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Kitaab At-Tawheed, Chapter: 12

Allah (swt ), says:

" Nor call on any besides Allah, such can neither profit you, nor hurt you. If you do, then you will surely be one of the zalimun" (Qur'an 10:106)

In this verse, Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High, forbids His Prophet, Muhammad (saas ) - and the forbiddance applies to the whole Ummah - from performing acts of worship, in particular supplication for any other besides Allah (swt ), because none beside Him possesses power to benefit or harm. Then Allah (swt ) informs His Prophet (saas ) that should he do so, he would be one of the Zalimun, i.e. the polytheists.

1. That benefit and protection from harm are only from Allah, the Almighty, the All-powerful.

2. That whoever called upon other than Allah, believing that he possesses the power to benefit or harm him without Allah, has committed an act of Shirk.

3. The reference to Shirk as Zulm (injustice).

..ooOOoo..

Allah (swt), says:

" If Allah does not touch you with hurt, there is none can remove it but He: If He designs some benefit for you, there is none can keep back His Favour: He causes it to reach whomsoever of His slaves He wills, and He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Qur'an10:107)

In this verse, Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High, informs His Prophet, Muhammad (saas ) that both good and evil are determined by Allah (swt ), the Almighty, the All-powerful, and that none of His creatures - whoever he may be - has the power to lift harm or prevent benefit coming to anyone; and that all power of disposal is in Allah's Hands. He forbids whom He wills, in His Wisdom, and He gives to whom He wills from His Bounty, and He is Oft-forgiving to whomsoever turns in repentance to Him; even to the one who has committed shirk, He is Full of Mercy.

Benefits Derived From This Verse

1. That all goodness and evil is at Allah's Disposal.

2. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Iradah (i.e. Wish, Decree).

3. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Mashee`ah (i.e. Will).

4. Confirmation of the totality of Allah's Dominion and Rulership.

5. Confirmation of two of Allah's Names: Al-Ghafoor (the Most Forgiving) and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful to all in this world and to the Believers in the Hereafter) and both of these names encompass the Attributes of Forgiveness and Mercy.

That it proves that preventing or removing harm and the granting of benefit come only from Allah (swt ), the Almighty, the All-powerful, and seeking them from other than Allah (swt ) is an act of Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

Allah (swt ), says:

" You do naught but worship idols besides Allah, and you invent falsehood. The things that you worship besides Allah have no power to give you sustenance: Then seek you sustenance from Allah, worship Him and be grateful to Him: To Him will you return" (Qur'an 29:17)

Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High tells us in this verse about Prophet Ibraheem (as ), how he made clear to his people the truth concerning the idols which they worshipped, that they possessed no power to harm or to benefit, and that they had invented a lie by attributing such powers to them, for goodness may only be sought from Allah (swt ), and from none other; and that He, Alone is the One Who has the right to be worshipped, and to be praised and Who deserves our gratitude because all creatures will return to Him when they die; then they will be resurrected and they will receive the recompense of their deeds.

1. That the original Religion of all the Prophets is Tawheed.

2. The falseness of worshipping idols.

3. That all goodness and evil is within Allah's power.

4. The obligation to worship Allah and to be grateful to Him.

5. Confirmation of the coming of the Day of Resurrection.

That it proves that sustenance must not be sought except from Allah (swt ), because supplicating for sustenance from other than Allah (swt ) is an act of Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

Allah (swt ), Most High says:

" And who is more astray than one who calls upon other than Allah, such as will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are [even] unaware of their calls to them. And when mankind are gathered [on the Day of Resurrection], they [the false deities] will become enemies to them and will deny their worshipping" (Qur'an 46:5-6)

Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High, informs us in this verse that none is further astray nor more ignorant than the one who rejects the worship of the All-hearing, the One Who answers, and instead, worships things which are unable to answer him until the Hour comes, either because they themselves are slaves of Allah (swt ), who are bound to worship Him, such as the angels, the Prophets and the righteous, or because they are inanimate objects, such as idols. Then Allah (swt ) makes clear to us that mankind will be gathered together on the Day of Resurrection, then the worshipers will be shown the uselessness of their deeds because their objects of worship will declare themselves innocent of them and their actions; indeed they will become their enemies, rejecting them and all that they did.

1. That the most ignorant and farthest astray of all people are those who call upon other than Allah.

2. Confirmation that their objects of worship are ignorant of them and cannot answer them.

3. That this supplication is a kind of worship.

4. That their calling upon these false gods will be the cause of those deities' enmity towards those who worshipped them on the Day of Resurrection.

5. Evidence that these objects of worship will declare themselves innocent of their worshipers on the Day of Resurrection.

That they prove that there is none more ignorant, none farther astray than the one who calls upon other than Allah (swt ), because supplication is an act of worship, and dedicating an act of worship to other than Allah (swt ) is Shirk.

The rejection by those objects of worship, such as the angels, the Prophets and the righteous will be by their mouths, obviously. As for those inanimate objects, such as idols, trees, stones, etc., it has been said that Allah (swt ) will create for them the power of speech, and they will speak, denouncing their worshipers and their deeds; and it has also been said that they will reject them by their silence and inanimity.

..ooOOoo..

Allah (swt ), says:

" Is not He [better than your gods] Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth [generation after generation], is there any deity with Allah? Little it is that you bear in mind [the warning]" (Qur'an 27:62)

Allah (swt ), Most High, defines some of the Attributes which are purely for Him, and nobody else, such as responding to those in dire straits, lifting harm from them and protecting mankind. Then Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High, makes clear that those who will not be warned by this, nor fear the consequences, and do not worship Allah (swt ), Alone, will not heed any warning.

1. That making one's du'aa` ¹ purely for Allah will ensure its acceptance.

2. Confirmation of the blessing of Du'aa`.

3. That goodness and evil are within Allah's power.

4. Proof of Tawheed of worship through Tawheed of Rabbship.

5. That Allah (swt ) answers the Du'aa` of the distressed and the oppressed.

6. Knowledge of Allah (swt ) through the fitrah.

That the verse proves that none can answer the oppressed or the distressed except Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High, because Du'aa` is a form of worship and dedicating an act of worship to other than Allah (swt ) is Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

At-Tabarani reports that: "In the time of the Prophet (saas ) there was a hypocrite² who used to harm the Believers, and some of them said: "Come, let us seek aid from the Messenger of Allah (saas ) against this hypocrite." But the Prophet (saas ) said: "Aid must not be sought from me; aid must only be sought from Allah (swt )."

The narrator informs us in this Hadith that a man from amongst the hypocrites used to harm the Companions in any way he could, and so some of them went to the Prophet (saas ) to seek his aid in stopping this harm. And even though the Prophet (saas ) was able to do so, he forbade them from seeking help from him and instead, he guided them towards that which was better for them - to seek aid from Allah (swt ), to ask Him to alleviate their distress and protect them from their enemies in accordance with the dictates of Tawheed.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith

1. Evidence that the hypocrites used to do their utmost to harm the Muslims.

2. The prohibition of seeking help from other than Allah (swt ) in those things which are beyond their power.

That it proves the forbiddance of seeking aid from other than Allah (swt ), in those things which are beyond the capabilities of all but Allah (swt ) because seeking aid is an act of worship, and dedicating acts of worship to other than Allah (swt ) is Shirk.

There is no contradiction between this Hadith and the Words of Allah (swt ), Most High:

" And the man from amongst his own people appealed to him for aid" (Qur'an 28:15)

Because this verse tells us that it is permissible to seek aid from one of Allah's creatures in those things which are within their power. Secondly, the Hadith does not prohibit that, but the Messenger of Allah (saas ) forbade them, seeking to guide them to that which is better - that is to seek aid from Allah (swt ), the Almighty, the All-powerful, for Allah (swt ) says:

" And when my slaves ask you [O, Muhammad!] about me, [inform them that] verily, I am near [i.e. in His Knowledge, His Hearing and His Seeing]. I answer the request of every supplicant when he calls upon Me" (Qur'an 2:186)

Footnotes

1. Du'aa`: Supplication.

2. It is likely that the hypocrite referred to here is 'Abdullah Ibn Ubayy.

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