Belief Concerning the One Buried in a Shrine

Question

Is it permissible to offer niyaz (a votive food offering made in the name of a saint) and nadhr (vows) in the name of the noble awliya and to make vows asking for the fulfilment of wishes, or is this plain shirk? And is it correct to lay flowers on their shrines and to spread silk and brocade sheets over them, or is this plain shirk?

Answer

Making a vow (nadhr) for the noble awliya and making offerings at their shrines is haram. If there is, in addition, the belief that the one buried in the shrine fulfils our wishes and that all things in the world come about by his disposal (tasarruf), then it is shirk.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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