How does asking a present, capable person differ from invoking the absent or dead?
2026-09-21
T31 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected passage contrasting asking a living person for an act within that person’s ability with invoking the absent or dead. It does not discuss ordinary communication with someone at a distance. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَقَدْ مَضَتْ السُّنَّةُ أَنَّ الْحَيَّ يُطْلَبُ مِنْهُ الدُّعَاءُ كَمَا يُطْلَبُ مِنْهُ سَائِرُ مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ. وَأَمَّا الْمَخْلُوقُ الْغَائِبُ وَالْمَيِّتُ فَلَا يُطْلَبُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
The established Sunnah is that a living person is asked to supplicate, just as he is asked for other things within his ability. As for an absent or dead created being, nothing is asked of him.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 1/344
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.