Seeking Nearness to Allah Through the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question: Is it permissible to seek nearness to Allah through the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Answer: The matter of seeking nearness (tawassul) is general and requires detailed explanation:
Seeking nearness through the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or through anyone else, if the intention is to ask that person for supplication while he is alive,By coming to a righteous man and saying: saying, “O Allah, supplicate for me for such and such,” then there is nothing wrong with that.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) sought nearness through al-Abbas in the prayer for rain. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Allah, we used to seek nearness to You through our Prophet, so You gave us rain. Now we seek nearness to You through the uncle of our Prophet, so give us rain.” Then he ordered al-Abbas to supplicate to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
So the type of seeking nearness that is of this nature,Which means: asking a living person for supplication, is permissible.
As for seeking nearness in the sense of: Intermediation through the dead or the absent, and asking Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through them, is an innovation and is not permissible. This is because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded us to supplicate to Him directly, without placing intermediaries between us and Him in supplication. Asking a living person for supplication is only permissible because there is evidence for it. As for the dead and the absent, there is no evidence indicating that one may seek nearness through them. Therefore, whoever does this has committed a newly invented innovation in the religion. If this is added to approaching this intermediary with some form of worship, such as slaughtering for him or making vows to him, then it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is what the polytheists used to do.Allah the Exalted said: [Yunus: 18] , [Az-Zumar: 3] ,If the meaning of seeking nearness is: This is when one asks a dead or absent person to fulfill his need, or approaches him with some form of worship, such as slaughtering for him, making vows to him, or the like. This is major shirk (associating partners with Allah).
If the meaning of seeking nearness is that one says: Saying, “O Allah, I ask You by the right of so-and-so, and I seek nearness to You through so-and-so,” or the like, is among the innovations and newly invented matters in supplication. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Answer: The matter of seeking nearness (tawassul) is general and requires detailed explanation:
Seeking nearness through the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or through anyone else, if the intention is to ask that person for supplication while he is alive,By coming to a righteous man and saying: saying, “O Allah, supplicate for me for such and such,” then there is nothing wrong with that.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) sought nearness through al-Abbas in the prayer for rain. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Allah, we used to seek nearness to You through our Prophet, so You gave us rain. Now we seek nearness to You through the uncle of our Prophet, so give us rain.” Then he ordered al-Abbas to supplicate to Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
So the type of seeking nearness that is of this nature,Which means: asking a living person for supplication, is permissible.
As for seeking nearness in the sense of: Intermediation through the dead or the absent, and asking Allah (Mighty and Majestic) through them, is an innovation and is not permissible. This is because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded us to supplicate to Him directly, without placing intermediaries between us and Him in supplication. Asking a living person for supplication is only permissible because there is evidence for it. As for the dead and the absent, there is no evidence indicating that one may seek nearness through them. Therefore, whoever does this has committed a newly invented innovation in the religion. If this is added to approaching this intermediary with some form of worship, such as slaughtering for him or making vows to him, then it is major shirk (associating partners with Allah). This is what the polytheists used to do.Allah the Exalted said:
And they worship other than Allah that which neither harms them nor benefits them, and they say, "These are our intercessors with Allah
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِAnd those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position."
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىIf the meaning of seeking nearness is that one says: Saying, “O Allah, I ask You by the right of so-and-so, and I seek nearness to You through so-and-so,” or the like, is among the innovations and newly invented matters in supplication. And Allah the Exalted knows best.