Polytheism in Worship
by Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz Response to a letter by Mr... regarding certain worships at specified times of the day or night practised privately by some Muslims in his country.
These are prayers to which Allah has not granted any power; among these prayers are those that have been introduced as innovations and those that are polytheistic; they attribute such prayers to the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) and to others. They recite these prayers in congregations of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah) or in the masajid after the Maghrib (sunset) prayers in the belief that such prayers will take them nearer to Allah. During these prayers, they utter phrases such as, 'O men of Allah, help us with the Help of Allah and be of succour to us.' They also say, 'O you leaders of authority, O you masters, please respond to our prayers, O you, who possess all help; please intercede with Allah on behalf of this slave who is pleading to you at your door, seized by the fear of his failings; help us O Prophet of Allah; I do not have anyone else to whom I can plead; it is you through whom our wishes can be fulfilled; you are the best of the people of Allah like Hamza, the leader of all martyrs; no one other than you can help us; O Prophet of Allah, come to our help.' They also say, O Allah, bless the one you have made as a means for revealing your mighty secrets and your Divine light; he became a true vicegerent and inheritor of all Your Truth.'
You had also desired to know in your letter regarding Bid'ah (Innovation) and polytheism. You had wanted to know whether it will be correct to pray behind the Imam who makes such invocations.
In this connection, I would like to state the following:
Praise is to Allah Alone and peace and blessings on the Prophet - the last of all Prophets - and on the members of his Family, his Companions and all those who shall until the Day of Judgement, proceed on the right path shown by him.
Verily, Allah of All-Mighty created the mankind and sent the Messengers (s.a.w) in order that He Alone be worshipped. Allah states in the Noble Qur'an:
" And I (Allah) created not the jinns and men except
they should worship Me (Alone)" [51:56]
To worship means to obey the All-Mighty and the Prophet (s.a.w) by carrying out what Allah and His Prophet have ordered us to do and by abstaining from what they have forbidden us to do. We carry out these actions with faith, humility and sincere devotion to Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w). The Noble Qur'an states:
In other words, he has ordained that He Alone be worshipped. Allah says in the Noble Qur'an:
" All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)" [Surah Fatiha]
These verses make it amply clear that Allah Alone is to be worshipped and His Help alone is to be sought. Allah also says:
"... So worship Allah (Alone) by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only, and not to show off, and not to set up rivals with Him in worship. Surely, the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only..." [39:2,3]
" So, call you (O Muhammad s.a.w and the believers) upon (or invoke) Allah making (your) worship pure for Him (Alone) (by worshipping none but Him and by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only and not to show off and not to set up rivals with Him in worship). However much the disbelievers (in the Oneness of Allah) may hate (it)" [40:14]
" And the masajid are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not
anyone along with Allah " [72:18]
There are several verses in the Noble Qur'an in this context pointing out the necessity and the duty to worship Allah Alone. Invocation, as you all know, is, in all its forms, a manner of worship; it is therefore not permissible for anybody to invoke anyone and to seek the help of anyone nor plead for assistance from anyone except Allah, as stated in the above verses. However, in matters pertaining to the daily routine of life and in connection with material things on which every human being has control, a person may seek the help of another person; this is not worship; a person may for example, seek the help of another in order to ward off some evil that may occur to his son or servant etc.; one may for example ask for help from his colleague either directly or by correspondence to attend to the building of his house or repairing of his motor car. In this context, Allah the All-Mighty says while narrating the story of the Prophet Moses (Musa pbuh):
The help and aid which a man seeks from his fellow human beings at times of conflict is like the above said help. But seeking help and aid from the dead, the jinns, the angels, the trees and the stones is an act of major polytheism; it is similar to the practices of the polytheists of the early ages with their gods such as Al-Uzza and Al-Laat, etc. Similarly, it is an act of polytheism to believe that certain human beings enjoy or possess certain supernatural powers which belong only to Allah the All-Mighty. It is believed that such people can help in curing the sick, showing the path of right guidance to those who go astray, attaining the Paradise and salvation from the Hell. The verses quoted above and the sayings of the Prophet referred to, emphasize the need to guide all people to the path of Allah in all matters and to be sincere in worshipping Allah and Allah Only because all human beings have been created for that purpose and have been thus ordained as mentioned in the verses quoted above. Allah the All-Mighty also says:
" And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)..." [98:5]
And the Prophet (s.a.w) has said as narrated by Mu'adh:
" It is Allah's Right over the worshippers that they worship only
Him and do not associate anyone with Him " [Bukhari]
In another tradition narrated by Mas'ud the Prophet said:
" Whoever dies while invoking someone as rival to
Allah, will be doomed to Hell " [Bukhari]
When the Prophet (s.a.w) sent the Companion Mu'adh to Yemen, he said to him:
" You shall be meeting a people who profess faith in a Revealed Book; therefore, your plea to them should be to profess the Statement of Faith: 'There is no god except Allah and that I (Muhammad) am the Messenger of Allah " [Muslim]
In the narration of Imam Bukhari it is mentioned as:
" Plead to them until they accept the Oneness of Allah "
It is narrated in the Collection of Ahadith compiled by Imam Muslim that according to a saying narrated by Tariq bin Ashyam Al-Ashja 'i that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:
" Whoever accepts the Oneness of Allah and disbelieves whatever is worshipped other than Allah enjoys the protection of Allah in his wealth, blood and his reward is with Allah " [Muslim]
There are numerous Ahadith (traditions) on this subject.
The Faith in the Oneness of Allah is the sum and substance of the religion of Islam; It is the basic principle and the most important of all the duties. And it is for this purpose that the human beings and the jinns were created. It was for the same object that the Messengers of Allah were sent. We had earlier quoted several verses from the Noble Qur'an affirming this fact. Among such verses are:
" And I (Allah) created not the jinns and men except
they should worship Me (Alone)" [51:56]" And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities etc. i.e. do not worship Taghuts besides Allah)" [16:36]
" And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad s.a.w) but We inspired him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I {Allah}), so worship Me (Alone and none else)" [21:25]
Referring to the Prophets Noa, Hud, Saleh and Sho'aid (a), Allah the All-Mighty says that these Prophets advised their people:
"...O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. (La ilaha ill-Allah: none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)..." [7:59]
This was the Message of all the Prophets. All those who oppose the Prophets have themselves confessed that the Prophets had commanded them to worship Allah Only and to give up the worship of all other gods. The Noble Qur'an says in this context, referring to the story of 'Ad that they told the Prophet Hud (a)
" They said: You have come to us that we should worship Allah Alone and forsake that which our fathers used to worship..." [7:70]
And Allah the All-Mighty says about the people of the tribe of Quraish when they were called upon by our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), to worship Allah Only and to give up worshipping the angels, the friends and guides, idols and trees, etc.
" Has he made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God - Allah).
Verily, this is a curious thing! " [38:5]
And in the Surah (Chapter) As-Saffat, Allah says:
" Truly, when it was said to them: 'La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah),' they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. denied it). And (they) said: 'Are we going to abandon our aliha (gods) for the sake of a mad poet?' " [37:35,36]
There are many more verses in the Noble Qur'an and saying of the Noble Prophet (s.a.w) which expound this concept. May Allah grant success to us all in understanding our religion and in educating ourselves regarding the true path of Allah.
All the invocations and different expressions seeking help and succour are various forms of polytheism because they are addressed as worship to other than Allah; and they seek to achieve things through the dead and the departed whereas Allah Alone can grant those things.
Such invocations are more worse forms of polytheism when compared to the polytheism of the early ages because the people of the early ages indulged in polytheism only when they enjoyed material comfort, peace and luxury. But at times of crisis and hardships they worshipped Allah Alone because they know that Allah Alone can bring salvation to them from their hardships. The Noble Qur'an refers to those polytheists and says:
" And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others " [29:65]
" And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except Him (Allah Alone). But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away (from Him). And man is ever ungrateful" [17:67]
If the latter-day polytheists were to say, "We do not mean that those whose help we seek can by themselves benefit us and cure the sick among us or be of use to us or hurt us; we only mean to seek their intercession with Allah for us, the answer to such an observation should be as follows:
Verily, the disbelievers of the early period also had the same purpose and desire; they too did not believe that their gods create or give livelihood or do good or harm.
Such a statement will negate what Allah as mentioned about them in the Noble Qur'an. Those disbelievers also claimed that they only sought, through such worship, the intercession and good offices of those whom they worshipped so that they may take them nearer to Allah. Allah says in the Noble Qur'an in the context of the story of the Prophet Younus (a)
" And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: 'These are our intercessors with Allah.' Say: 'Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?' Glorified and Exalted be He above all that which they associate as partners with Him! " [10:18]
Thus Allah states in unmistakable words that He has no knowledge of any intercessor from the heavens or from the earth as claimed by the disbelievers. So, the existence of anything not known to Allah does not in fact exist because nothing is hidden from His Knowledge. Allah says in the Noble Qur'an:
" The revelation of this Book (the Qur'an) is from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. Verily, We have sent down the Book to you (O Muhammad s.a.w) in Truth. So worship Allah (Alone) by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only, and not to show off, and not to set up rivals with Him in worship. Surely, the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only..." [39:1-3]
It is evident from these verses that Allah Alone is to be worshipped and such worship should be in all sincerity because Allah has commanded the Prophet (s.a.w) to be sincere in worship. This command applies to all the believers. In the above quoted verse, the word Ad-Deen meaning religion in Arabic has been interpreted as worship; worship means obedience to Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w) as stated earlier; it includes invocation, seeking help, fear, hope, vows and sacrifices besides prayers and fasting and other duties as ordained by Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w). Later on, Allah says in the Noble Qur'an:
"...And those who take 'Auliya' (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say): We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah..." [39:3]
In other words, they sought to say that their only purpose was to achieve nearness to Allah. In answer to this, Allah says:
"...Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever " [39:3]
Thus the falsehood of their claim that their gods take them nearer to Allah has been exposed and the worship they perform has been described as blasphemy. It should therefore be clear to any person who has even a minimum of intelligence that the source of blasphemy and polytheism in the earlier ages was because Prophets, friends and advisors besides trees and stones and other creations were considered intercessors between the worshippers and Allah, and they believed that such intercessors achieve for them their hopes and aspirations, needs and ambitions without the Permission nor the Consent of Allah the All-Mighty. It was considered to be like the recommendation of the ministers to the kings and they (such worshipers) presumed Allah, the All-Mighty to be equal to kings and leaders and therefore, they uttered words with one may utter when making a petition to a king or a leader. This is the worst form of falsehood because Allah the All-Mighty has none similar to Him and He cannot be compared with His Own creations; no one intercedes with Him without His Permission; intercession is granted only to the believers in the Oneness of Allah; Allah is Omnipotent and Omniscient and He is Most Merciful; He does not fear anyone and neither can anyone frighten Him since He has power over all His servants and He Alone disposes their affairs as He wills.
On the contrary, kings and leaders cannot have power over anything and they do not have knowledge about everything. So they need to have people to assist them in matters which they are unable to achieve or implement. Hence, they are always surrounded by an entourage of ministers, advisers and bodyguards, etc. They also need to be informed about those who are in want; this is yet another reason for their being surrounded by ministers and advisers. But Allah the All-Mighty is above all such needs and all such assistance. He is more merciful to them than their mothers; and He is the Just Ruler, Who as per His Supreme Knowledge, Wisdom and Ability assigns everything to its proper place; it is therefore not permissible to compare Him with His Own creations. It is for this reason that Allah the All-Mighty has stated in the Noble Qur'an that He is the Creator and the Sustainer; it is He Who responds to the call of one who is in distress and exposes the evil, gives life and takes it away; and does so many other actions. The dispute between the polytheists and the Messengers of Allah is in fact about the sincerity in worshipping Allah Alone. The Noble Qur'an says:
" Say: 'Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and brings out the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?' They will say: 'Allah.' Say: 'Will you not then be afraid of Allah's Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?" [10:31]
There are several verses in this context in the Noble Qur'an. We had earlier referred to the verses that point out that the dispute, between the Messengers of Allah and the nations, was regarding sincerity in worshipping alone. We may quote another verse:
" And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities etc. i.e. do not worship Taghuts besides Allah)..." [16:36]
Regarding intercession, Allah the All-Mighty has mentioned in several places in the Noble Qur'an, the real meaning of intercession. We may for example quote:
" Who is he that can intercede with Him except
with His Permission?..." [2:255]
Allah will not accept from His worshippers blasphemy heathenism; He wil accept only gratitude expressed by the belief in the Oneness of Allah and obedience to Him. It is stated in the Noble Qur'an:
" And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and pleases" [53:26]
"...And they cannot intercede except for him with whom He,
is pleased. And they stand in awe for fear of Him " [21:28]" If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you..." [39:7]
It is narrated in the Collections of Traditions (Ahadith) compiled by Imam Bukhari that Abu Huraira said that when he asked the Prophet (s.a.w): "Who shall be the most happy people with your intercession, O Prophet of Allah?" The Prophet said:
" He who says that there is no god except Allah, and says so with all the sincerity of his heart (or of his self)" [Bukhari]
It is narrated on the authority of Anas that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:
" Every Prophet has a plea responded to; and every Prophet hastened to make his plea while I withheld mine, so that I may intercede for my Ummah (nation) on the Day of the Judgement; and by the Will of Allah my intercession will include all of my Ummah who have departed from this world without setting up partners to Allah in worship " [Muslim]
There are several verses in the Noble Qur'an and several Ahadith (traditions) of the Prophet which emphasize the fact that worship is a right preserved for Allah Alone and it is not permissible to perform any worship to anyone other than Allah, whether they be the Prophets or any other person. They also emphasize the fact that intercession is with Allah the All-Mighty Alone as said in the Noble Qur'an:
" Say: To Allah belongs all intercession..." [39:44]
No one shall deserve the intercession except by His Permission. And He, the All-Mighty, will permit for intercession to persons who only believe in the Oneness of Allah as stated earlier. Therefore, the polytheists will not be granted intercession. The Noble Qur'an says:
"...There will be no friend, nor an intercessor for the Zalimun
(polytheists and the wrong-doers, etc.), who could be give heed to " [40:18]
The expression Zalimum (wrong-doers) in the above verse is interpreted as the polytheists; this is stated in another verse:
With regard to your question concerning some of the Sufis (mystics) who utter in the masajid and in some other places phrases such as 'O Lord, grant peace and blessings on the one whom you have ordained to be instrumental in the unfolding of Your Mighty Secrets and in opening the doors to the sublime lights of Your Mercy and who has thus become Your vicegerent and who has inherited Your Hidden Secrets... etc.' The answer to this would be:
All such utterances are nothing but pedantry and empty talk against which our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) has warned us. It is narrated in the Collection of Traditions (Ahadith) by Imam Muslim on the authority of 'Abdullah bin Masud that the Prophet (s.a.w) said:
" The pedants shall be doomed to destruction " [Muslim]
The Prophet (s.a.w) repeated this remark three times.
Imam Al-Khattabi has defined a pedant as one who delves into problems and issues, which are beyond his intellectual abilities, as was indulged by the scholastic theologians.
Abu-Sa'adat Ibn-al-Athir has said that the pedants are those who show extravagance in their speech and try to speak too loudly. The Arabic word for this expression Mutanatti' is derived from Nat' meaning forepart of the palate. Later, the word was used for every extravagant either in speech or action.
Any person, even with a minimum of intelligence, will understand from the above that such utterances referred to, in praise of our Prophet (s.a.w), is a form of affectation and pedantry forbidden in our religion. The correct approach for a Muslim in this context should be to learn the Traditional method of sending Salat (blessing) on the Prophet (s.a.w) Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim have narrated in their Collections on the authority of Ka'b bin Ujrah that the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w) said to the Prophet (s.a.w): O Prophet of Allah, we have been ordered to send Salat (blessings) on you; how shall we send Salat (blessing) on you?" the Prophet said:
" Say: O Lord, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; verily You are Praiseworthy and Glorious; and O Lord, grant Your benedictions to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You granted to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; verily You are Praiseworthy and Glorious " [Bukhari, Muslim]
It is also narrated in the Collections of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim on the authority of Abi Humaid As-Sa'idi that some people asked the Prophet (s.a.w): " How shall we send Salat (blessing) on you, O Prophet of Allah?" the Prophet (s.a.w) said,
" Say: O Lord, bless Muhammad, his wives and his children as You blessed the family of Ibrahim and grant Your benedictions on Muhammad, his wives and his children as You granted to the family of Ibrahim. Verily You are Praiseworthy and Glorious " [Bukhari, Muslim]
It is narrated in the Collection of Imam Muslim on the authority of Abi Mas'ud Al-Ansari that Basheer bin Sa'd said:
" O Prophet of Allah, Allah has ordered us to send Salat (blessing) on you; so how shall we send Salat (blessing) on you?" The Prophet remained silent for a few moments and then said, "Say: O Lord, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Ibrahim and bestow Your benediction on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You bestowed on Ibrahim in the two worlds; verily You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. This is the prayer taught to you " [Muslim]
All such utterances that are authentically attributed to the Prophet (s.a.w) should be the only utterances used by the Muslim whenever he seeks to pray for the Prophet and ask for Allah's benediction for him. A Muslim should abide only by these authentic words because the Prophet (s.a.w) knows best regarding the words that are to be used for him and he also knows best regarding the words that are to be used for his Lord. As regards, all the innovated and affected words and phrases besides the words which are loaded with the possibility of incorrect connotations such as the words mentioned in your query; such words should not be used because they are affected forms of speech and because they can be interpreted with false meanings and also for the reason they are different from the words selected by the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w). He has instructed his Ummah (nation) and he is the best informed among all human beings and the most righteous; he is the least inclined to affectations. May the best of peace and blessings from our Lord be on him. I hope that the discussion I have presented in these pages, supported by adequate proofs, shall suffice in explaining the truth of the doctrine of the Oneness of Allah and in exposing polytheism besides explaining the differences between the polytheists of the early ages and those of the later ages in this regard.
A person who seeks to know the truth should be convinced by the explanation given regarding the permissible form of Salat (blessing) on the Prophet (s.a.w). But if a person has no desire to know the truth, he can indulge in his own fanciful thoughts. Allah has referred to them in the Noble Qur'an and said:
" But if they answer you not (i.e. do not believe in your doctrine of Islamic Monotheism, nor follow you), then know that they only follow their own lusts. And who is more astray than one who follows his own lusts, without guidance from Allah? Verily! Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, disobedient to Allah, and polytheists)" [28:50]
In the above verse Allah the All-Mighty has classified the people in two groups with regard to their attitude to our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and his mission; One group responds to Allah and to His Messenger whereas the other group follows its own lusts and Allah says that those who follow their lusts are deprived of all guidance from Him.
We pray to Allah the All-Mighty, that we may be safe from becoming the followers of lusts and may Allah make you and all of us among those who always abide by the path of Allah and His Messenger (s.a.w) and by those who enlighten us about his Divine Law (Shari'a) and caution us against whatever is in violation of it, such as innovations and fanciful opinions. Verily, Allah is Magnanimous and Generous. Peace and blessings be on His slave and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and on his Family, his Companions and his followers until the Day of Judgement.
