excerpt from Shaykh Sayyid Tauseef al-Rahman Rashdi’s book "Aqeedah Tawheed par Jalāli ke Shubuhāt ka Izālah":
Ashraf Jalālī al-Barelwī states that some people quote the following ḥadīth:
"إِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ"
"When you seek help, then seek it from Allah."
He responds by saying:
“We do not disagree with this ḥadīth, but no one should fall into misunderstanding. Not every person is at such a level that, when hungry, he would say, ‘I will not ask anyone to bring me food.’ This command is for special people; they have a status and the ruling applies to them. (This command is not general for everyone — that everyone must seek from Allah alone.)”
In other words, Jalālī implies that this form of Tawḥīd is only for the elite, a command specifically for the saints, not for the general masses. According to him, the common people should call upon saints, and the saints should call upon Allah.
O Jalālī Sahib! I am but a humble student and servant of the Ahl al-Ḥadīth school. By Allah, I swear — bring us a single ḥadīth from the books of Sunnah which outlines this understanding: that the common people should call upon saints, and the saints will then call upon Allah.
Bring a single authentic narration supporting this division — we are ready to accept. But I know well, no one will ever be able to provide such a ḥadīth, not even till the walls of the Day of Judgement. This concept is the invention of the Ṣūfīs, who divided Tawḥīd into:
This is not a division made by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Who is more beloved to Allah than the Imām of all Prophets ﷺ? When three of the Companions said:
The Prophet ﷺ responded:
"فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني"
"Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me."
In the Battle of Uḥud, Anas رضي الله عنه narrates:
"من يردهم عنا وله الجنة أو رفيقي في الجنة؟"
"Who will drive them away from us, and for him is Paradise — or he will be my companion in Paradise?"
O Jalālī Sahib! You claim this level of Tawḥīd is for the elite only. Yet here is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, during war, asking his Companions for help — within the means — who could be more elite than him?
But you say: “Even a hungry person should not ask for bread.” This is the terminology of Ṣūfī mysticism, not Islam.
For instance, a story is told of Ṣābir Kalīr رحمه الله:
His murshid appointed him to distribute food from a large cauldron. After some time, he was found extremely thin. When asked why he had not eaten, he replied:
“Murshid Sahib instructed me to distribute, not to eat. I neither asked nor ate, because I had reached the station where one must ask only from Allah.”
These are fabricated legends — tales of surviving without food for years.
Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
"قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يا عائشة ذات يوم هل عندكم شيء؟"
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once asked me: 'O ʿĀ’ishah, do you have anything [to eat] today?'”
She replied: “We have nothing.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"فإني صائم"
"Then I will fast."
This ḥadīth clearly shows that the Prophet ﷺ asked his wife for food.
You, however, elevate your saints to such a level of "special Tawḥīd" that they are not supposed to ask anyone but Allah — implying before reaching this level, one may ask others. Was the Prophet ﷺ not at the highest level of Tawḥīd?
Seeking help through natural means from creation is not shirk.
But seeking help beyond natural means, invoking the unseen aid of the deceased or absent, is shirk.
❖ Refutation of Ashraf Jalālī's Doubts Against Seeking Help from Allah Alone
Ashraf Jalālī al-Barelwī states that some people quote the following ḥadīth:
"إِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ"
"When you seek help, then seek it from Allah."
Reference: Ḥadīth from Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī and others
He responds by saying:
“We do not disagree with this ḥadīth, but no one should fall into misunderstanding. Not every person is at such a level that, when hungry, he would say, ‘I will not ask anyone to bring me food.’ This command is for special people; they have a status and the ruling applies to them. (This command is not general for everyone — that everyone must seek from Allah alone.)”
❖ Response to This Barelwī Misconception
In other words, Jalālī implies that this form of Tawḥīd is only for the elite, a command specifically for the saints, not for the general masses. According to him, the common people should call upon saints, and the saints should call upon Allah.
O Jalālī Sahib! I am but a humble student and servant of the Ahl al-Ḥadīth school. By Allah, I swear — bring us a single ḥadīth from the books of Sunnah which outlines this understanding: that the common people should call upon saints, and the saints will then call upon Allah.
Bring a single authentic narration supporting this division — we are ready to accept. But I know well, no one will ever be able to provide such a ḥadīth, not even till the walls of the Day of Judgement. This concept is the invention of the Ṣūfīs, who divided Tawḥīd into:
- Tawḥīd ʿĀmmah (for the general masses)
- Tawḥīd Khāṣṣah (for the elite)
- Tawḥīd Akhaṣṣ al-Khāṣṣ (for the elite of the elite)
This is not a division made by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
❖ A Question for Jalālī Sahib
Who is more beloved to Allah than the Imām of all Prophets ﷺ? When three of the Companions said:
- One: “I will never marry.”
- Another: “I will fast continuously.”
- A third: “I will not sleep at night.”
The Prophet ﷺ responded:
"فمن رغب عن سنتي فليس مني"
"Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Muslim
In the Battle of Uḥud, Anas رضي الله عنه narrates:
"من يردهم عنا وله الجنة أو رفيقي في الجنة؟"
"Who will drive them away from us, and for him is Paradise — or he will be my companion in Paradise?"
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1789
O Jalālī Sahib! You claim this level of Tawḥīd is for the elite only. Yet here is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, during war, asking his Companions for help — within the means — who could be more elite than him?
But you say: “Even a hungry person should not ask for bread.” This is the terminology of Ṣūfī mysticism, not Islam.
For instance, a story is told of Ṣābir Kalīr رحمه الله:
His murshid appointed him to distribute food from a large cauldron. After some time, he was found extremely thin. When asked why he had not eaten, he replied:
“Murshid Sahib instructed me to distribute, not to eat. I neither asked nor ate, because I had reached the station where one must ask only from Allah.”
These are fabricated legends — tales of surviving without food for years.
❖ What Did the Prophet ﷺ Do When He Was Hungry?
Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها narrates:
"قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يا عائشة ذات يوم هل عندكم شيء؟"
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once asked me: 'O ʿĀ’ishah, do you have anything [to eat] today?'”
She replied: “We have nothing.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"فإني صائم"
"Then I will fast."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1154
This ḥadīth clearly shows that the Prophet ﷺ asked his wife for food.
You, however, elevate your saints to such a level of "special Tawḥīd" that they are not supposed to ask anyone but Allah — implying before reaching this level, one may ask others. Was the Prophet ﷺ not at the highest level of Tawḥīd?
❖ The Correct Understanding of Seeking Help
Seeking help through natural means from creation is not shirk. But seeking help beyond natural means, invoking the unseen aid of the deceased or absent, is shirk.