10.1 Exposure of both these Obscurities

Exhibiting the Third Obscurity

You will notice that we remain in front of the weak excuses and false justifications that take place among the people of desire from their rejection of religious law and practice of shirk. Among such falsehoods is what they say regarding this obscurity:

If we turn towards the saints and righteous in supplication, expectation, seeking aid, seeking assistance, sacrifice, oaths, submission, servitude, compulsion, breakdowns, circulating around their tombs, holding fast to it in devotion and prayer and similar acts of worship, along with other forms of sacrifices, we are not polytheists by these practices nor have we committed shirk. This is because if we turn to them in such ways and request from them such requests we are asking Allah the All Exalted through their intercession, intermediary, status and closeness to Allah the All Exalted. This is their understanding of attainment (التوسل) intercession and intermediary.

10.1 Exposure of both these Obscurities

They then say: this is because the matter entails the seeker believing himself replete with the grime of disobedience and his ignorance has distanced himself from Allah the All Exalted, he understands from this that his request and needs are not worthy of being answered if he were to supplicate to Allah directly. For this reason the seeker presents one of the beloved of Allah that knows nothing but His obedience supplicating Him by means of their closeness and piety in order that their needs are answered by means of those beloved whose supplication Allah the All Exalted cannot refuse.

If this is their secret of attainment (التوسل) then there is no effect on the lives and deaths of those who are besought as they are the beloved of Allah in any circumstance benefitting those who turn to them and request their assistance; this is because they are the gates to Allah the All Exalted and through them goodness is attained and by their intercession mercy rains. Through them those who seek closeness become closer, the advancers advance and the appealers appeal. This is their philosophy regarding this obscurity.

10.1 Exposure of both these Obscurities

Exhibiting the Fourth Obscurity

The extremists say: If we turn towards the saints and righteous in supplication, expectation, seeking aid, seeking assistance, sacrifice, oaths, circulating around their graves and tombs and similar acts is not considered shirk; this is because those that turn to them in such matters request of them what Allah the All Exalted has given them as He has given them intercession, high ranking and closeness not to mention the Messenger of Allah PBUH so how could you accuse a person who does such things with shirk? Supposedly a person who worships idols and statues should be accused with shirk, by accusing us of shirk for our practice you are rendering the Prophets PBUH along with the saints and righteous like those statues and idols whilst they are the beloved of Allah His pure and close to Him.

This is their philosophy regarding this obscurity and as you have seen it is a weak obscurity like previous obscurities. All praise is to Allah in the beginning and end.