The issue here is approaching Allah through a human link and intermediary. The main objection is “Why use an intermediary to approach Allah? We say in Sura Al Fatiha

إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ

“We worship You only and from You alone we seek assistance”.(1:5)

Why then go to or through any body else?

The argument using this verse would have been valid without any further discussion had the verse ended there. But this verse is not an independent statement; rather it is the beginning of a message that Allah is putting across to us.

The Surah continues:

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

“Guide me (or keep me) on the right path”. (1:6)

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

“The path of those on whom You have showered Your Mercy and not of those on whom You are angry and have gone astray”. (1:7)

The people who present this argument have taken one verse out of the whole context and made a case out of it. What is apparent in this and subsequent verses are:

i. These verses are interconnected into one theme and are not separate.

ii. The verse; “…and we seek assistance from You alone”(1:5), is specific i.e. “I pray to You specifically to keep me on the Straight Path, the path of those on whom You have showered Your Mercy…”.

This prayer refers to Sirat al-Mustaqim. Interestingly, these very verses prove the importance of Tawassul as illustrated below.

Sirat al-Mustaqim is the only path that leads to Allah. But how do we find it? How do we identify it? How do we know which path is Sirat al-Mustaqim keeping in mind that there is also another path which leads away from Allah. These verses tell us that there is a group of people who are on the right path; anyone who follows them will reach Allah.

In other words, if one wants to reach Allah:

• He/she has to be on the Straight Path.

• This path is identified by observing the actions of certain people and emulating them

• These are the people on whom Allah has showered His Special Mercy and thus

• Following them will take one to Allah.

To rephrase the above statements, Allah can only be reached by means (Wasilah) of those people who are on the path that leads to Him! We therefore have to look for them and make them our means to reach Allah.

This is precisely what Tawassul is – Using means to reach Allah. The verse “…and I seek assistance from You Only” is supplicating to Allah to show us the “Right Wasilah” to reach Him; otherwise there are many other paths that one can take which lead away from Allah. These paths too are identifiable and led by people who are “Maghdhub” (on whom Allah is angry) and “Dhaalliyn” (astray).

Who are the people on the Straight Path?

a. Surah Yasin:

يس

“Ya Seen” (36:1)

وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ

“And by the Qur’an, full of wisdom”. (36:2)

إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

“Truly you are one of the messengers”. (36:3)

عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

“On the Straight Path”. (36:4)

This verse clearly shows that the path of the Holy Prophet (S) is the Straight Path. Another verse clarifies it further.

b. Surah Aal-Imran:

قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

“Say (O’ Muhammad), if you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”. (3:31)

c. Surah An Nisa:

وَلَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا

“And We would have certainly guided them in the right path”. (4:68)

وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا

“And whoever obeys Allah and the apostle, then they will be in the company of those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good and what goodly companions are they?” (4:69)

The picture is now clearer that by following Muhammad (S) we will reach Allah. Muhammad (S) becomes the means (Wasilah) to reach Allah.

In short, we cannot reach Allah on our own. We have to take the Wasilah of the prophet (S) and the people mentioned in the above verse. The Shia ulama record a tradition from the Prophet (S) saying; “O’ Ali, you are the Straight Path”.

In dua Nudbaa, we address the Imam of the age (aj) as

يَا بْنَ ٱلصِّرَاطِ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِ

“O Son of the Straight Path”.

Hence, for the Shia, Sirat al-Mustaqim is the Holy Prophet (S) and his Ahlul Bait (‘a), about whom Allah Has said in the Qur’an:

d. Surah Al Ahzab:

…إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

“…Verily Allah wishes to remove every type of dirt from you O! People of the house and purify you with a thorough purification” (33:33)

One could still argue that Wasilah of the Prophet (S) and his Ahlul Bayt (‘a) means following their footpaths and practicing what they preached and practiced. It does not mean making them intermediaries when beseeching Allah (SWT) or asking them to pray for you when you can call Allah directly. Hasn’t Allah Himself said:

e. Surah Al-Ghafir:

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

“And your Lord said “Call Me I will answer you” (40:60)

Is it right asking the Prophet (S) or an Imam (‘a) to pray for us instead of us praying directly to Allah (SWT)?

Let us examine what the Qur’an says.

1. Surah Aal-Imran:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ…

“It is due to the Mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted they would certainly have dispersed around you, therefore pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and take counsel with them in the affairs…”(3:159)

This verse clearly shows that among the other things the Prophet (S) was asked to pray to Allah for the forgiveness of the Muslims.

2. Surah At Tawba:

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

“Take alms out of their property, you would cleanse them thereby, and pray for them, surely your prayer is a relief to them and Allah is Hearing, Knowing”. (9:103)

This verse is more explicit. Allah is asking the Prophet (S) to cleanse the Muslims by taking out alms from their property.

However cleansing them is not enough he should also pray for them, as this would bring them relief. Interestingly, Allah mentions that He is hearing and knowing; He can hear everybody’s prayer and knows what everyone’s need is and yet asks the Prophet (S) to pray for them. He could for instance have said “Take alms out of their property, you would cleanse them thereby, and let them pray to Me for I am hearing and knowing”.

3. Surah Yusuf:

قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا اسْتَغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا خَاطِئِينَ

“They said, O’ our father! Ask forgiveness (from Allah) for our sins, indeed we have been sinners”. (12:97)

قَالَ سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

He replied; “I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, Verily He! Only He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful”. (12:98)

This verse refers to the conversation between Hazrat Yaqub (‘a) and his sons. When they realized the mistake they had committed and the gravity of their sins after throwing Hazrat Yusuf (‘a) into the well, they approached their father, an infallible Prophet of Allah, and asked him to pray for their forgiveness on their behalf.

They made their father their means, Wasilah, of approaching Allah for forgiveness. The children knew what position their father held in front of Allah, hence their prayer would carry more weight if they went through the Wasilah of the Prophet. If this were Shirk, Hazrat Yaqub (‘a) would have refused to pray for them and would have told them to pray to Allah directly; instead he conceded to their request.

4. Surah al-Mumtahana:

إِلَّا قَوْلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ

“...except the saying of Ibrahim to his father: “Verily, I will ask for forgiveness (from Allah) for you...” (60:4)

This verse refers to the conversation between Hazrat Ibrahim (‘a) and his uncle Azar. The Prophet offered to pray for his forgiveness if he left idol worshipping. Hazrat Ibrahim (‘a) could have told him:

“If you leave idol worshipping and pray to Allah, He will forgive you for He is oft Forgiving and Merciful”.

The first two verses show that Allah wants the Prophet to pray for us and act as an intermediary between Him and us. The other two verses show that this practice is not a novel one in the Sharia brought by the last Prophet Muhammad (S). It is an ancient practice, known even by people like Hazrat Yusuf (‘a)’s brothers and was always meant to be the way to reach Allah.

What is even more interesting is the fact that even an ordinary human being can pray to Allah for others and in fact is commanded to do so by Allah Himself.

5. Surah Ibrahim:

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

“Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and (all) the believers on the day when the reckoning will be established”. (14:41)

6. Surah Nuh:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِمَنْ دَخَلَ بَيْتِيَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ

“My Lord! Forgive me and my parents and he who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women”. (71:28)

The above verses are a sample of many such verses in the Qur’an. Allah teaches man to not only pray for his forgiveness but for his parents and other believers too.

There are several ahadith of the Holy Prophet (S) and Aimma (‘a) that point in the same direction. We shall examine just a few.

1. The blind man:

The event most commonly quoted by both the Shia and Sunni sources is that of a blind man. A blind man once approached the Holy Prophet (S) and asked him to pray for his eyesight. The Prophet (S) advised him that it would be good if he exercised patience and accepted his state. The blind man insisted to be prayed for and the Prophet (S) asked him to recite 2-rakat prayers and thereafter recite this dua:
“O’ Allah! I beseech You and turn my attention towards You by the status of Your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy”.

The Prophet (S) then told the man to turn towards him and address him as follows;
“O Muhammad! I turn towards my Lord through you for my needs, fulfill me”.
The man regained his vision immediately!

2. At the grave of the Prophet (S)

A companion during the time of the third caliph went to him for assistance. Seeing that he was ignored, he turned towards the grave of the Holy Prophet (S) and recited:
“O Allah! I beseech You and turn my attention towards You by the status of Your Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy. O’Muhammad, I turn towards your Lord through your status, fulfill my need”.

If this practice was Bid’at, the poor fellow would have been immediately flogged in the mosque; instead the Caliph felt ashamed and fulfilled his needs. This shows that this practice was not new and indeed was common at the time of the Prophet (S).

These narrations, accepted by both the Shia and Sunni schools of thought (except the Wahabis perhaps), clearly indicate that:

• One can ask for one’s wishes from Allah by the Wasilah of the Prophet (S); this was done when he was physically present as well as after his demise, standing in front of his grave.

• Allah (SWT) asked the Prophets to pray for us.

• The Prophet (S) himself indicated that we could ask him to pray for us.

• We can ask the Prophet (S) directly to fulfill our needs.

It is important to note here that in the first narration the Prophet (S) asked the man to first pray to Allah showing us that the ultimate Power and the Giver is NOT him but Allah; the element of Shirk is therefore removed.

3. Hazrat Adam (‘a)

فَتَلَقَّىٰ آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

“Then Adam received some words from his Lord so He turned to him mercifully, surely He is Oft Returning, Merciful”. (2:37)

This verse refers to the event after Hazrat Adam (‘a) had vacated his heavenly resting place and came down to earth having committed the ‘tarke awla’. Allah (SWT) sent some words to him through Jibrael for him to recite while supplicating to Him for forgiveness. Once Hazrat Adam (‘a) supplicated to Allah using these words he was forgiven.

Refer to the excellent book written by Abu Ammar “Understanding the Ahle al Sunnah” where he quotes Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya:

“When Adam (peace be upon him) made a mistake, he made du’a like this: ‘O Allah forgive my mistake with the wasila of Muhammad!’ Allah asked Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) [rhetorically] how he knew about Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Adam (peace be upon him) replied,

‘When you created me, I lifted my head and saw: ‘Laila ha illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah’ written on the Throne. Therefore I knew that this person must be of a very high status, otherwise You would not have written his name with Yours.’ Allah Most High then said, ‘I have forgiven you. He will be the last Messenger from your children and I have created you because of him.’”
(The book can be read online from the Islamic Information Center web site)

The Shia scholars point to a somewhat similar hadith narrating that Jibrael taught Hazrat Adam (‘a) the following dua asking him to recite it before supplicating for his forgiveness:

اللهم إن أسألك بِحَق مُحَمَّد وأنت المحمود و بِحَق عل وأنت الع و بِحَق فاطمة وأنت فاطر السموات والرض و بِحَق السن وأنت المحسن و بِحَق السني وأنت قدیم الحسان

O Allah, I beseech You for the sake of Muhammad and You are al-Mahmood (The Praiseworthy), and for the sake of Ali and You are al-A’ala (The Most High), and for the sake of Fatima and You are Faatir as-Samaawaati wal Ardh (The Originator of the Heavens and the Earth), and for the sake of al-Hasan and You are al-Muhsin (The Beneficent) and for the sake of al-Husayn and You are Qadeem al-Ihsaan (The Eternally Beneficent)
(Tr: Sh. Khalil Jaffer through Br. Ghazanfarali Hamer)

Allah could have forgiven Hazrat Adam (‘a) unconditionally; instead He asked him to take the Wasilah of Muhammad (S) and his holy progeny (‘a). This is the first Dua of Tawassul and the first lesson Allah (SWT) taught the father of mankind on how to supplicate and approach Him. He showed him what means he should seek to attain nearness to Him.

If an infallible Prophet (Adam) had to use Wasilah to reach Him and to gain His favor, then for the sinful human being the use of Wasilah becomes even more important - especially the Wasilah of Muhammad (S) and his Holy Progeny (‘a).

Several Duas taught by the Holy Aimmah (‘a) have direct reference to Tawassul of the Prophet (S) and his Ahlul Bayt (‘a). Among them are:

A. Dua Al-Tawassul

This is one of the most powerful duas taught to us by the Ahlul Bait (‘a) and is accepted and used by the Ahlul Sunnah as well. The name itself suggests the theme of the dua. In this dua one first invokes Allah by the name of His most beloved being, the Holy Prophet (S) and then turns to the Holy Prophet (S) and the 13 infallible souls asking them to act as intermediaries for us to Allah.

B. Dua On The Night Of Arafah

وَاسْالُكَ بِحَق وَ ٱلْقُرْآنِ العَظِيمِ و بِحَق مُحَمَّد خَاتَم النَبِيِّن و بِحَق إِبْرَاهِيمَ

“And I beseech You by the status of the great Qur’an, and by the status of Muhammad, the seal of the prophets, and by the status of Ibrahim”.

C. Ziyarat Ashura

This is one of the most recommended Ziyarat of Imam Husayn (‘a) especially during the time of Occultation (Ghaybah). In this Ziyarat we are addressing the Imam as follows:

يَا ابَا عَبْدِ ٱللَّهِ إِنِّي اتَقَرَّبُ إِلَىٰ ٱللَّهِ وَإِلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَإِلَىٰ امِيرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِلَىٰ فَاطِمَةَ وَإِلَىٰ ٱلْحَسَنِ وَإِلَيْكَ بِمُوَالاَتِكَ

“O Aba Abdillah! I come near to Allah and to His Prophet and to Ameeril Mumineen and to Fatimah and to Hassan and to you by the means of your love.”

This clearly shows that Imam Husayn (‘a) is the Wasilah to achieve nearness to Allah (SWT) and Ahlul Bayt (‘a). Like wise, keeping away from the enemies of the Imam (‘a) also brings one closer to Allah (SWT) and Ahlul Bayt (‘a). This is exactly what we pray for in Suratul Fatihah when we say:

اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

“Guide me (or keep me) on the right path”. (1:6)

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ

“The path of those on whom You have showered Your Mercy and not of those on whom You are angry and have gone astray”. (1:7)

D. Dua Alqamah

This is the dua that is recited after Ziyarat Ashura as taught by Imam Muhammad Baqir (‘a).

أَسْأَلُكَ بِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ، وَعَلِىٍّ أَمِيرِ الْـمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَبِحَقِّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتِ نَبِيِّكَ، وَبِحَقِّ الْـحَسَنِ وَالْـحُسَيْنِ، فَإِنِّي بِهِمْ أَتَوَجَّهُ إِلَيْكَ فِي مَقامِيِ هٰذَا، وَبِهِمْ أَتَوَسَّلُ، وَبِهِمْ أَتَشَفَّعُ إِلَيْكَ، وَبِحَقِّهِمْ أَسْأَلُكَ وَأُقْسِمُ وَأَعْزِمُ عَلَيْكَ،

“I beseech Thee in the name of Muhammad, the last Prophet, and Ali, the commander of the faithfuls, in the name of Fatimah, the daughter of Thy Prophet, and in the name of Hasan and Husayn. I direct myself towards Thee, through them, in my address, through them I try to get a hearing, through them I put forward my case to get Thy favours, in their names I make a request to Thee”.

وَبِالشَّأْنِ الَّذِي لَـهُمْ عِنْدَكَ وَبِالْقَدْرِ الَّذِي لَـهُمْ عِنْدَكَ، وَبِالَّذِي فَضَّلْتَهُمْ عَلىٰ الْعَالَـمِينَ، وَبِاسْمِكَ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَهُ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَبِهِ خَصَصْتَهُمْ دُونَ الْعَالَـمِينَ، وَبِهِ أَبَنْتَهُمْ وَأَبَنْتَ فَضْلَهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِ الْعَالَـمِينَ حَتَّى فَاقَ فَضْلُهُمْ فَضْلَ الْعَالَـمِينَ جَمِيعاً.

Bound to Thee by oath, living a life according to Thy commands, I carry out my pledge by every means, in the name of the love and devotion Thou has for them, and the influence and status they enjoy in every dimension of Thy will, the superior most pre-eminence in wisdom and character Thou bestowed upon them to transcend above everything in the whole universe, in the name of Thy name Thou revealed to them in trust, on account of which Thou chose them in preference over everything found in the heavens and the earths, through which Thou built their syndrome, developed to perfection their surpassing excellence in knowledge, learning and deeds, out of all the rest of the people, till their completeness surpassed the total achievement of all the people put together.

The message in the dua is very clear. One pertinent question asked is: “Have the Ahlul Bayt (‘a) taken the Wasilah of Muhammad (S) and his Ahlul Bayt (‘a)?”

Simply put, the answer is YES they have. An example of a common day- to-day practice will illustrate this point:

Prayers (Salaat) are only for Allah. No Muslim can say that it can be prayed to any body other than Allah. From the beginning of Salaat a Muslim is supposed to focus his entire being to Allah (SWT). However, in salaam, his attention now turns to the Holy Prophet (S) as he says:

السَّلام عَلَيْكَ اَيُّها النَّبِيُّ وَ رحْمَةُٱللَّهِ وَ بَرَكاتُة

“Peace be upon you O Prophet and Mercy and Blessings of Allah (be upon you)”

This very Salaat, wherein the entire attention is to Allah alone, is null and void if one does not mention the Holy Prophet (S) and his holy family (‘a) (The Salawaat in Tashahud is Wajib). No prayer is accepted if one does not send blessings (Salawaat) on Muhammad (S) and his family (‘a). The Ahlul Bayt too prayed in a similar manner.

If the most important act in Islam is void and unacceptable to Allah without mentioning the Holy Prophet (S) and his family (‘a), can an ordinary supplication for personal gain be accepted without their Wasilah?

No dua taught by the Ahlul Bait and recited by them is devoid of the Wasilah of Muhammad and his family (‘a). All the duas will contain in the very least the phrase

فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ

“Therefore bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad”.

This is a statement of tawassul. It is similar to the salaam of the Salaat, for without this statement the dua is incomplete, void and not accepted by Allah! Therefore NO dua made by a Shia is devoid of Tawassul of Muhammad (S) and his family (‘a).

In conclusion Tawassul of a person or people is a practice taught to us by Allah Himself, His Prophet (S) and the Ahlul Bait (‘a). This practice is neither bid ‘at, shirk nor Haram!

So far the discussion has been on approaching Allah for assistance through the Wasilah of the holy names, either by invoking Allah with their names or by asking them to pray to Allah on ones behalf. In both the situations, one ultimately asks Allah for assistance.

The most burning issue however is asking for assistance directly from the holy personalities like the Prophet (S) and Aimmah (‘a). This issue will be dealt separately in the next chapter.