Point No. 2.

Praying to the dead; the concept of Waseelah

This is the core of our discussion here: The concept of Waseelah. People pray on graves of
some righteous men with an intention of getting benefits by means of that.
Few months back, I read in a Hindi newspaper that three big position-holders of a particular
city in India Imam, Mufti, & Qazi addressed the public and emphasized that the city they
all live in is the city of righteous men who are buried in different tombs all across the city, and
the people of the city get lot of benefits from these pious men buried in the graves. So the
people should not listen to others who brand these acts of constructing tombs, praying on
tombs etc. as wrong in Islam, and keep doing what they are doing for ages.
What to say about such scholars? The statement that people get benefit from these righteous
men buried in their graves needs to be picked for special consideration in this section. This
act is an act of Shirk. Expecting benefits from the dead, or as a matter of fact from anyone
other than Allah, is Shirk. It is not allowed to invoke anyone other than Allah. Refer to
following verse of Quran:

And the masjids are for Allah (Alone); so invoke not anyone along with Allah.
(Aayah No. 18, Surah Al-Jinn, Chapter No. 72, Holy Quran).
Clearly, it is not allowed to invoke anyone other than Allah. He commands His servants to
single Him out alone for worship and that none should be supplicated to along with Him.
Thus, praying to the dead (on the graves) with an intention of getting any benefit is
clear Shirk.
Dont these scholars know about this verse of Quran? They know, for sure they know, but
they have some excuses, accompanied with explanations which are wrong. Let us take these
wrong explanations one-by-one.
Point No. 2.1. They say that actually they do not pray to the dead, but seek
their Waseelah to achieve success.
According to them, Islam recommends its followers to seek Waseelah of righteous people to
get the prayers fulfilled and to achieve success in the life and Hereafter. It is absolutely wrong.
They quote a verse of Quran in support of Waseelah, but I am so sorry to say that the verse
has been misinterpreted. Let me explain about it.

O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah & fear Him. And seek the Waseelah to
Him, and strive hard in His cause, so that you may be successful.
(Aayah No. 35, Surah Al-Maidah, Chapter No. 5, Holy Quran).
This verse asks us to seek Waseelah to Allah, but the interpretation of this verse has not been
taken correctly by Urdu speaking scholars. In Urdu language, Waseelah means zariya, and it
has been taken as a recommendation to take some righteous people who are already dead
as zariya of achieving falah. How far-fetched is the ideology; absolutely against the concept of
Islamic Monotheism! Our Urdu loving brothers and sisters should not forget that the language
of Quran is Arabic. So, let us keep Urdu at bay and understand the meaning of Waseelah in
context of Arabic language.
Here is the correct explanation of the term Waseelah:
Seeking Waseelah means to seek the proximity & closeness to Allah, to seek
means of getting close to Allah by obeying him and performing the acts that please
Him. This is clear from the above mentioned aayah itself, as it asks us to seek Waseelah to

Allah, followed by the command to strive in Allahs cause in order to be successful. It is

absolutely clear.
Waseelah also means or refers to the highest grade in Paradise, as is evident from
following narrations:
It was narrated that Jabir (RA) said: Allahs Messenger (PBUH) said, Whoever says,
when he hears the call to prayer (i.e. Adhan): Allahumma rabba hadhi-hid-dawat ittammah wa-salat-il-qaimah aati Muhammadan al-wasilah wa-al-fadilah, wabathu
maqaman mahmuda al-ladhi waadthu, will be granted my intercession on the Day
of Resurrection.
(Hadith No. 681, Book of Adhan, Sunan An-Nasai, Vol. 1).
Meaning of this dua is: O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and prayer to be offered, grant
Muhammad (PBUH) the privilege and also the eminence and resurrect him to the praised
position that you have promised. Regular recitation of this dua after each Adhan ensures that
our beloved Prophet (PBUH) intercedes for forgiveness of our sins on the Day of Judgement,
Be-izn-Allah.
This is explained beautifully in another narration from Sahih Muslim.
It was narrated from Abdullah bin Amr bin Al Aas (RA) that he heard the Prophet
(PBUH) say, When you hear the Muadhdhin, say what he says, then
send Salat upon me, Allah will send Salatupon him tenfold. Then ask Allah to grant
me Al-Waseelah, for it is a station in Paradise which only one of the slaves of Allah
will attain, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks for Al-Waseelah for me,
(my) intercession will be permissible for him.
(Hadith No. 849 (384), Book of As-Salat, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 1).
These narrations make everything crystal clear. The Waseelah mentioned in the above
mentioned aayah ofSurah Al-Maidah has been mis-interpreted by Urdu scholars, which has
led to lot of misguidance.
The fact is that we are not supposed to invoke anyone else other than Allah; it is
absolutely wrong to invoke any dead person with an intention of achieving success
or getting the things done (through their version of Waseelah). It is Shirk to do so.
However, the narrations mentioned above tell us that Muslims shall benefit from the
intercession of Allahs Messenger (PBUH) on the Day of Judgement in accordance with the
conditions associated with it, Be-izn-Allah. Here, I wish to clarify that intercession is a totally
different thing and InshaAllah we shall talk about it in detail towards the end of this section.
I hope this clarifies the myth surrounding the concept of Waseelah. I request the people to
understand this clearly, with a special request to Urdu speaking scholars to open their minds
for proper understanding of the subject.
Point No. 2.2. Seeking Waseelah of a righteous person is similar to putting forward
our case in a court, for which a lawyer is required.
They say that (their concept of) Waseelah of righteous men is similar to a lawyer presenting
and fighting their case in a court. It is again an absurd excuse. In normal courts, we need a
lawyer to present our case to the judge. Here the judge is not aware of the facts, about who is
right or who is wrong, and his judgement is based on the facts put forward by lawyers of the
parties in court. It is very foolish on our part to compare this with the court of Allah. Allah is
All-Knower; there is no one who knows better than Him.
This should be understood from another angle also. A person who fights a case in court hires a
lawyer to help him/her in the case, to take care of his/her affairs related to the case. But when
it comes to invoking Allah for our needs, we do not need any lawyer or Wakil (as said in Urdu

language) to help us. Allah is ourWakil; He (Alone) is our Helper, our Protector. Allah says:







Take none other than Me as (your) Wakil (Protector, Lord or Disposer of affairs).
(Aayah No. 2, Surah Al-Isra, Chapter No. 17, Holy Quran).
Therefore, this excuse of considering these righteous people buried in graves
as Wakils (i.e. lawyers in English) is against Islam; leading to Shirk.
Point No. 2.3. Considering these righteous people (buried in graves) as alive; not
like ordinary dead people
Another excuse put forward in support of seeking (their version of) Waseelah of the dead
righteous men is that these men are not like normal dead people. Two different ideologies
exist related to this. Let us talk about both one-by-one.
First ideology is that these righteous people who are buried in their graves are not like
normal dead people, but they are martyrs in the cause of Allah, and they are not supposed to
be called dead. Following verse from Quran is quoted by the people who support this
ideology:

And say not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah, They are dead. Nay, they
are living, but you perceive not.
(Aayah No. 154, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter No. 2, Holy Quran).
True; martyrs are not like other dead people. Their status is much greater than others. But
that also needs to be understood correctly by us, so as not to enter any act of Shirk. Refer to
following verses of Quran:

Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive,
with their Lord, and they have provision.

They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty and rejoice for
the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind that on them
no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve.

They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the
reward of the believers.
(Aayah Nos 169, 170 & 171, Surah Aal-Imran, Chapter No. 3, Holy Quran).
I shall InshaAllah try to explain these verses by references of authentic ahadith, which will
help us understand them the way our Prophet (PBUH) and his companions understood them.
Go through following narration:
It was narrated that Masruq said: We asked Abdullah bin Masoud (RA) about this
verse: Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are
alive, with their Lord, and they have provision. He said: We also asked about that
and he (the Prophet, PBUH) said, Their souls are in crops of green birds, which
have lamps hanging from the Throne, and they roam freely wherever they want in

Paradise, then they return to those lamps. Their Lord looked down upon them and
said: Do you desire anything? They said: What could we desire, when we can
roam freely wherever we want in Paradise? He did that with them three times, and
when they saw that they would not be left without being asked, they said: O Lord,
we want You to restore our souls to our bodies so that we may be killed in Your
cause again. When He saw that they had no need, they were left alone.
(Hadith No. 4885 (1887), Book of Leadership, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 5).
In another narration, Imam Ahmad records that Ibn Abbas (RA) said that Allahs
Messenger said, The martyrs convene at the shore of a river close to the door of
Paradise, in a green tent, where their provisions are brought to them from Paradise
day & night.
After going through these narrations, it appears that martyrs are of different types, some of
them wander in Paradise, and some remain close to this river by the door of the Paradise.
Coming back to the status of martyrs in the cause of Allah, it should be known that their
status is much above the ordinary dead people. One reason is that the moment they die as a
martyr, all their sins are forgiven and they are taken directly to Paradise, whereas all others
have to go through the Judgement before going to Paradise. There is no Judgement for a
martyr (except in case of debt or an unfulfilled oath, which we shall discuss in a separate
discussion some other time, InshaAllah). This makes them superior in grade to others.
This explains about not to call them dead (like other dead people).
Now, even if all those righteous people buried in their graves (tombs and places of worship
constructed on their graves) are martyrs, thereby implying that they are alive in the sense we
have tried to understand the verses of Quran related to this above, how do we proclaim that
they can be of any benefit to us? I have not come across any verse in Quran or any hadith
which tells us this. This belief is a classic case of transgression; not allowed in Islam.
Let us come to the second ideology in this context. Some people go on to the extremes
by saying that all these great people are not dead but alive. Now they are not talking about
them being martyrs or not, instead they claim that these great people (including the Prophet,
PBUH) are not dead at all, they are alive and listen to all our calls, though we cannot see
them.
Now, whoever believes in this ideology is surely in error. Such a belief is against Quran. Allah
says:

Everyone has to taste death
(Aayah No. 35, Surah Al-Anbiya, Chapter No. 21, Holy Quran).
Allah makes it clear that every living soul has to die. Isa (AS) was taken away from the earth,
and Muslims belief is that he shall be sent again on earth before Qayamah, and then he will
die like every other human. There is no exception at all. If someone tries to make an exception
for Muhammad (PBUH), he/she should refer to following verses of Quran:

Verily, you (O Muhammad) will die and verily, they (too) will die.
(Aayah No. 30, Surah Az-Zumar, Chapter No. 39, Holy Quran).
and,

Muhammad (PBUH) is no more than a Messenger, and indeed Messengers have
passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your
heels? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah,
and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.
(Aayah No. 144, Surah Aal-Imran, Chapter No. 3, Holy Quran).
The above mentioned verse is the one which Abu Bakr (RA) recited to calm down the people
at the time of death of Allahs Messenger (PBUH), as the people were not believing that the
Prophet (PBUH) had died. He said to all: Whoever worshipped Muhammad (PBUH), then
Muhammad (PBUH) is dead. But whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die.
The details of death of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) can be found in collections of ahadith
(refer to ahadith by Imam Tirmidhi and book on Prophets Seerah by Imam Ibn Kathir).
I hope the explanation clarifies the doubts.
Therefore, praying to the dead on their graves to seek benefits through them
is haraam; whether we consider them as martyrs or we consider them as alive.
Either way, it is against Islam.
Point No. 2.4. Believing that these righteous people can hear from the graves
Before proceeding further, let me quote a hadith:
It was narrated from Anas (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said, When a person is
placed in his grave and his companions depart from him, he hears the sound of
their sandals (i.e. the footsteps).
(Hadith No. 2051, Book of Funerals, Sunan An-Nasai, Vol. 3).
Similar narration has been reported by Bukhari as well. We see that every person who is
buried after his/her death hears the sounds of outer world. Moreover, every dead person is
shown his/her place, either in Paradise or Hell, the moment he/she is buried and the
questioning in grave starts. So every dead can see also up to this extent. To put a final seal on
the matter, let us go through the following hadith:
Narrated Ibn Umar (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) looked at the dead people of the well
(the well in which there were dead bodies of Mushriks killed during the Battle of
Badr) and said, Have you found true what your Lord promised you? Somebody
said to him, You are addressing dead people. He replied, You do not hear better
than they, but they cannot reply.
(Hadith No. 1370, Book of Funerals, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2).
Thus, if we talk about hearing of the dead from graves, even non-believers can hear. Where
does this lead us to?
Point No. 2.5. They say that the Prophet (PBUH) and these righteous people have
the knowledge of the unseen (i.e. the Ghaib).
This is yet another wrong belief. Refer to what Quran says about this matter:

The All-Knower of the Unseen, and He reveals to none His Unseen,




















Except to a Messenger whom He has chosen, and then He makes a band of
watching guards to march before him and behind him.
(Aayah Nos 26 & 27, Surah Al-Jinn, Chapter No. 72, Holy Quran).
Allah states very clearly that only He knows the unseen and the seen, and that no one of His
creation can attain any of His knowledge except that which Allah allows him to have.
Whatever knowledge was with the Prophet (PBUH) was granted to him by Allah as per His will
and angels were appointed to guard and protect the knowledge of Allah with the Prophet
(PBUH).
Therefore, whoever believes that the Prophet (PBUH) or any other righteous
person of their choice has the knowledge of the Ghaib, is wrong, mistaken and
committing a grave sin by believing so.
Point No. 2.6. They quote a hadith to prove that companions of the Prophet (PBUH)
resorted toWaseelah for getting their prayers answered by Allah.
Some time back, I was watching one scholar from Pakistan talking about this. He was
addressing a group of women who seemed to have asked him about the proof in ahadith
about any of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) resorting to (their version of) Waseelah of
any one to get their prayers answered by Allah. This gentleman was seated in a chair,
surrounded by books of all types and was using beautiful vocabulary to make his words
appear meaningful. He asked one of his assistants to hand him over a book. Then taking the
book in his right hand he stated that it was Sahih Bukhari, and asked the listeners to go to the
Book of Al-Istisqa. Out of it, he read out a hadith in Urdu language. After completing the
hadith, he had a sense of satisfaction of convincing the listeners of his stance that the
companions of the Prophet (PBUH) resorted to Waseelah of others for getting their prayers
answered by Allah.
Let us see this hadith:
Narrated Anas (RA): Whenever drought threatened them, Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA)
used to ask Al Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, O
Allah! We used to ask our Prophet (PBUH) to invoke You for the rain, and You would
bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah! Bless
us with rain. And so it would rain.
(Hadith No. 1010, Book of Al-Istisqa, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2).
This hadith tells us that it is permissible for one to request another living person to
invoke (pray to) Allah on his/her behalf; thats all. For e.g.: when we meet our relatives
or friends etc., we can ask them to remember us in their prayers it is very common to say
so. But this hadith does not give any message or permission that allows us to
invoke Allah through dead; does it?
The hadith mentioned here and most widely used by supporters of Waseelah has got nothing
to do with their claims. These scholars should fear Allah; they should stop misguiding people.
Point No. 2.7. Intercession (Shafaat)
People often take Waseelah and Shafaat as similar things; it is a major misunderstanding that
prevails among Muslims of Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc.). In fact, the
two things are entirely different. I have already clarified the concept of Waseelah in our
discussion here above. Now let me clarify what is meant by Shafaat from Islamic point of
view.
Shafaat (or Intercession) has been a matter of controversy for a long time now among
different schools of thoughts. As should be the case always, let us try to erase all doubts

about the matter and unify our understanding based on Quran and Ahadith

Intercession (or Shafaat) belongs to Allah alone.

Say: To Allah belongs all intercession. His is the sovereignty of the heavens and
the earth, then to Him you shall be brought back.
(Aayah No. 44, Surah Az-Zumar, Chapter No. 39, Holy Quran).
In this verse, Allah condemns the idolators who used to take their idols as intercessors
besides Allah on the basis of their own whims, with no evidence and proof. Just like the
dominion and sovereignty belongs to Allah alone, similarly, intercession belongs to Allah
alone. So, it is not correct to say that any personality has the authority/ability/status to
intercede for us in front of Allah.
This shall get more clarified when we discuss other aspects of intercession.

Allah gives permission for some to intercede.

On that day no intercession shall avail, except the one for whom the Most
Gracious has given permission and whose word is acceptable to Him.
(Aayah No. 109, Surah TaHa, Chapter No. 20, Holy Quran).
So we see that Allah grants permission to some and accepts their intercession on the Day
of Judgement.
The Prophet (PBUH) tops the list of such who are granted permission from Allah to
intercede for others. He will be the first one for whom the earth will be opened and he will
come forth to the gathering place. He will have a banner under which Adam (AS) and
everyone else will gather. He will have the right to Grand Intercession with Allah when He
comes to judge between His creation. There is a lengthy hadith (Hadith No. 7510, Book
of Tauhid, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9) of Anas (RA), narrated by Mabad bin Hilal Al Anazi,
about intercession of the Prophet (PBUH). Mentioning the whole hadith here will occupy a
lot of space. However, I am quoting a smaller hadith which tells us about the intercession
of Prophet Muhamamd (PBUH) for his Ummah. Refer to the narration below:
Narrated Anas (RA): I heard the Prophet (PBUH) saying, On the Day of
Resurrection I will intercede and say: O my Lord! Admit into Paradise (even)
those who have faith equal to a mustard seed in their hearts. Such people will
enter Paradise, and then I will say: (O Allah!) Admit into Paradise (even) those
who have the least amount of faith in their hearts. Anas (RA) then said, As if I
were just now looking at the fingers of Allahs Messenger (PBUH).
(Hadith No. 7509, Book of Tauhid, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9).
Apart from the Prophet (PBUH), the angels as well as other people can also be allowed to
intercede on behalf of others as per Allahs permission. Following references prove this:

And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing
except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and is pleased with.
(Aayah No. 26, Surah An-Najm, Chapter No. 53, Holy Quran).
and,

Aishah (RA) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said, No one among the Muslims
dies, and Salat is performed for him by a community of Muslims reaching one
hundred, and they intercede (supplicate) for him, except that their intercession
for him is accepted. In his narration, Ali bin Hujr said, One hundred or more
than that.
(Hadith No. 1029, Chapters on Janaiz, Jami At-Tirmidhi, Vol. 2; Hadith No. 2198
(947), Book of Funerals, Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2; Hadith No. 1994, Book of Funerals,
Sunan An-Nasai, Vol. 3).
However, this intercession is not what we have talked about the Grand Intercession of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

No one can intercede for anyone without permission of Allah.

Who is he that can intercede with him except with His permission?
(Aayah No. 255, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter No. 2, Holy Quran).
This verse asserts Allahs greatness, pride and grace, and that no one dares to intercede
with Him on behalf of anyone else, except by His permission. Therefore, even though we
learn that Prophets, angels and other people shall be interceding on behalf of others on the
Day of Judgement, we should understand that that shall be done only because Allah
allows them to intercede. Without Allahs permission, no one can intercede on anyones
behalf. There should be no doubt in our minds regarding this fact.

Intercession (or Shafaat) is a thing that shall take place in the Hereafter (on
the Day of Judgement).
We have read narrations about intercession on the Day of Judgement. Based on all such
explanations, we should understand clearly that the concept of intercession is for the Day of
Judgement. There is no concept of such intercession in this world.
When talked about intercession in this world, it has a limited meaning that has got nothing to
do with benefitting the others in terms of their fate in the Hereafter. For example: If we see
someone doing anything wrong, we intercede and try to advise him to refrain from wrong
deed. Or if we meet our close ones, we may say phrases like Please pray for us. Or people in
authority on earth can change their decisions in favour of others on request by others. These
are the types of intercessions which take place in this world. Such intercessions are limited to
this world only. But please remember that even outcomes of such intercessions depend on
Allahs will; nothing can happen without permission of Allah.
I hope we all are clear about the matter of Shafaat by now.
Point No. 3. Doing prostrations on graves
Prostrating before anyone other than Allah is not allowed in Islam. But the people who do
prostrations on graves of their beloved righteous dead men have an excuse. They say that it
is not a normal prostration (which is done for Allah), rather they do prostrations of respect.
They quote example of parents & brothers of Yusuf (AS) who prostrated before Yusuf (AS) as a
mark of respect.
Let us understand this concept clearly. Aayah No. 100 of Surah Yusuf (Chapter No. 12,
Holy Quran) tells us that Yusufs (AS) parents and brothers prostrated before him. In the
laws of these and previous Prophets, it was allowed for the people to prostrate before the men
of authority, when they met them. This practice was allowed in the law of Adam (AS) until the
law of Isa (AS), but was later prohibited in our law. Let me quote a narration to explain this.
Qais bin Sad said: I visited Al-Hirah, and saw that its inhabitants would prostrate
to their nobles. I said (to myself), Allahs Messenger (PBUH) has more right that
(people) prostrate to him. So I returned to the prophet (PBUH) & said, I visited Al-

Hirah, and saw that its inhabitants would prostrate to their nobles. And you, O
Allahs Messenger (PBUH), have more right that we prostrate to you. He replied, I
ask you, if you passed by my grave, would you prostrate to it? I replied, No. He
replied, Then dont do so! Were I to command any person to prostrate to another,
I would have commanded the women to prostrate to their husbands, due to the
rights that Allah has given them over their wives.
(Hadith No. 2140, Book of Marriage, Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 2).
Narration similar to the later part of the above mentioned hadith has also been reported
by Tirmidhi in his Jami, under Chapters on Suckling (Hadith No. 1159), on the authority
of Abu Hurairah (RA).
This narration is a proof that, according to Islamic Shariah, prostration to anyone other
than Allah is prohibited. Even the prostration of respect is not allowed. Had the
prostration of respect been lawful, the Prophet (PBUH) would have ordered the
wife to prostrate to her husband.
If we read the hadith carefully, we can see that there is a clear No for prostrating even on
the Prophets (PBUH) grave.
I dont think this needs any further clarification.
Point No. 4. Singing songs, qawwalis etc. and playing musical instruments on the
graves
Another common feature of the tombs is that people are seen singing qawwalis, songs etc. in
praise of the people buried there. In some places men can be seen dancing also to the tunes
of musical instruments played there. When asked about the reason of all that, they say that it
is their love for the person buried there which they are expressing in the form of songs etc.
Now someone should ask them, that in order to express your love for the people who are
already dead, you are taking music as the means to do so. Music is allowed in Islam for
certain occasions, but in no way can it be used as a medium of worship of any kind; it is a
disliked thing after all. Apart from this, they should spare a thought to the nuisance they
create in their surroundings by shouting songs and qawwalison high decibel levels and giving
a big headache to the neighbours, sometimes even giving them sleepless nights.
This act has been adopted from Hindu culture. Hindus have a tradition of singing hymns and
songs (known as bhajans) to please their so-called gods and goddesses.
It is a big shame on Muslims who indulge in such activities.
Point No. 5. Doing gatherings on an annual basis in the form of Urs
It is a common feature in Indian sub-continent that caretakers of some famous tombs organize
annual gatherings on the tombs. These gatherings are termed as Urs in Urdu language. Some
famous tombs known for their gatherings are: Nizamuddin in Delhi (India), Moinuddin Chishti
in Ajmer (India), Syed Ali Hijveri in Lahore (Pakistan) etc. There are lot more other tombs, but I
do not remember their names correctly. People gather at these places during Urs time from all
the corners of the world, with an intention of seeking blessings from the righteous people
buried there. Money is spent in millions on acts and traditions which find no authenticity in
Islam. Just imagine how much the real needy people can benefit from all the money that is
wasted on these tombs, which ultimately find its way into the vaults of these caretakers.
Businesses thrive on these gatherings. Many people are duped of their money. The caretakers
have their own say in the matters of the tombs. They have their own system, and no outsider
can dare to challenge them or any of their acts.

Earlier this practice was restricted to bigger tombs, but now it can be seen on every small
grave here and there.
Please try to understand that all this is against Islam, these are acts of Bidaa. They lead to
violation of many Islamic principles. Israf, Exploitation, Illegal
earnings, Bidaa & Shirk, all these can be seen in abundance at these gatherings.
Point No. 6. Considering these as righteous acts which pave the way for Falah
We have seen in our discussion that all these acts are acts of Bidaa & Shirk. How can
someone depend on such things for getting a place in Paradise? Allah has clearly mentioned
the criterion of entry to Paradise in Quran. And the fact is that even after complying with all
what Allah wants us to do; we depend on His Mercy & Grace to gain entry to Paradise. Let us
study a hadith on this subject:
Narrated Aishah (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) said, Do good deeds properly, sincerely
and moderately, and receive good news because ones good deeds will not make
him enter Paradise. They asked, Even you, O Allahs Messenger (PBUH)? he
said, Even I, unless & until Allah protects or covers me with His Pardon and
Mercy.
(Hadith No. 6467, Book of Ar-Riqaq, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 8).
Similar narration through Abu Hurairah (RA) has also been reported by Bukhari. Give this
hadith a deep thought. When the Prophet (PBUH), who has been the greatest man on the
earth ever, for whom is the greatest reward in the Hereafter, he says about himself that his
entry into Paradise also depends on Allahs mercy; then where do we stand? And on what
basis can someone say that the righteous men buried in the graves can help
anyone achieve Falah? They themselves depend on Allahs mercy, as does everyone
else. Thats why every Muslim is supposed to pray for Maghfirah for all other fellow Muslims,
alive or dead.
Point No. 7. Is it not even allowed to pray to Allahs Messenger (PBUH) & seek his
(so-called) Waseelah for getting the prayers answered by Allah or for achieving
success?
Refer to following verse of Quran:

And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad, PBUH) concerning Me, then (tell
them) I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he
calls on Me. So let them obey Me & believe in Me, so that they may be led right.
(Aayah No. 186, Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter No. 2, Holy Quran).
This aayah tells us clearly that Allah wants His servants to invoke Him directly. It is not
allowed to invoke even Allahs Messenger (PBUH) or to seek his (so-called) Waseelah for
getting our prayers answered. It is only Allah to whom we ask for all our needs. And He has
promised that He shall respond to the call of the one who invokes Him. Refer to following
verse:

And your Lord said: Invoke me, I will respond to your (invocation).
(Aayah No. 60, Surah Ghafir, Chapter No. 40, Holy Quran).
Concluding Remarks

All the references from Quran and authentic narrations of our beloved Prophets (PBUH)
sayings leave no doubts about the outcome of our discussion. Let me summarize the
inference:
1.

2.

Apart from funerals, going to graves/graveyards is allowed only for the purpose of
praying forMaghfirah of the dead as well as oneself, and to be reminded of the Hereafter. For
women, the ruling is even stricter.
Making the graves high and beautifying them is prohibited in Islam.

3.

Building structures (even places of worship like Masjids) on the graves is prohibited in
Islam.

4.

Doing acts of worship on graves (like prostrations, invocations etc.) are prohibited in
Islam.

5.

Organizing fairs etc. (like Urs) on graves is a Bidaa.

6.

Invoking anyone other than Allah, dead or alive (howsoever righteous he/she might
have been in his /her life), with an intention of getting benefit through them is Shirk. It is not
allowed to pray to Allahs Messenger (PBUH) even.

7.

In general, majority of the people have adopted a wrong concept

of Waseelah & Shafaat; the explanations they provide to support their understanding are
wrong; and the corresponding acts lead to Bidaa & Shirk. Please read the explanations for
the same provided in this article in light of Quran and Sunnah for proper understanding.
Several of these wrong customs have been taken from Hindu culture. Isnt it a matter of
shame that instead of impressing the non-believers with the teachings of Islam and inviting
them to this beautiful religion, some of us tend to get impressed with their traditions and
adopt them as a part of our religion? Hindus now openly say: What is the difference
between us? We worship the idols; you worship graves. We sing hymns in praise of
our gods and goddesses; you sing qawwalis and songs in praise of your deceased
ones. We distribute sweets and other food items as Prasad; so do you now. Then
why do you call us non-believers and yourselves as believers? This is what the Hindus
have started asking now. I request my Muslim brothers and sisters not to do any act that gives
non-believers a chance to point out fingers on Islam.
Please remember that we are Muslims and the foundation of our belief is Tauheed. We believe
in Quran as the guidance for us. And the starting Chapter of Quran tells us:

You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help.
(Aayah No. 5, Surah Al-Fatiha, Chapter No. 1, Holy Quran).
Whoever recites this verse regularly (in five daily prayers) should know that by reciting these
words he/she is affirming that he/she asks Allah (Alone) for help and no one else. Then how
can someone advocate the wrong concepts of Waseelah or Shafaat in this world and praying
to dead etc.
Please stay away from these acts of Shirk and Bidaa.
And Allah knows best.
May Allah forgive me if I am wrong and guide us to the right pathAmeen.

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