Tawassul-Isthigatha: Mawlânâ Abdul Hakîm-i Siyâlkutî[Rah]

Shaykh Abdul Hakim Sialkoti (1561–1656}[rah] was a Great Hanafi Muslim scholar. He was born in Sialkot[Punjab] during the era of Mughal Emperor Akbar. His father's name was Sheikh Shams-ud-Din. He was a scholar of the Qur'an and one of the leading philosophers of Islam in his time. He was also known as "Fazil Sialkoti" and "Fazil Lahori". He also wrote many books on logic and philosophy. His books are taught at international-level Islamic universities,books like his notes on Sharh al Aqaid of Imam Taftazani[rah].The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had him weighed in gold once and in silver twice. He died on 24th Safar. His tomb is in Sialkot on back of Abdul Hakim Park near Power House. He is also well known for introducing the Persian philosopher Mulla Sadra in India.IT WAS he,WHO gave the title of Mujaddid Alif Thani to one of the prominent scholars of Islam, Hazrat Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi an Naqshbandi[qs].[Annemarie Schimmel (1980), Islam in the Indian subcontinent, BRILL, Volume 2, p. 100]

Hadrat Mawlânâ Abdul Hakîm-i Siyâlkutî[Rah] says in the book Zâd-ul-labîb by taking excerpts from the Arabic explanation ofAshi’at-ul-lama’ât by Shaikh Abdulhaq-i Dahlawî[qs], “Many people disbelieve the fact that it is possible to get help from those in graves. They say that visiting graves is intended for sending prayers to the dead, for invoking blessings on them. And the majority of the great men of tasawwuf and the savants of fiqh said that help from those in graves was experienced. Also, the Awliyâ who have kashf communicated this unanimously. In fact, many people reported that they were making progress (spiritually) by receiving fayd from souls. They called these Uwaysî.” After this Hadrat Siyâlkutî adds: “I do not understand the real purpose of those who say that the dead cannot help. He who prays asks for help from Allâhu ta’âlâ. He puts a beloved slave of Allâhu ta’âlâ as an intermediary so that his prayer will be accepted. He says, ‘O my Allah! Give me for the sake of this beloved slave of Thine, whom you have blessed abundantly.’ Or, calling to a slave of Allâhu ta’âlâ, whom he believes He loves very much, he says, ‘O Allah’s Walî, intercede for me!’ Allâhu ta’âlâ, alone, gives the wish and we ask from Him only. The Walî is only an intermediary, a cause. He, too, is transient. He, too, will be annihilated. He cannot make anything. He does not have the energy, the power to act. If to say or to believe so were shirk or to trust in somebody besides Allâhu ta’âlâ, it would be prohibited to ask for prayers or for something else from the living, too. It has not been prohibited by our Dîn to ask for prayers or for something else from the living. On the contrary, it has been declared to be mustahab. It has always been done. If those who disbelieve this mean to say that there is no karâmat left after death, they will have to prove this thesis of theirs. Yes, some of the Awliyâ are elevated to the âlam-i quds after death. Being in the Divine presence, they forget everything else. They are quite unaware the world, of what is in the world. They do not hear the prayers. There are such ecstatic dervishes among the living Awliyâ, who are in the world, too. If the person does not believe in karâmat at all, it does not make any difference. He cannot prove his thesis. Qur’ân al-kerîm,hadîth-i-sherîfs, and the events that have been seen and known for centuries prove him wrong. Yes, if an ignorant idiot does not expect his wish from Allâhu ta’âlâ’s power and says that the Walî makes and creates, and if he asks from him with this thought, he should be prohibited and even punished. But Islamic savants and the ârifs cannot be slandered with this assertion. For, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ used to greet the dead as he visited graves. He never prohibited us from asking for something from the dead. Depending upon the state of the visitor and upon that of the one who is visited, some are prayers and others are requests for help. Every Muslim knows that prophets ‘salawâtullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihim ajma’în’ are alive in their graves. No one can deny this. But we have been hearing about those who disbelieve the fact that the Awliyâ can extend help from their graves and that they can be requested for help.”[Shaykh Huseyn Hilmi Isik]