Rulings on Means – Detailed Review
Question:
What is the ruling regarding means (wasilah)?
Answer:
الحمد للہ، والصلاة والسلام علی رسول الله، أما بعد!
This is an important issue, therefore a detailed answer is being presented. “Tawassul” is derived from the Arabic verb توسل یتوسل, which means to adopt a means or intermediary that leads to the desired goal. That is, the original meaning of tawassul is the seeking and effort to reach a certain objective.
Types of Tawassul:
➊ Correct Means (Legitimate and Lawful Tawassul)
A correct means is one that is valid according to Shariah and serves as a means of drawing closer to Allah Almighty. It has several forms:
1.1 Tawassul through the Beautiful Names of Allah Almighty
General Form:
In a hadith narrated by Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (may Allah be pleased with him), there is a supplication for the removal of grief and worry:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّی عَبْدُك ،َابْنُ عَبْدِك ،َابْنُ أَمَتِك،َ نَاصِيَتِی بِيَدِك مَاضٍ فِیَّ حُکْمُك عَدْلٌ فِیَّ قَضَاؤُك أَسْأَلُك اللهمَ بِکُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَك سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَك،أو أنزلته فی کتابك،َ أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَدًا مِنْ خَلْقِتك أَوْ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِی عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَك أن تجعل القرآن ربيع قلبی َََ۔۔۔۔۔۔َ»
“O Allah! I am Your servant, the son of Your servant, the son of Your maidservant. My forehead is in Your hand, Your command over me prevails, Your judgment over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or taught to any of Your creation, or preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Qur’an the spring of my heart.”
In this supplication, all the Beautiful Names of Allah are used as a means:
اَسْئَلُك بِکُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَك سَمَّيْتَ بِه نَفْسَك
“I ask You by every one of Your perfect names by which You have named Yourself.”
Special Case:
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he requested the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to teach him a supplication to ask in prayer, so the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught this supplication:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّی ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِی ظُلْمًا کَثِيرًا وَّلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ فَاغْفِرْ لِی مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِك وَارْحَمْنِی إِنَّك أَنْتَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيمُ»
“O Allah! Indeed, I have wronged myself excessively, and none can forgive sins except You, so forgive all my sins by Your special forgiveness and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are (Al-Ghaffur) the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”
Here, the supplication is made through “Al-Ghaffur” and “Ar-Rahim.”
﴿وَلِلَّهِ الأَسماءُ الحُسنى فَادعوهُ بِها﴾
“And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.”
1.2 Seeking Intercession through the Attributes of Allah
General Case:
For example: “O Allah! I ask You through Your beautiful names and exalted attributes.”
Special Case:
Using a specific attribute as a means for a particular need, such as supplication:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ بِعِلْمِکَ الْغَيْبِ وَقُدْرَتِکَ عَلَی الْخَلْقِ أَحْيِنِی مَا عَلِمْتَ الْحَيَاةَ خَيْرًا لِی وَتَوَفَّنِی إِذَا عَلِمْتَ الْوَفَاةَ خَيْرًا لِی»
“O Allah! By Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, I supplicate to You that as long as it is better for me to live according to Your knowledge, keep me alive, and when it is better for me to die according to Your knowledge, grant me death.”
Similarly, words of blessings (Salawat) upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also come in this category, in which resemblance is made with previous prophets as well.
1.3 Using Faith as a Means
Praying by using faith as a means, such as:
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding, who remember Allah while standing or sitting or lying on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying:) Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You! Protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, saying, “Believe in your Lord,” and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.
1.4 Seeking Intercession through Righteous Deeds
The incident of three individuals trapped in a cave, who prayed by presenting their righteous deeds as a means:
Everyone said: “O Allah! If I have done this deed for Your pleasure, then remove our difficulty.”
1.5 Using One’s Humility and Miserable State as a Means
The prayer of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him):
﴿رَبِّ إِنّى لِما أَنزَلتَ إِلَىَّ مِن خَيرٍ فَقيرٌ﴾
“O my Lord! Indeed, whatever good You send down to me, I am in need of it.”
The prayer of Prophet Zakariya (peace be upon him):
﴿قالَ رَبِّ إِنّى وَهَنَ العَظمُ مِنّى وَاشتَعَلَ الرَّأسُ شَيبًا وَلَم أَكُن بِدُعائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا﴾
“He said: O my Lord! Indeed, my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white hair from old age, and O my Lord! I have never been deprived when I asked You.”
1.6 Using the Prayer of a Righteous Person as a Means
The Companions used to request prayers from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as happened during the supplication for rain:
Hazrat Ukasha رضي الله عنه requested the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to pray for entry into Paradise without reckoning, upon which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
اَنْتَ مِنْہُمْ
In such a prayer, the intention should be that it benefits your Muslim brother as well.
➋ Invalid (False) Means
A means that is not established in Shariah is false and un-Islamic.
2.1 The Means of Requesting Prayer from the Deceased
Requesting the deceased to pray is against Shariah because actions cease after death. Even the Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم cannot pray for anyone after his death.
Hazrat Umar رضي الله عنه, during a time of famine, had the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, Hazrat Abbas رضي الله عنه, supplicate, and he said:
«اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّا کُنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْکَ بِنَبِيِّنَا فَتَسْقِيْنَا وَإِنَّا نَتَوَسَّلُ إِلَيْکَ بِعَمِّ نَبِيِّنَا فَاسْقِنَا»
“O Allah! Earlier, when Your Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was alive among us, we used to ask him to pray for rain, and You would bless us with rain. Now (since the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم is no longer among us), we are presenting the uncle of Your Prophet as an intermediary for supplication, so grant us rain now.”
This is clear evidence that asking the deceased for supplication is not permissible.
2.2 Using the Status or Position of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as an Intermediary
Using the status (rank) of the Noble Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم as an intermediary is not established by Shariah, because the benefit of the status is for the blessed person himself, not for others. A beneficial intermediary is one whose effect is on the one who is supplicating, such as faith, love, and righteous deeds.
The correct method is:
- “O Allah! I pray to You through faith in You and Your Messenger.”
- “O Allah! I pray through the love I have for Your Messenger.”
Summary of the Discourse:
- ❀ Permissible means are those established by the Quran and Sunnah, such as names and attributes, faith, righteous deeds, supplication, humility, etc.
- ❀ Impermissible means are those not proven by Shariah, such as requesting supplication from the deceased or using the status of the Prophet ﷺ as a means.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
