O slaves of Allah, help me; O slaves of Allah, help me

This hadith was narrated by at-Tabaraani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer (17/117) via ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Shurayk who said: My father told me, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Eesa, from Zayd ibn ‘Ali, from ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwaan, from the Prophet of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who said: “If one of you loses something, or one of you wants help, and he is in a land in which there are no people, then let him say, ‘O slaves of Allah, help me; O slaves of Allah, help me,’ for Allah has slaves whom we do not see.” 

Explanation:

This Hadith is related with Rijal-ul-Gayb.

This hadith, narrated by at-Tabaraani in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer. The Prophet instructed that if a person is in a situation where they have lost something or require help, and they are in a place where no other people are present, they should call upon the "slaves of Allah" for help. The supplication is: "O slaves of Allah, help me; O slaves of Allah, help me."

1. Source and Chain of Narration (Isnaad):

Narrator: This hadith is reported by at-Tabaraani in his collection al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer, which is a compilation of hadith with various chains of narration.

Chain (Isnaad): The hadith is narrated by ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Shurayk, who quotes his father, who narrates from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Eesa, who narrates from Zayd ibn ‘Ali, who narrates from ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwaan, who narrates directly from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Context and Meaning:

The hadith provides a guideline for Muslim when they are in need of assistance, specifically in situations where they are isolated and without human aid.

Always remember: 

When you seek help, the help comes through Allah’s creation but not independently of Allah’s will and command.

Muslims does not seek help from the creation in a way that bypasses or contradicts reliance on Allah. The true (Haqeeqi Madadgaar) helper is Allah. 

 It is understood that it is by Allah's permission and decree. 

Ultimately, all aid comes from Allah.

Seeking intercession through the deceased saints (tawassul) is permissible, provided it is understood that ultimate help comes from Allah, and the saints are merely a means to that.

Tawassul (seeking intercession) through deceased saints is a practice where believers ask Allah for help by invoking the piety, rank, or virtues of righteous individuals, such as prophets or saints, as a means of drawing closer to Him. The understanding behind this practice is that while these individuals are highly regarded in the sight of Allah due to their devotion and good deeds, all power, help, and response come solely from Allah, and the saints are merely a means to His assistance. In summary, seeking intercession through deceased saints is permissible in Islam as long as the believer maintains the conviction that only Allah can provide help, and that the saints are simply a means through which one can seek His mercy and assistance.

Al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer (المعجم الكبير) is one of the most significant collections of hadith compiled by the famous Islamic scholar Imam al-Tabaraani (d. 360 AH / 971 CE). It is a monumental work in the field of hadith literature and is part of a series of hadith collections that Imam al-Tabaraani compiled, including al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat (the middle collection) and al-Mu‘jam al-Sagheer (the smaller collection).

✅ Narrated Sayyiduna Anas رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ

Whenever drought threatened them, `Sayyiduna Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin `Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet ﷺ to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain." And so it would rain.

Sahih al-Bukhari 1010

From the above Hadith we learnt it is permissible to ask a righteous person to pray for you. 

Similarly Believers may invoke a saint, asking them to pray to Allah on their behalf. This is similar to asking a righteous person to pray for you, but in this case, the person is no longer physically alive but is believed to be alive spiritually. 

✅ Abu Hurairah & The Cloak:

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْمُقَدَّمِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ سِمَاكٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَبَسَطْتُ ثَوْبِي عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَخَذَهُ فَجَمَعَهُ عَلَى قَلْبِي فَمَا نَسِيتُ بَعْدَهُ حَدِيثًا ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏

Narrated Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ تعالٰی عنہ

"I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and spread out my garment next to him, then he took it and gathered it at my heart, so I did not forget after that [any Hadith]."

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3834

✅ Another Narration:

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُوسَى، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَسْمَعُ مِنْكَ أَشْيَاءَ فَلاَ أَحْفَظُهَا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏ "‏ ابْسُطْ رِدَاءَكَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَبَسَطْتُ فَحَدَّثَ حَدِيثًا كَثِيرًا فَمَا نَسِيتُ شَيْئًا حَدَّثَنِي بِهِ ‏.‏ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَ قَدْ رُوِيَ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ‏.‏

Narrated Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I hear from you things that I do not remember.' He said: 'Spread your cloak.' So I spread it, then he narrated many Ahadith, and I did not forget a thing that he reported to me.'"

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3835

✅ When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's aid.

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَخْبَرَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، وَابْنُ، لَهِيعَةَ عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ، قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، حَدَّثَنِي قَيْسُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ الْمَعْنَى، وَاحِدٌ، عَنْ حَنَشٍ الصَّنْعَانِيِّ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمًا فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ يَا غُلاَمُ إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ احْفَظِ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ احْفَظِ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الأُمَّةَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوكَ إِلاَّ بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَكَ وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوكَ إِلاَّ بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ رُفِعَتِ الأَقْلاَمُ وَجَفَّتِ الصُّحُفُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏

Ibn 'Abbas narrated: "I was behind the Prophet ﷺ  one day when he said: 'O boy! I will teach you a statement: Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek aid, seek Allah's aid. Know that if the entire creation were to gather together to do something to benefit you- you would never get any benefit except that Allah had written for you. And if they were to gather to do something to harm you- you would never be harmed except that Allah had written for you. The pens are lifted and the pages are dried.'"

Jami` al-Tirmidhi 2516