Sunni Islam: Worshiping & Submitting to Muhammad
The Quran teaches that true submission is when a person perfectly submits to Muhammad’s whims and decisions and goes to him for forgiveness of sins:
Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey Allah AND the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance). S. 3:31-32 Pickthall
We sent no messenger save that he should be obeyed by Allah's leave. And if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found Allah Forgiving, Merciful. But nay, by thy Lord, they will not believe (in truth) until they make thee judge of what is in dispute between them and find within themselves no dislike of that which thou decidest, and submit with full submission. S. 4:64-65 Pickthall
This is why the Sunni tradition mentions individuals who went to Muhammad after he was dead in his grave to obtain his intercession. The hadiths also show what happens when a person refused to wholeheartedly surrender to and embrace Muhammad’s decrees:
The Almighty says, “We sent no messenger except that he be obeyed”—that is, obedience to him was enjoined upon those to whom he was sent. Regarding His words, “by Allah’s permission,” Mujahid said: “No one obeys except by My permission,” meaning that only those whom He guides to do so obey them. This is like His saying, “Allah has surely fulfilled His promise to you when you were cutting them down by His permission” (Qur’an 3:152)—that is, by His command, decree, and will, and by His empowering you against them.
Regarding His words, “If only, when they had wronged themselves…” and the rest of the verse, the Almighty guides those who disobey and sin: when they err and disobey, they should go to the Messenger seek Allah’s forgiveness in his presence, and ask him to seek forgiveness for them. If they do so, Allah will accept their repentance, show them mercy, and forgive them. Thus He says, “they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful.”
A number of scholars, including Shaykh Abu Nasr ibn al-Sabbagh in his book Al-Shamil, have related the well-known story from al-‘Utbi. He said: “I was sitting by the grave of the Prophet when a Bedouin came and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Messenger of Allah. I heard Allah say, “If only, when they had wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad], and sought Allah’s forgiveness, and the Messenger had sought forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Accepting of repentance and Merciful.” I have come to you seeking forgiveness for my sin and asking you to intercede for me with my Lord.’ Then he recited:
O best of those whose bones were laid to rest in the plain,
Their fragrance made the plain and hills sweet.
May my soul be sacrificed for a grave you inhabit,
Within it are purity, generosity, and nobility.
“Then the Bedouin departed. I was overcome by sleep, and in a dream I saw the Prophet. He said, ‘O ‘Utbi, go after the Bedouin and give him the good news that Allah has forgiven him.’”
Regarding His words, “But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute,” the Almighty swears by His own sacred and exalted self that no one believes until they accept the Messenger as judge in all matters. Whatever he rules is the truth, and must be accepted inwardly and outwardly. Thus He says, “and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full submission”—that is, when they make you their judge, they obey you inwardly, feel no discomfort about your ruling, and comply with it both outwardly and inwardly, submitting to it completely, without resistance, opposition, or dispute.
As it is related in the hadith: “By the One in whose hand is my soul, none of you truly believes until his desires follow what I have brought.”
Al-Bukhari said: “Ali ibn Abdullah narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us: Ma‘mar narrated to us from al-Zuhri, from ‘Urwa, who said: ‘Al-Zubayr disputed with a man over an irrigation channel in the stony tract. The Prophet said, “Water your land, O Zubayr, then let the water flow to your neighbor.” The man from the Ansar said, “Is it because he is your cousin?” The Messenger of Allah’s face changed color, then he said, “Water your land, O Zubayr, then hold the water back until it reaches the embankments, and then let it flow to your neighbor.”’” (Q. 4:64-65: https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=64&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=1)
Another very unusual account of the occasion of revelation: Ibn Abi Hatim said: Yunus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla told us by recitation; Ibn Wahb informed us; ʿAbd Allāh ibn Lahiʿa informed me, from Abu al-Aswad, who said: “Two men brought a dispute before the Messenger of God, and he judged between them. The one ruled against said, ‘Let us take our case to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab.’ The Messenger of God said, ‘All right, go to him.’ When they came to him, the man said, ‘Son of al-Khattab, the Messenger of God ruled against this man in my favor.’ ʿUmar said, ‘You asked us to take the case to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, so we brought it to you.’ He said, ‘Is that so?’ The man replied, ‘Yes.’ ʿUmar said, ‘Stay where you are until I come out and judge between you.’ He went inside, took up his sword, then came out and struck down the man who had said, ‘Let us take our case to ʿUmar,’ killing him. The other man fled and went to the Messenger of God, saying, ‘Messenger of God, ʿUmar has killed my companion! By God, if I had not escaped him, he would have killed me too.’ The Messenger of God said…” (Ibid.: https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=64&tDisplay=yes&Page=3&Size=1&LanguageId=1)
“I never thought Umar would dare to kill a believer.” Then God revealed, “But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you judge between them…” [the verse]. The man’s blood was declared forfeit, and Umar was cleared of killing him. God disliked that this practice should become established afterward, so He revealed, “If We had prescribed for them, ‘Kill yourselves’…” (Quran 4:66) [the verse]. Ibn Mardawayh also narrated this through Ibn Lahi‘ah, from Abu al-Aswad, with the same account. It is an unusual, disconnected report, and Ibn Lahi‘ah is weak. God knows best.
Another chain of transmission: Al-Hafiz Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ibrahim ibn Duhaym said in his commentary: Shu‘ayb ibn Shu‘ayb told us; Abu al-Mughirah told us; Utbah ibn Damrah told us; my father told me that two men brought a dispute before the Prophet. He ruled in favor of the one in the right against the one in the wrong. The one ruled against said, “I do not accept that.” His opponent asked, “What do you want, then?” He said, “Let’s go to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.” So they went to him, and the man who had won said, “We brought our dispute before the Prophet and he ruled in my favor.” Abu Bakr said, “Then you are bound by the judgment of God’s Messenger.” But his opponent refused to accept it. The man said, “Let’s go to Umar ibn al-Khattab.” The man who had won said, “We brought our dispute before the Prophet and he ruled against him, but he refused to accept it.” Umar ibn al-Khattab asked him, and he said that was so. Umar went into his house, then came out with his sword drawn. He struck the head of the man who had refused to accept the ruling and killed him. Then God revealed, “But no, by your Lord, they will not believe…” [the verse]. (Ibid.: https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=1&tTafsirNo=7&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=64&tDisplay=yes&Page=4&Size=1&LanguageId=1)
Pay attention to the fact that a man goes to Muhammad’s grave and invokes the intercession of a dead corpse to save him. Also notice how Umar brutally beheaded a man in cold-blooded murder for rejecting Muhammad’s judgment, without his god condemning him!
The Bedouin wasn’t the only man who prayed to Muhammad to obtain Allah’s mercy:
1385. It was narrated from ‘Uthman bin Hunaif that a blind man came to the Prophet and said to him: “Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If you wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or if you wish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.” He said: “So he told him to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray two Rak’ah, and to say this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’aluka wa atawajjahu ilaika BI-MUHAMMADIN NABIYYIR-RAHMA.YA MUHAMMADU inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi Lituqda. Allahumma fashaffi‘hu fiya (O Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You BY VIRTUE OF THE INTERCESSION OF MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF MERCY. O MUHAMMAD, I have turned to my Lord BY VIRTUE OF YOUR INTERCESSION concerning this need of mine, so that it may be met. O Allah, accept HIS INTERCESSION concerning me)”. (SAHIH) (English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah: Compiled by Imam Muhammad Bin Yazeed Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by Abu Khaliyl (USA) [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition: June 2007], Volume 2, From Hadith no. 803 to 1782, 5. The Chapters Of Establishing The Prayer And The Sunnah Regarding Them, Chapter 189. What Was Narrated Concerning Prayer At Times Of Need, pp. 329-330: https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:1385; capital emphasis mine)
We find this narration in at-Tirmidhi’s hadith collection:
3578. ‘Uthman bin Hunaif narrated that a blind man came to the Prophet and said to him: “Supplicate to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If you wish, I will supplicate for you, and if you wish, you can be patient, for that is better for you.” He said: “Then supplicate to him.” He said: “So he ordered him to perform Wudu’ and to make his Wudu’ complete, and to supplicate with this supplication: ‘O Allah, I ask You and turn towards You BY YOUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD, the Prophet of Mercy. Indeed, I have turned to my Lord, BY MEANS OF YOU, concerning this need of mine, so that it can be resolved, So Allah so accept HIS INTERCESSION for me (Allahumma Inni As’aluka WA MUHAMMADIN Nabi-Ir-Rahmati Tawajjahtu Bika Ila Rabbi Fi Hajati Hadhihi Lituqda Li, Allahumma Fashaffi‘hu Fiya).’” (SAHIH)
[He said]: This Hadith is Hasan SAHIH Gharib, we do not know of it except through this route, as a narration of Abu Ja‘far, and he is someone other than Al-Khatmi, [and Uthman bin Hunaif is the brother of Sahl bin Hunaif] (English Translation of Jami‘ At-Tirmidhi: Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu ‘Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, translated by Abu Khaliyl (USA), ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: November 2007], Volume 6, From Hadith No. 3291 to 3956, Various Narrations On The Chapters Of Supplications, Chapter 118, p. 283: https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3578; capital emphasis mine)
What makes this invocation rather troubling is that Muslims continued to use this same prayer long after Muhammad’s death!
THE HADITH OF THE MAN IN NEED
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.
AUTHENTICITY OF THE HADITH OF THE BLIND MAN
Tirmidhi has stated that the hadith of the blind man is “a hadith that is well or rigorously authenticated but singular, being unknown except through his chain of narrators, from the hadith of Abu Ja’far, who is not Abu Ja’far Khatmi,” which means that the narrators of this hadith, despite Abu Ja’far being unknown to Tirmidhi, were acceptable to the degree of being well or rigorously authenticated in either case.
But scholars before Tirmidhi established that Abu Ja’far, this person unknown to Tirmidhi, was Abu Ja’far Khatmi himself. Ibn Abi Khaythama said: “The name of this Abu Ja’far, whom Hammad ibn Salama relates from, is ‘Umayr ibn Yazid, and is the Abu Ja’far that Shu’ba relates from,” and then he related the hadith by the channel of transmission of ‘Uthman from Shu’ba from Abu Ja’far.
Ibn Taymiya, after relating the hadith of Tirmidhi, said: “All scholars say that he is Abu Ja’far Khatmi, and this is correct.”
Reflect on this.
The hadith master, Ibn Hajar, notes in “Taqrib al-tahdhib” that he is Khatmi, and that he is reliable (saduq).
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr likewise says that he is Khatmi, in “al-Istii’ab fi ma’rifa al-ashab.” Moreover, Baihaqi related the hadith by way of Hakim and confirmed that it was rigorously authenticated (SAHIH), Hakim having related it by a chain of transmission meeting the standards of Bukhari and Muslim, which the hadith master Dhahabi confirmed, and Shawkani cited as evidence. Dhahabi and Shawkani, who are they? The meaning of this is that all the men of the hadith’s chain of transmission are known to top Imams of hadith such as Dhahabi (and who is severer than he?), Ibn Hajar (and who is more precise, learned, or painstaking than he?), Hakim, Baihaqi, Tabarani, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Shawkani, and even Ibn Taymiya.
This hadith was recorded was recorded by Bukhari in his “al-Tarikh al-kabir”, by Ibn Majah in his “Sunan”, where he said it was rigorously authenticated (SAHIH), by Nasa’i in “Amal al-yawm wa al-layla”, by Abu Nu’aym in “Ma’rifa al-Sahaba”, by Baihaqi in “Dala’il al-nubuwwa”, by Mundhiri in “al-Targhib wa al-tahrib”, by Haythami in “Majma’ al zawa’id wa manba’ al-fawa’id”, by Tabarani in “al-Mu’jam al-kabir”, by Ibn Khuzayma in his “Sahih”, and by others. Nearly 15 hadith masters (“huffaz”, hadith authorities with more than 100,000 hadiths and their chains of transmission by memory) have explicitly stated that this hadith is rigorously authenticated (sahih). As mentioned above, it has come with a chain of transmission meeting the standards of Bukhari and Muslim, so there is nothing left for a critic to attack or slanderer to disparage concerning the authenticity of the hadith. Consequently, as for the permissibility of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through either a living or dead person, it follows by human reason, scholarship, and sentiment, that there is flexibility in the matter.
Whoever wants to can either take tawassul or leave it, without causing trouble or making accusations, since it has been this thoroughly checked (“Adilla Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a , 79-83).It is well to review some salient features of the proof that was given , such as:
(1) that there are 2 hadiths, Tirmidhi’s hadith of the “blind man” and Tabarani’s hadith of the “man in need” to whom Uthman ibn Hunayf related the story of the blind man, teaching him tawassul that the Prophet had taught the blind man.
(2) Tirmidhi’s hadith is rigorously authenticated (sahih), being the subject of the above investigation of its chain of narrators, the authenticity of which is established beyond a reasonable doubt and attested to by nearly 15 of the foremost hadith specialists of Islam. The hadith explicitly proves the validity of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a living intermediary, as the Prophet was alive at the time. The author of the article holds that the hadith implicitly shows the validity of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a deceased intermediary as well, since:
The Prophet told the blind man to go perform ablution (wudu) pray two rak’as, and then make the supplication containing the words, “O Muhammad, I seek your intercession with my Lord for the return of my eyesight,” which is a call upon somebody physically absent, a state of which the living and the dead are alike.
Supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a living or deceased intermediary is, in the author’s words, “not tawassul through a physical body, or through a life or death, but rather through the positive meaning attached to the person in both life and death, for the body is but the vehicle that carries that significance.
And perhaps the most telling reason, though the author does not mention it, is that everything the Prophet ordered to be done during his lifetime was “legislation” valid for all generations until the end of time unless proven otherwise by a subsequent indication from the Prophet himself, the tawassul he taught during his lifetime not requiring anything else to be generalized to any time thereafter.
(3) The authenticity of Tabarani’s hadith of the man in need during the caliphate of Uthman is not discussed by the article in detail, but deserves consideration, since the hadith explicitly proves the legal validity of supplicating Allah (tawassul) through the deceased, for ‘Uthman ibn Hunayf and indeed all the prophetic Companions, by scholarly consensus (ijma’), were legally upright (‘udul), and are above being impugned with teaching someone an act of disobedience, much less idolatory (shirk). The hadith is rigorously authenticated (sahih), as Tabarani explicitly states in his “al-Mu’jam al-saghir.” The translator (Nuh Ha Mim Keller), wishing to verify the matter further, to the hadith with its chain of narrators to hadith specialist Sheikh Shu’ayb Arna’ut, who after examining it, agreed that it was rigorously authenticated (sahih) as Tabarani indicated, a judgement which was also confirmed to the translator by the Moroccan hadith specialist Sheikh ‘Abdullah Muhammad Ghimari, who characterized the hadith as “very rigorously authenticated,” and noted that hadith masters Haythami and Mundhiri had explicitly concurred with Tabarani on its being rigorously authenticated (sahih). The upshot is that the recommendedness of tawassul to Allah Most High – through the living or the dead – is the position of the Shafi’i school, which is why both our author Ibn Naqib Al-Misri, and Imam Nawawi in his “Al-Adhkar (281-282)”, and “al-Majmu” explicitly record that “tawassul” through the Prophet and asking his intercession are recommended. A final article below by a Hanafi scholar concludes the discussion. (Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Tawassul: Supplicating Allah through an Intermediary (From Reliance of the Traveller): http://seekersguidance.org/ans-blog/2011/07/02/tawassul-supplicating-allah-through-an-intermediary/; bold and underline emphasis mine)
Since Muhammad taught that invocation (du’a) is itself worship,
296. The excellence of supplication
712. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet said, “Nothing is dearer to Allah than supplication.”
713. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet said, “The noblest ACT OF WORSHIP is supplication.”
714. An-Nu’man ibn Bashir reported that the Prophet said, “Supplication IS WORSHIP.” Then he recited, “Call on Me and I will answer you.” (Aisha Bewley, Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari, XXX. Supplication https://aishabewley.netlify.app/adab4#supplicate; capital and underline emphasis mine)
3372. An-Nu‘man bin Bashir narrated that the Prophet said: “The supplication, IS WORSHIP.” Then he recited: And Your Lord said: “Call upon me, I will respond to you. Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell humiliated.” (SAHIH)
[Abu ‘Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Mansur and Al-‘A‘mash narrated it from Dharr, and we do not know it except from the narration of Dharr. [He is Dharr ‘Abdullah Al-Hamdani, trustworthy, the father of ‘Umar bin Dharr.]
Comments:
Supplication IS WORSHIP IN ITSELF, and for proof the Prophet recited the Verse of Surat Ghafir, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell humiliated.” This Verse shows that not begging His favors is a sign of scorn. As supplication IS THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP, and without its essence, the supplication is nothing but lifeless utterances. (English Translation of Jami‘ At-Tirmidhi, Compiled by Imam Hafiz Abu ‘Eisa Mohammad Ibn ‘Eisa At-Tirmidhi, From Hadith no. 3291 to 3956, translated by Abu Khaliyl (USA), Ahadith edited & referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir Zubair ‘Ali Za’i [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: November 2007], Volume 6, 45. The Book Of Supplications From The Messenger Of Allah, pp. 102-103 https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi/48/3; capital and underline emphasis mine)
This means that Muslims are worshiping a dead man buried in a grave in Arabia, thinking that he is God’s messenger who can save them by his intercession.
Thus, Islam is actually the religion of submitting to and worshiping Muhammad alongside his god.
Further Reading
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