Tawassul from sunnah

We have already seen the concept of Waseelah and Tawassul finding explicit mention in the Holy Quran to the extent that in Surah Maaedah (5): Verse 35 Allah has exhorted the believers to adopt a Waseelah to acquire divine proximity.

It is time to turn to the Sunnah for more proof on Tawassul. Although a single verse of the Quran should prove sufficient to establish Tawassul as an Islamic concept, I want to leave no stone unturned in putting the matter beyond doubt. This blog should be an eye opener for all the skeptics.

The concept of Waseelah and توسل can be traced in traditions. For the sake of brevity, we will mention a few instances here.

1) Hazrat Adam (a.s.) resorts to Tawassul

a) When Hazrat Adam (a.s.) disobeyed his Lord and incurred His Anger he resorted to Tawassul like this:

O Allah forgive my mistake with the Waseelah of Muhammad.
Allah asked the Prophet Adam how he knew about Muhammad.

Adam replied: When you created me, I lifted my head and saw: (لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله) written on the throne. Therefore I knew that Muhammad must be of a very high stature, else you would not have written his name along with Your Name.

Allah said: I have forgiven you. He will be the last Messenger and from your progeny. I have created you because of him.

b) The second narration is when Allah created the sky and the earth. He wrote Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.a.) name on the Pillars of the Throne and on the Doors of Paradise and on the leaves of the trees in Paradise. It was written that Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) would be the last Prophet.

In addition to these narrations, there are several more proofs for taking the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as Waseelah in prayers and for seeking forgiveness.
(Fataawa of Ibne Taymiyya vol 2 pg 150, Tarikh-e-Ibne Kathir in Story of Adam)

Apart from Ibne Taymiyya, other Sunni scholars have also documented these narrations viz. Suyuti, Bayhaqi and Tabarani.

2) Prediction and instruction of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

Ayesha narrates that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) predicted about the Khawaarij:

هم شر الخلق و الخليقة يقتلهم خير الخلق و الخليقة أقربهم‏ عند اللّه‏ الوسيلة

They (Khawaarij) are the worst of the creatures who shall be put to sword by the best of creation and the most proximate of mediums (waseelah) towards Allah. (Sharhe Nahj al-Balaaghah vol 2 pg 247)

In this tradition – Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) Ali b. Abi Talib (a.s.) is referred to as the Waseelah towards Allah.

3) Conduct of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

Abu Hurairah says: The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) informed about Adam (a.s.) and his seeking medium (refer above under Tafseer of Surah Baqarah (2: 37)):

Allah addressed Adam (a.s.):

يا آدم هؤلاء صفوتي‏فإذا كان لك‏ حاجة فهؤلاءتوسل

O Adam, these (progeny of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)) are my chosen ones. Whenever you have a need, make them your medium (towards me).

Prophet (s.a.w.a.) continued:

نحن سفينة النجاة و من تعلق بها نجا و من حاد عنها هلك فمن كان له الي الله حاجة فليسالنا اهل البيت

We are the Arks of Deliverance, anyone who embarks on them is saved and anyone who defies them is destroyed. Anyone who has a need before Allah must make us Ahle Bait (a.s.) as his medium.
(Faraaed al-Simtain vol 1 pg 34 tradition 1)

4) Sermon of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.)

The daughter of the noble Prophet (s.a.w.a.) – Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) says in her sermon

و احمد الله الذي بعظمته و نوره يبتغي من في السموات والارض‏ اليه الوسيلة و نحن وسيلة في خلقه

I praise Allah the One through Whose Greatness and Light everyone in the heavens and the earth seeks medium for proximity and we are the medium of proximity to Allah among His Creation.’ (Sharhe Nahj al-Balaaghah vol 1 pg 211)

5) Umar resorts to Tawassul

a) Ibne Hajar al-Asqalaani (exp 852 A.H.) records in Fath al-Baari fi Sharh al-Bukhari vol 2, pg 412:
It has been narrated by reliable chain of narrators that during the time of the second caliph – Umar b. Khattaab there was a drought and famine.

Bilal b. Haaris who was a companion of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) approached the grave of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and pleaded:

Your nation is being destroyed, seek rains of mercy from the Lord of the World.
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) appeared in his dream and said: Rains will soon pour

b) As recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari on the authority of Anas:

At the time of drought Umar b. Khattaab used to request Abbas b. Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain.
Umar himself would supplicate:

O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet 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 vol 2, book 17, trad 123)

Umar was a caliph of the Muslims and among the foremost Salaf. He resorts to Tawassul of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). As a matter of fact Umar takes the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) as a Waseelah through the Waseelah of Abbas b. Abdul Muttalib. The aforementioned narrations show that not only was Tawassul a recommended practice during the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) lifetime, it was recommended even after his (s.a.w.a.) demise.

6) Residents of Medina resort to Tawassul

Masoodi documents in Muruj al-Zahab:

In the 53rd year of Hijrah, Ziyaad b. Abeeh the ruler of Iraq wrote to Muawiyah:

All of Iraq lies under the control of my right hand whereas my left hand is empty (indicating towards the rule of other countries).

Muawiyah entrusted him with the rule of Hijaz (area covering Medina and Mecca).

When the inhabitants of Medina heard this, all of them – adults as well as children entered the mosque of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) wailing and praying for three days and sought his mediation with Allah because they were aware of the oppression and tyranny wrought by Ziyaad.

As a result of this Tawassul, Ziyaad died after three days.
(Muruj al-Zahab vol 3 pg 32)

7) Hakim Nishapuri resorts to Tawassul

It is recorded in Faraaed al-Simtain that Hakim Nishapuri – renowned Sunni scholar and author of Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain mentions his seeking intercession though Imam Ali b. Moosa al-Reza (a.s.) thus:
Allah endowed me with the recognition of the sacred shrine of Imam Ali b. Moosa (a.s.) …As an example I quote from my experience – for a long time I was afflicted with such a pain in my foot that I could move only slightly and that too with great difficulty.

In this condition I went for the Ziyaarah of the grave of Imam Ali b. Moosa al-Reza (a.s.) and remained there for the night. The following morning there were no signs of the pain in my foot and I returned safely to Nishapur.
(Faraaed al-Simtain vol 2 pg 22)

8) Ibne Hibbaan resorts to Tawassul

Ibn Hibban, who according to many Sunni scholars ranks as the most reliable scholar after Bukhari and Muslim has documented his visitation (Ziyaarah) to the tomb of Imam Ali b. Moosa al-Reza (a.s.) in Mashshad, Iran, in his Sahih-e-Ibn Hibban:

I have done ziyaarah of his tomb many times, during my stay at Tus. Whenever I got into any difficulty I went to the grave of Imam Ali b. Moosa al-Reza (a.s.) and asked Allah for the fulfillment of my need. Every time I was answered and my difficulty was removed. This is such a reality that I found it to be true no matter how many times I did it. May Allah grant us death in the true love for Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and his blessed Ahle Bait.
(Ibn Abi Haatim al-Raazi, Kitab al-Theqah, vol. 8 pg 457, tradition 14,411)

9) Mansoor-e-Dawaaneqee ordered to do Tawassul through the Prophet (s.a.w.a.)

Qazi Ayyaaz b. Moosa the renowned Sunni scholar of Marrakech, Morroco, records: Mansoor-e-Dawaaneqee (or Haroon Rashid according to other narrations) asked Imam Malik (one of the leaders of jurisprudence of Ahle Tasannun) in a debate that took place in Masjid-e-Nabawi:

While supplicating, should I stand facing the Qiblah or should I face the burial place of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)?

Imam Malik: Why are you turning your face away from your father the Holy Prophet (s.aw.a.)? He is your intercessor and the intercessor of your forefather Adam (a.s.). Rather, turn towards the grave of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) and seek intercession through him.
(Kitab al-Shifa, Chapter Ziyaarah al-Nabi by Qazi Ayyaz)

10) Tawassul through the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) in his childhood

Supplications were made with the Waseelah of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) even before his prophethood, while he was still a child. This is hardly surprising as we have already seen the Tawassul of Hazrat Adam (a.s.) thousands of years before the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) birth.

Ibn Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab Najdi states – When Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) was a child, Mecca witnessed a rain deficit for an extended period of time. The Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) uncle Abu Talib (a.s.) prayed for rain through the Waseelah of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
(Mukhtasar Seerat al-Rasool by Ibne Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab al-Najdi)

It is notable that Abu Talib (a.s.) is the one praying through the Waseelah of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) which belies the claims of the skeptics that he was a disbeliever in Islam and the Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Rather the skeptics are the disbelievers in Islam and Prophet (s.a.w.a.) because they deny Tawassul through the medium of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), who was the saviour of past prophets like Hazrat Adam (a.s.).

11) Blind man regains eyesight with Tawassul

Ibne Taymiyyah records that Usman b. Hunaif narrates that a blind person came to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and requested him (s.a.w.a.): Pray to Allah that He bestows me with sight.

The Prophet (s.a.w.a.): Perform ablution, offer two units prayers and then supplicate to Allah thus:
O Allah, I ask You through the Waseelah of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
Allah resored his sight.
(Al-Tawasul by Ibne Taymiyyah pg 80 sourced from Tirmizi, Ibn Maajah, Hakim Nishapuri, Imam Bukhari in Tareekh, Musnad-e-Ahmad Ibne Hanbal and Tabarani)

The Prophet (s.a.w.a.) himself recommends Tawassul to the blind man while he (s.a.w.a.) could just as easily have prayed for the blind man himself which incidentally would also have been tantamount to Tawassul.

Skeptics justify this by claiming that Tawassul of this nature in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) lifetime was permitted but is prohibited after his demise. The claim is groundless. Are they claiming that Tawassul was abrogated after the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) demise? Let them advance a verse from the Quran which abrogates Tawassul if they are truthful in their claims.

12) Waseelah of companions

Not just the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), even righteous companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) were Waseelah for the people in times of distress.

Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abdul Birr, Ibn Saad, Ibn Athir record: Whenever there was a famine in Rome, the Romans would supplicate through the Waseelah of Abu Ayyub Ansari (r.a.).

When supplication was made through the Waseelah of Abu Ayyub Ansari (r.a.) it did rain.
(Tareekh-e-Ibne Kathir, Tabaqaat-e-Ibne Saad, Usd al-Ghaabah, Istiaab).

These are some proofs of tawassul from authentic sources hope this will make you 100% firm in your belief about permissibility of intercession through pious person of Allah.

May bless us all.Ameen

Intercession of prophet Muhammed (sallahu alaihi wassalam)

From past few years the muslim people testifying Islamic monotheism(Tauheed) have started raising doubts about the Shafat-E-Mustfa skeptic people clearly deny the ability of prophet Mohammed's (sallahu alaihi wassalam) to do the shafat of his community. Intercession through prophet Mohammed's (sallahu alaihi wassalam) is the firm belief of Ahle sunnat wal jammat from past 1400 years that is from the time of prophet Mohammed's (sallahu alaihi wassalam) until most recently in the past couple of century when Abdul Ibn Wahab arrived and started spreading the disbelief. The permissibility of intercession is proved through various hadees and quranic verses still its not enough for the disbelievers .They reply those hadees on intercession with the quranic verses in which Allah forbids people to ask from idols. Below are the various proofs of intercession and is a challenge to skeptics to prove it wrong.

Proofs from Quran

There are several verses in the Holy Quran that establish the legality of seeking medium (waseelah) to gain divine proximity. These verses clearly reject the belief of the skeptics who reject all waseelah and term Tawassul as Shirk

1) In Surah Maaedah (5): 35, Allah orders:

يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَ ابْتَغُواْ إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَ جَاهِدُواْ فىِ سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُون
‏‏

‘O you who believe! Be careful (of your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.’

According to this verse every believer is duty bound to seek a medium for attaining proximity to Allah without which achieving the station is impossible. It is notable that the tone and tenor is that of a command and not a recommendation.

Who are the media that the believers should seek to gain divine proximity? As we will see they are none other than the divinely ordained entities. Seeking divine proximity and pleasure through these entities is not Shirk; else the blame for Shirk would lie with Allah.

2) In Surah Nisa (4): 64, Allah declares:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا

…and had they, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle had (also) asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful.

There is more than one point in this verse that needs highlighting:

i.            Seeking forgiveness from Allah alone is not sufficient; forgiveness of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is a necessary prerequisite. Those who claim that one should approach only Allah and seek all demands from Him alone and not from the creatures have erred in their Tauheed. Seeking help and forgiveness from divinely designated personalities is not against Tauheed. On the contrary as underscored in Surah Nisa (4): 64, it is an inherent condition of Tauheed and if one does not approach these divine personalities along with Allah he has violated the fundamental canons of Tauheed and is liable for censure and condemnation.

ii.            The verse in Surah Nisa mentions ‘coming to you’ i.e. Prophet (s.a.w.a.). This implies that Muslims must beseech the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) for forgiveness of their sins. And this is an order for Muslims of all times, not just Muslims in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) era. If the verse was restricted for Muslims in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) era and even then those who were in direct contact with him, only a few Muslims would have benefited from this Quranic injunction and got their sins forgiven; the rest would have been destined for Hellfire only by virtue of being unable to ‘come to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.)’.

iii.            An equally notable point is that the verse mentions ‘coming to you’ i.e. Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is in the beginning after which the sinner must seek forgiveness from Allah. Approaching the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is a prerequisite not just for seeking forgiveness from the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), it is a prerequisite for seeking forgiveness from Allah Himself. Those who say that a dead Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is of no use (Allah forbid) have no way to seek forgiveness from Allah as the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) is the channel through whom the Muslims have been ordered to seek forgiveness.

iv.            Clearly, the command to ‘come to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.)’ is like any other command of such a nature. For instance, the 59th verse of Surah Nisa (4) commands the believers:O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you; then if you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle…

The Quranic injunction to obey the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and refer him (s.a.w.a.) in disputes is not restricted to his lifetime and is a command for believers across eras and none can raise an objection that obeying and referring to a ‘dead’ prophet is not possible or that it is tantamount to Shirk. Likewise ‘coming to the Prophet’ for seeking forgiveness of sins is a command applicable to Muslims of all eras and it does not lead to Shirk.

3) In Surah Yusuf (12): Verse 97-98:
The sons of Hazrat Yaqoob (a.s.) on regretting their evil deeds approached him and requested him to seek forgiveness from Allah. Allah recounts the incident thus in Surah Yusuf (12): Verse 97

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ

‘They said: O our father! Ask forgiveness of our faults for us, surely we were sinners.

Hazrat Yaqoob (a.s.) accepted their request (Surah Yusuf (12): Verse 98)

قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

He said: I will ask for forgiveness from my Lord, surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’

Hazrat Yaqoob’s (a.s.) sons could have sought forgiveness of Allah on their own without any intervention but chose to approach their father because of his stature. This is another example of the people of a nation approaching their prophet for forgiveness of sins.

4) In Surah Baqarah (2): Verse 37:

فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

Then Adam received (some) words from his Lord, so He turned to him mercifully; surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful.

What are the words that Adam (a.s.) received from his Lord through the medium of which he was granted forgiveness? Why were these words necessary? Being a prophet, was it not possible for him to get forgiven without the mediation of the words? Does seeking divine proximity and forgiveness through the words amount to Shirk more so for a prophet who knows the definition of Shirk better than us?

The answer to these questions can be found in the first verse of the article (Surah Maaedah (5): Verse 35). Anyone who takes a waseelah ordained by Allah is not guilty of Shirk. Rather he is eligible for a great reward. Shirk is when you take a medium that/who is not divinely ordained.

Under the exegesis of this verse Jalaal al-Deen Abd al-Rahman Ibn Abu Bakr al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthoor has recorded two traditions that are particularly noteworthy.

i) The very first tradition that Suyuti has recorded under this verse (vol 1 pg 58) is on the authority of Umar b. Khattaab, who narrates from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.):

After Adam had sinned he raised his head towards the sky and said: (O Allah), I beseech You that you forgive me for the sake of Muhammad (s.a.w.a.).

Allah: Who is Muhammad?

Adam: When you created me I raised my head towards Your Arsh and saw written – There is no God save Allah and Muhammad is Messenger of Allah. I understood that there was none greater in esteem than Muhammad so much so that you ascribed his name alongside Your Name.

Allah revealed to Adam: O Adam he is the last Prophet from your progeny. Had it not been for him I would not have created you.

This tradition is also recorded by Al-Tabaraani in Al-Mo’jam al-Sagheer, Haakem Neshapuri, Abu Noaim Isfahani, Al-Baihaqi and Ibne Asaakir.

ii) ‘….O Allah I ask you for the sake of Muhammad, Your Servant and his noble position near You that you forgive my sin….Armies of angels greeted Adam (on being forgiven) and said – Greetings to you on Allah’s Forgiveness O Father of Muhammad!.’

5) In Surah Baqarah (2): Verse 89 Allah declares regarding the Jews

And when there came to them a Book from Allah verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them (Prophet) that which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him; so Allah’s curse is on the unbelievers.

This verse refers to the Jews of Hijaz. Before the Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) advent, the Jews faced persecution from the infidels of Mecca. The Jews were followers of divine prophets (a.s.) and the infidels were idolaters. The ideological differences heightened the tension between the two groups and affected the Jews in particular as they were heavily outnumbered. To counter the aggression of the infidels, the Jews took the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), whose advent they were eagerly awaiting, as a waseelah and prayed to Allah to grant them victory against their enemies in battle.

These Quranic verses are some irrefutable belief of intercession but still the disbeliever raise doubts about it but the person with true faith will obviously understand the true intercession and will use it for proximity  to the almighty Allah.Tawassul is in no sense shirk to any great imams since the time of Prophet(SAW) but this corrupt sects have just born and started telling tawassul as shirk and when asked which imam has given a fatwa on intercession through Prophet (SAW) as shirk even searching the whole Islamic books they don’t get a single line in which it is written that seeking intercession through Prophet (SAW) is shirk. Alhamdulillah ulema Ahle sunnat wal jammat are striving hard to protect the true faith and Insha Allah no sect can destroy true faith. Many sects came and gone but Ahle sunnat wal jammat are just too firm in their belief and has protected the true aqeeda of islam for the past 1400 year without even a single change in faith.

May Allah guide us all to follow the straight path.Ameen