I belong to the Qaadiriyyah Sufi sect, who call their Sheikh Ghawth Az-Zamaan and say that he is in contact with Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and they seek his aid in times of distress. What should I do?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

You cannot find a Sufi sect nowadays that has not deviated from the sound Islamic creed, swerved from the truth and contradicted the guidance of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They adopt many practices that are related to Shirk (polytheism) such as supplicating others besides Allaah The Almighty, seeking the aid of the dead and believing that those they call Awliyaa’ (allies of Allaah) can bring about benefit or inflict harm. There is no doubt that all these deeds are major Shirk that result in apostasy. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

Making the Awliyaa’ and Shaykhs intermediaries and supplicating them instead of supplicating Allaah The Almighty, seeking their closeness and rubbing one's hand or body against their shrines in the hope of obtaining blessings, are not very different from the acts of Shirk done by the polytheists during the lifetime of  the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Allaah The Almighty Says regarding the relation of the polytheists to their idols in their own words (what means): {"We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allaah in position."} [Quran 39:3]

Perhaps the Sufis are worse in their Shirk than those polytheists in many respects. This is because the earlier polytheists used to supplicate others besides Allaah The Almighty when they were safe; however, during times of fear they used to resort to Allaah The Almighty and supplicate Him Alone. In this regard He Says (what means): {And when they board a ship, they supplicate Allaah, sincere to Him in religion. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him.} [Quran 29: 65]

The Sufis supplicate and seek refuge with other than Allaah The Almighty at all times. This is in addition to the unfounded innovations that they introduced into the religion of Allaah The Almighty. It was reported on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that whoever introduced any deed into religion that is not in accordance with his guidance, it would be rejected. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was also reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that on the Day of Judgment, some people would be driven away from his Hawdh (Bowl) because they changed and altered his Sunnah and did not adhere to his guidance. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Hence, we advise you not to follow any Sufi sect, keep away from them and offer advice to any of them you know. Giving advice to others with whole-hearted concern is the core of religion. You should also seek knowledge of Sharee'ah at the hands of scholars who are known for their trustworthiness in creed and action in order to worship Allaah The Almighty with knowledge and insight, far removed from Shirk and religious innovations.

Calling this man Ghawth Az-Zamaan is unacceptable. Doing so emerges from their invalid belief that such persons have some divine characteristics. It should be known that after his death, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was separated from this world and he is no longer in contact with any living being. It should also be known that Allaah The Almighty perfected His religion before the death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He Says (what means): {This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.} [Quran 5: 3]

Closeness to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cannot be attained through dreams and alleged visions which may lead to many false beliefs, rather it is attained by adherence to his guidance, following in his footsteps and being cautious not to contradict him. In this regard Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):

Allaah Knows best.