How Muhammad practised Shirk
From Part I
This leads us to our next point.
The Black Stone – A case of Islam’s blatant idolatry
This isn’t the only example of Muhammad endorsing or engaging in idolatry. Muhammad used to kiss the black stone which was part of the pagan shrine. Muhammad further enjoined Muslims to also kiss this idol as part of the rites that are performed during the pilgrimage to Mecca,
Narrated 'Abis bin Rabia: 'Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said “No doubt, I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 667)
Narrated Salim that his father said: I saw Allah's Apostle arriving at Mecca; he kissed the Black Stone Corner first while doing Tawaf and did ramal in the first three rounds of the seven rounds (of Tawaf). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 673; see also 675, 676, 679, 680)
This practice is clearly condemned by the Holy Bible, as we shall see shortly.
What makes this rather amazing is that even though Jalal knows this he still has the audacity to say that Muslims do not imitate pagan traditions and that Muhammad destroyed all the idols!
To truly dissipate the lie that claims that Muslims imitate pagan traditions, we remind the readers of what happened when the Prophet of Allah finally was able to retake the Ka'bah from the pagans:
he destroyed all of the idols that were in or around the Ka'bah (Bukhari and Muslim)
How then can Wood make such a false claim?
Jalal must have forgotten what the Holy Bible, which he copiously references throughout this “rebuttal”, says concerning kissing objects such as a black stone. In his “response” here Jalal appeals to the Holy Scriptures to demonstrate that the prophets also had a prayer direction, specifically the
Muslims are not obsessed with anything. They do what the Qur’an and even the Bible says to do: obey the Prophets. Allah said in the Qur’an,
{ He who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allâh} (4:80).
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament agree,
"Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chronicles
"And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" (Acts
Otherwise, why were the prophets sent, to be disobeyed? Muslims can never follow the Christian method of believing in the prophets by disobeying them. If Muslims follow this wicked path, they will never prosper.
And:
Surely, David Wood knows that Jesus frequently entered the
" And Jesus went into the
Surely, David knows that the
Jalal also quoted the Holy Bible to prove that Muhammad was a true prophet in his “reply” to the Pope:
Eradicating Shirk: When he entered the Ka’bah, the Prophet of Islamic Monotheism ordered that all the idols in and around the Ka’bah be destroyed, the idols that were being worshipped instead of Allah. He had these idols destroyed just as Allah ordered His ancient Prophets to do, "But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire" (Deuteronomy 7:5).
What does the Pope know about Muhammad? Can the Pope appear in front of his congregation and declare that Muhammad did evil when he destroyed the idols and called to the Oneness of the Creator of everything? (Jalal Abualrub, Muhammad: The Prophet of Mercy – 50 New & Humane Concepts Brought by Muhammad, edited by Alaa Mencke [Madinah Publishers and Distributors, June 2007], p. 136)
He also cited God’s inspired Scriptures in the material which he prepared for his debate against David Wood,
I will also prove Muhammad’s Prophethood through what he sent with and also through the standards for prophets set in the Bible to prove Muhammad’s superiority to any prophet mentioned in the Two Testaments. A Christian author once wrote: "Bible gives us a test to determine a true prophet." Therefore, we will use the Bible as a test. (Is Muhammad a Prophet?, p. 1)
Unfortunately for Jalal his repeated appeal to the Holy Bible comes to backfire against him since it conclusively proves that Muhammad was a false prophet who exhorted his followers to engage in idolatry.
According to the Holy Bible God forbids his true followers from fashioning images which are then taken as objects of worship:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” Exodus 20:4-5
“Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:18
Notice that bowing to and kissing an idol is considered an act of worship. The next reference shows what happens when an object commissioned by a prophet of God is venerated through religious gestures such as kissing, bowing or by burning incense to it:
“In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of
The bronze serpent that the righteous king Hezekiah destroyed was one that God commanded Moses to fashion:
“From
Here is an image that Moses was commanded to make which was subsequently destroyed once the people started venerating it. If this is what God did to an image fashioned by one of his greatest prophets why would he then change his mind and command Muhammad and his followers to start kissing a stone that can neither harm nor benefit anyone?
In light of this doesn’t the above example prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Muhammad did not eradicate idolatry completely but retained much of the pagan and idolatrous practices of the Arabs? Doesn’t this also conclusively demonstrate that, according to the very inspired source that Jalal appealed to in defense of his prophet, Muhammad was guilty of idolatry for kissing a black stone? Moreover, isn’t it clear that Abraham could not have commissioned the kissing of a black stone in light of the Bible’s express prohibition of venerating idols?
There is more to Islam’s idolatry. We now turn our attention to another case of Muhammad going against the inspired teachings of the Holy Bible, as well as violating his own commands.
Muhammad swears by someone other than Allah – More shirk from the so-called prophet of monotheism
The sacred prophetic writings expressly command true worshipers to take their oaths and swear only by the true living God,
“Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them,” Joshua 23:7
“By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.” Isaiah 45:23
“‘If you will return, O
Muhammad himself is reported to have commanded his followers to swear by Allah alone. He is even said to have warned against swearing by idols or by their fathers, which was an Arab custom at that time:
Narrated 'Umar: The Prophet said, “If anybody has to take an oath, he should swear ONLY by Allah.” The people of Quraish used to swear by their fathers, but the Prophet said, “Do not swear by your fathers.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 177)
And:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle met 'Umar bin Al-Khattab while the latter was going with a group of camel-riders, and he was swearing by his father. The Prophet said, “Lo! Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers, so whoever has to take an oath, he should swear by Allah or keep quiet.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 78, Number 641)
Again:
… An exclusive right for Allah, such as vowing, for example, should not be given to anyone or thing, except Allah alone. The Messenger of Allah… said… “He who intends to swear, let him swear by Allah or keep silent.” He, ... also said, … “He who swears by other than Allah, will have committed Shirk.” (Ibn Qayyim al-Jauziyyah, Zad-ul Ma'ad fi Hadyi Khairi-l 'Ibad [Provisions for the Hereafter Taken From the Guidance of Allah's Best Worshipper], translated by Jalal Abualrub, edited by Alaa Mencke & Shaheed M. Ali [Madinah Publishers & Distributors, Orlando Florida; First edition, October 2001], Volume 4, p. 320)
Finally, the following narrations are taken from a book written by a Muslim whom Jalal views as one of the greatest scholars that ever lived, and whom many Muslim scholars deem an innovator and corrupter of true Islam ( *; *; *) namely the late Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab. He is the man who is mainly responsible for the resurgence and revival of Ibn Taymiyyah’s Islamic views, such as Allah literally having specific bodyparts such as eyes and hands, beliefs that are held by the Salafi cult which Jalal belongs to:
The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever swears by other than Allah has committed an act of kufr or Shirk.” (Tirmidhee, Al-Hakim, declared saheeh by Albaanee in Irwaa #2561)
Ibn Mas’ood said: “That I should swear by Allah upon a lie is more preferable to me than that I should swear by another upon the truth” (Abdur Razzaq and Tabaranee, declared saheeh by Albaanee in Irwaa #2562) (Takhreej of Kitaab at Tawheed, posted by SalafiManhaj.com 2004, Chapter 41: Allah’s Words: “And Do Not Ascribe Partners to Allah when you know [the Truth]”, p. 21; See also Kitab At-Tawheed, by Sheikh ul-Islam Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, translated by the Compilation and Research Department Dar-us-Salam [Dar-us-Salam Publications Riyadh-Saudi Arabia, 1996], Chapter No: 42. (“Do not set up rivals unto Allah…”))
And:
The Messenger of Allah said: “Do not swear by your fathers: Whoever swears by Allah, let him speak the truth and the one for whom the oath is taken in the Name of Allah should be satisfied with it and whoever is not satisfied with it is not (one of the slaves) of Allah” (Ibn Maajah, declared saheeh by Albaanee in Irwaa #2698 and declared hasan by Ibn Hajr in Al Fath 11/536) (Ibid., Chapter 42: What has been said concerning one who is not satisfied with an Oath Sworn in Allah’s name?; Also see Kitab At-Tawheed by Dar-us-Salam, Chapter No: 43. What is said about the One who is not satisfied with an Oath taken by Allah's Name)
Amazingly, Muhammad not only violated the teachings of the Holy Bible he even went against his very own instructions by swearing by another man’s father, thereby committing shirk!
Chapter 4: The Prohibition Of Withholding While Alive, Only To Squander Upon One’s Death
2706. It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “A man came to the Prophet and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me, which of the people has most right to my companionship?’ He said: ‘Yes, BY YOUR FATHER, you will certainly be told.’ He said: ‘Your mother.’ He said, ‘Then who?’ He said: ‘Then your mother.’ He said: ‘Then who?’ He said: ‘Then your mother.’ He said: ‘Then who?’ He said: ‘Then your father.’ He said: ‘Tell me, O Messenger of Allah, about my wealth – how should I give in charity?’ He said: ‘Yes, BY ALLAH, you will certainly be told…’” (Sahih)
Comments:
… c. An oath can only be taken by the Name of Allah. It is not legal to take an oath over other than Allah’s Name, as in authentic Ahadith it has been made clear. The Prophet said: “Verily! Allah forbids you to swear by your fathers. If one has to take an oath he should swear by Allah or keep quite [sic].” (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 6108.) In this Hadith the oath taken by the father is either before the time when it was prohibited, or just part of Arabian culture, as a habitual custom. It was common in
The comments by the translator that Muhammad’s swearing may have occurred before a time when such oath making was prohibited is problematic for at least three reasons. First, Muslims such as Jalal believe that the Meccans are descendants of Ishmael and that both he and his father Abraham built the Kaba and instituted the rites of pilgrimage, a point which he himself makes here in his "reply" to Wood. This means that the people would have known and been informed that such swearing was forbidden by the God of Abraham. At the very least, Muhammad should have known this in light of his association and contact with both Jews and Christians.
Second, Muslims assert that Allah protected Muhammad from all idolatrous practices even before he allegedly became a prophet. If this if this were correct then wouldn’t Allah have protected his messenger from committing idolatry by swearing by someone’s father?
Third, Muhammad’s slip occurred after his alleged prophetic ministry began, during the time when Muslims believe that their prophet was receiving inspiration. In fact, earlier we read certain reports where Muhammad stated that he always spoke the truth and by inspiration. Again, if this were so wouldn’t Muhammad’s lord have gone out of his way to guard his prophet from committing such a sin after the “revelation” began to descend, during the time where Muhammad always supposedly spoke by revelation? Or does this mean that it was Allah who inspired Muhammad to make this idolatrous oath in the name of somebody’s father since the latter never spoke except by way of inspiration?
With that said it is rather obvious that this is another time where Muhammad failed to practice what he preached and was guilty of idolatry.
For more on this subject we suggest the following articles:
http://answering-islam.org/Muhammad/Inconsistent/oath_making.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/allahs_oaths.htm
As if the above examples weren’t enough to prove that Islam promotes idolatry and that Muhammad himself engaged in idolatrous practices, his followers went so far as to transform their prophet into another idol. That is the focus of our next section.
Islam’s other ilah (god) – The idolatrous veneration of Muhammad
Jalal continues to distort the facts. He quotes the following specific Qur’anic text to prove that Muslims pray to Allah,
(72:18).
The Masajid, (plural for Masjid), is the name of the Islamic places of worship.
He then later references the following passage,
… {"and accept our repentance; Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful"}, they prayed to Allah, Alone, just as Muslims after them pray to Allah, Alone,
And issues a specific challenge to Wood,
I challenge David Wood to bring evidence that when Muslims take the Ka'bah as the direction of prayer they in fact bow to the Ka'bah itself rather than pray to Allah in the Ka'bah's direction. This evidence can be in the form of what Muslims says in their prayer, such as, if they invoke the Ka'bah, or admire how high and beautiful it is, or say anything in the prayer that indicates they are bowing or praying to the Ka'bah.
In his haste to write a lengthy article in order to give the appearance that he is actually addressing and refuting Wood’s points Jalal failed to realize that he actually produced his own refutation. Far from praying to Allah alone the Muslims managed to turn their prophet into an object of worship (with Muhammad’s help of course!). For example, in the Qur’an Muhammad made it obligatory for his followers to come to him so as to receive forgiveness of sins:
We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allah's Leave. If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, HAD COME TO YOU (Muhammad) and begged Allah's Forgiveness, and the Messenger had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allah All-Forgiving (One Who accepts repentance), Most Merciful. S. 4:64 Hilali-Khan
The question that naturally comes to mind is how can Muslims continue to observe this directive now that Muhammad is dead? The scholars came up with the answer:
Although, this verse (64) was revealed in the background of a particular incident relating to hypocrites, yet its words yield a general ruling which stipulates that anyone who presents himself before the Holy Prophet and he prays for his forgiveness, he will be definitely forgiven. And ‘the presence before the Prophet,’ as it would have been during his blessed life in this mortal world, HOLDS THE SAME EFFECT EVEN TODAY as the visit to the sacred precincts of the Mosque of the Prophet and the act of ‘presenting’ oneself BEFORE THE BLESSED RESIDENT OF THE SANCTIFIED MAUSOLEUM FALLS WITHIN THE JURISDICATION OF THIS RULE.
Sayyidna ‘Ali has said: “Three days after we all had finished with the burial of the Messenger of Allah a villager came and fell down close to the blessed grave. Weeping bitterly, he referred to this particular verse of the Qur’an AND ADDRESSING HIMSELF TO THE BLESSED GRAVE, he said: ‘Allah Almighty has promised in this verse that a sinner, if he presented himself before the Rasul of Allah, and the Rasul elects to pray for his forgiveness, then he will forgive him. Therefore, here I am, presenting myself BEFORE YOU so that I may be blessed with YOUR prayer for my forgiveness.’ People personally present there at that time say that, in response to the pleading of the villager, a voice coming out from the sanctified mausoleum rang around with the words… You have been forgiven.” (al-Bahr al-Muhit) (Mufti Shafi Usmani, Maariful Qur’an, Volume 2, p. 486)
In other words, Muslims can continue to come to Muhammad by visiting his grave and pray to him! And according to the following narrative this is exactly what some Muslims did:
“Allah is instructing the sinners when they commit a sin to come to the messenger of Allah and ask forgiveness in his presence and then they ask him to request forgiveness. And certainly if they did that, Allah would relent towards them and have mercy on them, and for that reason He said "they would have found Allah Oft-Returning, Merciful.”
And Shaykh Mansur as-Sabbagh recollected in his book “The Perfections” (ash-Shama’il) the well-known (famous) transmission from ‘Utbi:
“I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet and a Bedouin came and said: ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet of Allah. I heard Allah say: “And if they had come to thee when they had wronged their souls, and asked forgiveness of Allah, and if the Messenger had also asked forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah Oft-Returning with compassion and Merciful.” And I came to you asking forgiveness for my sin, taking you as intercessor to my Lord.’
“Then he started reciting verses: ‘O You best of those whose bones are buried in al-Qa’a from the sweet scents of those bones the whole area of al-Qa’a and Akamu became perfumed. My self I sacrifice to the grave that you live in it is purity and in it is incredible generosity.’
“Then the Bedouin departed and sleep overcame me. And I saw the Prophet in my sleep and he said: ‘Ya ‘Utbi, follow the Bedouin and give him the glad tidings that Allah has forgiven him.’” (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir of Qur’an al-Adheem [Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, 1992/1412], volume I, p. 643)
Muhammad further taught his followers to invoke peace on him by addressing him directly in their daily prayers:
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abd al-Qari that he heard Umar ibn al-Khattab say, while he was teaching people the tashahhud from the mimbar, “Say, Greetings belong to Allah. Pure actions belong to Allah. Good words and prayers belong to Allah. Peace on YOU, Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and on the slaves of Allah who are salihun. I testify that there is no god except Allah. And I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger.”
'At-tahiyatu lillah, az-zakiyatu lillah, at-tayibatu wa's-salawatu lillah. As-salamu ALAYKA ayyuha'nnabiyyu wa rahmatu'llahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadi'llahi s-salihin. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa 'llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh." (Malik’s Muwatta, Book 3, Number 3.14.56)
This means that Muslims are speaking to and directly addressing a dead person in their daily acts of worship!
In fact, specific reports claim that Adam himself asked Allah to forgive him for the sake of Muhammad whose name he found written on Allah’s throne!
Al-Bayhaqi cited the following hadith in his book "Dala'il an-Nubuwwah" (Signs of Prophethood): Narrated 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab: the Prophet said: "When Adam committed the sin, he said to Allah, 'O My Lord, I ask You with reference to Muhammad to forgive me'. Allah said: 'O Adam! How did you know about Muhammad, for I have not yet created him?' Adam replied, 'O My Lord, when You created me, I looked up and saw inscribed on the legs of the Throne the words: There is no God worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. I knew that you do not attach to Your name but the name of the dearest of Your Creation.' Allah said to Adam, ‘You have spoken rightly, Adam. Muhammad is the dearest of My Creation. I have forgiven you because you asked by Muhammad. AND HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR HIM, I WOULD NOT HAVE CREATED YOU.’” This hadith was narrated by al-Hakim who also classified it as sahih (authentic). Among the transmitters of this hadith is 'Abd ar-Rahman Ibn Zayd Ibn Aslam. Al-Haythami said: “This hadith was reported by at-Dabarani and in its chain of transmitters are people I do not know. Al-Hakim was therefore mistaken in classifying this hadith as sahih because he himself criticised 'Abd ar-rahman Ibn Zayd Ibn Aslam in his book ad-Du'afa, so how can he state the authenticity of the hadith after he had criticised him?!!” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Part 1, Surah Al-Fatiah Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 1 to 141, Abridged by Sheikh Nasib Ar-Rafa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London: Second Edition 1998], p. 107, fn 10)
Talk about blasphemy! How could the name of a creature be inscribed on the throne of the creator without this being blatant idolatry?
Here are some other examples of Muslims praying to Muhammad after his death, beseeching his favors:
It is just as necessary to have esteem and respect for the Prophet after his death as it were when he was alive. This means to show it whenever the Prophet, his hadith or sunna are mentioned, when anyone hears his name or anything about his life or how his family and relatives behaved. It includes respect for the People of his House (ahl al-bayt) and his Companions...
Abu Humayd said, “Abu Ja'far, the Amir al-Mu'minin, had a dispute with Malik in the Prophet's mosque. Malik said to him, 'Amir al-Mu'minin, do not raise your voice in this mosque. Allah taught the people how to behave by saying, “Do not raise your voices above the Prophet” (49:2) He praises people with the words, “Those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah.” (49:3) He censures people, saying, “Those who call you...” Respect for him when he is dead is the same as respect for him when he was alive.”
“Abu Ja'far was humbled by this. He asked Malik, 'Abu Abdullah, do you face qibla when you supplicate or do you face the Messenger of Allah?' He replied, 'Why would you turn your face from him when he is YOUR MEANS and the means of your father, Adam, to Allah on the Day of Rising? I face him and ASK HIM to intercede and Allah will grant his intercession. Allah says, “If, when you wronged yourselves, they had come to you.”’” (4:64) (Qadi Iyad, Kitab Ash-shifa bi ta'rif huquq al-Mustafa (Healing by the recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K., third reprint 1991, paperback], Part Two. Concerning the rights which the people owe the Prophet, Chapter Three: Exalting him and the necessity to respect and honour him, Section 3. Respect and esteem for the Prophet after his death, pp. 237-238)
And:
Tirmidhi relates, through his chain of narrators from 'Uthman ibn Hunayf, that a blind man came to the Prophet and said, “I've been afflicted in my eyesight, so please pray to Allah for me.” The Prophet said: “Go make ablution (wudu), perform two rak'as of prayer, and then say:
Oh Allah, I ask You and turn to You through my Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy; O MUHAMMAD (YA MUHAMMAD), I SEEK YOUR INTERCESSION with my Lord for the return of my eyesight [and in another version: for my need, that it may be fulfilled. O Allah, grant him intercession for me"].”
The Prophet added, “And if there is some need, do the same .” (Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveller: The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law (Umdat Al-Salik) in Arabic with facing English text, Commentary and Appendices, edited and translated by Nuh Hah Mim Keller [Amana Corporation; Revised edition, July 1, 1997], w40.3, p. 935)
Finally:
Moreover, Tabarani, in his “al-Mu'jam al saghir, reports a hadith from 'Uthman ibn Hunayf that a man repeatedly visited Uthman ibn Affan concerning something he needed, but Uthman paid no attention to him or his need. The man met Ibn Hunayf and complained to him about the matter - this being after the death (wisal) of the Prophet and after the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar - so Uthman ibn Hunayf, who was one of the Companions who collected hadiths and was learned in the religion of Allah, said: “Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then come to the mosque, perform two rak'as of prayer therein, and say:
‘O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy; O MUHAMMAD (YA MUHAMMAD), I TURN THROUGH YOU to my Lord, that He may fulfill my need,’ and mention your need. Then come so that I can go with you [to the caliph Uthman].” So the man left and did as he had been told, then went to the door of Uthman ibn Affan, and the doorman came, took him by the hand, brought him to Uthman ibn Affan, and seated him next to him on a cushion. 'Uthman asked, “What do you need?” and the man mentioned what he wanted, and Uthman accomplished it for him, then he said, “I hadn't remembered your need until just now,” adding, “Whenever you need something, just mention it.” Then, the man departed, met Uthman ibn Hunayf, and said to him, “May Allah reward you! He didn't see to my need or pay any attention to me until you spoke with him.” Uthman ibn Hunayf replied, "By Allah, I didn't speak to him, but I have seen a blind man come to the Messenger of Allah and complain to him of the loss of his eyesight. The Prophet said, “Can you not bear it?' and the man replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I do not have anyone to lead me around, and it is a great hardship for me.’ The Prophet told him, 'Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then pray two rak'as of prayer and make the supplications.’” Ibn Hunayf went on, “By Allah, we didn't part company or speak long before the man returned to us as if nothing had ever been wrong with him.”
This is an explicit, unequivocal text from a prophetic Companion proving the legal validity of tawassul through the dead. The account has been classified AS RIGOROUSLY AUTHENTICATED (SAHIH) by Baihaqi, Mundhiri, and Haythami. (Ibid., w40.4, pp. 936-937)]
To say that these practices and traditions are problematic would be a wild understatement! The first problem that Jalal and his fellow propagandists face is that the Qur’an expressly says that those who are dead in their graves cannot hear:
Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear WHO ARE IN THE
The second problem is that the Muslim scriptures emphasizes the point that all prayers and invocations are offered only to Allah, and not to those who can neither profit nor harm someone, which includes Muhammad who is dead in the grave and cannot hear:
Say (O Muhammad): “Verily, my Salat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for God, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).” S. 6:162 Hilali-Khan
And invoke not besides God, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers). S. 10:106 Hilali-Khan
And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) besides God, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them? … Say: ‘I am not an innovation among the Messengers, and I know not what shall be done with me or with you. I only follow what is revealed to me; I am only a clear warner.’ S. 46:5, 9 Hilali-Khan
And the mosques are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah. S. 72:18
Even the so-called sound narrations agree with these specific Islamic texts that the dead cannot hear and that invocations and prayers must be offered only to Allah since these are all acts of worship:
Narrated Hisham's father: It was mentioned before 'Aisha that Ibn 'Umar attributed the following statement to the Prophet “The dead person is punished in the grave because of the crying and lamentation Of his family.” On that, 'Aisha said, “But Allah's Apostle said, 'The dead person is punished for his crimes and sins while his family cry over him then.” She added, “And this is similar to the statement of Allah's Apostle when he stood by the (edge of the) well which contained the corpses of the pagans killed at Badr, 'They hear what I say.' She added, “But he said now they know very well what I used to tell them was the truth.” 'Aisha then recited: ‘You cannot make the dead hear.’ (30.52) and ‘You cannot make those who are in their
And:
Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: The Prophet said: Supplication (du'a') is itself the worship.
(He then recited:) “And your Lord said: Call on Me, I will answer you” (xI.60). (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 8, Number 1474)
Again:
Abu al-‘Abbas ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas reported: One day I was behind the Prophet and he said to me:
“O young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you (have need to) ask, ask of Allah; and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. Know that even if the Nation (or the whole community) were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you with anything except that which Allah has already recorded against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”
[Al-Tirmidhi relates this and says: It is a good, genuine Hadith] (Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadith, Hadith No. 19; *)
Finally:
6- 931 - On the authority of Abu Tameemah al-Hajmeemee, on the authority a man from Blahjeem who said, ‘I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Who should I make Dua’ to?’
He said: ‘Call to Allaah Alone. If you were afflicted with harm and you supplicated to Him, He would relieve you of it. If you became lost in a desolate land and you supplicated to Him, He would return you to your place. If you were afflicted with drought and you supplicated to Him, He would produce vegetation.’ No. 420 (Ahadeeth Pertaining to Eemaan, Tawheed, Deen and Qadr, taken from Silsilah Ahadeeth As-Saheehah of Shaykh Al-Albaani, translated by Abbas Abu Yahya)
The hadith literature even records Muhammad informing his next of kin and companions that he could not benefit them before Allah:
Narrated 'Um al-'Ala: An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet that the Ansar drew lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. 'Uthman bin Maz'un was decided to dwell with them (i.e. Um al-'
And:
Narrated Abu Huraira: When Allah revealed the Verse: “Warn your nearest kinsmen,” Allah's Apostle got up and said, “O people of Quraish (or said similar words)! Buy (i.e. save) yourselves (from the Hellfire) as I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O Bani Abd Manaf! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment, O Safiya, the Aunt of Allah's Apostle! I cannot save you from Allah's Punishment; O
This perhaps explains why Muhammad’s followers were afraid of death since they knew that they would end up in hell but weren’t certain whether they would ever come out of it:
Muhammad b. Ja'far b. al-Zubayr from 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr said: The apostle sent his expedition to Mu'ta in Jumada'l-Ula in the year 8 and put Zayd b. Haritha in command; if Zayd were slain then Ja'far b. Abu 'Talib was to take command, and if he were killed then 'Abdullah b. Rawaha. The expedition got ready to the number of 3,000, and prepared to start. When they were about to set off they bade farewell to the apostle's chiefs and saluted them. When 'Abdullah b. Rawaha took his leave of the chiefs he wept and when they asked him the reason he said, 'By God, it is not that I love the world and am inordinately attached to you, but I heard the apostle read a verse from God's book in which he mentioned hell: “There is not one of you but shall come to it; that is a determined decree of your Lord,” and I do not know how I can return after I have been to it.' The Muslims said, ‘God be with you and protect you and bring you back to us safe and sound.’ … (Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad, p. 532)
And:
455w. Abu Nazrah reported about a man called Abu Abdullah from the companions of the Holy Prophet. His companions went to him to visit him in illness and he was weeping. They asked him: What makes you weep? Has not the Apostle of Allah said to you: Clip your moustache and stay firm on it till you meet me? He said: Yes, but I heard the Messenger of Allah say: The Almighty and Glorious Allah caught one handful with His right hand and another with another hand and said: This is for this, and this is for this, and I don’t care. I don’t know in which of the two handfuls I am. - Ahmad
1563. Here hold means party. Allah took one party of men in His right hand and another in His left and said that those who were in His right hand would go to
This narrative can also be found in the translation of Mishkat Al Masabih by Dr. James Robson, Volume I,
In order to avoid having to address these facts and admit that Muslims worship Muhammad –even though they vehemently deny that they do – Jalal may attack the veracity of all of these specific reports that mention Muslims praying directly to Muhammad in their daily salah and at his grave. He may question the hadiths which refer to people invoking Muhammad after his death to intercede for them.
Yet this approach will not work since these reports have been deemed to be completely sound, thoroughly authentic, by many of Islam’s renowned scholars. To therefore brush aside their veracity only exposes the sheer desperation of Muslim propagandists such as Jalal and further demonstrates the utterly chaotic and contradictory state of Islamic scholarship. After all, one often finds scholars of hadith contradicting one other concerning the grading of specific narratives such as in this case, i.e. Salafi polemicists such as al-Albani and his ilk who are against praying to Muhammad, especially at his grave, do everything they can to negate the authenticity of reports such as the blind man praying to Muhammad, whereas other scholars rigorously defend their veracity since their theology allows Muslims to pray to Allah through the mediation of others (known as Tawassul). This leaves the average Muslim – as well as non-Muslim – baffled as to what to believe and accept concerning such a vitally important topic, and Jalal’s denials or weakening of such narratives will do absolutely nothing to help clarify the issue or resolve these major problems.
We come to the end of part one, but we have more to say concerning the apotheosis or divination of Muhammad in the second part of our rebuttal.
Source: http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/abualrub/jalal_wood1.html
Continues on Part III
IHS
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