This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Question: Did revelation come to Umm Musa, Maryam, or any other non-prophet?
Answer: This happened before this Ummah, but now it is not possible because the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: There is nothing left of prophethood except glad tidings. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, asked: What are glad tidings? He said: Good dreams.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Interpretation of Dreams, Chapter on Glad Tidings:6990
And he said: A believer’s dream is one of the forty-six parts of prophethood.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Interpretation of Dreams, Chapter on Good Dreams Being Part of Forty-Six Parts of Prophethood:6987
A dream of a non-prophet can also come from Satan, therefore a dream is not a source of certain knowledge. The Prophet ﷺ told the Companions: Whoever sees a bad dream, it is from Satan; he should seek refuge in Allah from its evil and not mention it to anyone, then it will not harm him.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Interpretation of Dreams, Chapter on Dreams from Allah: 6985
The Prophet ﷺ said: A good dream is from Allah Almighty, and a bad dream is from Satan.
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Interpretation, Chapter: Dreams from Allah:6984
The Prophet ﷺ also said: Before you, among the Children of Israel, there were people (who were not prophets) but still angels spoke to them. If there were such a person in my Ummah, it would have been Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
Reference: Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, Chapter: Virtues of Umar ibn Al-Khattab Abu Hafs Al-Qurashi Al-Adawi (may Allah be pleased with him): 3689
Question: Just as a minister's recommendation is needed to meet a king, is it not necessary to have the intercession of the friends of Allah to meet Allah?
Answer: Allah Almighty is not like kings because kings are naturally incapable of managing the entire kingdom by themselves. They need such assistants who not only help them in matters of the kingdom but in fact, these people share in the king's rule, and therefore
[1] sometimes kings are compelled to accept recommendations.
[2] sometimes the king has some interest in the one who makes the recommendation.
[3] Sometimes there is a fear of the arrogance of the one who intercedes.
[4] Sometimes the intention is to repay a favor done by the one who intercedes.
[5] Sometimes, compelled by love for the one who intercedes, the law is changed to accept their intercession.
Whereas thinking like this about Allah is disbelief and polytheism. Allah Almighty says: [یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَ یَوۡمٌ لَّا بَیۡعٌ فِیۡہِ وَ لَا خُلَّۃٌ وَّ لَا شَفَاعَۃٌ ؕ وَ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ ہُمُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ] O you who have believed, spend from that which We have provided you before there comes a Day in which there is no exchange, nor any friendship, nor intercession. And the disbelievers - they are the wrongdoers.
Reference: (Al-Baqarah:254)
Question: Can the intercession of a deceased prophet or saint be sought in prayer?
Answer: None of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ ever prayed through the person of the Prophet ﷺ or any other deceased prophet after the death of the Prophet ﷺ. The means of intercession through the Prophet ﷺ was the same both during his life and after his death, so the Companions would not have sought intercession through the Prophet’s uncle, Sayyiduna Abbas رضي الله عنه, instead of the Prophet ﷺ after his death. Using Muhammad ﷺ, the family of Muhammad, or any saint or spiritual leader as an intermediary in prayer sometimes leads a person to shirk (associating partners with Allah), especially when one believes that Allah is in need of His beloved’s intercession, similar to how a king or high officials are needed. Saying this implies likening the Creator to the creation, because intercession is given to someone whom one fears or is compelled by love for, meaning one becomes helpless by their name and finds it difficult to deny them. Allah is free from all these defects.
Question: When Adam (peace be upon him) was expelled from Paradise, did he not pray through the intercession of Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
Answer: The prayer of Adam (peace be upon him) is mentioned in the Holy Quran: [رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَاۤ اَنۡفُسَنَا وَ اِنۡ لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَ تَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَکُوۡنَنَّ مِنَ الۡخٰسِرِیۡنَ] O our Lord! We have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.
Reference: (Al-A'raf:23)
Adam (peace be upon him) did not invoke Muhammad (peace be upon him) as an intermediary. This narration is fabricated because its narrator, Abdul Rahman bin Zaid bin Aslam, reports fabricated narrations from his father.
Reference: (Al-Tawassul by Allama Nasiruddin Al-Albani)
Hafiz Dhahabi and Imam Ibn Taymiyyah have declared it fabricated. The Holy Quran contains many prayers of the Prophets and the righteous. Every Muslim makes many supplications during prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught the companions many supplications at different times of the day, but none of these supplications include phrases like: O Allah! Remove my affliction by the right of so-and-so, by the intercession of so-and-so, or by the charity of so-and-so. There is no need for an intermediary in the court of Allah Almighty.
Allah Almighty says: [ادۡعُوۡنِیۡۤ اَسۡتَجِبۡ لَکُمۡ] Keep praying to Me; I will accept your prayers.
Reference: (Al-Mu’min:60)
Question: When will Muslims gain dominance?
Answer: Muslims will gain dominance when they accept the invitation of the Prophets (peace be upon them). (That is)
[1] They will believe in the Oneness of Allah Almighty and abandon all forms of polytheism.
[2] While preaching the Oneness of Allah, they will unite many Muslims into one group, like a single body. In other words, the funeral of sectarianism will be held, and by the blessing of pure monotheism, many Muslims around the world will turn towards the true religion.
[3] They will prepare to fight for the religion of Islam according to their ability.
Allah Almighty says: [وَعَدَ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّہُمۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ کَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ۪ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَہُمۡ دِیۡنَہُمُ الَّذِی ارۡتَضٰی لَہُمۡ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِہِمۡ اَمۡنًا ؕ یَعۡبُدُوۡنَنِیۡ لَا یُشۡرِکُوۡنَ بِیۡ شَیۡئًا] Allah has promised that those of you who believe and do righteous deeds, He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them. And He will establish for them their religion which He has preferred for them and will substitute security for them in place of their fear. They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.
Reference: (An-Nur: 55)
