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Bida`ee Tawassul Refutation Series (Athar of Ayesha RA)

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Written by Asim ul Haq

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The Athar

Imam Dārimī Relates from Abu al-Jawza’ Aws bin ‘Abdullah: The people of Medina were in the grip of a severe famine. They complained to ‘A’ishah (about their terrible condition). She told them to go towards the Prophet’s grave and open a window in the direction of the sky so that there is no curtain between the sky and the grave. The narrator says they did so. Then it started raining heavily; even the lush green grass sprang up (everywhere) and the camels had grown so fat (it seemed) they would burst out due to the over piling of blubber. So the year was named as the year of greenery and plenty.

Sunan Darimi Volume 001, Page 227, Hadith Number 093

Reply

Hafiz Ibn Jozi mentioned under the chapter "في الاستسقاء بقبره صلى الله عليه وسلم "Istesqa with the grave of Prophet peace be upon him"[Al Wafa be Tareef Fadhaail e Mustafa]

Note: Chapter does not mean this is the aqeedah of Ibn Jozi neither the chapter says Asking help from Prophet peace be upon him is allowed, It simply means he will narrate ahadith related to this chapter, Ibne Jozi himself 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 for scholars O my leader O My shaykh so and so (Ya Sayyadi Ya Sayyadi Fulaan).. so he associated other partner with Alllah
تذكرة اولى البصائر page 22 Publishers (Dar Ibne Katheer Beruit Taba 1424)

He also said

One of there habbit is that on the 15th night of shaban they visit the graves... and they take the mud from the grave of saint [ Talbees Iblees of ibn e jozi تلبيس إبليس/الباب الثاني عشر chapter تلبيس إبليس على جمهور العوام]

see alsi Ibn Jozi VS The aqeedah of brelviyah on asking help from the dead.

Coming back to the hadith, One of the narrator is Saeed bin Zaid, Who is trustworthy but he is not evidence in his lone narrations and This is Jarah Mufassir

a) Ibne Hibban said
وكان صدوقا حافظا ممن كان يخطىء في الأخبار ويهم في الآثار حتى لا يحتج به إذا انفرد
He is truthful Hafiz who makes mistakes in narrations and Waham in Athaar he is not evidence in his lone narrations[Kitab al Majroheen by Ibne Hibban under the biography of Saeed bin Zaid]

Note: This narration is also in his(saeed bin zaid) lone narrations, so this is weak, And the people who are using this hadeeth as evidence they claim that we need mutwatir ahadeeth for creed, How strange! they are going against their own rule (i.e) using weak ahdeeth of lone narrators for their false creed?

Below is The reply taken from ISLAM QA and i believe it is sufficient for this Narration, let us see from text of this athar, It is no where proving Tawassul and Istegatha.

b) Islam QA says

This hadeeth is not proof for what the extreme Sufis believe about it being permissible to seek rain by the help of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). You cannot find in the hadeeth anything which indicates that, by any stretch of the imagination. The most that can be said is that it shows how Allaah honoured his Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he died, as al-Daarimi described in his Musnad in the chapter heading under which he included this hadeeth. This is the blessing of his pure body and his honour before Allaah. But that does not mean that it is permissible for the Muslims to go to him and seek his help whilst he is in his grave. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not do that, rather they opened a hole in the roof of his room so that it might be directly open to the sky, but none of them asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for rain, and they did not speak to him concerning that.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (p. 338)

Going to graves to offer supplication beside them, and seeking a response to du’aa’ offered there more than du’aa’s offered elsewhere, is something that was not prescribed by Allaah or His Messenger, and was not done by any of the Sahaabah, Taabi’een or imams of the Muslims. It was not mentioned by any of the earlier scholars or righteous men. Rather most of what has been narrated concerning that comes from some of the later figures, after the second century (AH).

The companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were faced with drought several times, and other calamities befell them, but did they come and seek rain and seek help at the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?

Rather ‘Umar went out with al-‘Abbaas and sought rain through him, i.e. through his du’aa’; he did not pray for rain by the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Indeed it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that she uncovered he grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so that rain might fall on it, because it (rain) is a mercy, but she did not pray for rain there, or seek divine help there. End quote.

Thus it is clear that there is no evidence in this report for the Sufis that it is permissible to seek help from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or to seek to draw closer to Allaah by means of him or his status.

And Allaah knows best.

Source: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/103585

Moreover Prophet Peace be Upon him himself said

Imam Ahmad reported that a man of Balhajim said: "O Messenger of Allah, what are you calling for'' He said:

«أَدْعُو إِلَى اللهِ وَحْدَهُ الَّذِي إِنْ مَسَّكَ ضُرٌّ فَدَعَوْتَهُ كَشَفَ عَنْكَ، وَالَّذِي إِنْ أَضْلَلْتَ بِأَرْضٍ قَفْرٍ فَدَعَوْتَهُ رَدَّ عَلَيْكَ، وَالَّذِي إِنْ أَصَابَتْكَ سَنَةٌ فَدَعَوْتَهُ أَنْبَتَ لَك»

(I am calling people to Allah Alone, the One Who, if you call on Him when harm befalls you, will relieve you; and when you are lost in the wilderness, you call on Him and He brings you back: and when drought (famine) strikes, you call on Him and He makes your crops grow.)

Musnad Ahmad hadith no: 19718 Quoted by Ibne Kathir In his Commentary of Quran Under 27:62

Source of Musnad Ahmad: http://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/مسند_أحمد_بن_حنبل/مسند_البصريين/24

Prophet peace be upon him Never said when Drought Strikes, You Call on Me and I can Help youProphet peace be upon him told us everything, we challenge these sufis show us single hadith where Prophet peace be upon him said visit my grave and ask me i will help you.

For detailed Critic on the chain

http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showpost.php?p=8698&postcount=13

Kuffar pray in front of Idols and with the Wasilah of Idols and their prayers are Accepted ,then Rain comes to them, Help comes to them , Afiyah comes to them as Allah says (in Bani Israeel:20) On each these as well as those We bestow from the bounties of your Lord. And the bounties of your Lord can never be forbidden[Page 123 with the tehqeeq of Shaykh Mashoor bin Hasan aal Salmaan publihed by دار ابن القيم للنشر والتوزيع ، الدمام ، ط 1 ، 1410 هـ / 1990 م]
On page 139 he said
فإن قصد القبور للدعاء رجاء الإجابة فمنهي عنه، وهو إلى التحريم أقرب. والصحابة رضي الله
عنهم - وقد أجدبوا مراتٍ - ودهمتهم نوائب بعد موته (، فهلا جاءوا فاستسقوا واستغاثوا عند قبر
النبي ( وهو أكرم الخلق على الله عز وجل، بل خرج فيهم سيدنا عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه
بالعباس عم النبي ( إلى المصلى فاستسقى به، ولم يستسقوا عند قبر النبي (.
فاقتد أيها المسلم إن كنت عبد الله بسلفك الصالح، وتحقق التوحيد الخالص؛ فلا تعبد إلا الله، ولا
تشرك بربك أحداً، كما أمر الله تعالى بقوله: (فإياي فاعبدون)، وقال تعالى: (فمن كان يرجو لقاء ربه
فليعمل عملاً صالحاً ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحداً). فلا تعبد إلا إياه ولا تد ع إلا هو، ولا تستعن إلا به،
فإنه لا مانع ولا معطي ولا مضار ولا نافع إلا هو سبحانه وتعالى، لا إله إلا هو عليه توكلت وإليه
أنيب

Comment: This book is publish by مكتبة القرآن بولاق Qahirah with the Tahqeeq of Mustafa Ashoor Also دار الكتب العلمية للنشر with the Tahqeeq of Mustafa Abdul Qadir Ata, Shaykh Mashoor bin Hasan aal Salmaan also did tehqeeq of this book Published by دار ابن القيم للنشر والتوزيع ، الدمام ، ط 1 ، 1410 هـ / 1990 م

Hafiz Ibn Katheer said

The AITEQAAD(creed) regarding her is not applicable for righteous women like her, The Origon of Idol worship is Exaggeration for graves and people of graves(the person who is in the grave), That is why Prophet peace be upon him ordered to level and Obliterate the graves, and Exaggerating for any Man is Prohibited(end quote)

Now i want to quote Imam ad-Dahabee which will clear all the things regarding this narrations Insha'Allah

shortly It says that Prayer is answered since the graves of pious is blessed and the dua is answered like the dua is answered while traveling , dua is answered after obligatory prayers dua is answered in masjid in fact, Dua is accepted in any place and this is agreed upon
[Seray Ailam an-Nubala 9/324,344]

Comment: So according to muhadditheen Prayer is answered everywhere not only on the grave of Prophet peace be upon him or any pious person, and according to muhadditheen grave of pious is blessed as said by ad-Dahabee, Darami and Islam QA above, according to Muhadditheen asking the needs from the person in grave is shirk as Dahabee clearly said.

Conclusion:

1. This athar is weak
2. This athar is not mutwatir and asharies need mutwatir hadeeth for creed.
3. This athar is not proving any kind of asking dead or tawassul from the essance of Prophet peace be upon him. In fact it is against these people No where sahaba asked help from Prophet peace be upon him.

Related Links

Companions rejected this act

http://www.systemoflife.com/articles/aqeedah/195-umar-bin-al-khattab-and-grave-worship

also see detailed analysis on this hadeeth: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/92384079/Was-a-window-opened-above-the-Prophet's-grave-for-rain

Tawassul: Islamic vs. bid’ah

http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/3297/

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