Tirmidhi

Benefits and Issues
No one besides Allah Ta'ala can bring benefit or harm to anyone. To call upon any created being for things that are not within the power of creation is shirk, and especially to call upon the dead, who can neither hear nor respond.

✿ Allah Ta'ala says:
«﴿وَلَا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّـهِ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾»
"And do not call upon anyone besides Allah who can neither benefit you nor harm you. If you do so, you will be counted among the wrongdoers." [10-يونس:106]
↰ In this verse, Allah Ta'ala has forbidden calling upon anyone other than Allah for the fulfillment of needs or the removal of difficulties, and Allah Ta'ala has also clarified that no one besides Allah can bring benefit or harm to anyone.

✿ Allah Ta'ala says:
«﴿وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّـهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ﴾»
"If Allah afflicts you with any hardship, none can remove it except Him." [10-يونس:108]

❀ In a sahih hadith, the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma:
«واعلم ان الامة لو اجتمعت على ان ينفعوك بشيء لم ينفعوك إلا بشيء قد كتبه الله لك»
"Know that if the entire ummah were to gather together to benefit you, they would not be able to benefit you except with what Allah has written for you." [ترمذي، كتاب صفةالقيامة : باب منه 2516]

✿ In another place in the Noble Qur'an:
«﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّـهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا فَابْتَغُوا عِنْدَ اللَّـهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ﴾»
"Indeed, those whom you worship besides Allah do not possess the power to provide sustenance for you. So seek sustenance from Allah and worship Him." [29-العنكبوت:17]

✿ In another place, Allah Ta'ala says:
«﴿وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّـهِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ * وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُوا لَهُمْ أَعْدَاءً وَكَانُوا بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَافِرِينَ﴾»
"And who is more astray than one who calls upon, besides Allah, those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and they are unaware of their supplication? And when mankind is gathered, they will be enemies to them and will deny their worship." [46-الأحقاف:5، 6]
↰ This verse also proves that calling upon other than Allah for the fulfillment of needs is their worship, whereas man was created only to worship Allah.

✿ In another place in the Qur'an, it is stated:
«﴿أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ﴾»
"Who is it that responds to the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the hardship, other than Allah?" [27-النمل:62]
↰ These are just a few evidences; otherwise, there are many texts in the Qur'an and Sunnah regarding this matter. After reading them, no person of understanding and intellect can consider anyone besides Allah as the fulfiller of needs or remover of difficulties. This is such a clear reality that even the polytheists of Makkah could not deny it. In several places in the Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala has mentioned their admission of this fact. If it were correct to go to the grave of a saint and call upon him for the fulfillment of needs, then who could be a greater saint in this world than the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? But the reality is that none of the Companions radi Allahu anhum ever went to the blessed grave of the Leader of the Prophets sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and called upon him for any need. If this act were permissible, then the Companions, especially the Rightly Guided Caliphs, who faced great needs and difficulties in their times, would certainly have come to the blessed grave of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The same applies to the matter of supplication (du'a). None of these eminent Companions ever came to the blessed grave of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said, "O Messenger of Allah, make du'a for us." Yes, it is permissible to ask someone who is truly pious in his lifetime to make du'a, and even in this, one does not ask the pious person himself for the need, but rather requests him to supplicate to Allah for one's betterment.

Explanation:
1:
It is understood that no one can alter Allah’s decree,
To seek help from anyone other than Allah is shirk (associating partners with Allah),
The only possessor of benefit and harm is Allah alone,
If a servant remains attentive towards Allah, then Allah takes care of that servant.

Takhrij:
«صحيح»
[ترمذي 2516]
[صحيح الترمذي 2043]
In Tirmidhi, the remainder of the hadith is as follows:
"And know that if the entire ummah were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would not be able to benefit you except with what Allah has written for you; and if they were to gather together to harm you with something, they would not be able to harm you except with what Allah has written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried."

Benefits:
➊ Be mindful of Allah
That is, be mindful of Allah’s boundaries, His commands, His prohibitions, and the covenants and promises made with Him. When you reach Allah’s limit, do not go beyond it; when a command comes, act upon it; when He forbids, then refrain. In short, at every moment, a person should remember Allah. Allah the Exalted has said:
«وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّـهِ» [9-التوبة:112]
"And those who guard the limits of Allah."
And He said:
«هَـذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ» [50-ق:32]
"This is what you are promised—for every oft-returning, protective one."
The scholars have explained the meaning of «حفيظ» here as: "One who guards the commands of Allah."
Some have said: "One who is mindful of his sins, that is, if he commits a sin, he immediately repents."

➋ He will be mindful of you
As He said:
«فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ» [2-البقرة:152]
"Remember Me, I will remember you."
Allah the Exalted is mindful of His servant in matters of this world as well as the Hereafter. In this world, He grants him well-being in his body, family, wealth, and children. Angels protect him from every harmful thing.
« لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّـهِ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ» [13-الرعد:11]
"For him are successive (angels) before him and behind him who protect him by the command of Allah."
In matters of the Hereafter, Allah the Exalted protects the servant’s religion and faith, keeps him safe from misleading desires, ideologies, and actions, and grants him death in a state of faith. In reality, we cannot fully comprehend the extent of Allah’s protection over us and how He protects us.

➌ You will find Him before you
When a servant remembers Allah the Exalted, obeys His commands, and guards His boundaries, he finds Allah before him; he feels that Allah is always with him. His help is always with him. Although Allah the Exalted is with every servant, as He said:
«وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ وَاللَّـهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ» [57-الحديد:4]
"And He is with you wherever you are, and Allah is Seeing of what you do."
But this is a special companionship (ma‘iyyah) that is granted to those who remember Allah, as He said:
«لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا» [9-التوبة:40]
"Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us."
And He said:
«لَا تَخَافَا إِنَّنِي مَعَكُمَا أَسْمَعُ وَأَرَى» [20-طه:46]
"Do not fear; indeed, I am with you—hearing and seeing."
By this companionship is meant special protection and assistance.

➍ When you ask, ask Allah
Because Allah the Exalted is pleased when asked, and is displeased when not asked. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
«من لم يسال الله يغضب عليه» "Whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with him." [صحيح الترمذي عن ابي هريره رضى الله عنه 2682]
In contrast, if you ask people, they become displeased.
«الله يغضب ان تركت سواله ... وتري ابن آدم حين يسئل يغضب»
"Allah becomes angry if you stop asking Him, but you will see that the son of Adam becomes angry when he is asked."
Another poet has said:
«ابا مالك لا تسال الناس والتمس»
«بكفيك فضل الله فالله اوسع»
«ولوسئل الناس التراب لاوشكوا»
«اذا قيل هاتوا ان يملوا ويمنعوا»
"O Abu Malik, do not ask people; ask Allah’s bounty with both hands, for Allah is the most generous. As for people, if you ask them for dust, soon they will become weary of your asking and will refuse even to give dust."

➎ Those things which are only in Allah’s power
For example, guidance, health, wealth, children, victory and help, etc.—all these should only be asked from Allah, and help in these matters should also only be sought from Allah.
«إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ» [1-الفاتحة:2] "You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help." If one asks from others, he becomes a polytheist (mushrik). As for those things which are within people’s power or are a right over others—for example, if someone has food, it is permissible to ask for it; if someone can help remove an oppressor’s injustice or assist in some other matter, it is permissible to seek help from him, just as Musa and Khidr alayhimas-salam asked the people of a town for food, and ‘Isa ibn Maryam alayhis-salam said:
«مَنْ أَنصَارِي إِلَى اللَّـهِ» [3-آل عمران:52] "Who are my helpers in the way of Allah?"
Because hospitality and seeking help in religion are the rights of the guest and the caller (da‘i).
Even in these matters, the real hope should be from Allah alone, that if He wills, He will incline the hearts of the creation towards you. In essence, the real asking and seeking help should be from Allah the Exalted alone.
As much as possible, one should avoid asking the creation even for trivial things, because asking is to humiliate oneself before others. As the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam took a pledge from a group of companions that they would not ask anyone for anything; if even a whip fell from one of them, he would not ask anyone to pick it up for him. There were eight or nine companions radi Allahu anhum in this group. [صحيح مسلم، كتاب الزكاة 1043 ]

➏ When you seek help, seek it from Allah
Because if Allah does not help, nothing can be accomplished—neither the worship of Allah nor any worldly matter. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam instructed Mu‘adh radi Allahu anhu to recite this supplication after every prayer:
«رَبِّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ » [صحيح النسائي 1236]
"O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You well."
And Ya‘qub alayhis-salam said to his sons:
«وَاللَّـهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ» [12-يوسف:18]
"Against what you describe, Allah alone is the helper."
➐ The four advices given in this hadith do not mean that one should sever ties with worldly means, because these are also included in asking from Allah and seeking help from Him. Whoever seeks sustenance through the means Allah has prescribed, if he receives it, it is from Allah alone; if he does not, that too is by His will. In summary, the real trust and hope should be only in Allah.

Takhrij:
«أخرجه الترمذي، صفة القيامة، باب :59، حديث:2516.»©Explanation:
➊ In this hadith, the purest form of monotheism (tawhid) is taught in an excellent manner.
➋ Remembering Allah means to always be mindful of His prescribed limits and His commands and prohibitions; to strive oneself to avoid them, and to exhort others to do the same.
➌ The meaning of Allah’s protection is that He will safeguard such a servant from worldly hardships and afflictions, will show him the way to avoid them, and on the Day of Resurrection will protect him from the fire of Hell.
➍ The remaining part of this hadith is as follows: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “And know that if all the people of the world were to gather together to benefit you with something, they would only be able to benefit you with that which Allah has written for you; and if they wished to harm you, they would only be able to harm you with that which Allah has written against you. (For) the pens that write destiny have dried, and the scrolls have been rolled up and sealed.
(Now, there is no possibility of any addition or decrease in them.)”