- Using Waseela/Tawassul

The act of praying to Allah through the Waseela (intermediary) of the pious, and proclaiming ‘Ya Nabi’, ‘Ya RasulAllah’ etc. has been accepted and even encouraged throughout the Muslim world, since the time of the Salaf (righteous predecessors of Islam).

The Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat clarifies the permissibility of proclaiming Ya Nabi etc. and using Waseela in light of great evidence from the Hadith, and through examples from the lives of the blessed Companions, Tabi’een¹, Tab-e-Tabi’een² and righteous scholars of Islam.

Those who oppose this beneficial act often claim that it is forbidden to call out to one who is no longer amongst us. Clearly the Qur’an and Hadith prove this theory wrong as the Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, is indeed alive and witnessing the state of his Ummah. (see article about Haazir/Naazir for full details)

Furthermore, as falsely claimed by the deviant sects, Tawassul (the use of Waseela) is not the act of worshipping other than Allah – astagfirullah, glory be to Him– but rather, it is the act of calling upon Allah using the remembrance of those He loves and has favoured.

To those who claim we should only ever call to Allah for help, how did you learn of His existence? Who taught you of His being – was this a direct message sent straight to you? Surely not. So why is it surprising to use the same means He blessed us through i.e. the Beloved Prophet, to communicate with Him?

A message sent through the beloved will surely hold greater esteem in the eyes of the Loving One (al-Wadud).

¹ those righteous people who witnessed the presence of a Companion of the Beloved Prophet

² those righteous people who witnessed the presence of at least one of the Tabi’een

USING THE WASEELA OF THE BELOVED MESSENGER

Narrated Sayyidina Jabir bin Abdullah Al-Ansari, that the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“…I am Al-Qasim (distributor), and I distribute among you Allah's blessings."

[Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith no. 216]

• Our Prophet is the Ultimate Waseela

Truly, Allah states in the Holy Qur’an:

“O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah, seek the means of approach unto Him, and strive in His cause, that you may prosper.” [Qur’an 5:35]

According to the way of the Ahle Sunnat, this shows Almighty Allah’s approval allowing us to seek the medium of the pious ones to reach Him i.e. the Prophets, the blessed Companions and the Awliya. This is in the hope that for the sake of His Love for them, He will also bless us.

The phrase used in the verse above, “seek the means of approach unto Him” (wabtaghu ilayhi al-waseela) refers to seeking methods of attaining nearness to Him. Those who seek Allah constantly desire to be closer to Him, and will strive with every means possible to achieve this truly divine goal. One such method is through the name and elevated status given to the Beloved Prophet, and the name of those who love and honour him, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

There are several verses in the Qur’an which are used by those who oppose Tawassul, which refer to the Oneness of Allah and say that none can help us except Him alone. It should be clarified that these verses are in reference to the idol-worshippers and pagans who would call upon and worship other Gods. These verses have been misinterpreted and wrongly used to try and prove Tawassul as an act of Shirk.

In all certainty, those who use Tawassul worship Allah alone and we whole-heartedly believe that without His Power, we are helpless indeed. Truly, we receive help from the Beloved Prophet and the Awliya only if He so wills, and only if He permits – of this, there is no doubt.

Almighty Allah states in the beautiful Qur’an:

“And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him], and asked forgiveness of Allah, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah accepting of repentance and Merciful.” [Qur’an 4:64]

The above verse is Almighty Allah’s Words to the wrongdoers, that they should have sought the Waseela of the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, in order to attain His Mercy. If they had gone to the Beloved Messenger to seek Allah’s forgiveness, Allah would accept their repentance - under the second condition, that the Beloved Messenger also asked for Allah’s forgiveness on their behalf.

This is an obvious use of Tawassul where Allah, glory be to Him, instructs His creatures to seek His Mercy through the Beloved Prophet.

Sayyidina Rabi'ah ibn Kaab narrates, "I was with Allah’s Messenger one night and I brought him water and what he required. He said to me, ‘Ask (anything you like).’ I said, ‘I ask your company in Paradise.’ He (the Holy Prophet) said, ‘Or anything else besides it?’ I said, ‘That is all (that I require).’ He said, ‘Then help me to achieve this for you by devoting yourself often to prostration.’  [Muslim, Book 4, Hadith no. 990]

Mulla Ali Qari writes an interpretation of this Hadith: “The Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, kept the question open-ended, which shows that Allah has granted such authority to the Holy Prophet, that he can grant whatever he wishes to anybody, from the treasures of the Lord. [Mirqat al-Mafatih Sharah Mishqat, Vol. 2, Page no. 323]

Shaykh Abdul Haqq Muhaddith Dehlvi states regarding this Hadith: ‘Sal’ (meaning: ask) is an unconditional question. There are no limitations or restrictions attached to it. This is to understand that it is within the power and authority of Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, to grant the desire. Whatever and to whomever the Beloved Prophet desires, he can grant it, by the permission of Allah. [Ashiatul Lam’aat, commentary of Mishkaat al-Masabih]

• Guidance is From Allah via the Prophet

The Holy Qur’an also states:

“But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction.”[Qur’an 4:65]

Here Almighty Allah refers the believers to the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, whom He appoints as a judge between them. It is a clear demonstration that Allah’s Laws and the truth are sent to us through the Beloved Prophet – truly, Islam was not sent down directly to us, nor the Qur’an sent to us through thin air. It all reached us through the Beloved Messenger of Allah, upon him be Allah’s peace and eternal blessing.

The Noble Prophet is an intermediary, a Waseela, between Allah and His Servants.

Furthermore, the above verse states that the believers cannot truly believe unless the Beloved Prophet is made a judge between them, and that they should accept his decision with full faith. This clarifies the importance of the Waseela of the Beloved Prophet, that his word should not be questioned or challenged and doing so would endanger the faith of a believer, and deem it incomplete. This is the honour that Allah has granted to the Noble Prophet, acting as an intermediary.

Tafseer ibn Kathir states about this verse, “Allah swears by His Glorious, Most Honourable Self, that no one shall attain faith until he refers to the Messenger for judgment in all matters.”

Here, the incident of Tawassul is undeniable.

There are many, many verses of the Qur’an referring to belief and faith in Allah and His Messenger, emphasising the need to testify and bear witness to the Beloved Prophet of Allah for the completion of Imaan. We cannot reach Allah directly, we were taught about Him through the Messenger of Allah, who passed on this knowledge to us through the Salaf and the Awliya. This is Tawassul.

We attain Allah’s Pleasure through obeying those whom He loves. Indeed, Almighty Allah says, "He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah." [Qur'an 4:80]

• Tawassul  in the Prophet’s Absence

At this point, one may wonder about the validity of using Tawassul in the absence of the intermediary. For example, praying “O Allah, help me through the Waseela of Your Beloved Messenger...” This concept is also proven correct in the noble sayings of the Beloved Messenger, the Ahadith.

Sayyidina Jabir bin Abdullah reports that Allah's Messenger said, "Whoever, after listening to the Azan, says, 'Allahumma Rabba hadhihi-d-da' watit-tammati was-salatil qa'imati, ati Muhammadan al-wasilata wal-fadilata, wab' athhu maqaman mahmudan-il-ladhi wa' adtahu’

(O Allah! Lord of this perfect call (of not ascribing partners to You) and of the regular prayer which is going to be established! Kindly give Muhammad the right of intercession and superiority, and send him [on the Day of Judgment] to the best and the highest place in Paradise which You have promised him)', then intercession for me will be permitted for him on the Day of Resurrection."[Bukhari Vol. 11, Hadith no. 588]

Clearly the above Hadith is a direct proof of the permissibility of seeking Waseela and in the absence of the Beloved Messenger, may Allah’s eternal peace and blessing be upon him, as this prayer was taught for the entire Ummah, even those not alive during his time.

Here he hastaught us to seek his intercession, though we are currently not in his physical presence, to ask Allah to make him an intermediary for us on the Day of Judgement. If Tawassul is not permissible, surely on the Day of Judgement we would truly be lost, as it will be a day of complete devastation, a day when cries of ‘Nafsi, nafsi (myself, myself!)’ will echo far and wide. However, we are taught by the Beloved Messenger himself that if we request Allah to make him our Waseela on that day, he will be permitted to help us. How fortunate we are!

Another proof is crystal clear in the Hadith advising a blind man:

Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf says that a blind man went to the court of the Holy Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and said, "I've been afflicted in my eyesight, so please pray to Allah for me."

The Beloved Prophet,may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him,said: ‘Go make ablution (wudu), perform two Rakah (cycles) of prayer, and then say: "O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through my Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy; O Muhammad (Ya Muhammad), I seek your intercession with my Lord for the return of my eyesight [and in another version: "for my need, that it may be fulfilled. O Allah, grant him intercession for me].’"

The Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him,added, "And if there is some need, do the same. [Tirmidhi, Imam Bukhari’s al-Tarikh al-Kabir, also classed as Sahih in Sunan Ibn Majah, Imam Nasai’s Amal al-Yawm wa al-Layla, Imam Abu Nu'aym’s Ma'rifa al-Sahaba, Imam Baihaqi’s Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, Imam Haythami’s Majma al Zawa'id wa Manba' al-Fawa'id, Imam Tabarani’s al-Mu'jam al-Kabir etc.]

The authenticity of the above Hadith cannot be denied, with the approval of the masters of Hadith i.e. Imam Bukhari, Imam Tirmidhi etc.

Here the Holy Prophet teaches the man a prayer which clearly invokes Waseela of his own blessed name, “through my Prophet Muhammad”, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The man is advised to recite the supplication and no specific instruction is given for him to pray in the Beloved Messenger’s presence – rather this prayer is not dependant upon the physical presence of the Holy Prophet, but rather upon his person and his rank, his elevated status.

Thus, when the Ahle Sunnah wal Jamaat invoke the Waseela of the Beloved Prophet, we do so through the sake of his truly exalted status.

Following on from the above Hadith, Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf, an esteemed Companion of the Beloved Prophet, reports that a man repeatedly visited Sayyidina Usman ibn Affan (during his Caliphate) concerning something he needed, but Sayyidina Usman paid no attention to him or his need.

The man met Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf and complained to him about the matter – note, this being after the death (wisaal) of the Beloved Prophet, and after the caliphates of Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina Umar. So Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf, who was one of the Companions who collected Hadith and was learned in matters of Deen, advised:

"Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then come to the Masjid, perform two Rakah prayer therein, and say: 'O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy; O Muhammad (Ya Muhammad), I turn through you to my Lord, that He may fulfill my need,'

and mention your need. Then come so that I can go with you [to the caliph, Sayyidina Usman]."

So the man left and did as he had been told, then went to the door of Sayyidina Usman ibn Affan, and the doorman came, took him by the hand, brought him to Sayyidina Usman ibn Affan, and seated him next to him on a cushion.

Sayyidina Usman asked, "What do you need?" and the man mentioned what he wanted, and Sayyidina Usman accomplished it for him, then he said, "I hadn't remembered your need until just now," adding, "Whenever you need something, just mention it."

Then, the man departed, met Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf, and said to him, "May Allah reward you! He didn't see to my need or pay any attention to me until you spoke with him."

Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf replied, "By Allah, I didn't speak to him, but I have seen a blind man come to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and complain to him of the loss of his eyesight. The Prophet said, "Can you not bear it?' and the man replied, 'O Messenger of Allah, I do not have anyone to lead me around, and it is a great hardship for me.' The Prophet told him, 'Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then pray two Rakah prayer and make the supplication.'"

Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf continues, "By Allah, we didn't part company or speak long before the man returned to us as if nothing had ever been wrong with him."

[Imam Tabarani authenticates the above narration as Sahih in his al-Mu'jam al-Saghir. Also classed as Sahih by Imam Bayhaqi, Imam Haythami etc.]

This is a clear, undisputable report of a Noble Companion teaching the use of Tawassulvia the Waseela of one who is no longer physically alive amongst us i.e. the Beloved Prophet. There can be no doubt in the fact that a Companion would never encourage an unpleasant act, let alone the act of shirk. Here, Tawassul is actually advised by the esteemed Companion, Sayyidina Usman bin Hunayf, who then also reports its benefits and successful outcome.

The next Hadith is of utmost importance: it teaches us the fact that Prophet Adam, may Allah’s peace be upon him, sought the Mercy of Allah through the name of our Beloved Prophet. And furthermore, it teaches that Prophet Adam was created through the Waseela of the Beloved Prophet, therefore the entire mankind was also created for his sake.

Reported by Sayyidina Umar bin al-Khattab, the Beloved Prophet,may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him,said, "When Adam committed his mistake, he said: O my Lord, I am asking you to forgive me for the sake of Muhammad. Allah said: O Adam, and how do you know about Muhammad, whom I have not yet created? Adam replied, O my Lord, after You created me with Your Hand and breathed into me of Your Spirit, I raised my head and saw written on the heights of the Throne, ‘La ilaha illallah Muhammadun RasulAllah’. I understood that You would not place next to Your Name but the Most Beloved One of Your creation. Allah said: O Adam, I have forgiven you, and were it not for Muhammad, I would not have created you."

[Imam Baihaqi’s Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, Imam Abu Nu’aym in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, Imam al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak (2:615), Imam Tabarani in his al-Mu'jam al-Saghir (2:82, 207), Imam Ibn Asakir on the authority of `Umar ibn al-Khattab, and copied in Imam Qastalani's al-Mawahib al-Laduniyya.

Qadi Iyad includes it among "sound and famous narrations" in al-Shifa, Imam ibn Jawzi also considers it sound (Sahih) in the 1st chapter of al-Wafa bi Ahwal al-Mustafa. Hafiz ibn Kathir mentions it in al-Bidayat wa al-Nihaya (1:75, 1:180). Imam Suyuti cites it in his Qur'anic commentary al-Durr al-Manthur (2:37) etc.]

About this, Qadi Iyad says: "It is said that this Hadith explains the verse: ‘Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance.’” [Qur’an 2:37]

When Prophet Adam, who is known as Abul Bashar, the father of mankind, repents and seeks Allah’s Forgiveness through the name and the status of our Beloved Prophet, there no longer remains any doubt of the status of such a Waseela and its permissibility. This Hadith is a clear evidence, not only of the strength and power of Tawassul, but also of the supreme and exalted status of our Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

Imam Nawawi in his Al-Adhkar Min Kalam Sayyid Al-Abrar records that Tawassul through the Beloved Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and asking for his intercession are recommended.