Salafi response to above question is “NO”. They say that Rasool Allah [saww] has died and has no connection with this world. And if someone seeks help or benefit from Rasool Allah saww then he will become Mushrik. For example, they deduce from the following verse that Help can only be sought from Allah:
[Yusufali 1:5] Thee do we worship, and Thine aid (help) we seek.
[Yusufali 6:71] Say: Shall we call on that besides Allah, which does not benefit us nor harm us.
The problem with Salafi interpretation is this that:
It is very important to understand the above two facts. Let us seek some more guidance from Qur’an in this matter.
In verse 39:42, Allah is saying that it is He who takes the souls out at death.
[Yusufali 39:42] It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death;
But in verse 4:97, Allah says that Angels take the souls of men out at the time of death.
[Yusufali 4:97] When angels take the souls of those who die in sin against their souls
Is it shirk to say that angels take the souls out? Or should we believe that there is a Contradiction in Qur’an? Of course not.
Rule: It is neither Shirk nor Contradiction, but when Allah says that He takes the souls out, then Angels are already included in it allegorically, who take the souls out with the permission of Allah.
It is the case with Help and benefit too. There are verses in which Allah says that He is the only and sufficient Helper in absolute terms. The Salafi ONLY quote these verses. They interpret them absolutely literally and claim that it is shirk to seek help and benefit from Rasool Allah [saww].
Unfortunately they forget the other verses and Ahadith, which clearly show that Awliya Allah can also help and benefit us. The Salafi neglection of these verses of Qur’an and Ahadith are intentional, since such tactical amnesia is the safety mechanism via which they can avoid the Contradictions in their Beliefs.
In verses 4:123 and 4:45 Allah says that He is the Only and Sufficient Protector (Guardian).
[Yusufali 4:123] �whoever works evil, will be requited accordingly. Nor will he find, besides Allah, any protector (Waliyan)
[Yusufali 4:45] But Allah hath full knowledge of your enemies: Allah is enough for a protector (Waliyan),
But in verses 5:55 and 66:4, Allah says that He is Wali and along with Him, His messenger saww, true believers who establish prayers and pay Zakaat when they bow down (this refers to Imam Ali [as] who gave his ring to a beggar in state of bowing) are also the protectors/guardians.
[Pickthal 5:55] Your guardian (Waliukum) can be only Allah; and His messenger and those who believe, who establish worship and pay the poor due, and bow down (in prayer).
[Pickthal 5:56] And whoso taketh Allah and His messenger and those who believe for guardian (will know that), lo! the party of Allah, they are the victorious.
Is it associating partners to Allah, when we say that Rasool Allah (saww) and some believers are also our Waliys along with Allah?
And if we accept that Rasool Allah saww. and some believers are also our Waliys, does it mean that Allah is not the Only Wali (i.e. beside Him there are other Waliys too)? And does it mean that He is not enough as Wali?
The simple answer to above question is, contrary to Salafi claim that whole Qur’an is Literal, there are figurative expressions in Qur’an, which must be interpreted accordingly.
Rule: When Allah says that He is the ONLY and SUFFICIENT Wali, then Rasool Allah [saww] and some believers are already included in it allegorically.
(Allah has used the term Wali 43 times in the Qur’an in a sense that He is the only Guardian, or take no guardian beside him, and He is enough as Guardian and on four occasions, Allah has said that Rasool Allah [saww], some Momineen, Gabriel (as) and angels are also our guardians).
Salafi Tactics: You will find them ONLY quoting those verses in which Allah says that He is the Only and Sufficient Wali. And by quoting only these verses (and avoiding the other verses), Salafi try to create an impression that it is Shirk to believe that Rasool Allah [saww] can also be a Wali.
Unfortunately, normal Muslim brother and sisters, who don’t have enough and in-depth knowledge of Qur’an, are all too easily deceived by these Salafi Tactics and they also start thinking that the Wali can be only Allah and that fellow Muslims, who also deem Rasool Allah [saww] as a Wali, are committing shirk.
People criticize us for saying “Mawla” to Ali (as). They base their argument on the verse:
[Yusufali 4:123] �whoever works evil, will be requited accordingly. Nor will he find, besides Allah, any protector (Waliyan)�
We pray to Allah (swt) to give them the “Taufeeq” and “Ability” to see the other part of Qur’an and Hadith too and to take guidance from them.
In fact, saying “Mawla” to Ali (as) is the “Sunnah” of Rasool Allah (saww), when in the valley of Khum, he said:
“For whoever I am his Leader (mawla), ‘Ali is his Leader (mawla).”
So, we only follow the “Sunnah” of Rasool Allah (saw) , when we say “Ali Mawla”. And if these people still want to criticize us, then they have to first issue a fatwa of shirk against Rasool Allah (saww).
In verse 39:43-44, Allah says that there is no intercessor beside Allah.
[Yusufali 39:43-44] What! Do they take for intercessors others besides Allah? Say: “Even if they have no power whatever and no intelligence?” Say: “To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession
But in verses 19:87 and 43:86, Allah says that there are some people who can also intercede for us with the permission of Allah.
[Yusufali 19:87] None shall have the power of intercession, but such a one as has received permission (or promise) from (Allah) Most Gracious.
[Yusufali 43:86] And those whom they invoke besides Allah have no power of intercession;- only he who bears witness to the Truth, and they know (him).
Are we associating partners with Allah, when we say that Rasool Allah (saww) can also intercede for us by the permission of Allah? Are there contradictions in the Qur’an?
Rule: When Allah says that He is the sole Intercessor, then some pious people are already allegorically included in it, who intercede with the permission of Allah.
(Note: There are 10 occasions in Qur’an wherein Allah says that there is no Intercessor except him. And there are 7 occasions wherein Allah says that there are some pious people and angels who can intercede us, with Allah’s permission).
Salafi Tactics: They always quote ONLY those verses where Allah says that all intercession belongs to Him. But they totally neglect and discourage mention of those verses, that state that some other people and angels have also been given the power by Allah to intercede for us.
You will find Salafi often quoting the following verse with great stress.
[Yusufali 57:29] That the People of the Book may know that they have no power whatever over the Grace of Allah, that (His) Grace is (entirely) in His Hand, to bestow it on whomsoever He wills. For Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding.
By quoting these type of verses, the Salafi want to compare us (i.e. Shia and our Ahl’ul -Sunnah brethren, who believe that Rasool Allah (saww) has also been given the powers and authority to benefit us) to the Kuffar and Ahle-Kitab (Christians and Jews).
They try to prove that in the same way that the Kuffar and Ahle Kitab committed shirk by having such beliefs, the Sunni and Shi’a have likewise fallen into the quagmire of Shirk.
Sadly, by doing this, they completely neglect other parts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. See the following verses.
[Shakir 9:59] And if they were content with what Allah and His Messenger gave them, and had said: Allah is sufficient for us; Allah will soon give us (more) out of His grace and His Messenger too;
Is Allah himself committing shirk by saying that His Messenger can also GIVE to others along with Him?
[Yusufali 9:74] They swear by Allah that they said nothing (evil), but indeed they uttered blasphemy, and they did it after accepting Islam; and they meditated a plot which they were unable to carry out: this revenge of theirs was (their) only return for the bounty (Fadhl) with which Allah and His Messenger had enriched them! If they repent, it will be best for them;
And do we really associate Rasool Allah [saww] as a Partner to Allah when we say that he [saww] can also ENRICH the others out of his Bounty (Fadhl) along with Allah?
Salafi Tactics: Since all these kind of verses go directly against the self-invented definition of Shirk given by Salafi, therefore, they are compelled to neglect and avoid them. They discourage the mentioning of these types of verses, because they fear that it will lead the people towards Shirk.
We hope that our dear readers would now be able to better understand the evils of this literal approach. Let us go towards help from Rasool Allah [saww].
Salafi claim that Allah is the Only and Sufficient Helper. And we (Shias and our Ahle-Sunnah brothers), agree with them 100% on this statement.
Allah says in Qur’an:
[Yusuf Ali 4:45] But Allah hath full knowledge of your enemies: Allah is enough for a protector, and Allah is enough for a Helper.
[Yusufali 33:17]…Nor will they find for themselves, besides Allah, any protector or helper.
Now after saying that we agree with Salafi on this point (that Allah is the Only and Sufficient Helper), we would like to ask Salafi if they too agree with us on the following point:
Our claim is this that when Allah says that He is the Only and Sufficient Helper, then Rasool Allah [saww], Gabriel (as), righteous believers and angels are already included in it allegorically.
Please look at the following verse:
[Pickthal 66:4] If ye (wives of Muhammad) twain turn unto Allah repentant, (ye have cause to do so) for your hearts desired (the ban); and if ye aid one another against him (Muhammad) then lo! Allah, even He, is his Protecting Friend (Mawlaho), and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers; and furthermore the angels are his helpers.
Does this verse really mean that Allah is not the ONLY and SUFFICIENT Helper. Are there contradictions in Qur’an?
And do we really associate Partners to Allah when we believe that Gabriel (as), some righteous believers and angels can also be our Mawla (guardians) and Naseer (helpers), along with Allah?
If we still follow the Literal Approach and Self Defined definition of Shirk by our Salafi friends, then certainly we are going to make Allah himself a Mushrik (naudo-billah), and along with Him all those too, who believe in Whole Qur’an.
And please also look at this verse:
[Yusufali 4:75] .. Men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect (Waliyan); and raise for us from thee one who will help (Nasira) (us)!”
When Allah is enough as Protector (Waliyan) and Helper (Nasira), then why these people asked Allah for another person who should protect and help them? And when Allah is giving the attributes of Wilayat (protection) and Nusrat (help) to this person, then why to claim that no one other than Allah can Benefit us (either by protecting or helping)? Indeed there are pious people of Allah, who can Benefit us by the permission of Allah. And it is not shirk to take these Awliya (friends of Allah) too as our Protectors and Helpers, along with Allah (i.e. they are not separated from Allah in these attributes, but Allah has kept them with Him). And the opposite party is Shaitan and his Awliya (friends). If we take Shaitan or his Awliya as our Protector and Helper, then surely it is Shirk.
[Pickthal 2:153] O ye who believe! Seek help in steadfastness and prayer.
NOTE: There are a lot of more verses of Qur’an and Ahadith, where help and benefit has been sought allegorically by others than Allah. And one is not allowed to interpret them literally, otherwise several contradictions will appear in Qur’an.
And if Salafi are still not ready to accept the use of figurative expressions, then we challenge them to answer this question that why Prophet Yusuf (as) used the word “Rabi” (lord) for his Egyptian Master:
[Yusufali 12:23] But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: “Now come, thou (dear one)!” He said: “Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!”
Need we to comment any more about figurative expressions in Qur’an?
(For us it is clear that Yusuf(as) used this word in figurative sense, as he was grown up in the house of his Egyptian Master)
The above verse of Prophet Yusuf (as) is the biggest blow to the Salafi doctrine, and they are unable to digest it.
Maulana Maudoodi (Alaihi Rehma) is a famous Deobandi scholar from Pakistan and his “Tafheem-ul-Quran” is known as one of the best “Tafseer” of Qur’an vouched as a masterpiece by the Deobandi and Salafi alike. When it came to the above verse, he was unable to digest it and he tried his utmost to change the meaning of above verse, in order suit the aqeedah of the Salafi and Deobandi.
Let’s see what he wrote:
” Normally the “Mufassireen” (have committed a mistake and) taken from it that Yusuf (as) used the word of “rabi” (lord) for his Egyptian Master that how could he fornicate with his wife, as this would contravene his loyalty. But it is not suitable for the Prophets to commit a sin for the sake of others, instead of for the sake of Allah. And in the Qur’an too, there is no example that any of Rasool ever used the word of “lord” for anyone except Allah.”
It’s a very lame excuse from an Alim like Maulana Maudoodi. Qur’an is so clear on this point that there is almost no other “Mufassir” until this century who understood the above verse in a way that Maulana Maudoodi suggested.
Let us see the 2 preceding verses before verse 12:23.
[Yusufali 12:21] The man in Egypt who bought him, said to his wife: “Make his stay (among us) honourable: may be he will bring us much good, or we shall adopt him as a son.”
[Yusufali 12:23] But she in whose house he was, sought to seduce him from his (true) self: she fastened the doors, and said: “Now come, thou (dear one)!” He said: “Allah forbid! truly (thy husband) is my lord! he made my sojourn ????????? agreeable! truly to no good come those who do wrong!”
So, verse 12:21 is enough to explain that to whom Yusuf (as) addressed as “Rabi” (lord) in the verse 12:23 . That’s why all the Muafassirin up till now came to this same conclusion. But since this verse is in direct contradiction to the Salafi self-made doctrine of Tawheed and literalism, Maulana Maudoodi tried his best to give it an another shape, in order to accommodate the views of his Madhab and those of his Salafi friends.
[Even the Saudi published Qur'an in Urdu (which is distributed freely among the people in Pakistan) has also accepted that in above verse Yusuf (as) used the words of "lord" for his Egyptian master.]
After reading the “Commentary of Qur’an” by Maulana Maudoodi, it becomes clear that in case of Tawassul, he is even more extreme than Salafi from Saudi Arabia. This can be seen at several places.
For example, verse [20:96] says that there was Barakah in the dust from where Jibrael (as) passed away. Saudi published Qur’an in Urdu accepted this Barakah, even it is against though their doctrine. But Maulana Maudoodi in his “Tafheem” tried his best to change the meaning of verse and refused to accept any Barakah in it (in next chapter we will discuss on this verse [20:96] in detail Insha-Allah.
Allah uses the attribute of Karim for himself.
[Yusufali 27:40]…… truly my Lord is Free of all Needs, Supreme in Honour !”
Yet Allah in this same Qur’an also says about his Rasool [saww]:
[Yusufali 69:40] That this is verily the word of an honoured messenger;
Indeed Karim (honoured), when attributed to Allah then it is in it’s literal meaning, and when attributed to Rasool Allah [saww] then it is in it’s figurative/ allegorical meaning. Or do you believe that Allah is himself committing shirk by attributing his characteristic to others than him?
Qawi is an attribute of Allah, yet the Qur’an testifies that Rasool Allah [saww] is also Qawi.
Allah says about himself in Qur’an:
[Yusufali 22:74]…for Allah is He Who is strong and able to Carry out His Will.
And at the same time Qur’an says about Rasool Allah [saww]:
[Yusufali 81:20] Endued with Power, with rank before the Lord of the Throne,
Is Allah committing here shirk by attributing his Characteristic to Rasool Allah [saww]?
In fact, there are several times that Allah is be-stowing a mark of honour on his Prophets [as] by attributing some of his Characteristics for them in Qur’an. For example:
The same Attributes of Allah have been used By Allah for His servants too. But it doesn’t mean that these servants of Allah have become Shareholders of these Attributes with Allah. They are not the owner, but only given a part of it by Allah out of his bounty and mercy.
The Salafi cannot simply deny these established proofs from Quran and Sunnah by using their Conjecture (Qiyyas) only.
When we say Allah is Karim, then it is in Absolute/Real sense. And when we say that Rasool Allah [saww] is Karim then it is not in Absolute and Real sense, but we have to do Taweel (Elucidation) that this expression has been used here in figurative/ allegorical sense.
And if the Salafi are still not ready to accept that there is Majaaz in Quran which needs Taweel, then they surely make all the Muslims Mushrik, along with Allah and his beloved Rasool [saww].
In order to understand what is Tawheed and what is Shirk, it is very important to understand the difference between Special and Common Attributes of Allah (swt).
Special attributes are those, which Allah (swt) has only reserved for Himself. For example “Worship” is reserved for Allah only (for Signs of Allah i.e. Sha’ir Allah, there is only reverence, but no worship). Making Shariah is only a work of Allah and no one can make even a small law at his own.
Whole of Surah Ikhlas is full of these special attributes of Allah (swt):
[Yusufali 112:1] Say: He is Allah, the One and Only;
[Yusufali 112:2] Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;
[Yusufali 112:3] He begetteth not, nor is He begotten;
[Yusufali 112:4] And there is none like unto Him.
If Salafi don’t differentiate between these Special and Common type of attributes, then surely they are going to make all of us Mushrikeen along with Allah and his beloved Rasool (saww).
The highly praised Alim of Salafi “Abu Muntasir” writes in his famous booklet “Understanding the Evils of Innovations”:
“The Jahmiyya were a group of people, who denied the attributes of Allah using logic and argumentation, because they thought that would make Allaah similar to a man!”
But when we look at the behaviour of present day Salafi, it seems that:
“The present day Salafiyya are a group of people, who deny the attributes of Rasool Allah [saww], because they think that would make Rasool Allah [saww] similar to Allah!”
And Allah knows the best.