Unlawful Intercession
Meaning of Intercession:
“Waseelah” means a means of nearness.
In “Lughat al-Quran,” it is stated that according to Khateeb and Razi, may Allah have mercy on them, “Waseelah” means a means of nearness, something that brings one closer.
Imam Raghib Asfahani writes:
“Waseelah” means reaching something with desire. In the Quran, it is mentioned:
(وَ ابْتَغُوْۤا اِلَیْهِ الْوَسِیْلَةَ)
“And seek a means to approach Him.”
In reality, intercession to Allah means guarding the divine path through knowledge, worship, and adherence to noble Shariah. This is the meaning of “nearness to Allah.” And the one who desires to approach Allah is called “Wasel.”
All commentators have interpreted the noble verse (( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ))
as referring to obedience and worship by “Waseelah.”
For example, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari writes in his famous Tafsir:
((وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ يَقُولُ: وَاطْلُبُوا الْقُرْبَةَ إِلَيْهِ بِالْعَمَلِ بِمَا یرضیہ))
((وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ))
Means to seek every means through which you can attain closeness to Allah and reach His pleasure.
And Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) has narrated the statement of Qatadah, who said:
(( أَى تَقَرَّبُوا إِلَيْهِ بِطَاعَتِهِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِمَا يُرْضِيهِ))
“That is, (the meaning of wasilah is) that you attain closeness to Allah Almighty by obedience (compliance).”
Allama Alusi Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
((الْوَسِيْلَةُ هِيَ فَعِيْلَةٌ بِمَعْنَى مَا يُتَوَسَّلُ بِهِ وَيُتَقَرَّبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ من فعل الطَّاعَاتِ وَتَرْكِ الْمَعَاصِي .))
“That is, ‘wasilah’ is on the pattern of ‘fa’ila’, meaning to attain closeness to Allah Almighty by obeying and abandoning sins.”
Permissible forms of Wasilah:
There are several types of permissible and legitimate Tawassul, which will be explained in the following lines.
Tawassul through the Names and Attributes of Allah:
Attaining closeness to Allah through His beautiful names and pure attributes, as Allah Almighty has commanded us:
(وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ )
“Allah has very beautiful names, so call upon Him by these names, and keep away from those who misuse His names (give them wrong meanings), and soon they will be recompensed for what they did.”
Intercession through the Oneness of Allah Almighty:
As Sayyiduna Yunus (peace be upon him) did, when he was swallowed by the fish and remained in its belly for three days, then he prayed:
(لَّا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ)
There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers.
Intercession through Righteous Deeds and Righteous Faith:
To attain nearness or the pleasure of Allah Almighty, righteous faith and good deeds can also be valid and legitimate means. Consider this noble verse of the Holy Quran where the believers present their righteous faith before Allah Almighty and ask for forgiveness.
(رَّبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ)
“O our Lord! We have heard a caller calling to faith, saying, ‘O people! Believe in your Lord,’ so we have believed. O our Lord! Forgive us our sins, and remove from us our misdeeds, and raise us up with the righteous from this world.”
And as it is mentioned in the noble hadith regarding those three people upon whom the rock had slipped and the door of their cave was closed, and they were unable to come out, so they resorted to the intercession of good deeds, as a result of which Allah Almighty moved the rock from them and they came out of it.
Under this hadith, Maulana Salahuddin Yusuf writes:
“It has been understood that it is permissible to supplicate through righteous deeds; however, seeking intercession through the essence (of the Prophet or saints) is an innovation (bid’ah) which should be avoided, because firstly, there is no Shariah evidence for it. Secondly, it is contrary to the practices of the best generations.”
Seeking intercession through one’s own weakness and need:
As Sayyiduna Ayyub (peace be upon him) said:
(أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ)
“I have been afflicted with a painful disease, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.”
In the exegesis of this verse, Dr. Luqman Salafi (may Allah preserve him) writes:
“Through the beautiful names and divine attributes, supplication and weeping before Allah removes calamities, and the worldly affliction and hardship is not proof that the servant is humiliated and wretched in the sight of his Lord. With faith and sincerity, patience leads Allah Almighty to give many times more than before.”
Intercession through supplication:
In the lives of the Prophets and the righteous, it is also correct and permissible to ask them for prayers and to consider their intercession as a means before Allah, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to do. When there was a drought, they would request prayers from the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ uncle, the honorable Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), and he would pray for them.
Seeking Means by Admitting Sins:
As Musa (Moses) did:
(قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي)
“He said, ‘O my Lord! Indeed, I have wronged myself, so forgive me.'”
Polytheistic Means of Seeking Help:
Apart from the permissible and legitimate means of seeking help mentioned above, any other method of seeking means will be un-Islamic, innovative, and polytheistic, such as asking men for prayers and intercession, or seeking means through the exalted status of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, etc. It should be remembered that there are many types of un-Islamic, innovative, and polytheistic means of seeking help, which are as follows:
Seeking Means through the Dead:
“Intercession through the dead,” meaning asking from the dead, seeking their recommendation, and considering them as a means, is not permissible because the dead do not have power over prayer as they did in their lifetime. Allama Sheikh Suleiman bin Muhman, while discussing intercession, writes:
(( فَإِنَّ التَّوَسُّلَ بِالنَّبِيَّ فِي عُرْفِ الصَّحَابَةِ هُوَ التَّوَسُّلَ بِدُعَائِهِ وَكَذَلِكَ لَمَّا تَوَسَّلَ عُمَرُ بِالْعَبَّاسِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِدُعَائِهِ لقوله قُم يَا عَبَّاسُ فَادْعُ اللهَ وَكَفَول مُعَاوِيَةَ لِيَزِيدَ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ الْجُرَشِى رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قُم يَا يَزِيدُ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ وَلَيْسَ هَذَا تَوَسُّلًا بِالذَّوَاتِ لأن التَّوَسُّلَ بِالدَّوَاتِ لَمْ يَرِدُ إِلَّا بِلَفْظِ غَيْرِ ثَابِتٍ لَا يَصِحُ، والتَّوَسُّلُ بِالْأَعْمَالِ قَدْ ثَبَتَ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ الصَّحِيحَةِ .))
“In the understanding of the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), intercession through the Prophet ﷺ was intercession through prayer (meaning asking the Prophet ﷺ to pray, and similarly when Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sought intercession from Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), he made him pray and said, ‘O Abbas! Stand and pray to Allah,’ and similarly Sayyiduna Muawiya (may Allah be pleased with him) told Sayyiduna Yazid bin al-Aswad al-Jurashi (may Allah be pleased with him), ‘O Yazid! Stand and pray to Allah.’ This is not intercession through the beings themselves, because there is no authentic statement proving intercession through the beings themselves, whereas intercession through actions is proven from the Book of Allah and authentic Sunnah.”
Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri also proves from the incident of seeking rain through the prayer of Abbas (RA) that this incident sheds light on the customary practice of the Companions and the intercession of the pious predecessors, but it has no relation to the intercession of the later scholars, whether it is for the living or the dead or in absentia, nor does it prove the intercession of the deity.
((قوله ’’اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَوَسُّلَ بِنَبِيْنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ‘‘ لَيْسَ فِيهِ التَّوَسلَ الْمَعْهُودَ الَّذِي يَكُونُ بِالْغَائِبِ حَتَّى قَد لا يكون بـ شُعُورٌ أَصَلا ، بَلْ فِيهِ تَوَكَّلُ السَّلَفِ وَهُوَ أَن يُقَدَّمَ رَجُلًا ذَا وَجَاهَةٍ عند الله تَعَالَى وَيَأْمُرُهُ أَن يَدْعُولَهُم ثُمَّ يَحِيلُ عَلَيْهِ فِي دُعَائِهِ كَمَا فُعِلَ بِعَبَّاس رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَمَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَوْ كَانَ فِيْهِ تَوَكَّلُ الْمُتَأَخَرِينَ لَمَّا احْتَاجُوا بِاذْهَابِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَعَهُمُ ، وَلَكَفَى لَهُمُ التَّوَسُّلُ بِنَيْهِمْ بَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ أَيضاً .))
The statement of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) “O Allah … etc.” does not refer to the customary intercession that is made with the absent, to whom one is not even fully conscious, rather this hadith mentions the intercession of the pious predecessors, which is that a person who is righteous in the sight of Allah is approached, and a supplication is made to him to pray on their behalf, and then he is referenced in the prayer, as was done with Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). And if the intercession of the later generations was intended, then there would have been no need to take Sayyiduna Abbas along with them. For them, it would have sufficed to seek intercession with their Prophet ﷺ even after his passing (as they used to do during his lifetime).
Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri is essentially refuting those who have falsely argued for “intercession through the beings themselves” based on the verse of “Waseelah” and the incident of “Istiqaa,” and the statement is completely clear in its meaning, but according to some…
If your heart does not desire it, there are thousands of reasons.
After narrating the incident of seeking rain, Allama Alusi writes in his Tafsir Ruh al-Ma’ani (126/4):
((فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ التَّوَسَّلُ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ بَعْدَ الْتِقَالِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الدَّارِ لَما عَدَلُوا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ ، بَلْ كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَتَوَكَّلُ إِلَيْكَ بِنَبِيِّنَا فَاسْقِنَا .))
“Therefore, if it were permissible to turn to you ﷺ after your death, they would not turn to anyone else but you, rather they would simply say: O Allah! We have brought our Prophet as an intercessor before You, so grant us rain.”
And then at the same place, he writes that the equality of the Prophet’s ﷺ life and death in the matter of intercession is not proven by any evidence.
((وَتَسَاوِي حَالَتِي حَيَاتِهِ وَوَفَاتِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي هَذَا الشَّأْنِ مُحْتَاجٌ إِلَى نَصِّ وَلَعَلَّ النَّصَّ عَلَى خِلَافِهِ.)) انتهىٰ.
“And in this matter (intercession), the equality of your ﷺ state of life and death requires a text, and perhaps the text indicates the opposite.”
He further writes:
((وَأَمَّا إِذَا كَانَ الْمَطْلُوبُ مِنه مَيْتًا أَوْ غَالِبًا فَلَا يَسْتَرِيبُ عَالِمٌ أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ جَائِرٌ ، وَأَنَّهُ مِنَ الْبَدَعِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَفْعَلُهَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ.))
“That is, there is no doubt among any scholar about the impermissibility of supplicating through a deceased or absent person, and this is an innovation that none of the predecessors committed.”
And he writes:
(( وَلَمْ يَرِدُ عَنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الصَّحَابَةِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَىٰ عَنْهُمْ – وَهُمُ أَحْرَصُ الْخَلْقِ عَلَى كُلِّ خَيرُ – أَنَّهُ طَلَبَ مِنْ مَّيْتٍ شَيْئًا . ))
“That is, who can be more eager for reward than the Companions (رضی اللہ عنہم), yet it is not narrated from any Companion that they asked anything from the owner of the grave.”
Intercession through the status and sanctity of the Prophet ﷺ:
According to the Imams of the religion, this is also neither permissible nor prescribed. Accordingly, Allama Alusi writes:
((وَلَمْ يَعْهَدِ التَّوَسَّلَ بِالْجَاهِ وَالْحُرْمَةِ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الصَّحَابَةِؓ))
“And taking intercession through the status and sanctity of the Noble Prophet ﷺ is not established from any one Companion (رضی اللہ عنہم).”
(( وَجَعَلَ مِنَ الْأَقْسَامِ الْغَيْرِ الْمَشْرُوعَ قَوْلَ الْقَائِلَ اللَّهُمَّ أَسْتَلْكَ بِجَاهِ فَلَانٍ ….. فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يُرْوَ عَنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ السَّلَفِ أَنَّهُ دَعَا كَذَالِكَ ))
“Among the impermissible types of intercession is the statement of some who say: ‘O Allah! I supplicate to You through the status of so-and-so.’ Without any doubt, it is not narrated from any of the righteous predecessors (Salihin) that they supplicated in this manner.”
((وَمَا يَذْكُرُ بَعْضُ الْعَامَّةِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا كَانَتْ لَكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حَاجَةً فَاسْأَلُو اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِجَاهِي فَإِنَّ جَاهِي عِندَ اللهِ الْعَظِيمِ لَمْ يَرُوهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَلَا هُوَ شَيْءٌ فِي كُتُبِ الْحَدِيثِ .))
And what some common people say that the Prophet ﷺ said:
((إِذَا كَانَتْ لَكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حَاجَةً فَاسْتَلُوا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِجَاهِي فَإِن جَاهِي عِندَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ))
“When you have any need from Allah Almighty, then supplicate to Allah through my status, for indeed my rank is with Allah.”
No scholar has narrated this, nor is there any trace of it in the books of Hadith.
Intercession through the selves:
A form of “intercession” that was prevalent among the polytheists of Mecca, which took the form of atonement among Christians, is illegitimate. The Holy Quran has repeatedly condemned it. But unfortunately, even the followers of the Quran have equated the issue of intercession with the atonement of Christ, and the intercession of the Prophets and saints has been considered so extensive that it necessarily negates Allah’s justice, the balance of fairness, and the law of reward and punishment. Just as Christians, after believing in the atonement of Christ, have become heedless of obedience and indifferent to the accountability of deeds, similarly, so-called Muslims, after wrongly conceptualizing intercession and considering the saints as a means, regard themselves as exempt from divine obedience and the consequences of their actions. The Holy Quran has categorically denied such means in very powerful words and has declared that on the Day of Judgment, all such causes, on which people’s false hopes are attached, will be cut off. It says:
( وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ)
“And fear the Day when no soul will avail another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from anyone, nor will any compensation be taken, nor will they be aided.
At another place it is said:
(إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ)
“When the leaders will disown those who followed them, and they will see the punishment with their own eyes, and all means and resources will be cut off.
At another place it is said that those whom you consider as intermediaries for yourselves, they themselves seek a means to their Lord as to who is nearest to Him.
(قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمُ مِنْ دُونِهِ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرَ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا ،اُولٰٓىٕكَ الَّذِیْنَ یَدْعُوْنَ یَبْتَغُوْنَ اِلٰى رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِیْلَةَ اَیُّهُمْ اَقْرَبُ وَ یَرْجُوْنَ رَحْمَتَهٗ وَ یَخَافُوْنَ عَذَابَهٗؕ-اِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُوْرًا)
“Say, ‘Call upon those whom you claim as gods besides Allah; they do not possess the power to remove your distress nor to change it. Those whom these people call upon seek a means to their Lord themselves, hoping to be closer to Him, hoping for His mercy, and fearing His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is something to be feared.'”
At another place, those people are warned who, after accepting Allah as the Creator, Provider, and Sustainer, consider someone as an intercessor, mediator, means, or a way to approach Allah, thus associating partners in Allah’s divinity. It is established that alongside Allah’s dominion, neither do they have any dominion, nor do they share in His dominion, nor is there any helper or protector among the creatures for Him. In this way, Allah has completely severed the bond of hearts except with Him; neither has He allowed any inclination nor fear, neither worship nor seeking help, neither supplication nor mediation. In short, nothing remains in which even the slightest trace of polytheism exists.
(قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَهُمْ فِيهِمَا مِن شِرْكٍ وَمَا لَهُ مِنْهُم مِّن ظَهِيرٍ)
“O my Prophet! Say to those whom you have taken as gods besides Allah, ‘Bring your proof.’ They have no ownership even of an atom in the heavens and the earth, nor do they share in their creation, nor is there any helper for Him among the people.”
However, one intercession remains, but regarding it, it has been clearly and explicitly stated:
(وَ لَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِنْدَهٗۤ اِلَّا لِمَنْ اَذِنَ لَهٗؕ)
“And no intercession will avail except for one whom He permits.”
Allama Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) writes under this verse:
(( وَقَدْ قَطَعَ اللهُ الْأَسْبَابَ الَّتِي يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ جَمِيعَهَا فَالْمُشْرِكُ إِنَّمَا يَتَّخِذُ مَعْبُودَهُ كَمَا يَحْصِلُ لَهُ مِنَ النَّفْعِ ، وَالنَّفَعُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مِمَّنْ فِيهِ حَصْلَةٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعَ : إِمَّا مَالِكُ مِمَّا يُرِيدُ عَابِدُهُ مِنْهُ ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُن مَالِكًا كَانَ شَرِيكًا لِلْمَالِكِ ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُن شَرِيكًا لَهُ كَانَ مُعِيْنًا لَهُ وَظَهِيرًا ، فَإِن لَمْ يَكُن مُعِينًا وَلَا ظَهِيرًا كَانَ شَفِيعًا عِنْدَهُ . فَنَفَى اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ الْمَرَاتِبَ الْأَرْبَعَ نَفْيًا مرتبهُ مُنتَقِلًا مِنَ الأعلى إلى الأذني ، فَتَقَى الْمِلْكَ وَالشَّرُكَةَ وَالْمُظَاهَرَةَ ، وَالشَّفَاعَةَ الَّتِي يَطْلُبُهَا الْمُشْرِكُ ، وَأَثْبَتَ شَفَاعَةٌ لَا نَصِيبَ فِيهَا لِمُشْرِك ، وَهِيَ الشَّفَاعَةُ بِإِذْنِهِ . ))
“This means that in this noble verse, all the foundations on which the beliefs of the polytheists were built have been demolished. It is clear that a polytheist associates partners only for the sake of gaining benefit, and no one can provide benefit unless they possess one of the four qualities: either they themselves own what is being asked from them, or less than that, they are a partner of the owner, or even less, they are an assistant or helper of the owner, or even less than that, they can only intercede with the owner. Therefore, Allah Almighty has negated all these levels; there is neither ownership, nor manifestation of partnership, nor intercession, except for one intercession which will occur by Allah’s permission. There is no share for the polytheist in this; it can only be for the people of monotheism.”
وَفِي هَذَا كَفَايَةٌ لِمَنْ لَهُ دِرَايَةٌ
