Authored by: Qārī Usāmah bin ʿAbd al-Salām ḥafiẓahullāh
According to the blessed teachings of Allah ﷻ and His beloved Messenger ﷺ—our most compassionate leader, the greatest Imam, the Master of all mankind and the final Prophet—supplication (duʿāʼ) must be directed solely to Allah alone, in all circumstances.
To invoke or request anything from anyone besides Allah is an act of pure shirk (polytheism). If a person dies in this sin without repentance, even Allah Himself will not forgive this on the Day of Judgment.
To understand the severity of this unforgivable crime, consider the following four heart-touching verses of the Qur’an and four authentic ḥadīths:
Surah al-Anʿām: 84–88
After mentioning the names of 18 blessed prophets and affirming their righteousness, Allah ﷻ concludes:"This is the guidance of Allah. He guides whom He wills among His servants. But if they had associated partners with Him, surely all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them."
(Surah al-Anʿām, Ayah 88)
Surah al-Zumar: Ayah 65
"Indeed, it has been revealed to you and to those before you that if you commit shirk, your deeds will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers."
Surah al-Nisāʼ: Ayah 116
"Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whom He wills..."
Surah al-Māʾidah: Ayah 72
"Indeed, those who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary' have certainly disbelieved... Whoever associates others with Allah – Paradise will be forbidden for him, and his refuge will be Hell."
Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins? Associating partners with Allah, disobedience to parents, and giving false testimony or speaking lies.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī & Muslim:
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Every Prophet was given a supplication that was accepted. I intend to reserve mine for intercession on behalf of my Ummah in the Hereafter."
Sunan al-Tirmidhī (Ḥasan Ḥadīth):
Allah ﷻ said: "O son of Ādam, as long as you call upon Me and have hope in Me, I will forgive you. Even if your sins reach the clouds of the sky, if you seek My forgiveness, I will forgive you..."
Sunan Ibn Mājah & Musnad Aḥmad:
The Prophet ﷺ advised: "Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut into pieces or burned. And do not intentionally abandon the obligatory prayer..."
② On the Day of Judgment, no intercessor—not even the Prophet ﷺ—can help the one who died upon shirk.
③ Whoever avoids shirk, regardless of other sins, can hope for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.
In Islamic terminology, duʿāʼ is a form of worship (ʿibādah) that must be directed only to Allah, whether in ease or hardship, comfort or distress.
As Allah said through the blessed tongue of His Prophet ﷺ:
"When My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me..."
(Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 186)
"Indeed, duʿāʼ is worship."
Then he recited:
"And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation."
(Surah Ghāfir: Ayah 60)
[Reported by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, al-Tirmidhī (Ṣaḥīḥ), Ibn Mājah]
② Whoever directs it to others will be humiliated and cast into Hell.
"You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help."
(Surah al-Fātiḥah, Ayah 4)
The use of the Arabic present/future tense in نَعْبُدُ and نَسْتَعِينُ indicates a continuous pledge.
(Surah al-Naml: Ayah 62)
"They themselves seek means to their Lord as to which of them is nearest..."
(Surah al-Isrā’: Ayah 56–57)
Even those pious beings whom people invoke do not control harm or benefit, and they themselves seek nearness to Allah.
✔ Duʿāʼ is worship, and worship is only for Allah.
✔ Seeking help from others in the unseen is unequivocally condemned by Qur’an and Sunnah.
✿ A Must-Read Call Before Death
Dear Muslim brothers, despite Satanic whispers, make it absolutely mandatory to read this article from beginning to end at least once before your death.
Identification of the One Unforgivable Sin
According to the blessed teachings of Allah ﷻ and His beloved Messenger ﷺ—our most compassionate leader, the greatest Imam, the Master of all mankind and the final Prophet—supplication (duʿāʼ) must be directed solely to Allah alone, in all circumstances.To invoke or request anything from anyone besides Allah is an act of pure shirk (polytheism). If a person dies in this sin without repentance, even Allah Himself will not forgive this on the Day of Judgment.
To understand the severity of this unforgivable crime, consider the following four heart-touching verses of the Qur’an and four authentic ḥadīths:
❖ Four Qur'anic Verses:
Surah al-Anʿām: 84–88After mentioning the names of 18 blessed prophets and affirming their righteousness, Allah ﷻ concludes:"This is the guidance of Allah. He guides whom He wills among His servants. But if they had associated partners with Him, surely all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them."
(Surah al-Anʿām, Ayah 88)
Surah al-Zumar: Ayah 65"Indeed, it has been revealed to you and to those before you that if you commit shirk, your deeds will surely become worthless, and you will surely be among the losers."
Surah al-Nisāʼ: Ayah 116"Indeed, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives anything less than that to whom He wills..."
Surah al-Māʾidah: Ayah 72"Indeed, those who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary' have certainly disbelieved... Whoever associates others with Allah – Paradise will be forbidden for him, and his refuge will be Hell."
❖ Four Authentic Aḥādīth:
Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:The Prophet ﷺ said: “Shall I not inform you of the greatest of the major sins? Associating partners with Allah, disobedience to parents, and giving false testimony or speaking lies.”
Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī & Muslim:The Prophet ﷺ said: "Every Prophet was given a supplication that was accepted. I intend to reserve mine for intercession on behalf of my Ummah in the Hereafter."
Sunan al-Tirmidhī (Ḥasan Ḥadīth):Allah ﷻ said: "O son of Ādam, as long as you call upon Me and have hope in Me, I will forgive you. Even if your sins reach the clouds of the sky, if you seek My forgiveness, I will forgive you..."
Sunan Ibn Mājah & Musnad Aḥmad:The Prophet ﷺ advised: "Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut into pieces or burned. And do not intentionally abandon the obligatory prayer..."
❖ Three Critical Conclusions:
① Shirk is the most dangerous, terrifying, and unforgivable sin, making a person eternally destined for Hell and deprived of Paradise.② On the Day of Judgment, no intercessor—not even the Prophet ﷺ—can help the one who died upon shirk.
③ Whoever avoids shirk, regardless of other sins, can hope for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.
❖ Definition of Duʿāʼ in Arabic and Islam:
According to Arabic lexicons like al-Qāmūs, duʿāʼ means: to call, to invoke, to request, to plead, to ask for something.In Islamic terminology, duʿāʼ is a form of worship (ʿibādah) that must be directed only to Allah, whether in ease or hardship, comfort or distress.
As Allah said through the blessed tongue of His Prophet ﷺ:
"When My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me..."
(Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 186)
❖ Duʿāʼ is Worship:
The Prophet ﷺ said:"Indeed, duʿāʼ is worship."
Then he recited:
"And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation."
(Surah Ghāfir: Ayah 60)
[Reported by Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, al-Tirmidhī (Ṣaḥīḥ), Ibn Mājah]
❖ Two Key Conclusions from the Verse & Ḥadīth:
① Duʿāʼ, being an act of worship, is exclusive to Allah.② Whoever directs it to others will be humiliated and cast into Hell.
❖ Duʿāʼ is Only for the True Deity:
In every rakʿah of every prayer, we pledge:"You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help."
(Surah al-Fātiḥah, Ayah 4)
The use of the Arabic present/future tense in نَعْبُدُ and نَسْتَعِينُ indicates a continuous pledge.
❖ Qur’anic Reasoning:
"Is there any god besides Allah who responds to the distressed when he calls upon Him, removes harm, and makes you inheritors of the earth?"(Surah al-Naml: Ayah 62)
❖ True Refuge in Distress:
Only Allah is the responder to the distressed, the reliever of hardship, and the sustainer of the helpless. No one else possesses this divine ability. This truth has been demonstrated historically and experientially.❖ Refuting Invocation of the Righteous or Angels:
"Say: Call upon those whom you claim besides Him; they do not possess the power to remove harm from you or transfer it.""They themselves seek means to their Lord as to which of them is nearest..."
(Surah al-Isrā’: Ayah 56–57)
Even those pious beings whom people invoke do not control harm or benefit, and they themselves seek nearness to Allah.
❖ Final Emphasis:
The above discussion concludes:✔ Duʿāʼ is worship, and worship is only for Allah.
✔ Seeking help from others in the unseen is unequivocally condemned by Qur’an and Sunnah.
