Advice for the Muslim

“The ’ulamâ’ of the Ahl as-Sunna (rahmat-Allâhi ’alaihim
ajma’în) have said that no walî knows the ghaib, but he may
report only about what is made known to him by Allâhu ta’âlâ
through kashf or ilhâm; he who says that awliyâ’ know the ghaib
becomes a disbeliever. Awliyâ’ cannot make existent what is
nonexistent, nor vice versa. Awliyâ’ cannot give food or [render a
family] child or make anyone recover from an illness. In the 187th
âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-A’raf, Allâhu ta’âlâ ordered His
Beloved Prophet to say: ‘I do not have the power to help or harm
myself. Only what Allah has decreed happens.’ It is not
permissible to expect help from anybody but Allâhu ta’âlâ, who
orders us to say, ‘Only You we worship, and Your help we ask,’ in
Sûrat al-Fâtiha; ‘Iyyâka’ means ‘only peculiar to You.’ This is why
it is not permissible to make a vow (nadhr) to awliyâ’, because
nadhr is an ’ibâda (a form of worship). Anyone who makes a
nadhr to a walî should not fulfil this nadhr of his, because it is
wâjib to abstain from sins as much as possible. It is not permissible
to go around a grave with the intention of respect, because it
would resemble going around the Ka’ba, which is an ’ibâda like
performing salât.
“It is not jâ’iz to pray to and to ask prophets and dead or living
awliyâ’ to do anything by themselves. A hadîth sharîf declares,
‘Praying is an ’ibâda.’ It is declared, ‘Pray to Me! I accept your
prayers. Those who do not want to worship Me out of arrogance
will go to Hell in humiliation!’ in the 60th âyat al-karîma of Sûrat
al-Mu’min. Ignoramuses say, ‘Oh ’Abd al-Qâdir al-Jîlânî! Oh
Shams ad-dîn Pâniputî! Oh Tezveren Dede! Give me... for Allah’s
sake!’ This behaviour is polytheism and disbelief. One should say,
‘Oh my Allah! Give me... for ’Abd al-Qâdir al-Jîlânî’s love! Make
my ill loved one recover for as-Sayyidat Nafîsa’s love!’ This way of
praying to Allâhu ta’âlâ is permissible and beneficial. The 193rd
âyat al-karîma of Sûrat al-A’râf declares, “Whomever you pray to
beside Allah are slaves like you. They do not have the power to
help anybody.”
“Question: ‘This âyat karîma was revealed to make it known
that the disbelievers’ worshipping their idols was polytheism. Is it
right to liken awliyâ’ to idols?‘
“Answer: The âyat al-karîma says ‘beside Allah,’ which means
‘everything other than Allah.’ However, a hadîth sharîf declares,
‘Mentioning (dhikr, see below) prophets is an ’ibâda. Mentioning
the pious people is an atonement for sins. Remembering death is
like giving alms. Remembering the grave makes you closer to
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