Invalid Use of Surah Aal-e-Imran Verse 81 to Justify Seeking Help from Others Besides Allah
✍ Compiled by: Tauheed.com
Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 81 states:
وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيۡتُكُم مِّن كِتَـٰبٍۢ وَحِكۡمَةٍۢ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُولٌۭ مُّصَدِّقٌۭ لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥۚ قَالَ ءَأَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَأَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمۡ إِصۡرِىۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَقۡرَرۡنَاۚ قَالَ فَٱشۡهَدُواْ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ
Translation:
"And [recall] when Allah took the covenant of the Prophets, [saying], 'Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him.' Allah said, 'Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?' They said, 'We have acknowledged it.' He said, 'Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.'"
(
Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:81)
Some attempt to use this verse to justify seeking help from entities besides Allah (استغاثہ). However, this verse clearly speaks about the mutual obligation of prophets to support one another — not about supplicating or calling upon anyone besides Allah.
This verse addresses the following principles:
① That prophets were commanded to believe in and support any future prophet sent after them.
② That this support is a form of practical, physical, and ideological endorsement, not a call for supernatural help.
Imām Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) explains:
"Allah took a covenant from all the Prophets that if the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were sent during their time, they would believe in him and support him, and instruct their nations to do the same."
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, 3:81
✦ This is a pledge of allegiance and support, not a sanction for seeking divine assistance from creation.
Imām Ṭabarī (رحمه الله) writes:
"It means that each Prophet was bound to instruct their nations to believe in and support the Messenger who would come after them."
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 3:81
✦ Again, the "help" refers to guiding their followers, not seeking aid from them.
"It is a divine obligation that no Prophet should hinder belief in the subsequent Prophet. Instead, they must affirm him and call their followers to support him."
Tafsīr al-Baghawī, 3:81
"The pledge required Prophets to encourage their nations to believe in and aid any Prophet who might follow."
Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, 3:81
"Each Prophet pledged to support the subsequent Prophet, which the previous Prophets fulfilled by confirming the message of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ."
Aḥsan al-Bayān, 3:81
"The help here is spiritual and daʿwah-oriented — not temporal or miraculous aid. It was a commitment to uphold the truth and pass it on."
Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, 3:81
✔ The word "help (نُصْرَة)" in this verse refers to mutual prophetic support, message propagation, and principled allegiance.
✔ It does not refer to invoking prophets or righteous persons for supernatural help.
✔ No major Mufassir interpreted this verse to legitimize istighāthah (seeking help from other than Allah).
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
"You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help."
Surah al-Fātiḥah, 1:5
وَلَا تَدْعُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ
"And do not invoke other than Allah — those who neither benefit you nor harm you."
Surah Yūnus, 10:106
✔ Prophet Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام):
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:173
✔ Prophet Mūsā (عليه السلام):
إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ
"Indeed, my Lord is with me; He will guide me."
Surah al-Shuʿarā, 26:62
إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ ٱللَّهَ، وَإِذَا ٱسْتَعَنتَ فَاسْتَعِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ
"When you ask, ask from Allah. When you seek help, seek it from Allah."
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 2516 — Authentic
✦ The verse does not justify asking help from anyone besides Allah.
✦ All classical commentators agree: the verse highlights inter-prophetic support, not intercessory invocation.
✦ Using this verse to promote non-Allah-based istighāthah is a clear distortion of its intended meaning.
May Allah grant us correct understanding of Tawḥīd and protect us from every form of shirk and misinterpretation of divine revelation.
اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلاً وارزقنا اجتنابه
O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and enable us to follow it; and show us falsehood as falsehood and enable us to avoid it. Ameen.
✍ Compiled by: Tauheed.com
❖ Understanding the Verse and Its Proper Context
Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 81 states:
وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ لَمَآ ءَاتَيۡتُكُم مِّن كِتَـٰبٍۢ وَحِكۡمَةٍۢ ثُمَّ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُولٌۭ مُّصَدِّقٌۭ لِّمَا مَعَكُمۡ لَتُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهِۦ وَلَتَنصُرُنَّهُۥۚ قَالَ ءَأَقۡرَرۡتُمۡ وَأَخَذۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ ذَٰلِكُمۡ إِصۡرِىۖ قَالُوٓاْ أَقۡرَرۡنَاۚ قَالَ فَٱشۡهَدُواْ وَأَنَا۠ مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ
Translation:
"And [recall] when Allah took the covenant of the Prophets, [saying], 'Whatever I give you of the Scripture and wisdom and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him.' Allah said, 'Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?' They said, 'We have acknowledged it.' He said, 'Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.'"
(
Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:81)✿ Refuting the Misinterpretation
Some attempt to use this verse to justify seeking help from entities besides Allah (استغاثہ). However, this verse clearly speaks about the mutual obligation of prophets to support one another — not about supplicating or calling upon anyone besides Allah.
❖ Clarifying the Term
This verse addresses the following principles:
① That prophets were commanded to believe in and support any future prophet sent after them.
② That this support is a form of practical, physical, and ideological endorsement, not a call for supernatural help.
Clarifying the Term “نُصْرَة” (Help/Support) in the Verse
1. Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr
Imām Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) explains:
"Allah took a covenant from all the Prophets that if the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were sent during their time, they would believe in him and support him, and instruct their nations to do the same."
Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, 3:81✦ This is a pledge of allegiance and support, not a sanction for seeking divine assistance from creation.
2. Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī
Imām Ṭabarī (رحمه الله) writes:
"It means that each Prophet was bound to instruct their nations to believe in and support the Messenger who would come after them."
Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī, 3:81✦ Again, the "help" refers to guiding their followers, not seeking aid from them.
3. Tafsīr al-Baghawī (Maʿālim al-Tanzīl)
"It is a divine obligation that no Prophet should hinder belief in the subsequent Prophet. Instead, they must affirm him and call their followers to support him."
Tafsīr al-Baghawī, 3:814. Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī
"The pledge required Prophets to encourage their nations to believe in and aid any Prophet who might follow."
Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qur’ān, 3:815. Tafsīr Aḥsan al-Bayān
"Each Prophet pledged to support the subsequent Prophet, which the previous Prophets fulfilled by confirming the message of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ."
Aḥsan al-Bayān, 3:816. Tafsīr Rūḥ al-Maʿānī
"The help here is spiritual and daʿwah-oriented — not temporal or miraculous aid. It was a commitment to uphold the truth and pass it on."
Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, 3:81❖ Conclusion of the Above Tafāsīr
✔ The word "help (نُصْرَة)" in this verse refers to mutual prophetic support, message propagation, and principled allegiance.
✔ It does not refer to invoking prophets or righteous persons for supernatural help.
✔ No major Mufassir interpreted this verse to legitimize istighāthah (seeking help from other than Allah).
❖ Seeking Help: What the Qur’an Clearly States
① Exclusive Help Is from Allah Alone
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
"You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help."
Surah al-Fātiḥah, 1:5② Seeking Help from Other than Allah Condemned
وَلَا تَدْعُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُكَ وَلَا يَضُرُّكَ
"And do not invoke other than Allah — those who neither benefit you nor harm you."
Surah Yūnus, 10:106❖ Prophets Themselves Sought Help Only from Allah
✔ Prophet Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام):
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
Surah Aal-e-Imran, 3:173✔ Prophet Mūsā (عليه السلام):
إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ
"Indeed, my Lord is with me; He will guide me."
Surah al-Shuʿarā, 26:62❖ The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ's Instruction
إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ ٱللَّهَ، وَإِذَا ٱسْتَعَنتَ فَاسْتَعِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ
"When you ask, ask from Allah. When you seek help, seek it from Allah."
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 2516 — Authentic Conclusion: Misusing Verse 3:81 Is Invalid
✦ The verse does not justify asking help from anyone besides Allah.
✦ All classical commentators agree: the verse highlights inter-prophetic support, not intercessory invocation.
✦ Using this verse to promote non-Allah-based istighāthah is a clear distortion of its intended meaning.
🛡 Final Message
May Allah grant us correct understanding of Tawḥīd and protect us from every form of shirk and misinterpretation of divine revelation.
اللهم أرنا الحق حقاً وارزقنا اتباعه، وأرنا الباطل باطلاً وارزقنا اجتنابه
O Allah! Show us the truth as truth and enable us to follow it; and show us falsehood as falsehood and enable us to avoid it. Ameen.
