Quote:
[...] "...the book al-Furoo' of the Hanbali jurist Ibn Muflih (d. 763H), and he is the faqih and muhaddith, Shams al-Din Abu Abd Allaah Muhammad bin Muflih al-Maqdisi al-Hanbali. He was born around 710H, learned the Qur'an at an early age and gained knowledge of the fiqh of Imaam Ahmad, excelling in it. He was very abstemious and given to worship, very intelligent and had great wara' (awe of Allaah). He became related to Jamal al-Din Yusuf al-Mardawi (d. 769H), the judge of the Hanbali judges in Shaam, through marriage, and he was given a deputy rule in judging." [...]
Ibn Muflih cites from the work of Ibn Aqeel al-Hanbali (d. 513H), "al-Funoon" with a short passage that is of relevant to the matter of Tawhid.
Ibn al-Jawzee (d. 597H) said that this work is in excess of 500 volumes, himself having come across the 508th volume.
And al-Dhahabi said that no work has ever been authored larger than al-Funoon in this earth, and Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795H) said, narrating from Abu Hakeem al-Qazwini that it is 800 volumes. Some of the scholars made summarized versions of this work, and it is likely these are the ones being referred to in some of their statements. This monumental work has not been published as far as we know except for a two volume version in 1969CE, which was based upon a lone Paris manuscript (the only one in existence)."
“ Our intent in this article, with the citation in question is to show that Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhaab did not bring anything innovated, rather all of what he called to is found in the four madhhabs, and he never departed outside of what is in the books of the madhaahib.
Here
we have a very interesting quote from Ibn
Aqeel on the
subject matter of Tawhid which reveals that Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd
al-Wahhab's explanation of the Shirk that the Messengers came to warn
against was not something he invented but it is in fact found in the
writings and statements of many scholars prior to him and prior to
Ibn Taymiyyah (d.
728H), and it
when it became widespread or more open, certain figureheads made
reference to it, such as al-Razi (d.
606H), as we have indicated (see
this article).”
" Ibn
Aqeel Al-Hanbali (d. 531H) Ibn Aqeel on Making
Tawassul to Allaah Through the Dead and Addressing Them With
Invocation
“And in al-Funoon (of
Ibn Aqeel) [there occurs]: And graves are not to be adorned with
colored perfume [like saffron], nor beautified, they are not to be
kissed and tawaaf is not made around them and nor is tawwassul (made)
through them (meaning the inhabitants of the grave) to Allaah.
He
[Ibn Aqeel said: But that (all of what has been mentioned)
did not suffice them until they (also) began to say (when making this
tawassul), "...on account of the secret that is between you
(inhabitant of the grave) and Allaah," and what is there from
Allaah that is called "a secret" between Him and His
creation?
He [Ibn Aqeel said: And it is
disliked to use lamps, and fumigation with al-'uud (wood scent), and
buildings with tall entrances.
They
call that a مشهد
(shrine),
and they sought healing from illnesses through the dust of the ground
(in the vicinity of the shrine), and they would write on patches of
cloth and send it to the ground, pushing it through the holes, and
one (of them) says, "My camels have got scabies" and
another says, "My land has become barren," as if they are
addressing a living person and invoking a deity
(ilaah)?!
Notes
This
really is a truly amazing quote, because
Ibn Aqeel made clear reference to "tawassul" (seeking
nearness to Allaah) through the dead, and he explained the actions of
these people all of which were representative of veneration for that
dead person (through kissing, decorating, perfuming the grave etc.)
until they reached the stage where they were either shouting out
about calamities that had befallen them or writing things on patches
of cloth and "delivering them" to the inhabitant of the
grave, and pay
note to Ibn Aqeel's statement at the end of the quote (كأنهم
يخاطبون حيا ويدعون إلها)
"...as if they are addressing a living person and invoking a
deity (ilaah)?!"
And
there is no doubt that this is what these people intend, and this is
the very worship of idols that
all the Prophets and Messengers came to warn against, and this is the
very Shirk spoken of in the Qur'an,
where du'a
(supplication) and istighaathah (seeking
rescue from calamity) are
directed to other than Allaah,
and veneration
is made of the graves hoping that the dead person buried therein will
intercede for them!
This
is the very thing that al-Razi (d.
606H) pointed out when he said (see
fully referenced quote here):
ونظيره
في هذا الزمان اشتغال كثير من الخلق بتعظيم
قبور الأكابر على اعتقاد أنهم إذا عظموا
قبورهم فانهم يكونون شفعاء لهم عند الله
“
And the equivalent of this in our time is the occupation of many of
the creation with the veneration of the graves of the senior
[righteous] ones, upon the belief that when they venerate their
graves, then they (the deceased) will become intercessors for them
with Allaah.
So
all of this type of tawassul constitutes shirk,
where that which comprises worship is directed to other than
Allaah, in
order to solicit intercession through which they believe they will
become closer to Allaah.
As
for the tawassul to Allaah by asking Allaah on account of the right
(haqq) or honour, status (jaah) of the Prophet's and Righteous, then
that is an innovation, and though it is not Shirk, it is a means and
an avenue leading to it.
And as for the legitimate Shariah tawassul,
it is of three types,
a) through
Allaah's Names and Attributes
b) through
one's own righteous deeds and
c) through
the supplication of another person in the life of this world in the
realm of takleef (being duty-bound to the Shariah). The discussion of
this matter is outside the scope of this article and will be left for
other articles on this site and TawhidFirst.Com inshaa'Allaah.”
[End of Quote]Here
---
"Ibn Aqil was upon the way of the Mutazilah in sifat."
Salafis misusing
Ibn Aqil’s quote to forbid Tawassul by the dead
The famous salafi Ustadh Abu Iyyad wrote the following article and claimed that Imam Ibn Aqil al-Hanbali (d.513 ) forbade Tawassul.
Using that quote he tried to justify that Ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi was right in opposing Tawassul by the dead.
Now we’ll reveal how many glaring errors and misrepresentations the article is full of. Along with Abu-l Wafa Ibn Aqil’s (r) (d. 513) actual position on the matter.
1. Ibn Aqil himself permitted Tawassul in his other book and explicitly outlines how to do it
In his book al-Tadhkira, Chapter of Hajj read through pages 116-117, he writes (emphasis on the last paragraph of the translation):
ويستحب له قدوم مدينة الرسول صلوات الله عليه فيأتي مسجده فيقول عند دخوله: بسم الله اللهم صلّ على محمد وعلى ءال محمد، وافتح لي أبواب رحمتك، وكف عني أبواب عذابك، الحمد لله الذي بلغ بنا هذا المشهد وجعلنا لذلك أهلا، الحمد لله رب العالمين.
ثم يأتي حائط القبر فلا تمسه ولا تلصق به صدرك، لأن ذلك عادة اليهود، واجعل القبر تلقاء وجهك وقم مما يلي المنبر وقل: السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته، اللهم صلّ على محمد وعلى ءال محمد إلى ءاخر ما تقوله في التشهد الأخير، ثم تقول: اللهم أعط محمدا الوسيلة والفضيلة والدرجة الرفيعة والمقام المحمود الذي وعدته، اللهم صلّ على روحه في الأرواح وجسده في الأجساد كما بلغ رسالاتك وتلا ءاياتك وصدع بأمرك حتى أتاه اليقين،
اللهم إنك قلت في كتابك لنبيك (صلى الله عليه وسلم): (ولو أنهم إذ ظلموآ أنفسهم جآءوك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما) [سورة النساء: 64)
وإني قد أتيت نبيك تائبا مستغفرا فأسألك أن توجب لي المغفرة كما أوجبتها لمن أتاه في حياته، اللهم إني أتوجه إليك بنبيك (صلى الله عليه وسلم) نبي الرحمة، يا رسول الله إني أتوجه بك إلى ربي ليغفر لي ذنوبي، اللهم إني أسألك بحقه أن تغفر لي ذنوبي
Rough translation:
And its recommended upon entering Madina of the Rasul (s) that he enters the Prophet’s Mosque and says upon entering: In the name of Allah, O Allah bestow prayers on Muhammad and his family, and open the doors of your Rahmah for me, and free me from your doors of punishment. All Praises be to Allah who allowed me to reach this Tomb (Mashad) and welcomed me to it, All Praises be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds.
Then approach the wall of the grave and neither touch it nor lean your back against it because that’s the habit of Jews. Then position your face opposite to the grave and do the following from the platform, say: Peace be upon you O Prophet by the Rahmah and Barakah of Allah, O Allah send prayers on Muhammad and his family all the way till the end of what you say in the better Tashahud. Then you say: O Allah grant Muhammad the Waseelah, the Virtue and the topmost Rank and the Maqam al-Mahmoud that you promised him, Allah send prayers on his soul amongst the spirits and his body amongst the bodies like how he sent your Message recited your Verses and gave his priority to Your Command till the al-Yaqeen reached him
O Allah You said in Your Book to Your Prophet (s) (Surah al Nisa, Verse 64): “And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allah . And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful”.
And indeed I reached your Prophet while repenting and seeking forgiveness, thus I ask you that you make necessary for me al-Maghfirah (forgiveness) like how you necessitated that for one who reached him (the Prophet) while he was alive. O Allah verily I turn to You by virtue of Your Prophet (s) Prophet of the-Rahmah, O Rasulullah I turn towards my Lord by your virtue for forgiveness of my sins. O Allah I ask You by his right that You forgive me.
As you can see the Imam is recommending to seek tawassul and intercession with the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ when one visits his blessed tomb. Why is Abu Iyyad unaware of this?
2. Ibn Aqil’s condemnation in the link was directed towards the Shia
In #1 we have seen Ibn Aqil recommend Tawassul.
Meanwhile Ibn Aqil condemns the practices mentioned in the salafi article. A closer look will reveal he was addressing only the Shia. He says in the link,“….lamps, and fumigation with al-‘uud (wood scent), and buildings with tall entrances. They call that a (shrine), and they sought healing from illnesses through the dust of the ground…“
Sh. Gibril Haddad pointed out an interesting observation,”It appears that Ibn Aqil meant the Shi’is and their practices at graves since they said: “They call them a mash-had,” a term at that time rarely used by Sunnis, and they also mention their tying of votive and petitionary ribbons which is a Shi`i practice. What is also decried is extravagance and needless expense especially in public graveyards“. (here’s a real life example).
So we can conclude Ibn Aqil never forbade Tawassul in and of itself rather he was condemning Tawassul combined with the shia practices of exaggerating on the graves of the deceased.
Abu Iyyad just brought an isolated quote without checking other statements of Ibn Aqil which were necessary for reconciliation and knowing his position on the matter.
3. Ibn Aqil said Makruh, not Haram
Abu Iyyad says it’s shirk and haram.
Yet in the link, even Abu Iyyad himself translates Ibn Aqil saying:
“…And it is disliked to use lamps, and fumigation with al-‘uud (wood scent), and buildings with tall entrances. They call that a (shrine), and they sought healing from illnesses through the dust of…”
Now one cannot play word gymnastics and claim,” by makruh he meant haram” there’s no proof he believed such a thing.
4. Misunderstanding the line,”as if they are addressing a living person and invoking a deity” which is merely a comparison to establish karaha (dislike)
Ibn Aqil was Hanbali (see Tabaqah al Hanabilah) and the Hanbali madhab holds the position that resembling the kuffar in their practices is makruh.
The practices of those shi’i filth were resembling the Pagans of Makkah and not an actual imitation of the Pagan shirk. Hence Ibn Aqil specifically used the phrase كأنهم يخاطبون حيا “It’s as if they’re addressing the living” – the phrase كأنهم establishes similarity and not pure imitation.
Combine this with the fact that Ibn Aqil said “makruh” at the beginning, it’s now pretty obvious that he held their practices makruh for resembling the kuffar – which is in sync with his madhab.
Yet Abu Iyyad deduced that these are shirk (!).
5. They cited Ibn Muflih who himself permitted Tawassul
Ibn Muflih in the same book “al-Furu” which Abu Iyyad used to cite Ibn Aqil, says in pg 73-74:
وَنَزَلَ فِي الرَّوْضَةِ وَصَلَّى فِي مَوْضِعِ الْمِحْرَابِ الْأَوَّلِ, وَتَوَسَّلَ بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الدُّعَاءِ, وَأَشَارَ إلَى قَبْرِهِ حِينَئِذٍ, وَلَمْ يَعِظْ فِي الْحَرَمِ, لِاغْتِنَامِ الْأَوْقَاتِ
Translation:
“Descend to the garden and send prayers on the place of the Mirhab (sanctum) at first, then perform Tawassul by the Prophet(s) in the Du’a, and refer to his grave at that time, and avoid admonishing anything haram else you miss out in benefiting from those great moments”.
The conclusions we can draw are:
Abu Iyyad is poorly read, seems to have no idea those he’s citing spoke contrary to what he tried to preach using themselves. In other words he never finished the book he quoted from. Much like Jonathan Brown who does this often.
Misunderstands terminologies, fails to understand what the scholar meant
Misrepresents texts and extracts a meaning opposite to what’s written therein
Mu-hammed Ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi is definitely wrong for calling it shirk and had no precedence, the weak argument Abu Iyyadh tried to defend him with also collapsed as we can see.
Tawassul according to Hanbalis
Ibn Taymiyya says after quoting (from Ibn Abi Dunya’s work ‘Mujabi ad-Dua’) an incident from the time of the salaf in which the individual did tawassul, he (Ibn Taymiyya) says:
“I say this dua’ and similar (dua’) has been narrated that the Salaf used to ask (in supplication) with, and it’s been reported in the Mansak that Imam Ahmed (encouraged) tawassul through the Prophet in his dua’”. [Page 147 Qa’ida al-Jalila]
Abu ‘Abdillah al-Ardibly said, I heard Aba Bakr bin Abi al-Khasib say, “Safwan bin Salim was mentioned in the presence of Imam Ahmed, to which Imam Ahmed said, “water is sought through this man’s sayings, and rain descends through him being mentioned” (Tahdhib al-Kamal of Hafidh Mizzi)
Imam Ahmed’s son wrote in al-Masail, “I heard my father say, “I performed five Hajj, two of them mounted and three on foot, or two on foot and three mounted, on one of the Hajj I forgot the route while I was walking, so I said, “O servants of Allah ta’ala guide us to the path (the road), I kept on saying it until we came upon the path”, or something similar to the saying.
Imam al-Bayhaqi narrated it as well with an authentic chain, Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali mentioned it in al-Adab as-Shari’ayah,
Albani said in his work ‘as-silsilah ad-Da’if wal Mawdu’ah, “Imam Ahmed considered the hadith of Ibn Abbas to be strong, which al-Hafidh considered good, because he (Imam Ahmed) practiced it, and his son, Abdullah, said regarding the narration as ‘al-Hadith’.
Imam as-Samuri said in al-Mustaw’ib, “there’s nothing wrong with tawassul to Allah ta’ala, thru Shuyukh, Zuhhad, people of knowledge and virtue from the Muslims to Allah ta’ala in seeking rain.
Imam Taqi ud Din al-Adami in his al-Munawwar said, “Tawassul through the pious is allowed”.
*Imam Ibn al-Muflih writes in al-Furu’, “Tawassul through a righteous person is allowed, and it’s said it’s recommended.”
Imam al-Mardawi writes in al-Insaf, “Tawassul through a righteous person is allowed, this is the correct opinion in the madhab. It’s said that it’s recommended. Imam Ahmed said in his work entitled ‘al-Mansak’, which he wrote for al-Marruthi, “Tawassul is done thru the Prophet, peace be upon him, in dua’, and he affirmed it in al-Mustaw’ib and other works.”
Imam al-Hajjawi said in al-Iqna’ on the commentary of Imam al-Buhuti, “there’s nothing wrong with doing tawasswul through the righteous”.
Imam Ibn Najjar in his work entitled, ‘Muntaha al-Iradat, on his commentary of Imam Buhuti, “Tawassul through the righteous is allowed”.
Imam Mari’ al-Karmi writes in Ghayatul Muntaha, “Likewise tawassul through the righteous is allowed”.
Ibn ‘Imad al-Hanbali writes in Shadharatu ad-Dhahab in the biographical note on as-Sayyid Ahmed al-Bukhari, “His grave is visited and sought blessing through it”.
In the book ‘Kashshaf al-Qina of al-Buhuti, “as-Samuri and the author of at-Talkhis said, “there’s nothing wrong with tawassul thru Shuyukh, and the God fearing scholars for rain. He said in al-Madhab, “It’s allowed to seek intercession with Allah ta’ala through a righteous person. It was said to Marwidhi, “Tawassul is done through the Prophet in Dua’, and he affirmed it in al-Mustaw’ib and other works. Then he said, “Ibrahim al-Harbi said, “Dua’ at the grave of Ma’ruf al-Karkhi is well known and is accepted.”
Imam Ibn al-Jawzi said in al-Manaqib Imam Ahmed, “on the authority of Abdullah bin Musa, that he said, “My father and I went out on a dark night we visited Ahmed, darkness was intensified, so my father said, “O my son, let’s do tawassul to Allah ta’ala through this righteous slave until the path can be seen for I have not been doing tawassul through him except that my needs are met. Then my father made dua’ and I said Amin to his dua’, then the sky lighted as if it was a full moon night until we reached the place.”
Ibn al-Jawzi in Manaqib Imam Ahmed narrates the story of tawassul and tabbaruk of Imam Shafi’I through the shirt of Imam Ahmed.
Ibn Abi Ya’ala al-Hanbali writes in at-Tabaqat, “a grave was dig at the side of the grave of Imam Ahmed, and he (another individual) was buried in it, and the people took much soil from his grave as way of blessing, and people frequented his grave, night and day for a long time, and would finish the Quran, and would increase their dua’, and it has reached me that there has been thousands of Khatamat (recitiation of whole Quran) at his grave for periods of months”.
Ibn Qudama al-Hanbali in his Mughni writes, “It’s recommended to seek rain through a person whose righteousness is well known.”
Moreover,
since the quote provided by the wahabi was
cited by Ibn
Muflih, who
himself permitted tawasul;
it would be necessary to look at the commentry of Ibn
Muflih to what Ibn
Aqil said......which
the wahabi link does not
provide?
Did the Hanbalis
PROHIBIT
Tawassul ?
‘Allama Ibn ‘Aqil,
Shaykh ‘AbdulQadir al-Jilani,
Qadi ash-Shawkani (not a Hanbali but admired by salafis),
Shaykh Umar at-Taghlabi, ‘Allama as-Saffarini in his Thabat, and others.
Some
followers of Ibn Hanbal, like Abul-Faraj
Ibn al-Jawziyy and
his Shaykh Ibn
^Aqil declared
that it is makruh (disliked)
to go to the grave
for du^a'.
However,
they did not prohibit it. No
one of the Salaf and Khalaf prohibited it. What
was cited about some scholars is the karahah (disliking)
and not the tahrim (prohibiting).
Shaikh Abdul Qaasim has said that he has heard Sayyeduna Shaikh Muhiddeen Abdul Qaadir Jilani RahmatuAllah alai saying : "The one who cries out for my help during some problem, the problem gets solved, the one who calls out my name during any hardship, that hardship gets dismissed, the one who uses me as a source to ask Allah Azzawajal for some need, it will be fulfilled. The person who prays two rak'aat of nafl salaah and in each rak'aat after surah Fatiha recites surah Ikhlaas eleven times, After the salaam (after completing the salaah) sends Durood-o-salaam on the King of Madeenah Sallalahu alaihi wasallam and then walks a distance of eleven steps towards Baghdaad Shareed and presents his need, Allah Azzawajal Willing, that need will be fulfilled" [Bahja-tul-asraar]
Ibn Taymiyah and his followers accuse of kufr the people who perform the tawassul and istighathah (asking for help) by the Messenger of Allah and others of anbiya' and awliya'. What led them to this, is their ignorance of the meaning of ^ibadah (worship) mentioned in the like of the ayah 5 of al-Fatihah, which means: We worship You (Allah) and we ask You for help and the ayah 3 of az-Zumar, which means:
[1] the hadïth of Fàtima bint Asad,
Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) himself Said Ya Rasool Allah [صلى الله عليه وسلم] at Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Grave
[Musnad Imam Abu Hanifa, Bab Ziyarah Qabr an Nabi Salallaho alaihi wasalam]
أن زيارة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قريبة من الوجوب ولما زار الإمام أبو حنيفة المدينة المنورة وقف أمام قبره الشريف وقال
يا أكرم الثقلين يا كنز الورى *** جد لي بجودك وأرضني برضاك
أنا طامع في الجود منك ولم يكن *** لأبي حنيفة في الأنام سواك
"When Imam Abu Hanifa visited Medina, he stood in front of the honourable grave (of the Prophet) and said,
O (YA), treasure of mankind, shower your generosity upon me and please me with your pleasure.
I am aspiring for your generosity, and there is no one for Abu Hanifa in the world but you."
---
Imam Azam Abu Hanifa Numan ibn Thabit (ra) writes in his famous Qasida-i Maymuna-i Mubaraka also known as Durru Maknun about Prophet (Saleh ala waalih wasalam) that,
"You [Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم] are the one, with Adam made Tawassul and even he was your father, he was rescued" When the Halil made Dua to you, the fire became cool against your bright Noor the fire was calmed." "Prophet Ayyub[aleh islam] made Dua to you, when he was sick All his sickness was deleted, when he made Dua to you!" "So is Musa making all the time Tawassul with you on the day of judgement he will search help by you!" (Bayt 9-13)
"Make Shafaat for this poor Ya Rasulullah Madat! I did came to your door, begging for richness by you!"
He describes his own experience about the blessings of the tomb of Imam Abū Hanīfah: I derive blessing from the person of Imam Abū Hanīfah and I visit his grave everyday. When I face a problem, I offer two optional cycles of prayer and visit his grave and (while standing) I pray to Allah to solve my problem. And I have not even left the place that my problem is solved.
Reference:Khatīb Baghdādī has related the incident with a sound chain of transmission in his Tārīkh Baghdād (1:123)Ibn Hajar Haythamī, al-Khayrāt-ul-hisān fī manāqib-il-imām al-a‘zam Abū Hanīfah (p.94)Muhammad Zāhid Kawtharī, Maqālāt (p.381)Ibn ‘Ābidīn Shāmī in Radd-ul-muhtār ‘alā Durr-il-mukhtār (1:41).
"The family of the Prophet, they are my means/intermediaries (wasîlatî) in this life and the afterlife, through them, I hope to be given my records in my right hand on the Day of Judgement."
Reference:Imâm Shâfi`î, Dîwân (Lebanon, Beirut: Dârul-Fikr, 2005), 162, #34
Imam Mālik’s prominence as one of the four jurists of Islam is well-established.
"We sent not an apostle, but to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah.s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful"(4:64)
This incident has been narrated by Qādī ‘Iyād in his ash-Shifā (2:596) with a sound chain of transmission. Besides, it has been related by a number of other traditionists of impeccable credibility. Subkī in Shifā’-us-siqām fī ziyārat khayr-il-anām, Samhūdī in Khulāsat-ul-wafā, Qastallānī in al-Mawāhib-ul-laduniyyah, Ibn Jamā‘ah in Hidāyat-us-sālik and Ibn Hajar Haythamī in al-Jawhar-ul-munazzam.
He replied: "How could you turn your face away from him when he is the means (wasila) of your and your father Adam's forgiveness to Allah on the Day of Resurrection? Nay, face him and ask for his intercession (istashfi` bihi) so that Allah will grant it to you as He said: "If they had only, when they were wronging themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful (4:64).""
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عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل قال سمعت أبي يقول حججت خمس حجج اثنتين راكب وثلاث ماشي أو ثلاث راكب واثنتين ماشي فضللت الطريق في حجة وكنت ماشيا فجعلت أقول يا عباد الله دلوني على الطريق قال فلم أزل أقول ذلك حتى وقفت على الطريق أو كما قال أبي
Translation: Abdullah bin Ahmed bin Hanbal (rah) said that he heard his father (Imam Ahmed - Rahimuhullah) saying: I performed Hajj 5 times, thrice on foot and twice on ride or he said thrice on ride and twice on foot, once when I was on foot I lost my way hence I started to exclaim this: O Allah’s servants show me the way (يا عباد الله دلوني على الطريق), I kept on repeating this until I came back on track. [Imam Baihaqi in Shu’ayb ul Iman, Volume 6, Page No 128, Hadith No. 7697]
ويستحب زيارة قبر النبي لما روى الدارقطني بإسناده عن ابن عمر قال: قال رسول الله : «من حج فزار قبري بعد وفاتي فكأنما زارني في حياتي» وفي رواية، «من زار قبري وجبت له شفاعتي
It is recommended to do Ziyarah of Prophet’s grave as it is narrated by Daraqutni with his Isnaad from Ibn Umar (ra) that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: Whosoever performs the Hajj after my death then he should visit my grave because It is as If he has visited me during my life. And he also narrated (another hadith) that Whosoever visits my grave then my intercession becomes Wajib for him [Imam Ibn Quduma in al-Mughni, Volume No. 5, Page No. 381]
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“… يجوز التوسل بالرجل الصالح على الصحيح من المذهب، وقيل:يُستحب. قال الإمام أحمد للمروذي : يتوسل بالنبي صلى اله عليه وسلم في دعائه
وجزم به في المستوعب وغيره..”
“وفي الحديث دليل على جواز التوسل برسول الله صلى اله عليه وسلم إلى الله عز وجل
مع اعتقاد أن الفاعل هو الله سبحانه وتعالى، وأنه المعطي والمانع ما شاء
.(10/ كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن” (تحفة الأحوذي 34
See also this link
“…مع أنه قد قال ببعضه بعض الأئمة، فأجاز الإمام أحمد التوسل
بالرسول وحده فقط، وأجاز غيره كالإمام الشوكاني التوسل به وبغيره من
الأنبياء والصالحي
نفسه، ويستشفع به إلى ربه سبحانه وتعالى
Ibn Khuzaymah and Tawassul:
قال (الحاكم النيسابوري) وسمعت أبا بكر محمد بن المؤمل بن الحسن
بن عيسى يقول خرجنا مع امام أهل الحديث أبي بكر بن خزيمة وعديله
أبي علي الثقفي مع جماعة من مشائخنا وهم إذ ذاك متوافرون إلى زيارة
قبر علي بن موسى الرضى بطوس قال فرأيت من تعظيمه يعنى ابن خزيمة
لتلك البقعة وتواضعه لها وتضرعه عندها ما تحيرنا.
Ibn Hibban and Tawassul:
مات على بن موسى الرضا بطوس من شربة سقاه إياها المأمون فمات من
ساعته وذلك في يوم السبت آخر يوم سنة ثلاث ومائتين وقبره بسناباذ
خارج النوقان مشهور يزار بجنب قبر الرشيد، قد زرته مرارا كثيرة وما
حلت بي شدة في وقت مقامى بطوس فزرت قبر على بن موسى الرضا
صلوات الله على جده وعليه ودعوت الله إزالتها عنى إلا أستجيب لي
وزالت عنى تلك الشدة وهذا شيء جربته مرارا فوجدته كذلك أماتنا
الله على محبة المصطفى وأهل بيته صلى الله عليه وعليهم أجمعين.
source
Allāh! Allāh! Allāh is my Lord. I regard no one as His rival or partner. O Allāh! I beseech You and submit myself to You through the mediation of Your Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), the merciful Prophet. O Muhammad! Through your means I submit myself to your and my Lord that He should take mercy on me in my state of illness.
It is said that ‘Abd-ul-Malik pressed his belly again and said: ‘you are cured, you are no longer suffering from any disease.’ source
في الاستسقاء بقبره صلى الله عليه وسلم
عن أبي الْجَوْزاء قال: قَحِط أهلُ المدينة قحطاً شديداً، فشكَوْا إلى عائشة فقالت: انظروا قبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فاجعلوا منه كَوًّا إلى السماء حتى لا يكون بينه وبين السماء سقف، قال: ففعلوا، فمطروا مطراً حتى نبت العشبُ وسَمِنت الإبل حتى فُتقت فسمي عام الفتق.عن سعيد بن عبد العزيز قال: لما كان أيام الْحَرَّة لم يؤذَّن في مسجد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثلاثاً ولم يُقَمْ، ولم يَبرح سعيد بن المسيَّب من المسجد، فكان لا يعرف وقت الصلاة إلا بهَمْهمة يسمعها من قبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.عن أبي المِنْقَريّ قال: كنت أنا والطَّبَراني، وأبو الشيخ في حَرَم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكنا على حالة، فأثَّر فينا الجوع، فواصَلْنا ذلك اليوم، فلما كان وقت العشاء حضرتُ قبرَ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وقلت: يا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الجوع الجوع وانصرفت.فقال لي أبو الشيخ: اجلس فإما أن يكون الرزق أو الموت.قال أبو بكر: فنمت أنا، وأبو الشيخ، والطبرانيُّ جالسٌ ينظر في شيء. فحضر بالباب عَلَوِيّ فدقَّ الباب، فإذا معه غلامان مع كل واحد منهما زنبيل كبير فيه شيء كثير. فجلسنا وأكلنا، وظننا أن الباقي يأخذه الغلام، فولّى وترك عندنا الباقي، فلما فرغنا من الطعام قال العلوي: يا قوم، أشكوتم إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ فإني رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في النوم فأمرني بحمل شيء إليكم
Abu Bakr al-Minqari said: "I was with (al-Hafiz) al-Tabarani and (al-Hafiz) Abu al-Shaykh in the Mosque of the Prophet and we were in a predicament. We became very hungry. That day and the next we didn`t eat. When it was time for `isha, I came to the Prophet`s grave and I said:
"O Messenger of Allah, we are hungry, we are hungry!" (ya rasullallah al-ju` al-ju`) Then I left.
Abu al-Shaykh said to me: "Sit. Either there will be food for us, or death." I slept and Abu al-Shaykh slept. Al-Tabarani stayed awake, researching something. Then a `Alawi (descendant of `Ali) came knocking at the door with two boys, each one carrying a palm-leaf basket filled with food. We sat up and ate. We thought that the children would take back the remainder but they left everything behind. When we finished the `Alawi said: "O people, did you complain to the Prophet? I saw him in my sleep and he ordered me to bring something to you.""
Ibn Kathir cites a famous incident in his explanation of this ayah in his TAFSIR:
وقد ذكر جماعة منهم الشيخ أبو منصور الصباغ في كتابه الشامل الحكاية المشهورة عن العتبي قال كنت جالسا عند قبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فجاء أعرابي فقال السلام عليك يا رسول الله سمعت الله يقول ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاؤك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما وقد جئتك مستغفرا لذنبي مستشفعا بك إلى ربي ثم أنشأ يقول يا خير من دفنت بالقاع أعظمه فطاب من طيبهن القاع والأكم نفسي الفداء لقبر أنت ساكنه فيه العفاف وفيه الجود والكرم ثم انصرف الأعرابي فغلبتني عيني فرأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم في النوم فقال يا عتبي إلحق الأعرابي فبشره أن الله قد غفر له .
I was sitting at the grave of the Prophet [sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam] when a bedouin came and said:
Peace be upon you O Messenger of Allah. I heard that Allah said, وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّاباً رَحِيماً / “If only when they wronged themselves they came to you and asked Allah to forgive them and the Messenger asked for their forgiveness they would find Allah most forgiving and merciful, (4:64)” and I have come to you seeking forgiveness for my sin and seeking your intercession for me with my Lord, then he recited [in verse], “O you the best whose bones were ever buried in a plain so that the plain and the hill became fragrant with their scent, my soul be the ransom for the grave in which you dwell! In it there is uprightness and generosity and honor!”
Then the bedouin went away and my eye overcame me [and I dozed] and saw the Prophet [sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam] in sleep who said: “O ‘Utbi catch up to the bedouin and give him the good news that Allah has forgiven him.”
More encouragement of ‘shirk’ – this time from Imam al-Qurtubi in al-Jami li ahkam al qur’an [5:265/6] regarding surah an-Nisa, ayah 64:
“….If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful.”
الجزء 5 من الطبعة >> سورة النساء >> الآية: 64 {وما أرسلنا من رسول إلا ليطاع بإذن الله ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاؤوك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما}.قوله تعالى: “وما أرسلنا من رسول” “من” زائدة للتوكيد. “إلا ليطاع” فيما أمر به ونهى عنه. “بإذن الله” بعلم الله. وقيل: بتوفيق الله. “ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاؤوك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول” روى أبو صادق عن علي قال: قدم علينا أعرابي بعد ما دفنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بثلاثة أيام، فرمى بنفسه على قبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وحثا على رأسه من ترابه فقال: قلت يا رسول الله فسمعنا قولك، ووعيت عن الله فوعينا عنك، وكان فيما أنزل الله عليك “ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم” الآية، وقد ظلمت نفسي وجئتك تستغفر لي. فنودي من القبر أنه قد غفر لك. “لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما” أي قابلا لتوبتهم، وهما مفعولان لا غير.[/size]
..Abu Sadiq has reported it from `Ali. A villager came to see us three days after the burial of the Holy Prophet [sallallahu alayhi wa sallam]. He placed himself near the Prophet’s grave, sprinkled its earth over his body and said:
`O Messenger of Allah, you said and we have heard from you. You received commands from Allah and we received commands from you, and of these divine commands is wa law annahum idh zalamu anfusahum. It is true that I have wronged myself, therefore, you should pray for my forgiveness.’
(In response to the villager’s act of imploring) he was called out from the grave: ‘there is no doubt that you have been forgiven.’
وقال الحافظ أبو بكر البيهقي: أخبرنا أبو نصر بن قتادة، وأبو بكر الفارسي قالا: حدثنا أبو عمر بن مطر، حدثنا إبراهيم بن علي الذهلي، حدثنا يحيى بن يحيى، حدثنا أبو معاوية، عن الأعمش، عن أبي صالح، عن مالك قال: أصاب الناس قحط في زمن عمر بن الخطاب، فجاء رجل إلى قبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
فقال: يا رسول الله استسق الله لأمتك فإنهم قد هلكوا.
فأتاه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في المنام فقال: إيت عمر، فأقرئه مني السلام، وأخبرهم أنه مسقون، وقل له عليك بالكيس الكيس.
فأتى الرجل فأخبر عمر، فقال: يا رب ما آلوا إلا ما عجزت عنه.وهذا إسناد صحيح.
al-Bayhaqi relates.......:
It is related from Malik al-Dar, `Umar's treasurer, that the people suffered a drought during the successorship of `Umar, whereupon a man came to the grave of the Prophet and said: "O Messenger of Allah, ask for rain for your Community, for verily they have but perished," after which the Prophet appeared to him in a dream and told him: "Go to `Umar and give him my greeting, then tell him that they will be watered. Tell him: You must be clever, you must be clever!" The man went and told `Umar. The latter said: "O my Lord, I spare no effort except in what escapes my power!"
Ibn Kathir cites it thus from Bayhaqi in al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya and says: isnaduhu sahih.
Ibn Kathir in his recently published: Jami al-Masanid (1/223) - Musnad Umar - declared it as: "Isnaduhu Jayyid Qawi: its chain of transmission is good and strong"
Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami says in al-Jawhar al-Munazzam:
“Tawassul could also mean seeking supplication from him for indeed he is living and knowing the question of the one who asks him. It has been authentically reported from a long Hadith:
The people suffered a drought during the successorship of `Umar [ra], whereupon a man came to the grave of the Prophet and said: “O Messenger of Allah, ask for rain for your Community, for verily they have but perished,” after which the Prophet appeared to him in a dream and told him that the rain shall come. And in it also it appears: “Go to `Umar and give him my greeting, then tell him that they will be watered. Tell him: You must be clever, you must be clever!”
Meaning, gentleness, because he was severe in the religion of Allah.
So he came to him and informed him, after which he cried and then said:
“O my Lord, I spare no effort except in what escapes my power!”
In another narration it states that the one who saw the dream was Bilal ibn Harith al-Muzani, the companion [ra].”
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The Tawassul Challenge
في حكم زيارة قبره صلى الله عليه وسلم، وفضيلة من زاره وسلم عليه
و زيارة قبره صلى الله عليه وسلم سنة من سنن المسلمين مجمع عليها، وفضيلة مرغب فيها: روى عن ابن عمر
Chapter: The order of visiting the grave of Prophet (Peace be upon him) and the Virtue of the one visiting it and sending Salam.
Translation: Imam Ghazzali (rah) said that whenever anyone is in some difficulty then he should ask the people of tombs for help, who are of (sacred) souls but have passed away (i.e. transferred into another dimension). There is no doubt in it that any person visiting (their tombs) gets spiritual help plus benefit from them and many times when their Waseela is presented in the court of Allah, the difficulties are removed [Tafsir Ruh ul Ma’ani, Volume 30, Page No. 24]
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(Edited by ADHM)
