Advice for the Muslim

prominent people of those four best centuries. This superiority of
the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna was affirmed through the unanimity
of millions of Muslims who lived during their time. That author
praises the ’ulamâ’ of Ahl as-Sunna and quotes as documents for
himself the ijtihâds they wrote in their books whenever it suits his
interest. On the one hand, he feels obliged to praise the ’ulamâ’ of
Ahl as-Sunna, and on the other hand, he dislikes the meanings
they gave to âyats and hadîths and alleges that many of these
interpretations were polytheistic. He is not ashamed of saying
“polytheists” for Ahl as-Sunna. That author frequently quotes
from the book of hadîth scholar Ismâ’îl ibn ’Umar ibn Kathîr
’Imâd ad-dîn, because Abu ’l-Fidâ ’Imâd ibn Kathîr ash-Shâfi’î al-
Basrî, who died in Damascus in 734 A.H. (1372), based his fatwâs
on Ibn Taymiyya’s opinions.
29 - That author writes on page 503:
“It is permissible to ask any living person for shafâ’a, that is,
help and prayers. Rasûlullâh (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) said,
‘Oh brother! Do not forget us in your good prayers!’ to
Hadrat ’umar who was then leaving Medina for Mecca to carry
out umra. This hadîth sharîf is written in the Musnads of Ab
Dâwûd and Imâm Ahmad. Hadrat ’Umar said, ‘I had never
heard in my life a word lovelier than brother in that hadîth
sharîf.’ Islam permits only to pray for the dead. Asking the dead
for their prayer is not stated in Islam. Ayats and hadîths forbid
this. The 13th âyât of Sûrat al-Fâtir declares, ‘The idols you
worship other than Allâhu ta’âlâ cannot be useful to you
even as much the membrane around the stone of a date is.
Those idols do not hear when you pray to them. They would
not answer you even if they heard, because they do not
have the power to help you. And the idols will tell you on the
Day of Judgement that you made a mistake by attributing
them as partners to Allâhu ta’âlâ.’ This âyat indicates that
those who ask the dead for prayer will be treated as unbelievers
on the Day of Judgement. This is also expressed in the
statement, ‘Their idols will become enemies to unbelievers
on the Day of Judgement and tell them that their worship
was wrong,’ which is the sixth âyat of Sûrat al-Ahqâf.
Therefore, no dead or absent person can hear, help or do harm.
As-Sahâba and al-Khulafâ’ ar-Râshidîn, who were their
superiors, did not go to Rasûlullâh’s grave to ask for anything.
Hadrat ’Umar (radî-Allâhu ’anh) took Hadrat ’Abbâs for rainprayer
and asked him to pray for rain, for he was alive and could
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