Brother,
You seem to have been raised believing in the karamaat of walees/peers. This is very common in our culture. And from experience (of seeing other's reactions) I know that you may feel very angry and offended to hear a word against peers. But I request you to read what follows with a calm mind what Allah subhana ta ta 'ala says about Awliyaa-ullah with evidence from the Holy Quran.
Walee - The Saint
The term saint has been used to translate the Arabic word 'Walee' (pl.Awliyaa) which Allah, Exalted be He, used to designate those who are close to Him. But, a more appropriate translation is 'close friend' because walee literally means an ally. Allah, Praise be to Him, even uses it to refer to Himself in the verse:
"Allah is the walee of those who believe and takes them from the darkness into light." (Surah al Baqarah 2:257, 3:68, 42:9, 45:19.
)
He, subhana wa ta 'ala, also uses it to refer to satan as in the verse:
"Whoever takes Satan as a walee instead of Allah, has clearly lost all." (Surah an Nisa 4:119, 7:27, 30 and 4:75
)
This term also means 'close relative' as in the following verse:
"We have given power to the Walee of whoever is wrongly killed, but do not be excessive in the execution (of the murderer). [Surah al-Israa 17:33
]
It is also used in the Qur'an to indicated closeness between men, for example:
"The belivers should not take the disbelievers as awliyaa instead of other believers." (Surah Aal-Imraan 3:28, 4:139, 144 and 5:51
But usage which concerns us most is "Awliyaa-ullah" close friends of Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah has designated among mankind certain types of individuals whom He considers espeically close to Himself. Allah's descritption of His walees can be found in Surah al-Anfaal, where Allah states:
"Verily His (Allah's Awliyaa are only those with Taqwaa, but most people do not realise that."
And Surah Younus:
"Behold! Certainly no fear nor grief shall overcome the Awliyaa of Allah, those who believe and have taqwaa."
Allah explains for us the criterion for "Walaayah" (divine friendship) is Imaan (faith) and taqwaa (piety) and these qualities are shared by the true belivers.
Among the ignorant masses, the main criterion for walaayah (sainthood) is the performance of miracles which are commonly called Karamaat to distinguish them from the miracles of the prophets. To most who hold this belief, the faith and practice of the 'miracle worker' are of no consequence. Hence, some who have been designated 'Saints' held heretical beliefs and practices, while others were known to have abandoned the religious rituals, and, yet others were even involved in licentious and vulgar behavior. However, nowhere has Allah made the working of 'miracles' a stipulation for being His walee. Therefore as earlier, all believers who have Imaan and Taqwa and walees of Allah and He is their Walee, as Allah Himself said,
"Allah is The Walee of those who believe." Surah al-Baqarah 2:257.
Consequently, Muslims are not allowed to designate certain believers as being Awliyaa of Allah and not others. In spite of this clear islamic position, a hierarchy of so-called muslim saints has become a prominent feature in Sufi circles and among the masses who blindly follow them. In ascending order of merit they are:
the Akhhyaar - the chosen - who number 300
the Abdaal - substitues - numbering 40
the Abraar - pious
the 4 Awtaad - pegs
the 3 Nuqabaa - watchmen
the Qutb - pole - who is considered the greatest saint of his time
and top of the list is the Gawth (Succor) the greatest of saints, who is believed in some circles, to be capable of taking on hi shoulders the sins of the believers (na udhu billah). According to the belief of mystics, the saints of the top three classes are present invisibly in Makkah at the hours of prayer. When the Gawth dies, the Qutb replaces him and there is a moving up all through the series, the purest soul of each class rising to the next degree. This body of mythology has bene borrowed from Christianity, just as dhikr beads were adopted from the Christian rosary, and Mawlid from the Christian celebration of Christmas.
SubhanAllah, there is so much more that covers this topic and of great relevance too. But forgive me I can't type anymore.
Brother, Allah accepts the duaas and grant His Mercy to all His creation and especially the believers. Earn the pleasure of Allah subhana wa ta 'ala by being obedient to Allah and praising and glorifying Him. The Prophet (saw) has left us with Allah's Book and His sunnah to show us how to deal with the trials and tribulations in this life. You needn't turn to 'peers sheers'. Believe in Allah alone and ask Him for help. We ask Allah t grant shifa and mercy to your parents. Ameen
Source: The Fundamentals of Tawheed by Abu Aminah Bilal Philips.
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