The dead as a source of benefit
for the living:
The final shot fired by these deniers of seeking help from the saints and the
pious is that the dead cannot benefit the living because they lack the power
even to shoo away a fly sitting on their body. How is it possible that a dead
person, shorn of physical power, can help the living and that the living turn to
him for help?
This hypothetical objection is actually based on their unawareness of the
Prophet’s traditions and teachings of the religious leaders. As we have already
explained, the people who die and leave this worldly life, do not in fact die,
but enter another life (purgatorial life). Though they are dead in our eyes,
they are not actually dead, only their mode of life has changed as they have
been transferred from one kind of existence to another kind of existence.
This can be explained by another example. Suppose there are two tube lights in a
room. One of them is white and the other is blue. The light of the white tube is
spreading all around while the blue tube is off. Now what will happen if the
off-button of the white tube is pressed and precisely at that moment the
on-button of the blue tube is also pressed? The room is the same, all the things
in it are in their proper place, its doors, windows and curtains, etc., are also
intact, but there is a change in the inner ambience of the room, that is, in the
earlier state, everything appeared in the white light in its original colour,
and now everything in the room appears to wear a different complexion on account
of the colour radiated by the blue tube. Now the question is: ‘has the colour of
everything in the room really changed? Has the material composition of the
objects changed?’ The answer is in the negative. Every object is present in its
original state. The difference lies only in our perception. The same applies to
the dead people. When the light of their worldly life is put out, we think they
are dead, while, in reality, the tube light of their purgatorial life is put on.
Just as the saints and the pious are relied upon during their earthly life ¾
while the real source of help is Allāh ¾ similarly, they can be relied upon as a
means of help to fulfil our needs and to seek the nearness of Allāh even when
they have left this material world.
Suyūtī has copied in his book Sharh-us-sudūr bi-sharh hāl-il-mawtā wal-qubūr
(pp.257-9) fifteen traditions bearing on this theme, and furnishing a proof of
the reality of purgatorial life, he has affirmed that the dead can benefit the
living.
Ibn-ul-Qayyim has written an exhaustive book on “the soul” which is the most
authentic book on this subject. At one place he has reported from ‘Abdullāh bin
Mubārak that Abū Ayyūb al-Ansārī said:
The deeds of the living are presented to the dead. If they see virtuous (deeds),
they are pleased and rejoiced, and if they see (evil) deeds, they say: ‘O Allāh!
Return them.’[18]
Narrating another tradition, Ibn-ul-Qayyim writes:
“‘Ibād bin ‘Ibād called on Ibrāhīm bin Sālih and at that time Ibrāhīm bin Sālih
was the ruler of Palestine. ‘Ibād bin ‘Ibād said to him: give me some advice.
Ibrāhīm bin Sālih said:
What should I advise you? May God make you a pious man! I have received the news
that the deeds of the living are presented to their dead relatives. Now you just
reflect on your deeds which are presented to the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم).
After relating this, Ibrāhīm bin Sālih cried so bitterly that his beard became
wet.”[19]
In addition, there are many other traditions which prove that the deeds of the
living are presented to the dead. Therefore, people, who are the victims of
doubt, should study them to correct their faith which, according to Ibn
Taymiyyah, is the faith of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah as has already been
explained, which leads one to the straight path and brings one increasingly
closer to the pleasure of the Lord. Exclusive reliance on reason can prove
disastrous as reason is a deceptive chameleon and puts on a variety of guises to
deceive its own followers; it is totally undependable and those who rely on it
for true enlightenment, can never be blessed with guidance as misguidance is
their destiny. According to Iqbāl:
Move beyond reason because this light is only the candle on the way; it is not
the destination.
Love of the friends of Allāh is an integral part of faith
We seek help from the prophets, the righteous and the saints and offer them as a
means of access to Allāh on account of our limitless love and devotion for them.
The choice of means is justified only by the presence of love. It is also an
established fact that to love those who are near and dear to Allāh is in itself
a virtuous act and this is obviously an argument, which cannot be rebutted by
any other argument, no matter how subtle or elaborate or tantalising it may be.
Link:
https://www.minhajbooks.com/english/control/btext/cid/4/bid/252/btid/744/read/txt/Justification%20of%20Istighathah%20after%20death.html