Question : A question was about [the validity of] intercession (al-tawassul).

Fatwa in Brief: Al-tawassul with a human [even the Prophet] after his/her death is illegal; it is a [reprehensible] innovation.

Shaykh Ibn al-‘Uthaymin, Fatawa al-‘Aqida 267-270

Shaykh Ahmad Farid, www.alsalafway.com

Response:

The majority of religious scholars permit intercession (tawassul) through the Prophet (upon him be peace). Here, the Muslim may say: “I ask you through your Prophet and through the rights of Your Prophet [for such and such a thing]”. This form of tawassul has always been permitted, both when the Prophet (upon him be peace) was alive and after his death.

Commentary:

God Almighty ordered his believers to intercede with Him in a variety of ways, such as through the performance of good deeds:

“O ye who believe! Be mindful of your duty to Allah, and seek the way to approach unto Him”. (Q. 5: 35)

Another way of performing tawassul is by [contemplating] the Names and Attributes of God Almighty.

“Allah’s are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them”.  (Q. 7: 180.)

The performance of tawassul make be directed through the Prophet (upon him be peace). There are no disagreements regarding the legality of al-tawassul for affairs of this world or the hereafter when the Prophet (upon him be peace) lived. Indeed, at that time, the Prophet was expected to intercede on behalf of Muslims in life and to save them from torment in the Afterlife. On the other hand, the scholars hold different opinions regarding the validity of seeking intercession through the Prophet (upon him be peace), now that he no longer lives.

The majority of scholars (Malikis, Shafi‘is, late Hanafis and Hanbalis) permit Muslims to seek the intercession of the Prophet (upon him be peace), both during his lifetime and after his death. According to a report included by al-Qustalani and narrated by Imam Malik, Malik was asked by Abu Ja‘far al-Mansour al-‘Abbasi, the second Caliph of Bani ‘Abbas, “O father of ‘Abd Allah, Should I face the Messenger of God (upon him be peace) when making du‘a? Or should I instead face the qibla? To this, Malik replied: “why would you turn your face away from him when, on the last day, he is the key to God’s forgiveness for both you and your father Adam (upon him be peace)? No, face him and ask for his intercession, so that God will grant it to you”. In his book Fada’il Malik, Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Fahr includes the same report, with a sound chain of transmission; and, in Al-Shifa’, al-Qadi ‘Iyad also includes this hadith, on the advice of a number of reliable Shaykhs.

Some of the later Hanbali scholars rule that the seeking of intercession through the Prophet (upon him be peace) himself is illegal. Yet [the Hanbali scholar], Ibn Taymiyya argues that intercession is permitted when the formula “I ask You through Your Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace)” is used; and, that when using this formula, the person seeking intercession is asking God solely through his belief in [the message of] and love for the Prophet (upon him be peace). For those who follow this approach [that of Ibn Taymiyya], tawassul is a blessed practice; and there is no legal disagreement over this matter. Yet, many of public say this expression, but mean something else [i.e. they speak directly to the Prophet and not to God]. These are the people who were criticized and refuted [by the classical scholars].

Regarding the seeking of intercession through righteous figures other than the Prophet (upon him be peace), our approach is no different than in the preceding argument. After noting that this practice is a source of considerable disagreement (khilafiyya), Ibn Taymiyya points out that accusing someone of unbelief merely on the grounds that s/he practices tawassul through the Prophet [as was happening at the time] is both illegal (haram) and a sin (ithm). A person who accuses someone of unbelief for this reason is acting excessively and, like anyone who acts excessively in the sphere of religion, deserves a strong punishment. Ibn Taymiyya’s view is supported by the following hadith: “if any Muslim accuses his brother of unbelief then one of them [either he or his brother] is truly guilty of this [unbelief].[1]

Dr. Yassir ‘Abd al-‘Azim