The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ... - IslamHouse.com

The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
harm in praying directly to the deceased for aid and assistance. Hence,
the opponents are calling for something that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and
his followers see as shirk and kufr. In this light, one can understand
why this difference is one of great importance to both parties. It is
truly—as one comes across so often in the life of Muhammad ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab—a question of faith and disbelief, of tauheed and
shirk.
Al-Abdul-Lateef summarizes the views of ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab’s opponents as the following two points: (1) It is permissible
to seek a means of approach to Allah via the beings of any created
soul, living or dead. The most honorable is, of course, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is permissible to get
closer to Allah via him during his lifetime, after his death and on the
Day of Resurrection. In fact, it was permissible to seek a means of
coming closer to Allah via the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) even before his appearance on earth. It is also
permissible to invoke upon Allah anyone who is dear to Him. In the
same way that one may seek a means of approach through one’s
deeds, one may also seek a means of approach through the very beings
of the noble individuals that Allah has created. (2) It is permissible to
seek a means through the living or the dead. This is because, in reality,
there is no difference between the two. In the same way that the living
has no real effect—everything is brought into being by Allah alone—
the deceased also has no real effect. Furthermore, the deceased still
has a life in his grave just like he did before he died. It can also be
concluded that there is no difference between seeking help, refuge and
rescue from a dead person and a live person. 1
Those who objected to ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s position on this
issue include ibn Afaaliq, Umar al-Mahjoob, al-Haddaad, Ismaeel al-
Tameemi, Ahmad Dahlaan and numerous others. 2 Again, the position
of many of these authors is that if the person believes that Allah is the
ultimate “doer” and no one has any true power save Allah, then it is
permissible to request or pray to any “saint” or prophet as means of
getting closer to Allah or to invoke Allah in the name of any prophet
or “saint.” For example, Dahlaan wrote, “Al-tawassul [seeking a
1 Al-Abdul-Lateef, pp. 241-242.
2 Cf., al-Abdul-Lateef, pp. 242-256.
250