Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

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:

Assalamu Alaikum

Ive got to clarify a few doubts of mine and i wanna help one of my friends with your

answers. My question is as follows:

1) in my country there are many people who visit shrines and it is increasing, my opinion is that it is shirk, as people say that they do not worship them but ask in that particular persons name who is buried there, so i want your opinion regarding this!

Jazakallah

Your Brother

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Answer:

Visiting Dargah shrines and tombs graves

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.

Jabir reported: "The Prophet(saws) forbade the whitewashing of a grave, sitting on it, or erecting any structure on it." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa'i, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmidhi.)

Abu Hurairah reported: "The Prophet (saws) said: 'May Allah destroy the Jews, because they used the graves of their prophets as places of worship (shrines).'' (Bukhari and Muslim)

Aishah reported: "Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah mentioned to Allah's Messenger (saws) a church in which they saw drawings while in Abyssinia, whereupon he said: 'Those people used to build a place of worship (shrine, tomb, etc.) over the grave of a righteous man among them when he died, and make such drawings in it. These will be the worst of people in the Sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection.'' (Bukhari and Muslim)

In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it is absolutely prohibited in Islam to make a shrine over the dead, leave alone visiting or invoking those buried in the shrines!

Your Question: in my country there are many people who visit shrines and it is increasing, my opinion is that it is shirk, as people say that they do not worship them but ask in that particular persons name who is buried there, so i want your opinion regarding this!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 3:

Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take ‘awliyaas’ other than Allah (say): "We only serve them (the awliyaas) in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful.

It has indeed always happened that when some true and pious servant of Allah Subhanah died, some people declared him after his death as a ‘Wali’ (plural Awliya) from themselves, and shared some of Allah's Rights and Attributes with this departed person! Some made images and worshipped them, some made idols and invoked them, and some turned their graves into places of worship and invocations!

Allah Alone is All-Hearing; but some ignorant people shared this Noble Attribute of Allah with their Awliyaas and stared falsely assuming that those buried in their graves can hear and respond to their supplications and invocations; this is precisely what is termed ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!

Similarly, Allah Alone is All-Knowing and All-Seeing; but some ignorant people shared these Noble Attributes of Allah with their Awliyaas and started falsely assuming that those buried in their graves sees and knows their condition and has the power to help them. They thus started invoking them in their graves and this is precisely what has been termed as manifest ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!

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.

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!!!

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.

It is indeed unfortunate and absolute and utter ignorance, that after being specifically warned by the Messenger of Allah (saws); some people who profess their belief in him and his message start making and using the dargahs of the deceased pious slaves of Allah Subhanah as places of worship and invocation!

If one invokes anything or anyone other than Allah Subhanah, or if one invokes or call upon anything or anyone with Allah Subhanah… there is absolutely no doubt that such a person will be committing the heinous abomination of ‘shirk’!!!

It is the strict command and sole Right of Allah Subhanah, as the Creator and Sustainer of the World, that He and He Alone should be invoked for anything one desires and needs; for there is none in the Universe who can give anything if Allah does not will to give, and there is none in the Universe who can stop Allah if He wills to show mercy on His slaves!

If one so much as even tries to invoke someone or something other than Allah Subhanah in the unseen, he will be committing the most heinous of crimes in the sight of Allah Subhanah; that is, ‘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.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

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 and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan