Fatwa ID: 07906

 

 

Answered by Alimah Saniyah bint Asrar

 

Question

 

Is it true that the majority of the Ummah is Ashari Maturidi and does istigatha? I was so shocked when a guy told me that all Ashari Maturidi except Deobandis allow istigatha…..what is the ruling on such people who do istigatha??

 

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

Istighāthah, or seeking help, has different rulings based on its context:

 

Permissible Istighāthah:

 

Seeking assistance from creation within the scope oof asbāb al-zāhirah such as consulting a doctor for medical treatment or using means prescribed in the Sharī‘ah like prayer—is allowed. These are means established by repeated experience (‘ādah, while believing that the ultimate source of help is Allah. For instance, asking a skilled person for assistance while acknowledging Allah’s control over the outcomes does not constitute shirk.

 

Prohibited Istighāthah:

 

Seeking help from beings other than Allah for matters of the unseen (al-umūr al-ghaybiyyah), such as asking the dead for assistance or requesting weather changes, can risk resembling shirk. This mirrors the actions of the mushrikūn, who attributed independent powers to idols or beings, believing they could grant provisions, intercede, or bring benefit without Allah’s will.

 

However, the Istighāthah that many of the Ash’ari and Maturidi scholars believed in and deemed permissible was praying to Allah, asking something from Him, with the belief that only He is in power to respond, but asking Allah by way of His love for someone such as the Prophet (saw) or by way of that persons’ previous good deeds.

 

This is a practice that was done even by the Sahabas as is mentioned in Sahih al Bukhari:

 

Whenever drought threatened them, `Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin `Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, “O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain.”(1) And so it would rain.

 

 

Only Allah knows best

Written by Alimah Saniyah bint Asrar

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

 

صحيح البخاري – ط السلطانية ٥/‏٢٠ 

حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ :  حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، عَنْ ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ﵁: «أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ: كَانَ إِذَا قُحِطُوا اسْتَسْقَى بِالْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا ﷺ فَتَسْقِينَا، وَإِنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِعَمِّ نَبِيِّنَا فَاسْقِنَا، قَالَ: فَيُسْقَوْنَ».

 

 

مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح ٣/‏١١١٣

– (وَعَنْ أَنَسٍ: أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ كَانَ إِذَا قُحِطُوا): عَلَى بِنَاءِ الْمَجْهُولِ. (اسْتَسْقَى بِالْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلَبِ) أَيْ: تَشَفَّعَ بِهِ فِي الِاسْتِسْقَاءِ بَعْدَ اسْتِغْفَارِهِ وَدُعَائِهِ. (فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا) ﷺ. (فَتَسْقِينَا) بِفَتْحِ حَرْفِ الْمُضَارَعَةِ وَضَمِّهَا. (وَإِنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِعَمِّ نَبِيِّنَا، فَاسْقِنَا): بِالْوَجْهَيْنِ. (قَالَ: فَيُسْقَوْنَ): قَالَ عَقِيلُ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ:

بِعَمِّي سَقَى اللَّهُ الْبِلَادَ وَأَهْلَهَا … عَشِيَّةَ يَسْتَسْقِي بِشَيْبَتِهِ

عُمَرُ تَوَجَّهَ بِالْعَبَّاسِ بِالْجَدْبِ دَاعِيًا … فَمَا جَازَ حَتَّى جَاءَ بِالدِّيمَةِ الْمَطَرُ

(رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ): قَالَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ: وَاسْتَسْقَى مُعَاوِيَةُ بِيَزِيدَ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَسْقِي بِخَيْرِنَا وَأَفْضَلِنَا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْتَسْقِي بِيَزِيدَ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ، يَا يَزِيدُ: ارْفَعْ يَدَيْكَ إِلَى اللَّهِ، فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ وَرَفَعَ النَّاسُ أَيْدِيَهُمْ، فَثَارَتْ سَحَابَةٌ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ كَأَنَّهَا تُرْسٌ، وَهَبَّتْ رِيحٌ فَسُقُوا حَتَّى كَادَ النَّاسُ لَا يَبْلُغُونَ مَنَازِلَهُمْ.