Tawassul-1
Tawassul Intermediation Between Allah and the Creation
TAWASSUL
Something that is required to reach Allah (swt), to get closer to Allah (swt), to have intermediaries to reach Allah (swt)
Allah (swt) says:
* Surah 30 Ar-Rum (The Romans)
47. And indeed We did send Messengers before you (O Muhammad (saw)) to their own peoples. They came to them with clear proofs, then, We took vengeance on those who committed crimes (disbelief, setting partners in worship with Allah, sins, etc.), and (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them).
* Surah 47 Muhammad
7. O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm.
* Surah 63 Munaafiqoon (The Hypocrites)
8. They (hypocrites) say: "If we return to Al-Madinah, indeed the more honourable ('Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul, the chief of hypocrites at Al-Madinah) will expel therefrom the meaner (i.e. Allah's Messenger (saw))." But honour, power and glory belong to Allah, His Messenger (Muhammad (saw)), and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.
Note:
We / Us refers to Allah (swt)
Help Allah (swt) means follows Allah’s (swt) commands
Believers refers to those who follow the Qur’an and Sunnah; while those who don’t, do acts of bid’ah, shirk.
Based on the above verses, no intermediation is needed between Allah (swt) and mankind except for knowledge and understanding of the Deen
Mankind can be divided into three groups in terms of their understanding of how intermediation exists between Allah and His creation
The First Group
*Those who reject that Allah (swt) sent the Messenger (saw) as an intermediary to teach the Sharee’ah (i.e. Allah’s (swt) right to be worshipped alone).
*Their well known saying in this regard is: My heart informed me about my Lord.
*They ridicule the scholars of the Sharee’ah and criticize them because they claim they take their knowledge ‘from the dead’
*The scholars have declared them to be disbelievers and also declare their blood to be lawful due to their apostasy.
*Being ignorant of the first pillar principle of the Sharee’ah which is whoever worships Allah by something other than what was revealed to Muhammad (saw) is without a doubt, a kaafir due to the saying of Allah (swt):
Surah 4 An-Nisaa (The Women)
65. But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad (saw)) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.
Note: The above verse means that unless you use the Qur’an and Sunnah as the basis of all your affairs, you are disbelieving Allah. All affairs must be based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah, there must be no compromises.
As such, Shaytaan has made their actions alluring to them by corrupting their knowledge and extinguishing its light
This group has also been divided into a number of factions each of them disagreeing and fighting with another due to their being far from the Straight Path, the Path of those whom Allah has favored, not of those upon whom is His Anger nor of those who go astray.
E.g. Munkar al-Hadith – they believe in Allah (swt) and the Qur’an but not in Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the Sunnah
E.g. Sufis
The Second Group
Then there are others who exaggerate in this intermediation
Where is this belief in the speech of Allah (swt)?
Surah 2 Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
186. And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad (saw)) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.
Note: The above verse means there is no need to seek intervention or intercession. One may call on Allah (swt) directly to seek His help or His forgiveness.
*Allah (swt) has mentioned Waseelah (the means of getting closer to Him) in the Qur’an intending by it acts of obedience (obedience to Allah) not intermediaries or intercessors.
*Allah has mocked the unmindful ignorant who have taken the righteous servants of Allah as intermediaries while these servants themselves are in need of the means of approach to Allah
*This is the obedience which will bring them closer to Allah
* here is no other path for attaining closeness to Him beside it just like Allah (swt) has mentioned:
Surah 17 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)
57. Those whom they call upon [like 'Iesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), 'Uzair (Ezra), angel, etc.] desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord (Allah), as to which of them should be the nearest and they ['Iesa (Jesus), 'Uzair (Ezra), angels, etc.] hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily, the Torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of!
Note: Even the Prophets need access to Allah (swt)
And from the following ahadeeth:
The saying of the Messenger (saw) to his daughter, the myrtle of his heart: “O Fatima... I can avail you nothing from Allah.”
Abu Huraira reported: When (this verse) was revealed to him:" Warn your nearest kinsmen." the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: O people of Quraish, buy yourselves from Allah, I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O sons of Abd al-Muttalib. I cannot avail you at all against Allah; 0 Abbas b. 'Abd al- Muttalib, I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O Safiya (aunt of the Messenger of Allah), I cannot avail you at all against Allah; O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, ask me
whatever you like, but I cannot avail you at all against Allah. (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0402)
And his (saw) saying: “When a man dies his actions cease except for three: recurring charity, knowledge which he imparted and a son which supplicates for him.”
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying: When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people) benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him (for the deceased). (Sahih Muslim, Book 013, Number 4005)
The Third Group
*Amongst the Muslims are those who understand intermediation between Allah and his creation to be the Messengership, which consists of knowledge, education and training.
*This group is the saved one which has been mentioned in the previous hadith and which has been given the glad tidings of Paradise
Hadith about the Muslim Ummah divided into 73 sects
Narrated Abu Hurayrah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The Jews were split up into seventy-one or seventy-two sects;
and the Christians were split up into seventy one or seventy-two sects; and my community will be split up into seventy-three sects. (Abu Dawud, Book 40, Number 4579)
The Messenger (saw) has informed us the correct Deen is like a stranger to the people when he said: Indeed Islam began as a stranger and shall return as a stranger just as it began, so Tooba (a tree in Paradise) for the strangers. (Muslim from Abu Hurairah)
And in the narration of Imaam Ahmad abd Ibn Maajah: It was then said: O Messenger of Allah, who are the strangers? He (saw) replied: Those looked down by every tribe.
And in the narration by Tirmidhi: So Toobaa for the strangers, those who rectify what the people have corrupted of my Sunnah
And also in the authentic narration of Imaam Ahmad, the Messenger (saw) after being questioned as to who the strangers were, said: “Righteous people amidst a majority of evil people. Those who disobey them are greater than those who obey them.”
Surah 14 Ibrahim (The Prophet Abraham)
12. "And why should we not put our trust in Allah while He indeed has guided us our ways. And we shall certainly
bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us, and in Allah (Alone) let those who trust, put their trust."
Hadith that Believer dunya is a prison while disbeliever dunya is Paradise
