Types of Tawassul
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Question:
Does the Muslim saying, "O Allah, I ask You by the status of so-and-so," or "I ask You by so-and-so," or "by the deeds of so-and-so," does this invalidate tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
Answer:
This is called "tawassul" (seeking nearness to Allah through a means), and tawassul has categories:
Prescribed (mashru') tawassul, : One is tawassul to Allah through His obedience and following His Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). This is the entire religion. The religion is tawassul to Allah through His obedience and His tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and sincerity to Him in entering Paradise and being saved from the Fire. Thus, tawhid of Allah, obeying His commands, leaving off His prohibitions, and the means to His Paradise and His honor.
And the second type: Tawassul by His names and attributes and your righteous deeds in your supplications. This is also permissible. "O Allah, I ask You by Your names and Your attributes to forgive me. O Allah, I ask You by my faith in You, and my love for You and Your Prophet. O Allah, I ask You by my righteous deeds, my obedience to You, my following of Your Shari'ah, my fulfilling of trusts, my dutifulness to my parents, and my abstention from what You have forbidden me, O my Lord. I ask You to forgive me." This is tawassul by the names of Allah and His attributes and by your good deeds. All of this is tawassul that is prescribed (mashru'), good, and commanded.
And the third tawassul: Tawassul by the supplication of your brother who prays for you. "O so-and-so, pray to Allah for me. O Allah, I ask You to accept his supplication for me," and the like. Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate for his Companions, and this is tawassul by his supplication. And just as he supplicated for the blind man until Allah healed him, this is tawassul by the supplication of the living when he prays for you and seeks forgiveness for you. You say, "O Allah, accept from him." All of this is permissible, and all of it is prescribed (mashru').
And there is invalid tawassul and shirk (associating partners with Allah) tawassul, which is of two types:
One type means major shirk, and it is tawassul to Allah by worshipping the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), the stars, and the like. As the disbelievers said: [Surah al-Zumar: 3], [Surah Yunus: 18]. This is major shirk: to seek tawassul by the prophets and the righteous, calling upon them along with Allah, seeking aid from them, making vows to them, drawing near to them by prostration, by sacrificial animals, by seeking help from them. This is major shirk, and some of the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah) call it tawassul. Likewise, seeking tawassul by the stars, the planets, the sun, the moon, or the idols, calling upon them, seeking aid from them, seeking help from them, slaughtering for them, and making vows to them. This is shirk tawassul, major shirk.
As for what you asked about, O questioner, it is a second type: tawassul that is haram (forbidden) and prohibited. It is when you say, "O Allah, I ask You by the status of Your Prophet, or by the status of the prophets, or by the right of the prophets, or by the right of the parents, or by the right of so-and-so, or by the status of so-and-so." This is bid'ah (religious innovation) and is not permissible. It is not shirk, but it is one of the means to shirk.
The correct view according to the majority of the scholars of knowledge is to prohibit it, and that tawassul by it is not permissible. Because Allah has not prescribed for us tawassul by the right of so-and-so, nor by the status of so-and-so, nor by the person of so-and-so. But one seeks tawassul by the names of Allah and His attributes and by our righteous deeds. As He said: : [Surah al-A'raf: 180]. And He said in the authentic hadith: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man supplicating with this supplication, he said: Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 18:54.
Likewise, the hadith of the three men who entered the cave and the rock closed over them. They sought tawassul to Allah: one of them by his dutifulness to his parents, the second by his abstention from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and the third by his fulfilling of trusts. So Allah relieved them. Thus, tawassul by faith, piety, and righteous deeds, by the names of Allah and His attributes, this is what is prescribed (mashru'). Or by the supplication of your brother for you when he prays for you, this is what is prescribed. As for tawassul by the status of so-and-so, or by the life of so-and-so, or by the person of so-and-so, or by the right of so-and-so, this is not prescribed. Rather, it is bid'ah (religious innovation), and it is not permissible according to the scholars of knowledge. According to the majority of the scholars of knowledge, it is not permissible, because it is tawassul that is not prescribed, which Allah has not prescribed for us.
Does the Muslim saying, "O Allah, I ask You by the status of so-and-so," or "I ask You by so-and-so," or "by the deeds of so-and-so," does this invalidate tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
Answer:
This is called "tawassul" (seeking nearness to Allah through a means), and tawassul has categories:
Prescribed (mashru') tawassul, : One is tawassul to Allah through His obedience and following His Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law). This is the entire religion. The religion is tawassul to Allah through His obedience and His tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and sincerity to Him in entering Paradise and being saved from the Fire. Thus, tawhid of Allah, obeying His commands, leaving off His prohibitions, and the means to His Paradise and His honor.
And the second type: Tawassul by His names and attributes and your righteous deeds in your supplications. This is also permissible. "O Allah, I ask You by Your names and Your attributes to forgive me. O Allah, I ask You by my faith in You, and my love for You and Your Prophet. O Allah, I ask You by my righteous deeds, my obedience to You, my following of Your Shari'ah, my fulfilling of trusts, my dutifulness to my parents, and my abstention from what You have forbidden me, O my Lord. I ask You to forgive me." This is tawassul by the names of Allah and His attributes and by your good deeds. All of this is tawassul that is prescribed (mashru'), good, and commanded.
And the third tawassul: Tawassul by the supplication of your brother who prays for you. "O so-and-so, pray to Allah for me. O Allah, I ask You to accept his supplication for me," and the like. Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate for his Companions, and this is tawassul by his supplication. And just as he supplicated for the blind man until Allah healed him, this is tawassul by the supplication of the living when he prays for you and seeks forgiveness for you. You say, "O Allah, accept from him." All of this is permissible, and all of it is prescribed (mashru').
And there is invalid tawassul and shirk (associating partners with Allah) tawassul, which is of two types:
One type means major shirk, and it is tawassul to Allah by worshipping the prophets, the awliya (close friends of Allah), the stars, and the like. As the disbelievers said:
We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position
مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىThese are our intercessors with Allah
هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِAs for what you asked about, O questioner, it is a second type: tawassul that is haram (forbidden) and prohibited. It is when you say, "O Allah, I ask You by the status of Your Prophet, or by the status of the prophets, or by the right of the prophets, or by the right of the parents, or by the right of so-and-so, or by the status of so-and-so." This is bid'ah (religious innovation) and is not permissible. It is not shirk, but it is one of the means to shirk.
The correct view according to the majority of the scholars of knowledge is to prohibit it, and that tawassul by it is not permissible. Because Allah has not prescribed for us tawassul by the right of so-and-so, nor by the status of so-and-so, nor by the person of so-and-so. But one seeks tawassul by the names of Allah and His attributes and by our righteous deeds. As He said: :
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَاWhoever says: "O Allah, I ask You by the fact that I testify that You are Allah, there is no deity but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who did not beget and was not born"
من قال: اللهم إني أسألك بأني أشهد أنك أنت الله لا إله إلا الله، الواحد الصمد، الذي لم يلد ولم يولدHe has asked Allah by His name by which, if He is called upon, He responds, and by which, if He is asked, He gives
لقد سأل الله باسمه الذي إذا دعي به أجاب، وإذا سئل به أعطىLikewise, the hadith of the three men who entered the cave and the rock closed over them. They sought tawassul to Allah: one of them by his dutifulness to his parents, the second by his abstention from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and the third by his fulfilling of trusts. So Allah relieved them. Thus, tawassul by faith, piety, and righteous deeds, by the names of Allah and His attributes, this is what is prescribed (mashru'). Or by the supplication of your brother for you when he prays for you, this is what is prescribed. As for tawassul by the status of so-and-so, or by the life of so-and-so, or by the person of so-and-so, or by the right of so-and-so, this is not prescribed. Rather, it is bid'ah (religious innovation), and it is not permissible according to the scholars of knowledge. According to the majority of the scholars of knowledge, it is not permissible, because it is tawassul that is not prescribed, which Allah has not prescribed for us.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.