Question No. 3609 10 September 2026 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified سطح محتوا: مقدماتی

درخواست حاجت از دیگران شرک است؟

Primary reference: See the answer text 60 views 23 explanatory notes and annotations

Verified answer Documented and evidence-based

Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3609

Respected teacher, in our worldly affairs, we know that our requests should be directed to God. Yet we usually turn to God’s servants when a problem arises, seeking out someone we believe can solve it and asking them for help. Does that amount to shirk?
Of course, those who believe that God is the one who resolves the problem know that any help is ultimately by God’s will; otherwise, it would not be possible. But is it considered shirk to take our request to someone else?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

Subject category: Jurisprudence and Rulings Theology and Creed

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

There is nothing wrong with turning to others for help with our ordinary worldly needs, provided we understand that they are means through which things come about and are themselves in need of God. Asking them for help must not become worship or supplication; we should recognise the limits of their abilities and not regard them as healers in their own right.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

In worldly, outward affairs, there is nothing wrong with people turning to one another to meet their needs, so long as they know that each person is merely a means set in motion by the One who causes all things. In all such dealings, the remembrance of God must remain firmly rooted in one’s heart.

Nor should seeking help from another take on the character—or even the semblance—of worship or supplication; to do so would undoubtedly be outright shirk.

When seeking to have our needs met, we should bear in mind the limits of those who help us and remember that they, too, are servants of God in need of Him. For example, when a sick person consults a physician, they should regard the physician as knowledgeable and well-informed in medicine, not as the one who grants healing.

Did you find this answer illuminating? Your feedback helps us refine our responses and organize future sessions.

Audio attachment: This question currently has no audio file; the answer is provided in written form, with supporting arguments.

درخواست حاجت از دیگران شرک است؟

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Related questions