Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm - Ibn Taimiya - (2/201)

Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-MustaqīmIbn Taimiya

They would not gather at graves, nor would they deliberately seek to offer supplication there at all; rather, they would forbid any of their uninformed folk who tried to do so, as we have already mentioned.

The matter, therefore, can only be one of two possibilities:

Supplicating at graves is superior to supplicating elsewhere; or
It is not.

If it were indeed superior, it is impossible that such knowledge could have been hidden from the Companions, the Successors, and those who followed them. Would the three praiseworthy generations be ignorant of so tremendous a merit, only for later people to discover it? Nor is it conceivable that they knew of this great virtue yet neglected it, despite their eagerness for every good deed—especially prayer and supplication. A person in distress clings to every available means, even one tinged with some dislike. How, then, could they frequently find themselves in need of supplication, know of the alleged superiority of praying at graves, and still refrain from doing so? Such a claim is impossible both rationally and under the Sacred Law.

If, on the other hand, supplicating at graves is not superior, then deliberately choosing those sites for prayer is a misguidance and a sin—just like preferring any other location for which no merit has been prescribed: the banks of rivers, the foot of trees, shopfronts in the marketplace, the sides of roads, and countless other spots known only to Allah.

This line of reasoning is affirmed in several passages of the Book of Allah, such as His words:

“Or do they have partners who have instituted for them a religion that Allah has not sanctioned?” (Sūrat al-Shūrā, 42:21).

Since Allah has neither legislated nor recommended supplication at graves, whoever promotes it has introduced into the religion something for which Allah has granted no permission. The Exalted also says:

“Say: ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds—open or hidden—sin, wrongful oppression, associating partners with Allah for which He has sent down no authority, and saying about Allah that which you do not know.’” (Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, 7:33).

(1) The adjective al-ʿazim (the Tremendous) is omitted in MS T and in the printed edition. (2) MS D reads: thumma la yaqṣidūnahā (then they do not intend it). (3) Quran, Surah al-Shura 42:21. (4) Quran, Surah al-Aʿraf 7:33.

عند القبور، ولا يتحرون الدعاء عندها أصلا، بل كانوا ينهون عن ذلك من كان يفعله من جهالهم. كما قد ذكرنا بعضه. فلا يخلو: إما أن يكون الدعاء عندها أفضل منه في غير تلك البقعة، أو لا يكون. فإن كان أفضل لم يجز أن يخفى علم هذا عن الصحابة والتابعين وتابعيهم؛ فتكون القرون الثلاثة الفاضلة جاهلة بهذا الفضل العظيم، ويعلمه من بعدهم. ولم يجز أن يعلموا ما فيه من الفضل العظيم (١) ويزهدوا فيه، مع حرصهم على كل خير، لا سيما الدعاء، فإن المضطر يتشبث بكل سبب، وإن كان فيه نوع كراهة، فكيف يكونون مضطرين في كثير من الدعاء، وهم يعلمون فضل الدعاء عند القبور، ثم لا يقصدونه (٢) ؟ هذا محال طبعا وشرعا. وإن لم يكن الدعاء عندها أفضل، كان قصد الدعاء عندها ضلالة ومعصية، كما لو تحرى الدعاء وقصده عند سائر البقاع التي لا فضيلة للدعاء عندها، من شطوط الأنهار، ومغارس الأشجار وحوانيت الأسواق، وجوانب الطرقات، وما لا يحصي عدده إلا الله. وهذا الدليل قد دل عليه كتاب الله في غير موضع، مثل قوله تعالى: {أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَنْ بِهِ اللَّهُ} [الشورى: ٢١] (٣) فإذا لم يشرع الله استحباب الدعاء عند المقابر ولا وجوبه؛ فمن شرعه فقد شرع من الدين ما لم يأذن به الله وقال تعالى: {قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَنْ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَنْ تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ} [الأعراف: ٣٣] (٤)

(١) العظيم: ساقطة من (ط) والمطبوعة. (٢) في (د) : ثم لا يقصدونها. (٣) سورة الشورى: الآية ٢١. (٤) سورة الأعراف: الآية ٣٣.