ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Beseeching For Help (istighathah) Chapter 5: Religious Leaders and Istighathah It is an established fact that on account of the distinction Allāh has conferred on His favourites and the blessings He has showered upon them, it has been the practice of our religious leaders and scholars to rely on them to resolve their worldly problems, attain salvation in the Hereafter, make their graves and tombs the focus of their supplications and seek help and assistance from the chosen people of Allāh who are buried in them and seek their help for spiritual and inner benefits and blessings.

These acts, which shaped the conduct and mode of living of the saints and the scholars in the past, are now the granite foundation of the concepts and beliefs of Ahl-us-Sunnah wal-Jamā‘ah. Moreover, they had not moulded their attitudes and deeds on a superficial, unconscious or sentimental basis. A great deal of reflection and reasoning laced these modes of conduct and were framed by comprehensive experimentation, observation and practical orientation.

Therefore, on the basis of investigation, and not mere sentiment, it can be affirmed that their statements were sound and authentic and on account of their immunity from doubt and ambiguity, they furnish a cogent argument for all those believers who are blessed with sufficient wisdom and intelligence to appraise the depth and truth of these statements.

Religious scholars, enlightened saints and our spiritual leaders have pronounced the tombs of these favourites of Allāh as inexhaustible fountain-heads of light and blessing where our supplications are acknowledged and robed as destinies. Reliance on these sanctified persons opens the shuttered avenues of success. Their attention and response unravels the tangles of the Hereafter and their spiritual help serves as a source of salvation for our worries and all forms of distress.

To cap it all, their statements are consistent with the criterion of experience and observation, which is the basis of the modern inductive method of all scientific progress. Therefore, they cannot be brushed under the carpet as mere hearsay and deserve our positive response as they are grounded in facts and proved by experience. This world is inhabited by two sets of people.