The phrases "Ya Ali Maddad" or "Ya Muhammad Maddad"
translate to "O Ali help" or "O Muhammad help". These phrases are used to
call the personalities to help the caller in need. Irrespective of the
personality, I am convinced that calling any dead, including prophet
Muhammad (pbub) or anyone else, for help constitutes shirk and has no
concept in Islam whatsoever. On the other hand, if the caller uses this
phrase without actually meaning what they are saying then, although I do
not know if it can be called as shirk, I still believe that it something
to be avoided.
God says in the Quran:
يُولِجُ
اللَّيْلَ
فِي
النَّهَارِ
وَيُولِجُ
النَّهَارَ
فِي
اللَّيْلِ
وَسَخَّرَ
الشَّمْسَ
وَالْقَمَرَ
كُلٌّ
يَجْرِي
لِأَجَلٍ
مُّسَمًّى
ذَلِكُمُ
اللَّهُ
رَبُّكُمْ
لَهُ
الْمُلْكُ
وَالَّذِينَ
تَدْعُونَ
مِن دُونِهِ
مَا
يَمْلِكُونَ
مِن
قِطْمِيرٍ
*
إِن
تَدْعُوهُمْ
لَا
يَسْمَعُوا
دُعَاءكُمْ
وَلَوْ
سَمِعُوا
مَا
اسْتَجَابُوا
لَكُمْ
وَيَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ
يَكْفُرُونَ
بِشِرْكِكُمْ
وَلَا
يُنَبِّئُكَ
مِثْلُ
خَبِيرٍ
He causes the night to enter in upon the day, and He causes
the day to enter in upon the night, and He has made subservient (to you)
the sun and the moon; each one follows its course to an appointed time;
this is God, your Lord, His is the kingdom; and those whom you call upon
besides Him do not control a straw. If you call on them they shall not
hear your call, and even if they could hear they shall not answer you; and
on the resurrection day they will deny your associating them (shirk) (with
God); and none can inform you like the One Who is Aware. (Quran
35:13-14)
In the verse above (and the one that follows), Quran has clearly
alluded to the fact that those that are called besides God can neither
hear the call nor come to the help of those who call. Furthermore, it is
told that those who call are clearly committing wrong and the word 'shirk'
has been used to describe their act with God.
قُلْ
أَرَأَيْتُم
مَّا
تَدْعُونَ
مِن دُونِ
اللَّهِ
أَرُونِي
مَاذَا
خَلَقُوا
مِنَ
الْأَرْضِ
أَمْ لَهُمْ
شِرْكٌ فِي
السَّمَاوَاتِ
اِئْتُونِي
بِكِتَابٍ
مِّن قَبْلِ
هَذَا أَوْ
أَثَارَةٍ
مِّنْ
عِلْمٍ إِن
كُنتُمْ
صَادِقِينَ
*
وَمَنْ
أَضَلُّ
مِمَّن
يَدْعُو مِن
دُونِ
اللَّهِ مَن
لَّا
يَسْتَجِيبُ
لَهُ إِلَى
يَومِ
الْقِيَامَةِ
وَهُمْ عَن
دُعَائِهِمْ
غَافِلُونَ
Say: Have you considered what you call upon besides God?
Show me what they have created of the earth, or have they a share in the
heavens? Bring me a book before this or traces of knowledge, if you are
truthful. And who is in greater error than he who calls besides God upon
those that will not answer him till the day of resurrection and they are
heedless of their call? (Quran 46:4-5)
In the verse above, it is said that those who call aids other than God
have no basis in the scriptures and, as a result, it has no basis in the
religion.
The supplication that is taught to us for our daily prayers, which we
recite in five daily prayers creates our direct contact with God
Almighty:
إِيَّاكَ
نَعْبُدُ
وإِيَّاكَ
نَسْتَعِينُ
Only you we worship, only you do we ask for help
(Quran 1:5)
The best conduct, in this regard is to call God directly to help
us:
وَإِذَا
سَأَلَكَ
عِبَادِي
عَنِّي
فَإِنِّي
قَرِيبٌ
أُجِيبُ
دَعْوَةَ
الدَّاعِ
إِذَا
دَعَانِ
فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ
لِي
وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ
بِي
لَعَلَّهُمْ
يَرْشُدُونَ
And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am
very near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me.
(Quran 2:186)
In the end, I will like to invite all those who use these phrases to
address the issue objectively in the light of Quran.
