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As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother,

This is response to your anwser for the above question. Re: Q&A: 1858 Asking from Awliya

Kindly have a look at an Ayah of Surah Baqarah which says "Laa Taqoolu Limayyi yaqtulu Fee sabeelillahi Amwaath, Bal Ah Yaa voon valakilla Tash voroon".

Yours brotherly,

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Answer:

Martyrs alive – Surah Baqarah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 154: And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay they are living though ye perceive (it) not.

Allah Subhanah revealed the above quoted aayah of Surah Baqarah immediately after the Battle of Ohud, when the hypocrites started spreading propaganda amongst the believers and said that the martyrs died in vain, and did not enjoy the life of this world! Allah Subhanah revealed this aayah to comfort the believers and to impress upon them the honor those martyrs received in the realm of His Presence. Allah Subhanah declares that these martyrs are honored and are alive in His Presence, but the people of the world cannot perceive that reality. Such is the honor Allah bestows on those who are slain in His Cause. Allah Subhanah demands that their death in the life of this world should not, and cannot be compared to the people who die a normal or natural death.

Thus, Allah has declared honor and admiration to those who are martyred for Allah’s Cause, and affirmed that the dying of one in the Cause of Allah cannot be compared to a normal death of this life! The very word ‘dead’ as understood by human beings is very discouraging, and kills the spirit of self-sacrifice, and the urge to fight in the Way of Allah. Instead of this, the believers are encouraged to believe that the martyrs are alive in the Presence of Allah Subhanah, but we are not able to perceive that honorable life of theirs. And this is a reality which revitalizes and keeps the spirit of courage and ‘jihad’ alive in the hearts of the true believers.

That is the basic essence and meaning of the above aayah 154 of Surah Baqarah.

Allah Subhanah reveals in another Surah, a similar verse and describes the honor and bliss the martyrs are enjoying in the Presence of their Merciful Lord, where they are provided with abundant sustenance and bounty. The aayahs are meant to impress upon the people of this life, that those who are slain in the Way of Allah, have bartered their transitory worldly life for an eternal and everlasting life of joy, bliss, Grace and Mercy, and where they have absolutely no fear, and no cause to grieve.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verses 169-171:

169 Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.

170 They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.

171 They glory in the Grace and the Bounty from Allah, and in the fact that Allah suffereth not the reward of the faithful to be lost (in the least).

But some ignorant people who, rather than form their beliefs from the guidance of the Holy Quran, try to make the Quran follow their self-satisfying beliefs! They choose a particular martyr, or martyrs from a particular family of their choice, and then use these Aayahs to justify that these martyrs or ‘auliyaas’ are alive, are very close to Allah Subhanah, and thus can hear and answer their prayers! They thus celebrate the praises of their ‘specifically’ chosen martyrs and ‘auliyaas’, celebrate and perform certain rituals on their birth and death days, make shrines and tombs over their graves, and make their shrines a place of their rituals and worship. They do all these rituals so that their ‘specifically’ chosen martyr and ‘auliyaas’ becomes pleased with their service, and since they have so much ‘influence’ on Allah Subhanah, he will get their prayers answered by Allah Subhanah!

Thus in effect, these ignorant people involve themselves in the abomination and the most heinous of sins in the sight of Allah Subhanah: ie. Shirk! They believe that the ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ they are serving is All-Knowing and knows the rituals and service they do in his name and on his grave; they believe that their ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ is All-Seeing and can see their state and their worship; and they believe that their ‘specific’ martyr and ‘auliyaa’ is All-Hearing and can hear and respond to their invocations!

These ignorant people have dared to share the Exclusive Attributes of the All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Hearing Lord with one of Allah’s creation, and have thus involved themselves in the heinous crime of ‘shirk’! And to top it all, they use the one Aayah of Surah Baqarah completely out of context to justify their worship of their chosen martyrs and ‘auliyaas’, and disregard the rest of the Guidance and Commands of the Holy Quran! The absolute Truth of the matter is that they want the Quran to conform to their false beliefs; rather than form their beliefs with the clear Guidance and Teachings of the Glorious Quran!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 102:What? Do these people, who have disbelieved, presume that they would make My servants their ‘auliyaas’ besides Me? We have prepared Hell for the hospitality of such people.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3:So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively. Beware! Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah. As for those who have taken other ‘auliyas’ (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): “We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Allah will surely judge between them concerning all that in which they differ. Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:These people serve beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!” (O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the shirk that they commit.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verses 28-30:On the Day when We will muster them together, We shall say to those who committed ‘shirk’, “Stay where you are, you and those whom you set up as partners with Us.” Then We shall remove the state of strangeness from among them, and the partners they had set up will say, “You did not worship us! Allah suffices as a witness between you and us, and (even if you worshipped us), we were utterly unaware of your worship!” At that time everyone will taste of what he did. All shall be brought back to Allah, their real Lord, and all the lies they had invented will vanish from them!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqan verses 17-19:And on that Day, (Your Lord) will gather all these people together as well as those whom they used to invoke besides Allah and ask them, “Did you mislead these servants of Mine, or did they themselves go astray?” Those associate-deities will answer, “Glory be to You! We dared not take any ‘auliya’ besides You. You did give them and their forefathers all the good things of life till they forgot the Admonition, and incurred the punishment.” Thus will your deities deny all that you are professing today! Then you shall neither be able to repel your punishment, nor shall you be able to get any help from anywhere. And whoever is guilty of iniquity among you, We shall make him taste a severe torment!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verses 81-82:These people have set up other gods than Allah, so that they may become their supporters! There will be no supporters! They will not only disown your worship, but also become their opponents.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaf verses 4-6: Prophet, say to them, "Have you ever seen them with open eyes those whom you invoke instead of Allah? Show me what they have created in the earth? Or have they any share in the creation and control of the heavens? Bring me a Book revealed before this, or produce some remnant of knowledge in support of your beliefs if you are truthful." And who could be further astray than the one who invokes, instead of Allah, those who cannot answer him till the Day of Resurrection. Nay, they are even UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING INVOKED. And when all mankind shall be gathered together (on the Day of Qiyamah), they (the so called leaders and intercessors) will become enemies of those who invoked them and they will DISOWN THEIR WORSHIP!!!

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, read the above Aayahs of the Glorious Quran carefully and decide for yourself if the invoking and serving of the specific chosen martyrs or ‘auliyaas’ at their graves is the abomination of shirk or not! For ‘shirk’ is the one sin that Allah Subhanah has Himself declared that He shall never forgive the one who dies in that state, and Hell shall be the everlasting abode of those who die in the state of ‘shirk’!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72:Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah), Allah shall forbid for him Paradise, and Hell shall be his abode. And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48:Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 65-66:If you commit ‘shirk’ all your works will be rendered vain and you will be among the losers. Therefore, you should worship Allah Alone, and be among His grateful servants.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan