Why do you say YA ALI (A.S) MADAD?

People say that saying ya ALI Madad is Shirk. First of all let us understand the meaning of shirk. Shirk is the act which clearly depicts the association of Allah, The All-Mighty with any other being. They say that madad (help) is only from Allah and that if we ask for help from any one except Allah..then we try to associate it( or him) with Allah. Now, let all of us keep Allah as witness to our lives and answer this simple question.

HASN’T ANY SOUL IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE EVER ASKED FOR HELP?? ATLEAST FROM HIS PARENTS, IF NOT, THEN HIS TEACHERS (asking a doubt from the teacher is also taking help), IF NOT, THEN HIS FRIENDS, IF NOT THEN HE IS NOT A HUMAN. IT IS HUMAN TENDENCY TO ASK FOR HELP WHEN IN NEED, OF ANYTHING WHICH IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR US.

Then does this imply that the entire world has committed SHIRK?
NO.

You need logic to answer your own question.

Hadith Al-Rayah(Alam)
Al Bukhari mentions this tradition in his Sahih, "Kitab al Jihad wa al Siyar":
Sahl ibn Sad said: "The Prophet (pbuh&hp) said on the day of (the victory of) Khaybar:

"Tomorrow I will give the standard to a man, by whose hand God shall conquer (Khaybar). He loves God and His Messenger, and God and His Messenger love him."

The people passed the night wondering as to who will receive it and everyone was hopeful of getting it. (The next day) the Prophet (pbuh&hp) declared: "Where is Ali?" He was told: 'He is suffering with an eye pain.' (When Ali came) the Prophet applied his saliva to his eyes and prayed for him. Ali recovered as if he had no pain before. Then the Prophet (pbuh&hp) gave it (the standard) to him...

Other Sunni Refernces:

1. Muslim in his Sahih, "Kitab al-jihad wa al Siyar" and "Kitab fada'il al Sahabah";
2. al Tirmidhi in his Sahih, i, 218;
3. Ibn Majah in Sunan (Matba`at al Faruqi, Delhi) "bab fada'il ashab Rasul Allah (S)";
4. al Hakim in Mustadrak, iii, 38, 437;
5. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Musnad, i, 99, 133, 185, 320, iv, 51, v, 353;
6. Abu Nu`aym in Hilyat al 'awliya', i, 26, 62;
7. al Nasa'i in Khasa'is, 4, 5, 7, 8, 32;
8. al Muttaqi in Kanz al Ummal, v, 283, 285, vi, 394, 395, 405;
9. al Haythami in Majma al Zawa'id, vi, 150, 151, ix, 119, 123, 124;
10. Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al Tahdhib, vii, 337, 339;
11. al Muhibb al Tabari, al Riyad al Nadirah, ii, 185, 187, 203;
12. al Tabari, Tarikh, ii, 300;
13. Ibn Sa`d, al Tabaqat, ii, part one, 80; 14. Ibn Abd al Barr, al Istiab (Hyderabad, 1336), ii, 450; 15. al Bayhaqi in Sunan, vi, 362.
It has been narrated in Sahih al Bukhari by Anas,
“Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say,

"O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain." And so it would rain.
Sahih al Bukhari Volume 2, Book 17, Number 123 Chapter “Istisqaa”, Narrated by Anas.

COMMENT:

Why was the second khalifa turning to Abbas as a Wasila? Why could he not ask Allah (swt) DIRECTLY for rain? Would Afriki not deem this as an act of Shirk? Why was he placing this matter into the hands of Abbas? Umar also admits that the Sahaba would ask Rasulullah (s) to supplicate for rain “We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain” – why would they not supplicate for themselves? Did Rasulullah (s) reprimand these individuals and order them to pray DIRECTLY to Allah (swt)?

It has been noted in Mustadrak al Hakim, narrated by Umar ibn al khattab that:

“When Prophet Adam(A.S) committed the mistake and became (tarkal owla) he turned toward the skies and said: Oh Allah I swear you to Muhammad (S) that you forgive me. Allah told him: How did you know Muhammad (S) before I have created him? Adam(A.S) said: Oh Allah! When you created me with your own hands and gave me of your special soul in my body, I raised my head and saw that on the bases of the sky it has been written “la ilaha illallah, Muhammad rasolollah” There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger. And I knew that you do not company your name with any other, unless you love him more than anyone. Allah (SWT) said, “(Indeed) you have said truth! I love him more than all my creations. And now (that) you have swore me to him, I have forgiven you. For if Muhammad was not there, I would not have created you.”

1. Mustadrak al Hakim, Book of History, End of the Book of Al-Ba3ath, Vol. 2, p. 615;
2. Majma al-Zawa’ed, vol. 8, p. 253;
3. And narrated from Tabarani in Al-Nosra muraghi p. 113-114

3) Quranic References with Hadeeth

For example, all Muslims believe that it is Allãh who gives life and death to the people. The Qur'ãn itself says,

Surah Az-Zumar
"Allãh takes the souls at the time of their death." (39:42)
But at the same time, the Qur'ãn also attributes death to the angels by saying,

Surah As-Sajda
"Say: It is the angel of death (who is given charge of you) who shall cause you to die." (32:11)

If you place the imports of these two verses side-by-side (i.e., horizontal form), then you are guilty of shirk, polytheism; but if you place them in the vertical form (with the power of the angels beneath and dependent upon the power of Allãh), then you have safeguarded the tawhid.

Similarly, if we place the power and authority of the Prophets and the Imams in the vertical form (with the conviction that their power is beneath and dependent upon the power of Allãh), then we have safeguarded the tawhíd as well as the status of the chosen servants of Allãh.

Surah Baqara
Do you not know that Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that besides Allah you have no guardian or helper?(Quran 2:107)
But, at the same time, ALLAH AFFIRMS TAKING HELP.

Surah Aal-e-Imran
Let not the believers Take for friends or HELPERS Unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, in nothing will there be help from Allah: except by way of precaution, that ye may Guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you (To remember) Himself; for the final goal is to Allah. (Quran 3:28)

Here, if we try to say that taking help from the believers is shirk, then we are going against the Quran. But if we consider that the believers will help us only after they are helped by ALLAH, then we have safeguarded our Tauheed.

Also some people say that we should not ask for help from the dead persons, here is the Quran.

Surah Aal-e-Imran (verses 169-170)
• And reckon not those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive (and) are provided sustenance from their Lord;
• They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them (in their bliss), the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.

NOW WHO IN THIS WORLD CAN DOUBT ALI IBN ABI TAALIB’S ASSASINATION IN ALLAH’S WAY. IMAM ALI(a.s.) WAS ASSASINATED BY A KHAARJIITE WHILE IMAM ALI(a.s.) was in the state of prostration in the morning prayers in the mosque of kufa.SO IMAM ALI IS ALIVE, NOT DEAD. SOME PEOPLE ALSO SAY THAT IT IS MENTIONED IN THE QURAN..

[Yusufali 50:16] It was We Who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein.

SO THEY SAY THAT IT IS ALLAH WHO IS CLOSER TO US THAN ANY ONE ELSE. HENCE ALLAH CAN BE OUR BEST HELPER. YES, I AGREE THAT ALLAH IS THE BEST HELPER. AND THIS VERSE HERE MEANS THAT ALLAH IS CLOSER TO US, HENCE HE KNOWS ALL ABOUT US..WHAT WE CONCEAL.

BUT DOES THIS VERSE MEAN THAT WE KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ALLAH??? [ ASTAGHFIRULLAH] {MAY ALLAH FORGIVE ME}
NO.

ALLAH IS NEARER TO US..THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ALSO ARE NEARER TO HIM.
IF THIS WAS THE CASE..THEN WHY WOULD ALLAH SAY IN THE QURAN..AS…

"O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek an approach unto Him..."
(Holy Qur'an 5:35)

DOESN’T THIS VERSE ASKS US TO SEEK THE WAYS( and waseela) TO GET CLOSER TO ALLAH?? SO IF WE SEEK AN APPROACH UNTO HIM FOR HELP..THROUGH ANYONE..WHAT IS THE HARM..INSTEAD IT WILL ACT AS A SHORTCUT.
AND WHO CAN BE NEARER TO ALAH THAN IMAM ALI(a.s.) about whom the prophet has said..

“Ali(A.S) is with the Qur’an(truth), and the Qur’an(truth) is with Ali(A.S).”

Al-Bukhari, 5/19; Muslim, 2/360; Al-Tirmidhi, 5/304; Mustadrak Al-Sahihain of Al-Hakim Al-Nisabori, 3/109; Ibn Majah, 1/28; Musnad Ahmad, 3/328.

NOW ALLAH IS TRUTH(HAQ).

SO ALLAH IS WITH ALI(A.S) AND ALI IS WITH ALLAH.
SO ALI(A.S) CAN BE THE BEST WAYS OF APPROACH TO ALLAH, BE IT FOR HELP OR FOR KNOWLEDGE.

One - Prophet Musa(A.S) and Prophet Muhammad (s) both prayed for helpers to ease their burdens


Right from the beginning of his mission Musa(A.S) prayed as follows:

“Musa said: O Allah! Assign me a Vizier from my family, (that is) my brother Haroon. Add to my strength through him, and make him share my task: that we may celebrate thy praise without stint... (Allah) said: “We granted your requests, O Musa” (The Qur’an 20:29-36)

Now here Musa(A.S) is asking for help, not from Allah (swt) alone but from his brother as well. He is NOT turning to Allah (swt) exclusively for help he is asking help from another human as well, is this an act of shirk?

Interestingly Suyuti in his commentary of the above verse sites the following tradition:

“When this verse descended, The Prophet (s) was on a mountain, straight after it’s descent, The Prophet (s) prayed to Allah, ‘Oh Allah! Through my brother Ali, ease the burden on my back’, and Allah accepted this prayer”

Tafsir Durre Manthur, by Jaladin Suyuti, Vol 4 p 295

Why is Rasulullah (s) not asking Allah (swt) for help? Would Al Khider not assert that calling on others for help is Shirk? Yet here Rasulullah (s) is asking Allah (swt) that Ali(A.S) be made his helper. This being the case is it not Sunnah to seek help from Imam Ali(A.S) ? Whose words should we deem to be more important, those of all Khider or those of Rasulullah (s)?
Two - The Bani Israil turned to Prophet Musa(A.S) for help

In Surah Araf we read as follows:

“We divided them into twelve tribes or nations. We directed Moses by inspiration, when his (thirsty) people asked him for water: "Strike the rock with thy staff": out of it there gushed forth twelve springs: Each group knew its own place for water. We gave them the shade of clouds, and sent down to them manna and quails, (saying): "Eat of the good things We have provided for you": (but they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they harmed their own souls (The Holy Qur'an 7:160)”.

Here the tribe of Bani Israil were thirsty, rather than seek Allah (swt) for sustenance they turned to Hadhrath Musa(A.S) to answer their prayers. Now if seeking the aid of another is Shirk then surely Musa(A.S) would have condemned them and told them to pray to Allah (swt), but he did not. Here the 'rod' acted as a Wasila, Allah (swt) could have sent down rain from the skies, and yet Allah (swt) instructed Musa(A.S) to strike the rod on the rock. The Bani Israil turned to Musa(A.S) and it was through him that Allah (swt) answered their prayers.
Three - Prophet Sulayman(A.S) sought the help of the people not Allah (swt)

And then we have these verses in Surah Naml:

38. He said (to his own men): "Ye chiefs! which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

39. Said an 'Ifrit, of the Jinns: "I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted."

40. Said one who had knowledge of the Book: "I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!" Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: "This is by the Grace of my Lord!- to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! and if any is grateful, truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, truly my Lord is Free of all Needs, Supreme in Honour !"