Pilgrimage: Some highly sinful
practices
Q439 :If a person has been guilty of some very
serious offenses such as worshipping graves, attending death
anniversaries of pirs and grand pirs, do these practices reflect on his
faith? Suppose he offers pilgrimage, is he forgiven for his sins?
Suppose he gives up these practices but is unable to perform
pilgrimage, how can he achieve forgiveness?
A439 : Let me first explain that we use the
expression "the worship of graves" to denote the practices of some
people who visit graves of some dead persons whom they consider to have
been saints or blessed people and ask them to accomplish certain needs
of their own. They may do this at the Prophet's grave in Madinah, but
they do it more often in their own towns and villages, having elevated
certain people to a saintly grade. All this is unacceptable in Islam.
In fact it runs contrary to the very concept of the Oneness of Allah on
which Islam and all divine religions are based. It is not possible for
any human being to remain within the fold of Islam while at the same
time believing that a certain person, whether dead or alive, can be of
any benefit to him in the hereafter. If he also believes that a dead
person can answer any request or prayer, he is making a god of him.
That is polytheism, or, to use the Islamic term, shirk. It is needless
to say that there is no offense more serious or more grave than this.
It is unfortunate that in many Muslim areas, people tend to think that
pirs, who get their position merely through belonging to a family of
pirs, should be obeyed in all matters. A person who has that rank may
have very little knowledge of Islam, its beliefs, worship, systems,
practices and values. Nevertheless, he does not hesitate to give
guidance to all those who look up to him to provide such guidance. They
give him money and gifts and humble themselves before him. They
consider that if he is pleased with them, they are ensured salvation in
the hereafter. This is again a form of shirk, which is totally
unacceptable. Whether such thoughts, beliefs and practices are
forgiven on the performance of the pilgrimage or not is a matter which
needs clarification. The Prophet teaches us that pilgrimage offered
with sincerity and dedication ensures the forgiveness of all sins. But
when he says that, he only refers to sinful practices. He does not
include false beliefs. Forgiveness is granted by Allah to people who do
not associate any partners with Him, or, in other words, are not guilty
of shirk. Allah states clearly in the Qur'an a rule which must remain
with us as part of our beliefs: "Allah never forgives that partners
should be associated with Him, but He is ready to forgive whomsoever He
wills anything other than that." This means that when it comes to
belief, we must be absolutely clear. No trace of polytheism may be
allowed to creep into our minds. When we have reached this stage, the
forgiveness of any sins is obtainable, with Allah's grace. But once our
beliefs involve polytheism in any shape or form, forgiveness is
absolutely denied. On this basis, I can tell you without hesitation
that if a person is guilty of entertaining such beliefs or following
this line or practice which elevates a pir to a position of godhead,
the offering of pilgrimage will not bring him any forgiveness. Not even
if he offers that pilgrimage every year. First he has to eradicate any
trace of polytheism from his beliefs. It is only then that he can hope
for forgiveness. In fact the forgiveness of such practices does not
require pilgrimage. What it requires is for the person concerned to
examine his beliefs in the light of Islam. He must first of all clearly
understand the meaning of the declaration which brings a person into
the fold of Islam, i.e. the Kalimah which can be stated in translation
as: "I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah, and I bear
witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His messenger." He should
understand what godhead means and what the concept of the Oneness of
Allah actually means in beliefs and in practices. He should also be
fully aware of what the declaration that Muhammad (peace be upon him)
is Allah's messenger entails. I can tell you very briefly that it means
that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the only person through
whom we receive Allah's instructions on how to conduct our lives, what
principles to follow, what values to observe and what practices to
adopt. When we have understood that very clearly, we should mold our
lives in accordance with this basic and fundamental aspect. We should
always be keen to learn more about Islam so that our understanding of
it is very clear. When someone suggests to us that a certain practice
will improve our standing with Allah, we do not accept his statement
without question. We look at it in the light of the teachings of
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). If we find it in accordance with
those teachings, we accept it; if not, we reject it off hand. If a
person who has been guilty of the practices and beliefs you have
mentioned follows this course and examines his beliefs and practices in
the light of the guiding principles included in the declaration of
belonging to Islam, and then repents of what he had done in the past,
gives it all up and starts to conduct his life according to the
Prophet's teachings, he is sure to earn Allah's forgiveness. He should
then go to pilgrimage as part of his duties as a Muslim. When he offers
the pilgrimage with sincerity and dedication, he is forgiven all his
past sins. As you realize, pilgrimage is a duty of all Muslims who can
afford to undertake the journey, physically and financially. What this
means is that forgiveness of the aforementioned beliefs and practices
can be earned through repentance and the rectification of one's
beliefs. Pilgrimage brings about the forgiveness of lesser sins.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )