Ibn Hajr al asqalani and his contemporary scholars on Shirk and disbelief people do at the graves of the pious.
1. Ibn hajr al asqalani (d 852 Ah)
A) He said about the grave of Sayyida Nafeesa.
، وما زال قبرُها مقصودًا بالزيارة والتبرك به، حتى اشتهر عَنْ نقل بعض العلماء أن المصريين كانوا يُسَمونَ الدعاء عندها الترياقَ المجرَّبَ! وقد غلا في ذلك بعضُ العوامِّ، بل كلهم، حتى إن بعضهم يقع في الكفر وهو لا يشعُرُ، واللَّه المستعان.
Her grave remained a destination for visitation and blessings, to the extent that some scholars reported Egyptians referred to supplication near her grave as ‘the tried remedy’!
Common people have exceeded limits in this regard, to the point where some have fallen into disbelief without realizing it. Allah is the One who provides assistance.”
كتاب الجواهر والدرر في ترجمة شيخ الإسلام ابن حجر 2/949
B) He said about the tree of hudaybiyah.
Ibn Hajar al Asqalani said:
فَلَوْ بَقِيَتْ لَمَا أُمِنَ تَعْظِيمُ بَعْضِ الْجُهَّالِ لَهَا حَتَّى رُبَّمَا أَفْضَى بِهِمْ إِلَى اعْتِقَادِ أَنَّ لَهَا قُوَّةَ نَفْعٍ أَوْ ضَرٍّ كَمَا نَرَاهُ الْآنَ مُشَاهَدًا فِيمَا هُوَ دُونَهَا
For if it had remained, there would have been no guarantee against some ignorant people exalting it to such an extent that they might have come to believe that it had the power to bring benefit or harm, as we see happening now with things of lesser significance.
[Fath al Bari 6/118]
C) Hafidh Ibne Hajar asqalani said
وقصة الصالحين كانت مبتدأ عبادة قوم نوح هذه الأصنام ثم تبعهم من بعدهم على ذلك
The story of Righteous people was the starting of worshipping the idols of Qaum e Nuh alehl salam, then people followed them [Fath al Bari 8/669 dar al Marifah Beirut]
D) He said
وكأنه – صلى الله عليه وسلم – علم أنه مرتحل من ذلك المرض فخاف أن يعظم قبره كما فعل من مضى فلعن اليهود والنصارى إشارة إلى ذم من يفعل فعلهم
“It is like He peace be upon him knew that he will depart with that illness, so he feared that they will venerate his grave like those before them did. The cursing upon the Jews and the Christians points to the censorship of whoever does what they did. [Fath al Bari 1/532]
E) He said
فاليهود ابتدعت والنصارى اتبعت ، ولا ريب أن النصارى تعظم قبور كثير من الأنبياء الذين تعظمهم اليهود .
The jews have started it and christians followed them. There is no doubt christians venerated the graves of many Prophets to whom jews used to venerate [Fath al Bari 1/532]
2. Sayyid Badr al Din al Hussaini (d 855 h).
The Yemeni scholar, the descendant of Musa Kazim, al Sayyid al Shareef Badr al din Husain bin Abdur Rahman Al Hussaini (d 855 h) who also had the privilege to meet Sakhawi student of Ibn Hajr asqalani.
He said:
“والاستغاثة بالمشايخ الأموات والأحياء مما أطبق عليه المتأخرون من المتصوفة، ولم يُنقل عن السلف المتقدمين لمعرفتهم بأنّ الاستغاثة بغير الله تعالى لا تجوز ولا تنفع، قال الله تعالى: {قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلاً} وغير ذلك من الآيات.
ولم يُنقل أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أذِن لأحد من الصحابة رضي الله عنهم في الاستغاثة به في شدّة قط، وكان حاضرًا يوم أُحد فلم يملك من الأمر شيئًا كما قال الله تعالى: {لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ}، وإنما يُستشفع به إلى الله تعالى في تفريج الكرب وتسهيل الشدائد، وكذا بالصالحين من عباد الله فاعلم ذلك ولا تتبع جهالات المتأخرين
Asking help (Istigatha) from shuyukh who are dead and living is the practice of the later Sufis.
It was not transmitted from the early predecessors because they knew that seeking help from other than Allah Almighty is neither permissible nor beneficial.
Allah says
Tell them: “Call upon those whom you fancy to be (your helpers) instead of Him! They have no power to remove any affliction from you, nor can they shift it (to any other). (17 : 56) and other verses like this.
It was not reported that the Prophet peace be upon him gave permission of Istigatha from him to any of his Companions may Allah be pleased with them in hardships, and he was present on the Day of Uhud, and he had no control over the matter, as Allah says:
“You have no authority in the matter” (3 : 128)
And verily, they turn towards Allah through them to ease their afflictions and difficulties, as well as the righteous servants of Allah. Know that do not follow the ignorance of the mutakhireen (later sufis who are not from salaf and who innovated istigatha).
مطالب أهل القربة في شرح دعاء أبي حربة [مخطوط لوحة: ٨٣ ب]، وهذا المخطوط بمكتبة الشيخ أحمد محمد يوسف حربة. Taken from كتاب المجموع الثمين في حكم دعاء غير رب العالمين [محمد بن عبد الله المقشي]
3. Walī al-Dīn al-‘Irāqī (826 AH) approved tawassul through righteous deeds and Auliyah, but for istigatha he said
وأما قوله: (أنا أطلب منك أن يحصل لي كذا وكذا) فأمر منکر ، فالطلب إنما هو من الله تعالى، والتوسل إليه بالأعمال الصالحة أو بأصحابها أحياء وأمواتا لا ينكر
As for the saying: I ask you (i.e. the righteous in the grave) to get me such and such, this practice is MUNKAR because asking/requesting (Talab) is from Allah tala alone. And there is no inkar on tawassul of the righteous deeds (I.e. o Allah I ask you through such and such good deed) or their performers, whether living or dead, is not objectionable.
فتاوى ولي الدين العراقي (ص:١٦٦) ط/ دار الفتح.
The researcher of this fatawa is extreme Sufi, who said Istigatha is allowed and went against al Iraqi’s fatwa.
4. Taqi ad Din Ahmad bin Ali al-Maqrizi al-Misree al-Shafi’i (d. 845H) on Istigatha.
Note: He was student of al-Siraaj ad din al-Balqini, al-Haythami, Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi etc who were also teachers of Ibn Hajr al Asqalani.
He said:
” والناس فى هذا الباب- أعنى زيارة القبور- على ثلاثة أقسام:
– قوم يزورون الموتى فيدعون لهم. وهذه هى الزيارة الشرعية.
– وقوم يزورونهم يدعون بهم, وهؤلاء هم المشركون وجهلة العوام, والطغام من غلاتهم.
– وقوم يزورونهم فيدعونهم انفسهم, وقد قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ” اللهم لا تجعل قبرىوثناً يعبد”……
There are three types of people who visit the graves.
a) A Group that visits the dead and supplicate for them, this is Shar`ee visiting.
b) Another group visit them and ask through them (i.e. Directly asking him, O Abdul Qadir Jelani Ask Allah for me) these people are doing shirk in Uluhiyyah and love. (See the note after the quote)
c) A Group visits them and Ask help from them (i.e. O Sayyadi fulaan help me), this is shirk in Rububiyah.
[Tajreed al-Tawhid al-Mufeed page 70]Note: This book is also published by Dar Umar bin al-Khattaab, Cairo, 1428H with the research of Yaseen bin Ali bin Salim, who said:
ظاهر كلام المؤلف: أن هذا شرك أكبر, وقد نقل ابن القيم عن شيخه ابن تيمية أن هذا الفعل بدعة باتفاق المسلمين. (الإغاثة)(1/246).
Apparently the saying of the author that this is shirk al Akbar (i.e. O so and so ask Allah to give me such and such), Ibn al Qayyim quoted from his teacher Ibn Taymiyah that this practice is an innovation by the agreement of the Muslims. [al Igatha 1/246]
Ibn hajr asqalani said about Taqi al maqrizi:
كان إماماً بارعاً مفنناً متقناً ضابطاً ديناً خيراً، محباً لأهل السنة يميل إلى الحديث والعمل به.
He was an outstanding, skilled, knowledgeable, and well-versed imam with a good religious character. He loved the people of the Sunnah and was inclined towards the hadith and acting upon it.
[Inba’ al-Ghumr 4/188]5. Ibn al Nahhas (d 814 ah) said about innovators:
ومنها إيقادهم السرج عند الأحجار والأشجار والعيون والآبار، ويقولون: إنها تقبل النذرَ، وهذه كلها بدع شنيعة ومنكرات قبيحة تجب إزالتها ومحو أثرها، فإن أكثر الجهال يعتقدون أنها تنفع وتضرّ وتجلب وتدفع وتشفي المرض وتردّ الغائب إذا نذر لها، وهذا شرك ومحادة لله تعالى ولرسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم
And among them is their lighting of lamps at stones, trees, springs, and wells, and they say that these accept vows. All of this is a grave and ugly innovation that must be removed and its traces erased. For most of the ignorant people believe that these things can bring benefit or harm, attract or repel, cure illness, and bring back the absent if one makes a vow to them. This is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and going against Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him.
Tanbeeh al ghafileen page 522