Waila, is it permitted?
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:
Assalam-u-alaikum.. I've just read your post that we are not supposed to invoke the unseen as that will be considered as an act of shirk.. i just got an hadith of sahih bukhari,can you please help me out? It says: Narrated Anas Radi Allahu Anhu :Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet Peace be upon him to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain."And so it would rain. Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 17, Number 123..what am i suppose to do now??'
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Answer:
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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Sister one can request anybody alive to invoke Allah swt on their behalf for any favor one wishes to receive. The restriction tantamount to shirk is when one invokes the dead or in the unseen (someone not physically present before you) and begs them to invoke Allah swt on your behalf. The invocation in the unseen can only be made to Allah swt..
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. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
Members of Islamhelpline
Wister