Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi Shafiee (d 1237 h) the descendant of Abbas bin Abdul Mutlalib Radhi Allahanho on weird aqaid of people regarding Shaykh Abdul Qadir al Jeylani.
Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi Shafiee (d 1237 h) said:
حتى أنِّي رأيت بدمشق الشام أناسًا
ينذرون للشيخ عبد القادر الجيليِّ
قنديلاً يُعَلِّقونه في رؤوس المنابر،
ويَسْتَقْبلون به جهةَ بغداد،
ويبقى موقدًا إلى الصباح؛
وهم يعتقدون أنَّ ذلك من أَتَمِّ القُرُبات إليه؛
كأنهم يقولون بلسان حالهم:
أينما توقدوا فَثَمَّ عبد القادر.
فيا لله العجب!
ما هذه الخرافات؟!
وأين دين الله الذي قد مات ؟
بالَ الشَّيْطان في عقولهم
وأضلَّهم عن سبيلهم،
I once noticed at Damascus some people vowing unto the shaykh Abdul Qadir al Jili while he suspended a chandellier at the top of Minbar and he himself faced towards Baghdad. The candles burnt all night till dawn. They believe that by doing so they seek near conjunction unto him, as if they say : Whenever we may burn the candles for him there appears the shaykh Abd al Qadir.
What a strange thing it is! What kind of mythology/khurafat it is! The religion of Allah is dead ! Satan has pissed their minds and they are misdirected from the right path.
[Ghayat al Amani 1/369]Istigatha through dead according to Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi Shafiee (d 1237 h).
He said:
Allama Ibn al Qayyim said in his book al Kabaair (1).. They have disbelieved by worshiping other than Allah the most high i,e, the Messenger or the Prophet or Jinn or Star or Angel or The Shaykh and others like this. This is done by some of the ignorant who attribute themselves to the religion of Islam.. They attribute themselves to the Mashaikh like Shaykh Ahmad al Rifaai, Shaykh Yunus, Shaykh Adi and others,, They throw themselves over the grave, kiss it, make sajdah, ask help, ask their maghfirah, and ask their need. This was the start of idol worship and is the type of shirk with Allah.
(a; Suwaidi commented) Then he mentioned the ahwaal of mushrikeen in detail as to how the shaitan present there practice in a good way. The idol worship started by veneration of the graves and their athaar, Then he said: Asking help for the needs from Scholars and Auliyah is included in the shirk and taking oath on their names… who ever ask help from other then Allah or call upon them as they say in veneration of scholars. “O my leader O My shaykh so and so” (Ya Sayyadi Ya Sayyadi Fulaan).. so he associated other partners with Allah. Allah says “So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].” Meaning shirk by calling them for help and worshiping them beside Allah. [العقد الثمين by Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi 1/316-7]
How the shirk started?
Suwaidi Shafiee (d 1237) said:
انه لما مات منهم من هو كامل المرتبة عند الله اتخذوا مثالا على صورته و عظموه تشفعا إلى الله تعالى و توسلا
When one of them dies who had great status in the sight of Allah , They would make a picture like him and glorify him in order to seek his intercession with Allah and making him tawassul. [العقد الثمين by Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi 1/315]
Shirk at the graves.
Muhammad Ameen al Suwaidi al Shafiee (d 1246 h) commented:
فإن الشرك بقبر الرجل الذي يعتقد نبوته أو صلاحه أقرب وقوعا من الشرك بخشبة أو حجر أو تمثال. ولهذا تجد كثيرا من الناس عند القبور يتضرعون ويخشعون ويخضعون ويعبدون بقلوبهم عبادة لا يفعلون مثلها في بيوت الله تعالى ولا في وقت السحر
The shirk at the grave of a man who is believed to be a Prophet or a pious… You will find many people at the grave beseeching help, praying with full attention, submitting themselves, worshiping by heart which they do not do in the houses of Allah (Masajid)… [شرح العقد الثمين by Muhammad Ameen al Suwaidi al Shafiee 1/431-432]
Note: Previous quotes were the quotes by Ali bin Muhammad Saeed al Suwaidi Shafiee (d 1237 h), this quote is by the commentator Muhammad Ameen al Suwaidi al Shafiee (d 1246 h) so do not confuse both names.
al-Suwaidi al-Shafiee said:
ومن أعظم البدع، الغلو في تعظيم القبور
The biggest innovation is extremism in veneration of the graves. [Ghayat al Amani 1/478]
Then he mentioned various innovations and said: Then he said, at the grave: Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Suwaidi al-Shafi (d 1246 h) said:
فتراهم إذا عضلت عليهم الأمور أوصى بعضهم بعضاً بقصد أصحاب القبور،
When someone among them find any problem, some of them advice him to visit the Ashaab al Qaboor i.e. people dwelling in the graves. [Ibid]
وربما أن أحدهم- لكثرة أوهامه وشدة خوفه- تبطل حواسه فيزدادون كفراً، وتضحك عليهم الشياطين جهراً، وترى كثيراً منهم يعلقون مرضاهم عليهم، فيأخذون المريض وهو في غاية شدته فيدخلونه على قبره،
If anyone among them lost his senses due to many illusions and severity of fear and gets into kufr, the shiyateen laugh out loud over them. Many of them take their patients to the shrine. [Ibid]
ولا يجوّز ذلك إلا من جهل آثار الرسالة، ولهذه عمت الاستغاثة بالأموات عند نزول الكربات يسألونهم ويتضرعون إليهم، فكان ما يفعلونه معهم أعظم من عبادتهم واعتقادهم في رب السموات
“None can regard it lawful except one who is ignorant of the traditions of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). This was the reason that seeking help from the dead in troubles spread among people. They beseech the dead and supplicate to them, as if what they do with them is greater than their worship to Allah and their belief in the Lord of the heavens.”
[“Jala al-‘Ayinayn” 1/512].
(1). This book is attributed to Ibn al Qayyim by al Suwaidi, but it is attributed to Ibn al Jawzi by the name of “تذكرة أولي البصائر في معرفة الكبائر”, the quote is present in the book and The Muhaqqiq of The book said he saw one manuscript of this book. Ibn Al Nahaas has attributed this book to Ibn al Jawzi as well. But in Hadiyah tul Arifeen 1/602 and Moajam al Muallifeen this book has been attributed to Abdul Qadir al Haytamee al Rafaai ash-Shafiee. Whoever authored this book whether Ibn al Qayyim, Ibn al Jawzi or Abdul Qadir al Haytamee, The point is al Suwaidi the Shafiee agreed with it.