The angels don't help the Mushrikin…

[Abu Isra'il]

Shaykhu'l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "The Shaytan often appears in the form of someone to whom invocations are made (instead of to Allah). Usually this person (whom they invoke) is already dead. Sometimes it also occurs that he (i.e., Shaytan) appears in the form of a living person, without this person realizing those who are calling upon him (i.e., istigatha). It is the Shaytan who has taken up this person's shape in order to make the deluded Mushrik, who is calling upon him for help (instead of Allah) to think that this person answered him personally while in reality it was Shaytan. This happens to the kuffar who call upon the people for help, whether dead or living; those whom they think are capable of doing this, for instance, the Christians who call upon their saints. It also happens to the people of Shirk and Error, who consider themselves to be within Islam and call upon the living and dead (instead of Allah) for help. The Shaytan appears to them in the form of a person whom they call upon for help. This person (whom they call on) however, does not know anything about that (and is free of blame)…Like this, many people have told me that they called upon me for help (istighatha). Each one of them informed me of a different incident. I told them all that I did not respond to any of them and do not know of any such occurrence. They replied: Maybe it was an angel who helped us. So I told them: The angels don't help the Mushrikin…”(Majmu al-Fatawa, 19/47/48)

Ibn Taymiyyah relates that: "There was a Shaykh knowledgeable in the religious sciences and Qur'anic recitation to whom the devils came and eventually managed to seduce. They told him that Salaah was no longer required of him and that they would bring him whatever he wished. As soon as he complied with their wishes, they began to bring him a variety of sweets and fruit. This continued until he was advised to repent by some scholars that he visited who were firmly following the Sunnah. He subsequently repented and repaid the owners of the sweets for what he ate while under the influence of the jinn. He then went on to say: Many of those who call on Shaykhs in time of need saying: "O master so and so, or Shaykh so and so, fulfill my need!" have seen an image of the Shaykh saying: "I will fulfill your need and put your heart at ease!" then it fulfills their needs or repels their enemies. In such cases it is a devil taking the Shaykh's form when they committed Shirk by associating partners with Allah and calling on others beside Him...I know of many such incidences even among a group of my companions who called on me in times when they were struck by calamities. One was afraid of the Romans and another of the Tatars. Both of them mentioned that they called out to me, they saw me in the air and I repelled their enemies for them. I informed them that I did not hear their cries no did I repel their enemies. It was a devil taking my appearance to seduce them when they associated partners with Allah (jj). Similar incidents have also happened to the students of my contemporaries among the scholars, whereby some of their students have sought refuge in them and have seen them fulfill their needs. The scholars have also denied doing so and indicated that it was in fact the work of devils." (Majmu al-Fatawa, 35/112-116)