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Fatwa on Istightha1FromImmShams al-Dn al-Ramls2 collection of his father,

Imm Shihb al-Dnal-Ramls Fatwa

Released bywww.marifah.net1428 H

The Imm was asked:Regarding what occurs amongst the awwmwho when in distress sayya shaykh

fulnand ya Raslullhand things like this from seeking aid (istightha) withthe Prophets and theAwliy, the Ulem and the righteous, is this permitted ornot? And do the Messengers, Prophets, Awliy, the righteous, and the

Mashayekh possess the ability to assist others after their deaths, and whatstrengthens that view?

He replied:

Istightha (seeking aid) with the Prophets and Messengers, theAwliy, the Ulem andthe righteous is permitted. The messengers, Prophets and theAwliy have [the abilityto] assist after their death because the miracles of the Prophets and Awliy are notsevered following their death. As for the Prophets, then they are alive in their graves

1 This article has been translated from the book titled Fatwa al-Raml (http://feqh.al-

islam.com/Bookhier.asp?Mode=0&DocID=63&MaksamID=1) , Imm Shams al-Dn al-Ramls collection of his

father, Imm Shihb al-Dn Ramlis fatwa.

2 He is Shams al-Dn Muhammad ibn Ahmad. He was born in Ramla, a village near Manfiyya in

Egypt, in 919AH. He was the son of the famous Shfi faqhand mufti, Shihb al-Dn al-Raml. His

teachers include his father, Shaykh al-Islm Zakariyya al-Ansr and al-Khatb al-Shirbn. After his

fathers death he became the chief Shfi mufti in Egypt. Such was his eminence that many came to

identify him as the mujaddidof his century. His works include nihyat al-muhtj, a commentary on al-

Nawaws minhj, ghayat al-bayn, a commentary on Ibn Ruslns zubd, a commentary on Shaykh

al-Islams (Zakariyya al-Ansr) tahrr, a commentary on al-Nawaws idh f mansik al-hajj, a

collection of his fathers fatwas. He died in the year 1004AH in Cairo. (Cited from Ibn Hajar al-

Haytami andImmRamliby Shaykh Taha Karaan.http://www.islam.tc/ask-imm/view.php?q=13545)

http://www.marifah.net/http://www.marifah.net/http://www.marifah.net/http://feqh.al-islam.com/Bookhier.asp?Mode=0&DocID=63&MaksamID=1http://feqh.al-islam.com/Bookhier.asp?Mode=0&DocID=63&MaksamID=1http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=13545http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=13545http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=13545http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=13545http://www.islam.tc/ask-imam/view.php?q=13545http://feqh.al-islam.com/Bookhier.asp?Mode=0&DocID=63&MaksamID=1http://feqh.al-islam.com/Bookhier.asp?Mode=0&DocID=63&MaksamID=1http://www.marifah.net/

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praying and doing hajj as it has come in the reports. So assistance from them will be amiracle on their behalf; and the martyrs are also alive, and have been seen, openlykilling the kuffr.

And as for theAwliy, then it is a karamafrom them. The people of the truth believe

that this occurs from theAwliy both with intention, and without intention-things thatsever the customary manner of phenomenal reality (khariqa lil dah), that Allah theExalted brings forth through them. The proof for these things is that they are mattersthat are (intellectually) possible and the permissibility of their occurrence does notnecessitate anything that is impossible. So everything that is in this realm, then it ispossible to occur. (An example) of its occurrence is the story of Maryam and how theprovision came to her from Allah - as stated in the revelation, and the storyof AbBakr and his guests as appears in the sahh, and the gushing (flowing forth) of the Nileriver due to the letter of Umar, and him seeing, while on the minbar in Medina, thearmy (being approached for a sneak attack), till he said to the Amr of the army: OSariya, the mountain!, warning him of the enemy behind the mountain. And Sariya

heard his speech even though there was a great distance between them - the distanceof two months journey. Khald Ibn Wald drank poison without it harming him.

Khawriq (matters that customarily go against the rules of phenomenal reality) haveoccurred by the hands of the companions, the followers, and those after them. It is notpossible to deny this due to the fact that taken as a whole; they are at the level oftawtur. So, in general, what is possible to be a miracle (mujiza) for a Prophet, ispossible to be a karamafor a Wal. There is no distinction between them except in thearea of provocation. 3

3 This means that there is no difference except that the mujiza was in response to a tahadd, a

challenge from the mushriknsaying that he was a liar.