Source: Excerpted from "Aaeena Tawheed wa Sunnat – Jawab: Shirk Kya Hai ma‘a Bid‘at ki Haqiqat",
Author: Shaykh Abu Hudhaifah Muhammad Javed Salafi
❖ Barelvi Claim
Hafeezur Rahman Qadri writes:
“Is offering something in the name of other than Allah haram? As soon as food is distributed in the name of Ghaus Pak, Data Sahib, or Imam Husayn رضي الله عنه, or even in the name of a Prophet, noise and objections erupt, claiming that anything in the name of other than Allah is haram.”
— [Shirk Kya Hai, p. 39]
Response: Offerings (Nadhr) Are an Act of Worship – Exclusive to Allah Alone
Offering (نذر) is an act of worship and therefore solely the right of Allah ﷻ. Doing it for anyone besides Him is haram. The status of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is far above that of all creation, yet no evidence exists — in the vast treasury of Hadith — that the Companions رضي الله عنهم ever made offerings in his name.
Not a single narration reports that:- They vowed offerings in the name of the Prophet ﷺ.
- They slaughtered animals in his name.
- They appointed a specific date for a vow dedicated to him ﷺ.
Even though they loved him immensely, they never did this. The Prophet ﷺ never taught any of his Companions to make vows or offerings in his name.
❖ What Do Hanafi Sources Say?
Hafeezur Rahman Qadri complains about objections raised when offerings are made in the name of other than Allah. But unfortunately, he is unaware of the teachings of his own Hanafi school.
❝Let me show you your reflection in your own mirror.❞
Fatāwā ‘Ālamgīriyyah (Vol. 1, p. 216, Bab al-I‘tikāf, Egypt Edition)
والتذر الذى يقع من اكثر العوام ... باطل إجماعا
“The common practice among laypeople of visiting the graves of pious individuals and vowing, 'O such-and-such saint! If my need is fulfilled, I’ll offer you such amount of gold’ — this vow is unanimously invalid.”
It further states:
Any monetary or material offering at the graves of saints, seeking their closeness, is unanimously haram.
Durr al-Mukhtār (Vol. 1, p. 590, end of Kitāb al-Ṣawm)
النذر يقع بلا موات من أكثر العوام ... فهو بالإجماع باطل حرام
“It is common among people to make vows in the name of the dead, offering oil, candles, and money at the shrines of saints seeking their nearness. This is unanimously invalid and haram.”
Radd al-Muḥtār (Vol. 2, p. 431, Egypt Edition 1966)
قوله باطل وحرام ... منها أنه نذر المخلوق ... واعتقاده ذالك كفر
“This vow is invalid and haram for several reasons:
① It is a vow to a created being, which is not allowed since vows are an act of worship, and worship cannot be for creation.
② The one being vowed to is dead, and the dead possess no control.
③ The one making the vow believes that the dead can influence matters independently of Allah — such a belief is kufr.”
❖ Qur'anic Evidence Against Vows for Other Than Allah
Surah al-Mā’idah (5:3):
حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ ... وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ
“Forbidden to you is the dead animal, blood, the flesh of swine, and that over which a name other than Allah has been invoked.”
Surah al-Baqarah (2:173):
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ... وَمَا أُهِلَّ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ
“He has only forbidden you dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been sacrificed in the name of other than Allah.”
☛ The key term “uhilla” implies invoking, naming, calling out.
❖ The Practice of Pre-Islamic Polytheists
Surah al-An‘ām (6:136):
وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ ... وَهَذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا
“They set aside for Allah a portion of what He produced of crops and livestock and say, ‘This is for Allah’—so they claim—‘and this is for our partners.’”
The pagans shared their wealth and food between Allah and idols. Today, people claim they sacrifice “for Allah” but attribute it to saints, believing they know, control, and affect outcomes.
❖ Why Then Only Shaykh ʿAbd al-Qādir Jilānī?
If it's just to send reward (īṣāl al-thawāb), why specify Shaykh Jilānī?
Why always the 11th of each month?
Why no such offerings for the Prophet ﷺ or the Ten Promised Paradise (عشرہ مبشرہ)?
① Abu Bakr aṣ-Ṣiddīq
② ʿUmar al-Fārūq
③ ʿUthmān al-Ghanī
④ ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib
⑤ Ṭalḥah
⑥ Zubayr
⑦ Saʿd
⑧ Saʿīd
⑨ ʿAbdur Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf
⑩ Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ رضي الله عنهم
Do we ever see regular offerings in their names?
❖ Offerings Are Worship — and Worship Is Only for Allah
Surah al-Kahf (18:110):
وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِ أَحَدًا
“And do not associate anyone in the worship of your Lord.”
Yet due to ignorance, women are even presented at shrines as offerings.
❖ Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi on Offering Women as Nadhr
In Malfoozāt-e-A‘la Hazrat (Vol. 3, p. 310):
He narrates how a slave girl was admired at a shrine and was then offered as a vow (nadhr) and handed over to a pious figure to fulfill his desire — all without any condemnation, and in fact, accepted as meritorious.
❖ Condemnation of Sacrificing to Other Than Allah
Hadith:
لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَن ذَبَحَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ
“Allah curses the one who sacrifices for other than Allah.”
— Musnad Ahmad: 954; al-Nasa’i: 4432
Even in prayer, we affirm:
التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات
“All greetings, prayers, and pure words are for Allah.”
❖ Even Ahmad Raza Khan Condemned Certain Superstitions
In Ahkām-e-Sharī‘at (p. 51), he wrote against people who:
- Offer sweets or food under trees,
- Light incense,
- Hang garlands and
- Vow at “shrines” imagined in trees and alcoves.
He termed these acts nonsense, ignorant, and baseless.
Final Verdict
- Vows to other than Allah are not supported by any Hadith, nor the practice of the Companions.
- Such acts are condemned in Qur’an, Hadith, and even Hanafi fiqh.
- All vows, offerings, and sacrifices must be only for Allah.
Let the truth prevail.🌤 The clouds of shirk and innovation are lifting — light is breaking through.
