If You Are Confused In Your Affairs

Question :

Some people say that it is permissible to ask from the dead, claiming that the Prophet said, "If you are confused in your affairs, then seek help with the people of graves." Is this Hadith authentic?

Answer:

This saying is one of the fabricated lies against the Prophet ﷺ a fact that many scholars have pointed out, among them Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. He said in the first volume of Majmu' Al-Fatawa, p. 357: "This Hadith is a lie, which has fraudulently been ascribed to the Prophet ﷺ . All those who are well-versed in the Prophet's sayings agree on this point; it has neither been related by any scholar nor is it found in any book of Hadith."

The meaning of the saying in question is opposite of what the Qur'an and the Sunnah teach that our worship should be sincerely and purely for Allah alone, and that no partners should be associated to Him. And without a doubt, supplicating to the dead when in need or when all is well is from the greatest forms of Shirk.

Disbelievers of old, when they would be in trouble, would worship Allah Almighty sincerely, but as soon as their misfortune was removed, they would associate partners with Him:

"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"

And there are many other verses that convey a similar meaning. Present day disbelievers differ: they associate partners with Allâh Almighty in both good and bad times; in fact, the level of their Shirk increases during bad times, a fact which proves that their Shirk is greater and worse than the disbelievers of old, at least from this angle. And Allâh Almighty said:
"And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and worship none but Him alone, upright."

He also said:
"So call you, upon Allah making worship pure for Him. However much the disbelievers may hate (it)."

And:
"So worship Allah by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only. Surely, the religion is for Allah only."

And:
"Such is Allah your Lord; His is the Kingdom. And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmir (the thin membrane over the date-stone). If you invoke them, they hear not your call, and if they were to hear, they could not grant it to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you like Him who is the All-Knower."

This verse encompasses all that are worshipped other than Allâh, even if they are Prophets or righteous people. So supplicating them is Shirk and Kufr (disbelief), as Allâh Almighty said:
"And whoever invokes, besides Allâh any other god, of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely! The disbelievers will not be successful.