Shirk (Association with Allah )

QUESTION:

1.Is a person committing shirk when he/she says in the Ziyarat e Ashura?:
"O Aba Abdillah!
With your help I (want) to get closer to Allah, His messenger, the
commander of the faithful, Bibi Fatima, Imam Hasan and yourself..."
We are not supposed to ask for help from ANYONE EXCEPT ALLAH(SWT)
correct? Please help me to understand this Ziyarat then.

ANSWER:

To recite that part of Ziyarat is not shirk, because it is with the niyya of
wasilah - and wasilah is not shirk.
Allah Himself in the Qur'an - Suratul Baqara, Verse 45 enjoins:
"..And seek assistance through patience and prayer..."
Shirk applies only when there is the intention of worshipping.

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QUESTION:

2.The Qur'an says that those who are martyred in the way of Allah are
alive. Does this mean they are alive spiritually, or physically?? And
where are they? If they are with Allah(swt) then they could be with us
because Allah(swt) is everywhere.

ANSWER:
They are alive, with an existence on a different plane than ours. The Qur'an
says they are alive and they get their sustenance from Him, they are with
Him - but the word WITH does not mean being part of HIM.