Some Violations of Invocation - I

The one who invokes Allaah The Almighty should avoid some matters that
Muslims were ordered to avoid during invoking Allaah The Almighty
according to Sharee'ah )Islamic legislation( texts. Some of these
matters are:
1. Invoking any other than Allaah The Almighty.This is one of the
greatest violations as invoking any other than Allaah is major Shirk
)polytheism( that Allaah The Almighty does not forgive the slave for,
if he dies without repenting. Shaykh-ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyahand others
said that whoever makes mediators between himself and Allaah The
Almighty whom he invokes is considered a disbeliever by consensus.
Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid, "One of the types of major Shirk is to invoke the
dead and seek their help. This is the origin of Shirk in the world as
the dead can neither bring harm nor benefit to his own self or to any
one who seeks his help or asks for his intercession. This is done out
of ignorance of the one who should intercede and the One before whom
this intercession is made for him."
Shaykh Ahmad bin 'Eesa said, "It was established that invocation
combines many types of worship such as submitting one's face to the
one who is invoked, relying on him as well as submission and humbling
oneself. Whoever submits his face to any other than Allaah is a
polytheist whether he acknowledged it or not."
Despite the danger of this matter, you find people who belong to Islam
yet they invoke other than Allaah The Almighty. Those people might say
while they are at the sacred mosque or while performing Tawaaf
)circumambulation(: "O Muhammad!", "O 'Ali!", "O Husayn!", "Madad
Madad Ya Badawi!", "O 'Abd Al-Qaadir!" or "O 'Aydaroos!" These forms
of invocations are among the forms of invoking other than Allaah The
Almighty. Muslims should avoid invoking any other than Allaah The
Almighty in order to preserve their religion and Tawheed )Islamic
Monotheism(. They should also disapprove of the ones who invoke other
than Allaah The Almighty.
2.Supplicating Allaah The Almighty by means of prophets or righteous
people is one of the Bid'ahs that many Muslims commit.When invoking
Allaah The Almighty, some Muslims say, "O Allaah! I invoke you by
means of the status of your Prophet Muhammad," or "By means of the
status of your righteous slaves." This form of invocation is
innovated, as it did not take place at the time of the Prophetthe
rightly guided Caliphs or the righteous predecessors. Shaykh-ul-Islam
Ibn Taymiyyahsaid that invoking Allaah The Almighty by means of the
status of the dead is a Bid'ah according to the consensus of Muslims.
Shaykh Ibn Baazsaid,
"There is one type that is called Tawassul )intercession(, which is
invoking Allaah by means of the status of the Prophetor by his right
or self. For instance, one might say, 'O Allaah! I invoke you by means
of your Prophet, or by his status, or by means of the status of your
prophets or their right, or by means of the status of the righteous
people and so forth. This is Bid'ah )innovation( and leads to Shirk
)polytheism(. Invoking Allaah by means of any other is impermissible
whether this was by means of the Prophetor by any other person, as
Allaah The Almighty did not legislate this and acts of worship are
determined by Sharee'ah )Islamic legislation( texts with no room for
human reasoning."
Thus, there are other kinds of lawful Tawassul that are permissible
because of being proved by Sharee'ah texts. These are:
•Tawassul through the Names, Attributes and Deeds of Allaah.
•Tawassul through one's good deeds.
•Tawassul through the invocation of the righteous people.
3.Transgressing in invocation. Allaah The Almighty says )what
means(:}Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does
not like transgressors.{]Quran 7:55[ Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn
Taymiyyahsaid, "Transgression may occur by the multiplicity of
expressions or meanings." Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said, "This includes
forbiddance of any type of transgression in invocation and among what
is included here is the innovation in supplication either with regard
to time, place, quantity or way of performance."
'Abdullaah bin Mughaffalsaid that he heard his son saying, "O Allaah!
I ask you to grant me the white palace on the right side of Paradise."
He said to him, "O son! Ask Allaah to grant you Paradise and seek
refuge with Him from Hell as I heard the Prophetsaying:"There will be
people in this Ummah who transgress in purification and
invocation."]Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah[
One of the sons of Sa'd bin Abi Waqaassaid, "My father heard me
saying: 'O Allaah! I ask you to Grant me Paradise, its bliss, its
delight and such and such, and I seek refuge with you from Hell, its
chains and shackles and such and such.' Thus, he told me, 'O son! I
heard the Prophetsaying:'There will be people who transgress in
invocation.'Be wary of being one of them. If you were given Paradise,
you will be granted it along with all the good therein and if you were
saved from Hell you will be saved from it and all the evils therein."
]Abu Daawood[
Among the transgression in invocation are the following:
•Detailing in invocation
•Invoking Allaah The Almighty for a sin or for severing of kinship ties.
•Making invocation conditional like saying, "O Allaah! Forgive me if You wish".
•Exclusion in invocation. An example of this is what a Bedouin said,
"O Allaah! Have mercy upon me and Muhammad, and do not have mercy upon
any other one."
•Invoking Allaah The Almighty for something that is predetermined.
•Exaggeration in making rhyme in invocation.
•Exaggeration in raising the voice with invocation.