Waseela or tawasul means to invoke ALLAH through someone else or something else. Is there any place of tawasul in islam? Can we invoke someone else to make dua on our behalf? Can we ask any other person dead or alive, to make dua to ALLAH for us because we cannot do so ourselves? These are the questions associated with the concept of tawasul and people are divided over this issue.
Some people say that they can ask to the pious people to make dua on their behalf giving logic that they are not pious or they do not have that much good deed. While others say that since Quran does not talk about anything like that so this is innovation.
We should consult Quran and sunnah before passing nay personal remarks on the issues that are related to deen. Below are given some verses of Quran that talk about the issue of invoking ALLAH;
Al-Quran 5:35.
“Seek the means of approach (al-Waseelah) to Him (Allah).”
What should be the means to approach ALLAH’s blessings? If oen says to go to pious people and ask them to invoke ALLAH on your behalf, they wil certainly go against Quran because Quran says;
“Those whom you call upon desire (for themselves) means of access (al-Waseelah) to their Lord (Allah), as to which of them should be nearest and they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily, the Torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of!”Soorah al-Isra (17): 57.
Abdullah Ibn Mas’oud (radhi allahu anhu) said: “This verse was revealed concerning a group of Arabs, who worshiped a group of Jinn. The Jinn accepted Islam which was unknown to those people who worshiped them.”Saheeh al-Bukharee v.6, no.238 and Saheeh Muslim.
Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr (rahimahullah) said: “The people who used to worship the Jinn continued to worship the Jinn, and the Jinn were not pleased with their worship, since they had accepted Islam. And they were the ones who sought a means of nearness to their Lord…”Fath al-Baree 10/12 and 13.
Allah says in the Qur’aan: “O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach (al-Waseelah) to Him, and strive hard in His Cause as much as you can. So that you may be successful.”Soorah al-Maidah (5): 35.
Al-Hafidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) reported Ibn Abbas (radhi allahu anhu) saying in his commentary of this verse: “The meaning of al-Waseelah is to draw closer.” He also reports from Qatadah: “This is that you draw near to Him by obedience to Him and through actions that are pleasing to Him.” And Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) said: “And with regard to what those Imams (Ibn Abbas and Qatadah) said there is no disagreement between the scholars of Tafseer about it… al-Waseelah is that by means of which one reaches that which he desires.”Tafseer Ibn Katheer
So, to seek the means of approach to ALLAH swt does not mean to find other people but to draw closer to ALLAH swt by worshiping HIM more and more.
Remember, ALLAH swt is closer to us even from our jugular vein, this means that HE knows what we keep in our hearts and minds, so we should not look for sifarish or tawasul for the duas we have, but we should only feel ALLAH cloer to us, once we actually feel ALLAH’s presence near us, and we realize that HE knowsn what we are, we will never need any wasilah.
An important point to be noted is that we should pray for others and ask others to pray for us because this is encouraged in deen. If we pray for others, we should be sure that someone is their to pray for us as well.
Some people say that they can ask to the pious people to make dua on their behalf giving logic that they are not pious or they do not have that much good deed. While others say that since Quran does not talk about anything like that so this is innovation.
We should consult Quran and sunnah before passing nay personal remarks on the issues that are related to deen. Below are given some verses of Quran that talk about the issue of invoking ALLAH;
Al-Quran 5:35.
“Seek the means of approach (al-Waseelah) to Him (Allah).”
What should be the means to approach ALLAH’s blessings? If oen says to go to pious people and ask them to invoke ALLAH on your behalf, they wil certainly go against Quran because Quran says;
“Those whom you call upon desire (for themselves) means of access (al-Waseelah) to their Lord (Allah), as to which of them should be nearest and they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily, the Torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of!”Soorah al-Isra (17): 57.
Abdullah Ibn Mas’oud (radhi allahu anhu) said: “This verse was revealed concerning a group of Arabs, who worshiped a group of Jinn. The Jinn accepted Islam which was unknown to those people who worshiped them.”Saheeh al-Bukharee v.6, no.238 and Saheeh Muslim.
Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr (rahimahullah) said: “The people who used to worship the Jinn continued to worship the Jinn, and the Jinn were not pleased with their worship, since they had accepted Islam. And they were the ones who sought a means of nearness to their Lord…”Fath al-Baree 10/12 and 13.
Allah says in the Qur’aan: “O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach (al-Waseelah) to Him, and strive hard in His Cause as much as you can. So that you may be successful.”Soorah al-Maidah (5): 35.
Al-Hafidh Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) reported Ibn Abbas (radhi allahu anhu) saying in his commentary of this verse: “The meaning of al-Waseelah is to draw closer.” He also reports from Qatadah: “This is that you draw near to Him by obedience to Him and through actions that are pleasing to Him.” And Ibn Katheer (rahimahullah) said: “And with regard to what those Imams (Ibn Abbas and Qatadah) said there is no disagreement between the scholars of Tafseer about it… al-Waseelah is that by means of which one reaches that which he desires.”Tafseer Ibn Katheer
So, to seek the means of approach to ALLAH swt does not mean to find other people but to draw closer to ALLAH swt by worshiping HIM more and more.
Remember, ALLAH swt is closer to us even from our jugular vein, this means that HE knows what we keep in our hearts and minds, so we should not look for sifarish or tawasul for the duas we have, but we should only feel ALLAH cloer to us, once we actually feel ALLAH’s presence near us, and we realize that HE knowsn what we are, we will never need any wasilah.
An important point to be noted is that we should pray for others and ask others to pray for us because this is encouraged in deen. If we pray for others, we should be sure that someone is their to pray for us as well.