Seeking blessings (Tabarruk) from Maktabah Makkah

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Question: [There are] some ignorant pilgrims (Hujjaaj) who come to Maktabah Makkah[1] and they rub and touch its walls, and they seek blessings (Barakah) from it citing as proof that it is the birthplace of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). So what is the ruling upon their action? And what is our duty regarding them? Answer: This is from the general principle and [known] from the general and the specific evidences: that it is not allowed to seek blessings (atTabarruk) from buildings, stones, trees, houses and other than that. But rather al-Barakah (blessing) is only sought from Allaah the Majestic and the Most High. For indeed blessing is from Him and He is the One Who bestows the blessing and therefore al-Barakah is requested from Him alone and sought from Him the Most Perfect and the Most High. He the Most Perfect and the Most High did not place al-Barakah in a place named Daar al-Mawlid! Who said this? Did the Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) go to this house or did the Sahabah go to this house? Did the Salaf as-Saalih and the Scholars up until the contemporary times go to it? Rather this house was never even mentioned and it only became known recentlyand even if it was confirmed that it is the house where the Messenger of Allaah was born; then it is like any other house and does not possess any unique excellence except when supported by evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
1 [Translators Note] Maktabah Makkah is a small library situated next to the Masjid al-Haram near Mount Marwa in Ghazzah, Makkah. Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan Aqeedatul-Haaj Fee dawil-Kitaab was-Sunnah, p26. Translated by Abu Abdillaah al-Kashmiree

Sheikh Salih Al Munajjid fatwa...

People come to the house of his deceased grandfather and seek blessing from its water. What should he do? Question: My friends grandfather was well known for his ability to expel the jinn, but he believes and Allaah knows best that he did not interact with them according to Islamic shareeah, because according to what my friend says, his grandfather did not pray. Now, after the death of his grandfather, people come to the place where this grandfather lived, seeking blessing thereby. Beside this house there is a tap to which the people come to take water from it, believing it to be blessed, and they leave money beside this tap. My question is: what advice can you offer my friend? Should he break this tap or what? Is the money that is left beside this tap haraam?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: It is not permissible to seek blessing from the relics of anyone except the Prophets, whether those from whom blessing is sought are righteous or evildoers. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. But the fact that people are seeking blessing from one who did not pray is indicative of profound ignorance and heedlessness, and shows how great is the peoples need to learn sound aqeedah that will save them from misguidance. The evidence that it is not permissible to seek blessing from the relics of anyone other than the Prophets is the fact that there is no report that any of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sought blessings from Abu Bakr, Umar or anyone else among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). If that had been something good, they would have done it before us. Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), none of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything of that nature with regard to those who succeeded him as leaders. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not leave behind in the ummah anyone who was better than Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him), who was his successor, and he did not do anything of that sort, and neither did Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), and they were the best of the ummah after him. Neither did Uthmaan, or Ali, or any of the Sahaabah, and there is no one in the ummah who is better than them. There is no report from any of them via any sound isnaad that they sought blessings in any of these ways or similar ways. Rather they limited themselves to emulating the actions, words and conduct of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So there is consensus among them that all such things should be avoided. End quote from al-Itisaam, 1/482 Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is no one from whose relics blessing may be sought except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). No blessing should be sought from the relics of anyone else. Blessings may be sought from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his lifetime and after his death, so long as those relics remain. For example, Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) had a vessel of silver in which were a few hairs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by means of which the sick sought healing. If a sick person came, she would pour some water over these hairs, then stir it, then give it to the sick person. But in the case of anyone other than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it is not permissible for anyone to seek blessing from his saliva, sweat, garment or anything else rather that is haraam and is a kind of shirk. End quote from Majmoo al-Fataawa, 2/107 Secondly: Your friend has to do two things: 1 He should warn people against this haraam means of seeking blessing, if he is able to do so. Otherwise, he should seek the help of knowledgeable people to guide the people to the truth and show them the right way, and warn them against corrupt beliefs that will lead them to shirk and bidah (innovation). 2 He should get rid of this tap by removing it, cutting off the water supply and so on. He has an example to follow in Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who cut down the tree of al-Hudaybiyah

when he heard that some people were praying at the tree. Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Ibn Waddaah said: I heard Eesa ibn Yoonus, the mufti of the people of Tarsoos, saying: Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) ordered that the tree beneath which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had received the oath of allegiance (bayah) be cut down, because the people were going and praying beneath it, and he feared that they might fall into fitnah. End quote from al-Itisaam, 1/448 Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I found with Ibn Sad a saheeh isnaad from Naafi, saying that Umar heard that some people were going to the tree and praying there, so he warned them (not to do that), then he ordered that it be cut down, and it was cut down. End quote from Fath alBaari, 7/513 Thirdly: Whatever of this money he has taken, there is no sin on him for that, because it is money that people gave willingly and has no owner, so it is permissible for him to have taken it. But it is not permissible for him to approve of this evil deed in order to take the money, rather he must do what is mentioned above: explain to people and put an end to this evil. It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daaimah (23/227), with regard to making use of things that are donated to the awliya and the righteous: but if the things that are donated to the awliya and the righteous are things other than sacrifices, such as bread, dates, chickpeas, sweets and other things the permissibility of which as food does not depend on the manner of slaughter, then you should avoid distributing them to the people because that entails propagating innovation and cooperating in spreading it, taking part in the manifestation of shirk and approving of it. But they come under the ruling on property whose owners have forsaken it and left it for whoever wants to take it, so whoever takes any of it, there is no sin on him.

Detailed Discussion On the Issue of Tabarruk

Assalamu Alaykum Basically the argument that the sufis and shia put forth regarding tabarruk is a story of Ahmad ibn Hanbal's son asking Ahmad ibn Hanbal about touching the minbar of the Prophet peace be upon him and seeking blessings from it (Yatabarrak) by touching it, kissing it and doing the same thing with the graves in order to get closer to Allah and Imam Ahmad allegedly replied back to him saying that its okay. This story is to be found in Al I'lal wa Ma'rifatil Rijaal, (492/2) However, this conflicts with what Al Athram reports. Al Athram was a trustworthy person who took things directly from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. (see Taqreeb Al Tahzheeb, 84/1) Al Athram reports I saw the people of knowledge in Madina not touching the grave of the Prophet peace be upon him. They go from one direction and send their greetings (Al Mughni, 559/3, Al Furoo, 573/2 and Wafa Al Wafaa, 1403/4.) Ibn Hajar al Haytami said: The two reports about Ahmad conflicted. Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani mentioned that the friends of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal used to stay away from this practice. (Fathul Bari 475/3 and Wafa Al Wafaa, 1404/4) Ibn Hajar Al Haytami said that the prohibition of this is found in the Hanbali book Al Mughni It is not recommended to wipe the surface of a grave nor kissing it The book Al Mughni mentioned that the reason for this was because this act venerates the greatness of these graves just as it would for idols and that prayer at the graveyards is similar to venerating or glorifying idols with prostration and that idol worship began initially by praising the dead by taking their pictures and wiping them and praying over them. (Al Mughni, 508-507/2) This conflicts with an authentic statement from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal The people of knowledge used to not touch them (graves) Because of this, Al Mardaawi concluded, It is not recommended to wipe the graves and this is the correct opinion of this madhab (Hanbali madhab) (Al Insaaf, 53/4)

Umar ibn Al Khattab once saw a group of people taking turns praying in a place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray. He asked the people What is this?. They said, The place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray. Umar replied back, Do you want to take the relics of your Prophets as places of worship? Those before you were destroyed for this. (Ibn Waddaah Al Qurtubi narrated this in his book Al Bida wal Nahi Aanha, page 41, and ibn abi Shaybah in Al Musannaf, 376/2 and Al Albani said it is narrated by Saeed ibn Mansur in his Sunnah and Ibn Waddaah with an authentic chain of transmission on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim). It was said to Umar ibn Al Khattab that a group of people used to go to a tree in which the Prophet peace be upon him received the pledge of allegiance, so he (Umar) ordered it to be cut down. (Al Hafiz said in al Fath (448/7), its chain is authentic) Yahya ibn Mueen said: Abu Usama told us that Ubaydallah narrated from Naafi that ibn Umar used to hate the touching of the Prophets grave. [Narrated by Abul Hassan Ali ibn Umar al Qazweeni in his Amaleeh and Al Hafiz Al Dhahabi. Sheikh Shuayb Al Arnaut said its men are trustworthy (Sayr Alaam Al Nublaa, 373/12)] We also have the statements of Umar about the black stone Narrated Abis bin Rabia: Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said, "No doubt, I know that you are a stone AND CAN NEITHER BENEFIT ANYONE NOR HARM ANYONE. Had I not seen Allahs Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 667) Narrated Zaid bin Aslam from his father who said: "Umar bin Al-Khattab addressed the Corner (Black Stone) saying, By Allah! I know that you are a stone AND CAN NEITHER BENEFIT NOR HARM.Had I not seen the Prophet touching (and kissing) you, I would never have touched (and kissed) you. Then he kissed it and said, There is no reason for us to do Ramal (in Tawaf) except that we wanted to show off before the pagans, and now Allah has destroyed them. Umar added, (Nevertheless), the Prophet did that and we do not want to leave it (i.e. Ramal)." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 675) Narrated Zaid bin Aslam that his father said: "I saw Umar bin Al-Khattab kissing the Black Stone and he then said, (to it) Had I not seen Allahs Apostle kissing you, (stone) I WOULD NOT HAVE KISSED YOU." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 26, Number 679) Here, we dont see Umar ibn Al Khattab saying to the black stone I am kissing you and seeking blessings from you because you are a special stone from heaven. No, Umar ibn Al Khattab is simply stating that he is doing what he is doing because he is following the Sunnah of the Prophet peace be upon him. Now, we ask our Sufi brothers Do you have authentic sunnah to back up your tabarruk from the graves of people? The position of the Hanbali madhab on the issue has been discussed. Now let us see the position of the other madhabs.

Hanafi Madhab
Al Kaasaani said in BadaaI Al Sanaa, 320/1: It is disliked (kurrih) by Abu Hanifa the building on top of a grave, and the disliking if shown then it is declared haram In the Hanafi madhab, if something is makrooh then it basically means it is haram. So when Abu Hanifa disliked something that basically means he declared it haram.

Shaafi Madhab

Al Shaatibi Al Shaafi said in Al Itisaam, 8/2 that there is no authentic narration stating that the Muslims after Abu Bakr and Umars death use to do Tabarruk on their graves.

Abu Bakr and Umar are one of the best human beings after the Prophets, yet if Tabarruk was permissible we would have seen the whole Ummah doing it. Imam Nawawi said: [Imam Muhammad ibn Marzook Al Zaifaraani said his book Al Janaaiz: And one is not to touch the grave nor kiss it. And this is how the Sunnah has been passed on to us. Abu Hassan said: And the act of kissing the graves such as what many people are doing now is from the innovated corrupted acts in sharia, whose act to be stayed away from and we must forbid the person who is doing this act from doing it] People can also refer to Abu Musa Al Asfahaanis statement in Al Majmoo Sharh Al Madhab, 311/5 in which he says that one should not wipe the grave, nor kiss it and touch it for this is what the Christians do. Also Imam Al Ghazali says the same thing in Ihyaa Uluum Al Deen, 259/1 & 491/4 that one should not touch a stone or grave for this is the act of the Christians.

Maaliki Madhaab
Al Qadi Iyad said about Imam Maalik I never saw him standing near the grave of the Prophet, but he would give his greetings and just walk by Ibn Wahb narrated He used to give his greetings and not touch the grave (of the Prophet). Sheikh Mulla Ali Al Qari the Hanafi said regarding this Because this was the custom of the Christians Ibn Al Haaj Al Maaliki said in his book Al Mudkhal Maalik said in the narration of Ibn Wahb: If he greeted the Prophet he wouldnt touch the grave with his hand. (Al Madkhal, 261/1) I hope this helped. Jazakum Allah Khayr Bassam Zawadi, www.call-to-monotheism.com

Tabarruk throughHolyRelics of Prophets&Auliyah Monday,06 June201114:57 Writtenby Asimul Haq 0digg Contents a) Tabarruk through the Holy Relics of Prophet Peace be upon him b) Claims of the people that we have Relics of Prophets are false c) Seeking Blessings from the places where Prophet peace be upon him prayed d) Seeking blessing from relics of righteous a) Tabarruk through the Holy Relics of Prophets Peace be upon them It is allowed to seek blessings through the Holy Relics of Prophets peace be upon them if they are really from his (peace be upon him) relics. Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is essential to note that we believe it is permissible to seek blessing from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we do not denounce it, contrary to what our opponents think, but this seeking of blessing is subject to certain conditions, including the following: Correct faith that is acceptable to Allaah. If a person is not a Muslim who believes sincerely in Islam, Allaah will never grant him any good by his seeking blessing in this manner. It is also stipulated that the one who wants to seek blessing have found one of the genuine relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). We know that relics such as his garments, hair, etc. have been lost and it is not possible for anyone to prove with certainty that any of them exist.[AlTawassul (1/145)] Allah says in Surah al-Mulk verse 1. Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion; and He is Able to do all things. Ibn Katheer commented Allah the Exalted glorifies His Noble Self and informs that the dominion is in His Hand. This means that He deals with all of His creatures however He wishes and there is none who can reverse His decree. He is not questioned concerning what He does because of His force, His wisdom and His justice.(end quote) Tafsir Jalalyan says Blessed, exalted above the attributes of created beings, is He in Whose hand, at Whose disposal, is [all] sovereignty, [all] authority and power, and He has power over all things. (end quote) Proof for above claim is Qur`an says [012:093] "Go with this shirt of mine, and cast it over the face of my father, he will become clear-sighted, and bring to me all your family." [012:094] And when the caravan departed, their father said: "I do indeed feel the smell of Yoosuf (Joseph), if only you think me not a dotard (a person who has weakness of mind because of old age)." [012:095] They said: "By Allah! Certainly, you are in your old error." [012:096] Then, when the bearer of the glad tidings arrived, he cast it (the shirt) over his face, and he became clear-sighted. He said: "Did I not say to you, I know from Allah that which you know not. " From hadith a) Narrated Ibn Sirrn:

I said to 'Ablda, "I have some of the hair of the Prophet which I got from Anas or from his family." 'Abida replied. "No doubt if I had a single hair of that it would have been dearer to me than the whole world and whatever is in it."[Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 4, Number 171] b) Narrated IsraiI: Uthman bin 'Abdullah bin Mauhab said, "My people sent me with a bowl of water to Um Salama." Isra'il approximated three fingers ('indicating the small size of the container in which there was some hair of the Prophet. 'Uthman added, "If any person suffered from evil eye or some other disease, he would send a vessel (containing water) to Um Salama. I looked into the container (that held the hair of the Prophet) and saw a few red hairs in it,"[Bukhari Volume 7, Book 72, Number 784] c) It is mentioned in Bayhaqi's Shoaib al Eman - - " : . : " " : " Once Prophet peace be upon him was performing ablution and his companions started rubbing their bodies with his ablution, Prophet peace be upon him said: Which thing makes you to do this? Sahaba said: Love of Allah and his Prophet, Prophet Peace be upon him replied: One who likes to love Allah and his Prophet and who likes that Allah and his Prophet Love him; he should speak the truth, should not take from the amanah(trust/faithfulness), be good to neighbors[Shatabi in Kitab al Qayim "Al Aitesam" 1/139 Musannif Abdul Razzaq no:19748 Shoaib al Eman of Imam Behaqi no:1533,Mirqaat al Mafateeh hadeeth no: 4990 Shaykh Al Albani said "This hadeeth is Hasan" see detail in Silsilah as Saheeha hadeeth no:2998] Scan: http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAAHFjtZrVPqiQZDlNQAydGLukubYSep jmkgK0cZ8eoRodovcU4o207EvREuHX7QiBvr6Cen7dMQaIwaMJjdnZf8Am1T1UIOZTa6pKzhMFTyHhjRiGcQE_R0Z.j pg d) Narrated by Umm Alqamah that Muawiyah bin Abi Sufiyan Came to Madeenah and asked for Blanket and hair of Prophet Peace be upon him from Aisha RA then He (Muawiyah) covered himself with the blanket, dipped the hair in water, drank and put on his body.[Tareekh Damishq 62/106 and chain is Hasan as Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai said in Majallah Al Hadith no: 29 page 60] Note: this athar is proof that how much Muawiyah RA loved Prophet peace be upon him and it is also proof for Seeking Blessings through the Holy Relics of Prophet Peace be upon him if they are really from Prophet. b) Claims of the people that we have Relics of Prophets are false 1) Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, speaking of the garments of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): : . I say: It is not known what happened to these three garments after that. [Al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah (6/10) and al-Seerah al-Nabawiyyah (4/713).] . 2)al-Suyooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: . This burdah was in the keeping of the caliphs who passed it down to one another and wore it on their shoulders in processions, both walking and riding. It was being worn by al-Muqtadir when he was killed and was stained with blood. I think that it was lost during

the turmoil caused by the Tatars. Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oon (verily we belong to Allaah and unto Him is our return). [Tareekh al-Khulafa' (p. 20)] Scan: http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAAB5f0VDOaOMkQ8JmpdbMxagdSn5 02KP55Y9Oxc_gz8PbZ7DFotn_3MSlIawpgQT7nVgaRTVFZbaT6tsF9MMi8wAm1T1UIxm2cPqw5EdNjzIUMbCUUEjZM4W.jpg 3) Ibn Tuloon mentioned In his book Mafaakahah al-Khullaan fi Hawaadith al-Zamaan, the events of 919 AH, when someone claimed to have in his possession a vessel and some of the sticks of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but then they realized that these were not relics of the Prophet, rather they were relics of al-Layth ibn Sa'd. Some of the khulafa' and senior Sahaabah preserved some relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but many of them were lost in the turmoils that befell the Islamic state one after another. For example, when the Tatars attacked Baghdad (656 AH), they burned the cloak (burdah) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When Timurlane attacked Damascus (803 AH), shoes that were said to have belonged to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disappeared. Hence the imams doubted that it could be proven that any of the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have survived until now, and some of them are certain that it cannot be proven. 4) The great scholar Ahmad Timur Pasha said after listing the relics attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Istanbul: : . There is no sound evidence to prove that any of the hairs that were in the hands of the people could be attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because the hairs that the people have were some of that which had been shared out among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), but it is difficult to tell what is genuine from what is not.[Al-Athaar al-Nabawiyyah (p. 82)] see also: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/91969/ c) Seeking Blessings from the places where Prophet peace be upon him prayed There are two narrations in this matter a) Practice of Omar bin al-Khattab Umar ibn Al Khattab once saw a group of people taking turns praying in a place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray. He asked the people "What is this?". They said, "The place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray". Umar replied back, "Do you want to take the relics of your Prophets as places of worship? Those before you were destroyed for this. (Ibn Waddaah Al Qurtubi narrated this in his book Al Bida' wal Nahi A'anha, page 41, and ibn abi Shaybah in Al Musannaf, 376/2 and Al Albani said "it is narrated by Sa'eed ibn Mansur in his Sunnah and Ibn Waddaah with an authentic chain of transmission on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim). b) Practice of Other companions Narrated Yazid bin Al 'Ubaid: I used to accompany Salama bin Al-Akwa' and he used to pray behind the pillar which was near the place where the Quran's were kept I said, "O Abu Muslim! I see you always seeking to pray behind this pillar." He replied, "I saw Allah's Apostle always seeking to pray near that pillar."[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 9, Number 481] Comment: Now here some people are confused Response is very easy Insha`Allah see here http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showpost.php?p=17558&postcount=21

 " :(108 ) ) " : ( " 3/159 (" ) : 2/360 ( . Ibn Waddah Al-Qurtubi said in "Al-Bid' wa nahi 'anha" p 108: Malik and the scholars of Madeenah would dislike going to these mosques and these relics of the Prophet (saw) except Quba only, meaning (other relics) such as martyrs of Uhud" Ibn Battal said in his Sharh of Bukhari: Ashab narrated from Malik that he was asked about the prayer in the places in which the Prophet (saw) prayed and he sauid: This does not please me except the mosque of Quba" Hafiz ibn Abdil Barr added in his Istizkar: Malik and other from people of knowledge disliked seeking the place of the tree under which the Bay'ah of Ridwan occured, and this is, Allah knows best, in oppsoition to the way taken by the Jews and Christians in similar matters" And Imam Malik is known to follow the school of the jurists and Tabi'is of Madeenah So the action of the Salaf is clear, ibn Umar did this only by imitation of the Prophet (saw) not for Tabarruk... The places in which the Prophet (saw) stayed or prayed do not contain any Barrakah, only his clothes, hair and some similar things from which Sahabah took Barrakah...(end quote from the link) See also the opinion of Shaykh Salih al Fawzan: http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showpost.php?p=18891&postcount=27 Shaykh Salih bin 'Abdul-'Aziz bin Muhammad Aal ash-Shaikh said "So the answer to this is that Ibn Umar did not seek tabarruk from these places, since he did not hold them to contain barakah in their physical essence. However, he sought complete and perfect adherence and imitation of whatever the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) did. Hence, he did not seek tabarruk from these things but the barakah of imitation and adherence." [Hadhihi Mafahimuna (Eng trans. and additions by Abu Iyad)] d) Seeking blessing from relics of righteous The Claim of Ahlus Sunnah is below Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said Seeking blessing from righteous people is of two types. 1 Seeking blessings by asking them to make du'aa' to Allaah for one. This is permissible, subject to the condition that they be known to be righteous and pious and that they will not be exposed to fitnah thereby. 2 Seeking blessing through their relics, such as their clothes and belongings, etc. This is not permissible and is a form of reprehensible bid'ah (innovation).(Islam QA fatwa no: 26284) a) Imam Abu Ishaq Al-Shaatibi (720 h) said: : : " Ibn Waddaah said: I heard 'Eesa ibn Yoonus, the mufti of the people of Tarsoos, saying: 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) ordered that the tree beneath which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had received the oath of allegiance (bay'ah) be cut down, because

the people were going and praying beneath it, and he feared that they might fall into fitnah. [al-I'tisaam, 1/237] Scan: http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAAOzsLjQQSnvB4wPCnkZOuDCXUHVPNh2 5TAdmvuk0KG6NOasglaA_qpEUWyF9XrS91PK9pAKyrQgV9g35WFcDvMAm1T1UI9thw1_6RGzAipkJbLXG5Zi6pbz.jpg He alsosaid . - - - - - - - - - - - - . . After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), none of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything of that nature with regard to those who succeeded him as leaders. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not leave behind in the ummah anyone who was better than Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him), who was his successor, and he did not do anything of that sort, and neither did 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), and they were the best of the ummah after him. Neither did 'Uthmaan, or 'Ali, or any of the Sahaabah, and there is no one in the ummah who is better than them. There is no report from any of them via any sound isnaad that they sought blessings in any of these ways or similar ways. Rather they limited themselves to emulating the actions, words and conduct of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So there is consensus among them that all such things should be avoided. [Al Aitesa'am Vol 1 page 286,287] Scan: http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAAMnhZb4JOaDrzCVO3lNuUGii0Cvmc7CN_GaHdwBlAMuDAsIie2QT3IFx3UI5nKT_iyrAp1SREyx9AipyQkwKAAm1T1UIJ9bpuT74se7u6uk_N_C4teSRO.jpg http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAAPH2cKMeorTpDo8CcryhPQJ91Cfqz_OZau204QOc1SDpTxDYnURwp8--dNZTIJbzaN_cWY2XUy5YYnAv24TuoAm1T1UDkVfWP_csV4i8rv88KhP5k2hzdv.jpg b) The great jurist of Hanbali Madhab Ibn Rajab hanbli [736 - 795 AH says: " .. - - - - . . . " : . " . : . : . : . : : "Although the Companions sought tabarruk with the Prophet, peace be upon him, but

they never did so with each other. Nor did the Tabi'un do so with the Companions, despite their tremendous rank..... This shows that it is not to be done; it could also evolve into shirk. All of this constitutes imitation of the People of the Book and the Mushriks which this ummah has been forbidden from ...A man came to him(Imam Ahmad) and he wiped his hands on his clothes, And wiped his face, Imam Ahmad became angry and denied that of the most denial and said: from whom you have learnt this?[ . Page 46 and 47] Scan: http://images.orkut.com/orkut/photos/PQAAACRGnxcLtk8h3WXla9vVDvVU_LhC NxtuDvnev1ueGncr7f1AvpzqhkoyDl3ZErvu1HSwKWcopoXnTMO4uehXM0Am1T1UOuQ1a-XzJfx8lw9DwEWecAqdt_3.jpg c) Umar ibn Al Khattab once saw a group of people taking turns praying in a place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray. He asked the people "What is this?". They said, "The place in which the Prophet peace be upon him used to pray". Umar replied back, "Do you want to take the relics of your Prophets as places of worship? Those before you were destroyed for this. [Ibn Waddaah Al Qurtubi narrated this in his book Al Bida' wal Nahi A'anha, page 41, and ibn abi Shaybah in Al Musannaf, 376/2 and Al Albani said "it is narrated by Sa'eed ibn Mansur in his Sunnah and Ibn Waddaah with an authentic chain of transmission on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim)]. d) Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: There is no one from whose relics blessing may be sought except Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). No blessing should be sought from the relics of anyone else. Blessings may be sought from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his lifetime and after his death, so long as those relics remain. For example, Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) had a vessel of silver in which were a few hairs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by means of which the sick sought healing. If a sick person came, she would pour some water over these hairs, then stir it, then give it to the sick person. But in the case of anyone other than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it is not permissible for anyone to seek blessing from his saliva, sweat, garment or anything else rather that is haraam and is a kind of shirk.[Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 2/107] Related Links a) Ruling on seeking barakah (blessing) from the relics of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) http://islamqa.com/en/ref/10045 http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showpost.php?p=19256&postcount=33