copy the guidance they received... [Al-Qur'an, 6:90] Yet our modern day mullas order their blind,

ignorant followers to seek blessing from graves, invoke deceased saints and prophets instead of Allaah, take them as providers, relievers of pain and liberators from suffering, use them as waseelah to Allaah and ask intercession from them instead of Allaah (astaghfirullah!). So who would you prefer O muslim! these pseudo-scholars and mullas who call to un-mistakable Shirk and destruction? Or the Almighty's Kalam which invites to tawheed and gives glad-tidings of eternal bliss to its adherents? Know! my brothers and sisters in Islaam that mere utterance of the kalima (la ilaha il-Allaah) is not sufficient to make us a true muslim until it be actualised with proper understanding of meaning and implimented in worship. 'La ilaaha il-Allaah' means there is no deity worthy of worship except Allaah, subsequently, utterer of the testimony must direct all kinds of acts involving worship to their Lord and avoid all types Shirk therein, otherwise he/she ends up breaking the covenant with Allaah. 'La ilaha il-Allaah' is at evident conflict with 'al-Madad Ya Rasool' or 'Ya Ghawth'. Both cannot possibly co-exist, being opposites of one another,

as opposite as muslim and mushrik, a circle and square. Many assume idolatry was eliminated from muslim nation for ever after the completion of Allaah's Messenger'[s] mission. They hope to shelter their sins with a narration, amongst others, attributed to the holy Prophet[s] in which he said that Shaitaan has lost hope of being worshipped in the arabian peninsula, therefore ne'er again shall the muslim ummah indulge in idol worship. Their conclusion is not only hasty but also erroneous as the famous scholar ibn Rajab[r] said : "It (the hadith) means that Satan has despaired from the entire people falling into idolatry." Al-Hafidh ibn Hajar ‘Asqalanai[r] said : "Meaning of this Prophetic statement is that you as a whole shall not commit Shirk because Shirk has been affirmed from some people of the muslim ummah…" Those who utter the kalima (la ilaaha il-Allaah) with understanding of meaning and implication, denying worship except for Allaah, are those who shall prosper from it and whose abode is the Garden of bliss but as we've amply discussed, seeking aid instead of Allaah in matter beyond human capacity is nothing but associating them with Allaah in His attributes and power. If a man say : 'la ilaaha ilAllaah' but not have proper knowledge of its meaning and not lead to abandonment of Shirk then such a kalima is of no benefit to him and shall not suffice on the day of resurrection. There are numerous clarifying ayaat explaining that believers too are not safe from Shirk and stress utmost need to wary thereof and suffice for believers is what Allaah mentions : Those(believers) who invoke not, with Allaah,

any other god, nor slay such life as Allaah has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this (not only) meets punishment. [Al-Qur'an, 25:68] When the ayah : ...confuse not their belief with wrong... [6:82] was revealed, the companions[ra] questioned : "Which of us has not done wrong?" The Prophet[s] explained this is meant and Allaah Ta'aala revealed the verse : Verily joining

others in worship with Allaah (Shirk) is indeed a tremendous wrong. [Al-Qur'an, 31:13] He, the Almighty further mentions : Allaah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. 'If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.

[Al-Qur'an, 24:55] Allaah Almighty promises to empower the righteous muslims and establish their authority in land if they worship Allaah alone without sharing(partners), but if they do reject and follow the mushriks then they too are associationists (See [al-Qur’an, 6:120]). The Prophet'[s] du'a : "O Allaah! Do not

make my grave an idol that is worshipped. The anger on those who took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration was terrible" is specifically aimed at over-zealous muslims who break the boundaries of

glorification of graves, supplication to deceased that are not but forms of idolatry as

we've discussed previously, and Allaah's Messenger[s] warned the day of resurrection will not arise until a group of people among his[s] ummah worship idols and false deities.[16] We fear the hour might be nigh. Allaah mentions : O

men! Here is a parable set forth! listen to it! Those on whom, besides Allaah, ye call, cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! and if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition! [Al-Qur'an, 22:73] In the end I ask Allaah Ta'aala to pardon my errors in writing this essay and accept the intention of seeking His reward by calling people to tawheed which is the fundamental difference between belief and kufr. I ask Him to able us to prosper herewith or at least incite among us desire to seek His righteous path. The aim was not to defame any particular group as i have (or tried) addressed the issue in a general manner, rather i call the masses to read, understand the meaning and implement the Qur'an in daily life, for only in the Qur'an and Sunnah does the truth manifest. Our lack of religious knowledge, evident from contemporary ignorance, and downfall in worldly affaires is direct consequence of negligence regarding these exclusive two sources of Islaam. It becomes in-dispensable to affiliate ourselves with Allaah's book, for we can never claim nor be sincere with Allaah, the basic element for success in both worlds, unless we follow His guidance, until His will be done. May Allaah, 'azza wa jal accept from us, ameen!

Glory to thy Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! from what they ascribe (to Him)! And Peace on the messengers! And all Praise to Allaah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds. as-Salamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

End Notes

1. [Sahih Muslim, 337] 2. [Sahih Bukhari,93/477] 3. [See Gospel of Mark, 13:32] 4. [Sunan Abi Dawud, 1474] 5. Allaah, 'azza wa jal states : If

Allaah touch thee with affliction, none can remove it but He; if He touch thee with happiness, He hath power over all things. [Al-Qur'an 6:17] 6. [Sahih Bukhari, 93/586] 7. Allaah, bari ta'aala states : If

Allaah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? in Allaah, then, Let believers put their trust. [Al-Qur'an 3:160]

8. [See imam an-Nawawi's Forty Ahadith] 9. [Sahih Bukhari, 60/442] 10. [Sahih Bukhari, 55/654], [Muslim, 1177], [Shamaa'il Tirmidhi] 11. [Sahih Bukhari,88/173] 12. [Sahih Muslim, 5682] 13. [Sahih Muslim, 747] 14. [Sahih Bukhari, 8/509] 15. [Sahih Muslim, 402] 16. [Sunan Abu Dawud, kitabul-Fitan]