B E W A R E of fabricated Stories (part 11) By Mohammed Aqil Some people like to gain special powers by taking an oath on the hands of their spiritual leaders so they are farsighted. They believe the saints have special ways of worshiping Allah which are only known to them and by special supplications they are saved from Hell. For these saints the land is folded or becomes short so they can rapidly travel to any place they want. The travel to Makkah and Madinah, and they publicize this false belief in public. In Sufi terminology its called Tai–Al Ard, which means instead of moving toward a destination by taking a step forward, the earth turns toward the traveler rapidly, no matter how far the destination be. Some believe if they take oath evil feelings will go away and they will be pure and secure here and in the hereafter. Some believe that when they tie-up will have access to lots of knowledge when they form a link between their leader and themselves. Islamic supplications are mentioned in the Qur'an and in the Ahadith, but these people have other special supplications which will not benefit anyone unless and until the reader gets permission to recites them. Contrarily, supplications in Islam are made available for every Muslim. When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) decided to migrate to Madinah he took Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) with him. One of the best person among the son of Adam and from the companions were traveling, but the land never showed any courtesy to them, thus the concept of rapid travel is null and baseless! Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gathered all his relatives and said, “Oh Banu Hashim save yourselves from the fire, Oh Banu `Abdul-Muttalib save yourselves from the fire! O Abbas, save yourself from the fire! O Safiya, save yourself from the fire! O Fatima the daughter of Muhammad, save yourself from the Hellfire, for I cannot benefit before Allah”. (Bukhari and Muslim). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made it very clear that no one can benefit on the Day of Judgment and thus this claim is baseless for those who take oath and believe that their saint will save them. An answer on the significance of oath of sufies was given by Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz and he stated: “We know of no basis for this oath of allegiance, except that which is given to those in charge of Muslims' affairs, because Allah orders that allegiance be given to those in authority, to listen to and obey them whether we are pleased or displeased with it, in adversity and prosperity, and giving preference to the one given the oath of allegiance. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with him) pledged allegiance to him. Therefore, the oath of allegiance should be given to those in charge of the Muslims' affairs in accordance with the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him), to speak the truth wherever those giving the oath of allegiance may be and not to contend with those in charge over matters, except when they see clear Kufr (disbelief) and have evidence for this. As for pledging allegiance to Sufis, or to each other, I do not know any basis for this. Moreover, this may cause many problems because people swearing allegiance might think they must obey them in every matter, even when commanded to disobey those in charge of the Muslims' affairs, and this act is evil and impermissible. Therefore, it is an obligation upon those calling to the worship of Allah to teach them the truth, urge them to follow it, and to warn them against the disobedience of the Orders of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). It is best to command and instruct others to obey Allah, encourage adherence to the Commands of Allah and warn against disobeying Him. This is the way a Daiyah (caller to Islam) should behave. This is what I know from the teachings of pure religion. It is possible for the Daiyah wherever he may be to enlighten and guide people to believe in Allah alone and to warn and caution people against innovations. He should recite Qur'anic verses and Ahadiths which manifest the truth. This is what I see as an obligation upon those calling to the worship Allah, so as not to imitate the Sufis in their actions and not to open doors of evil. Allah is the one to sought help from. (Norun Al