This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book In Search of Truth.
Question: Is calling upon anyone other than Allah considered shirk (polytheism)?
Answer: Calling upon anyone other than Allah is disbelief and shirk. Allah Almighty says: [وَ اِذَا رَاَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَشۡرَکُوۡا شُرَکَآءَہُمۡ قَالُوۡا رَبَّنَا ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ شُرَکَآؤُنَا الَّذِیۡنَ کُنَّا نَدۡعُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِکَ] And when the polytheists see their partners, they will say, "Our Lord, these are our partners whom we used to call besides You."
Reference: (An-Nahl:86)
It is clear that calling upon anyone other than Allah is shirk.
Question: Is calling upon anyone other than Allah disbelief?
Answer: Calling upon anyone other than Allah is disbelief. Allah Almighty says: [وَ مَنۡ یَّدۡعُ مَعَ اللّٰہِ اِلٰـہًا اٰخَرَ ۙ لَا بُرۡہَانَ لَہٗ بِہٖ ۙ فَاِنَّمَا حِسَابُہٗ عِنۡدَ رَبِّہٖ ؕ اِنَّہٗ لَا یُفۡلِحُ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ] And whoever calls upon besides Allah another deity for which he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with Allah. Indeed, the disbelievers will not succeed.
Reference: (Al-Mu’minun:117)
Those who call upon others besides Allah will themselves confess their disbelief at the time of death: [حَتّٰۤی اِذَا جَآءَتۡہُمۡ رُسُلُنَا یَتَوَفَّوۡنَہُمۡ ۙ قَالُوۡۤا اَیۡنَ مَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ قَالُوۡا ضَلُّوۡا عَنَّا وَ شَہِدُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ اَنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا کٰفِرِیۡنَ] Until when Our angels take the souls of those who disbelieved, they will say, "Where are those whom you used to call besides Allah?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were indeed disbelievers.
Reference: (Al-A'raf:37)
Question: What is the harm in calling upon anyone other than Allah?
Answer: Calling upon anyone other than Allah for help is a cause of punishment. It is stated: [فَلَا تَدۡعُ مَعَ اللّٰہِ اِلٰـہًا اٰخَرَ فَتَکُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُعَذَّبِیۡنَ] Do not call upon any other deity along with Allah, or you will be among the punished.
Reference: (Ash-Shu'ara:213)
It is also stated: [وَ بُرِّزَتِ الۡجَحِیۡمُ لِلۡغٰوِیۡنَ]،[وَ قِیۡلَ لَہُمۡ اَیۡنَمَا کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ]،[مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ ؕ ہَلۡ یَنۡصُرُوۡنَکُمۡ اَوۡ یَنۡتَصِرُوۡنَ]،[فَکُبۡکِبُوۡا فِیۡہَا ہُمۡ وَ الۡغَاوٗنَ]
[And for the misguided, a blazing fire will be made apparent], [and they will be asked, "Where are those whom you used to worship?"], [other than Allah? Do they help you, or do they help themselves?], [then all the misguided will be thrown into it face down].
Reference: (Ash-Shu'ara:91-94)
Here it is also necessary to clarify that although the polytheists call upon the Prophets and the Awliya Allah, since they were enemies of the polytheists, they are not their deities; their deity is Satan. As mentioned in
Reference: Al-Ma'idah (116, 117) and An-Nisa (117)
.It is also stated: [وَ لَا تَدۡعُ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ مَا لَا یَنۡفَعُکَ وَ لَا یَضُرُّکَ ۚ فَاِنۡ فَعَلۡتَ فَاِنَّکَ اِذًا مِّنَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ] Do not call upon anyone besides Allah who can neither benefit you nor harm you. If you do so, then you will be among the wrongdoers immediately.
Reference: (Yunus:106)
Question: Is calling upon anyone other than Allah worship of Satan?
Answer: Calling upon anyone other than Allah is worship of Satan. Allah Almighty will say to mankind on the Day of Judgment: [اَلَمۡ اَعۡہَدۡ اِلَیۡکُمۡ یٰبَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ اَنۡ لَّا تَعۡبُدُوا الشَّیۡطٰنَ ۚ اِنَّہٗ لَکُمۡ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِیۡنٌ]،[ وَّ اَنِ اعۡبُدُوۡنِیۡ ؕؔ ہٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٌ]
[Did I not forbid you, O children of Adam, from worshiping Satan? Indeed, he is your clear enemy], [and that you worship Me? This is the straight path].
Reference: (Ya-Sin:60, 61)
Today, no one prostrates or bows to Satan, nor does anyone call upon Satan, but since calling upon anyone other than Allah is obedience to Satan, and obedience is worship. Allah Almighty said: [وَ اذۡکُرۡ فِی الۡکِتٰبِ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ ۬ؕ اِنَّہٗ کَانَ صِدِّیۡقًا نَّبِیًّا]،[اِذۡ قَالَ لِاَبِیۡہِ یٰۤاَبَتِ لِمَ تَعۡبُدُ مَا لَا یَسۡمَعُ وَ لَا یُبۡصِرُ وَ لَا یُغۡنِیۡ عَنۡکَ شَیۡئًا]،[یٰۤاَبَتِ اِنِّیۡ قَدۡ جَآءَنِیۡ مِنَ الۡعِلۡمِ مَا لَمۡ یَاۡتِکَ فَاتَّبِعۡنِیۡۤ اَہۡدِکَ صِرَاطًا سَوِیًّا]،[یٰۤاَبَتِ لَا تَعۡبُدِ الشَّیۡطٰنَ ؕ اِنَّ الشَّیۡطٰنَ کَانَ لِلرَّحۡمٰنِ عَصِیًّا]
[And mention in this Book, Ibrahim. Indeed, he was a truthful prophet.] [When he said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees nor benefits you in any way?"] [O my father, indeed I have come to you with knowledge that which you do not have, so follow me; I will guide you to a straight path.] [O my father, do not worship Satan. Indeed, Satan has ever been, to the Most Merciful, disobedient.]
Reference: (Maryam:41-44)
From these verses, it is proven that the worship of idols is actually the worship of Satan. Also consider the following verses: [وَ یَوۡمَ یَحۡشُرُہُمۡ جَمِیۡعًا ثُمَّ یَقُوۡلُ لِلۡمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ اَہٰۤؤُلَآءِ اِیَّاکُمۡ کَانُوۡا یَعۡبُدُوۡنَ]،[ قَالُوۡا سُبۡحٰنَکَ اَنۡتَ وَلِیُّنَا مِنۡ دُوۡنِہِمۡ ۚ بَلۡ کَانُوۡا یَعۡبُدُوۡنَ الۡجِنَّ ۚ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ بِہِمۡ مُّؤۡمِنُوۡنَ]
[And the Day He will gather them all together, He will say to the angels, "Did these people used to worship you?"] [They will say, "Exalted are You! You are our protector, not them. Rather, they used to worship the jinn; most of them believed in them."]
Reference: (Saba:40-41)
The polytheists of Makkah used to call angels the daughters of Allah and worship them, but the angels will clearly deny this and say that these people worshipped the jinn of Satan. On some amulets, the names of Jibra'il, Mika'il, Israfil, or Azrael are written; some people, to catch thieves, take a clay pot and write these names on it, then write suspicious people's names on paper and put them inside, thinking that the pot will revolve over the thief's name. All of this is worship of Satan. Therefore, Allah Almighty says: [وَ اِنۡ یَّدۡعُوۡنَ اِلَّا شَیۡطٰنًا مَّرِیۡدًا] and these people call upon only the rebellious Satan.
Reference: (An-Nisa:117)
Question: Can anyone other than Allah respond to the call?
Answer: Allah Almighty said: [لَہٗ دَعۡوَۃُ الۡحَقِّ ؕ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ یَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ لَا یَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡنَ لَہُمۡ بِشَیۡءٍ اِلَّا کَبَاسِطِ کَفَّیۡہِ اِلَی الۡمَآءِ لِیَبۡلُغَ فَاہُ وَ مَا ہُوَ بِبَالِغِہٖ ؕ وَ مَا دُعَآءُ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ اِلَّا فِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ] Only He is beneficial to call upon, and those whom others call besides Him cannot respond to them. It is like a person who stretches out his hands towards water (hoping) that the water will come into his mouth, although it cannot, and the call of the disbelievers is in vain.
Reference: (Ar-Ra'd:14)
It is understood that calling others besides Allah is like telling the water of a well to come into one's mouth.
He also said: [وَ الَّذِیۡنَ تَدۡعُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِہٖ مَا یَمۡلِکُوۡنَ مِنۡ قِطۡمِیۡرٍ]،[اِنۡ تَدۡعُوۡہُمۡ لَا یَسۡمَعُوۡا دُعَآءَکُمۡ ۚ وَ لَوۡ سَمِعُوۡا مَا اسۡتَجَابُوۡا لَکُمۡ ؕ وَ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ یَکۡفُرُوۡنَ بِشِرۡکِکُمۡ]
[And those whom you call besides Him do not possess even the shell of a date seed], [if you call them, they do not hear your call, and if they do hear, they will not respond to you, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will deny your association (with Allah)]
Reference: (Fatir:13, 14)
It is understood that those besides Allah do not have the power to benefit anyone.
He also said: [وَ مَنۡ اَضَلُّ مِمَّنۡ یَّدۡعُوۡا مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ مَنۡ لَّا یَسۡتَجِیۡبُ لَہٗۤ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ وَ ہُمۡ عَنۡ دُعَآئِہِمۡ غٰفِلُوۡنَ]،[وَ اِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ کَانُوۡا لَہُمۡ اَعۡدَآءً وَّ کَانُوۡا بِعِبَادَتِہِمۡ کٰفِرِیۡنَ]
[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 call], [and when all are gathered, they will be their enemies and will deny their worship]
Reference: (Al-Ahqaf:5, 6)
From this verse, it is also understood that those besides Allah cannot respond to those who call upon them until the Day of Resurrection, and it is also understood that the polytheists used to call upon righteous people, and therefore they will be their enemies.
