Question:What forms of tawassul are permitted in our supplications?
Answered by Sheikh `Abd al-Rahmân al-Barrâk
Tawassul in supplication takes many forms. Some are permitted and some are not.
Permitted forms of tawassul are the following:
1. Calling on Allah by His names and attributes, like saying: “O Allah! I ask of you by your mercy…”
2. Calling on Allah and mentioning your good deeds. This was done by the three men trapped in the cave. Each one called upon Allah and mentioned something good that he had done. One had showed kindness to his parents. Another had abstained from a forbidden relationship. The third had shown generosity to another who had left his wealth with him.
As for tawassul by asking others to make supplications on your behalf, it is disliked. Some scholars have declared it forbidden, saying that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has forbidden us from asking people from begging, and this is a kind of begging.
Personally, I see nothing wrong with asking others to supplicate to Allah on your behalf, if you believe their supplications are more likely to be answered. As for making supplications on behalf of others, this is clearly permitted. Companions asked each other to make supplications on their behalf.
Other forms of tawassul are forbidden. It is forbidden to invoke other people in your prayers, like saying: “O Allah! I ask of you in the name of so-and –so.”
It is not permissible to seek supplications from those who have died or from those who are not present. The Companions stopped asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) to make supplications on their behalf after the Prophet (peace be upon him) had died. In the year of famine, `Umar said the following: “O, Lord, we were soliciting you by our Prophet and you would answer us and let us have rain, now we are soliciting you by the uncle of our Prophet so we ask you to answer us.” Then he asked the Prophet’s uncle to supplicate on their behalf.
The Companions clearly made a distinction between the living and the dead in this matter.
Jazakallah Khair for this. It is amazing that when we have forms of Tawassul that are permissible, not only that, but they are legislated by the Prophet, we see muslims turning to the very ones that are not!
Indeed whenever there comes into this religion a Bid'ah, a like amount of Sunnah is removed.
“Do not argue with your Lord on behalf of your soul, rather argue with your soul on behalf of your Lord.” - Dhul-Nun
"It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness." - Victor Frankl
Tawassul : Its types and Rulings - Naasiruddin Al-Albaanee, Al Hidaayah Publishers [Book]
The people are in great confusion about the matter of Tawassul and its rulings in the religion, and they greatly differ concerning it, some declaring it lawful and others prohibiting it, some going to extremes and other being over-lenient. Also, a large number of the Muslims have been used to saying in their supplications for centuries such things as: ‘O Allah by the right of your Prophet …,’ or by the right of the sacred house… forgive me.’ `O Allah by the right of me Awliyaa and the pious, and so and so, etc.’ Or `O Allah by the honor of the men of Allah to you, and by the honor of those in whose presence we are, and under whose assistance we exist, relief us and the distressed from all distress’… “So what is Tawassul? What are its types? What is the meaning of the Aayaat and the ahaadeeth, which mention it? And what is the correct ruling for it in Islam?”
brothers and sisters. You might like this one, I am sure it has been posted before somewhere.
Tawassul: Its Types & Its Rulings
Description from the publisher:
The people are in great confusion about the matter of Tawassul and its rulings in the religion, and they greatly differ concerning it, some declaring it lawful and others prohibiting it, some going to extremes and other being over-lenient. Also, a large number of the Muslims have been used to saying in their supplications for centuries such things as: ‘O Allah by the right of your Prophet …,’ or by the right of the sacred house… forgive me.’ `O Allah by the right of me Awliyaa and the pious, and so and so, etc.’ Or `O Allah by the honor of the men of Allah to you, and by the honor of those in whose presence we are, and under whose assistance we exist, relief us and the distressed from all distress’…
“So what is Tawassul? What are its types? What is the meaning of the Aayaat and the ahaadeeth, which mention it? And what is the correct ruling for it in Islam?”
I have that book, but I haven't finished reading it. I think shaykh al-Albaanee's (rahimahullaah) style of explaining things is really amazing. He makes things so clear, alhamdulillah.
Edit:
Oh, and the link that al-Madani gave has changed for some reason. Here's another one.
Last edited by MinAhlilHadeeth; 05-03-2007 at 02:52 PM.
lol jazaak Allaah khayr.. i can tell the people that i'm performing tawassul today.. they'll be like what!? i thought you told us against it!
Nah, i'm doing it because it's Sunnah.
Serios!? So you were lying all this time?
Nope, i'm doing it through Allaah's Names & Attributes.
Oh...
lol, sometimes doing krazy dawah techniques makes people reflect on their own stance to it.. which sometimes can be a good form of dawah so long as it doesn't cause others to deviate through what u said. And Allaah knows best.
Yeah, soft speech beats harshness the overwhelming majority of the time. I think I'll start a thread about a book that I want to recommend in the etiquette section.
Last edited by MinAhlilHadeeth; 05-03-2007 at 03:21 PM.
Reason: wording
Question:
I have been discussing the subject of using "waseela" while supplicating to Allah (swt) with some Muslims, and have come to know that there are quite different opinions about fact whether the use of "waseela" in duaa is halaal or haraam. Could you please provide me with some information about this subject, some ayaat from the Holy Qur'an or authentic ahaadeeth? With the term "use of waseela" I mean asking via the agency of someone, fx "I ask You (O Allah) to grant me forgiveness via the agency of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his household)" or via the agency of other Prophets (Peace be upon them), saints or other pious Muslims.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
What is meant by tawassul and waseelah is four things:
the kind of tawassul without which faith cannot be complete, which is seeking to reach Allaah (tawassul) by believing in Him and His Messengers, and obeying Him and His Messenger, This is what is meant in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Do your duty to Allaah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach to Him…” [al-Maa’idah 5:35]
This includes seeking to approach Allaah through His Names and Attributes, or by doing acts of obedience and worship by which one seeks to approach Allaah, and so on.
Seeking to approach Allaah by asking His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to make du’a’ for one during his lifetime, and the believers asking one another to make du’aa’ for one another. This follows on from the first type and is encouraged.
Seeking to approach Allaah by virtue of the status and virtues of some created being, such as saying, “O Allaah, I ask You by virtue of Your Prophet” and so on. This is allowed by some of the ‘ulama’, but this opinion is da’eef (weak). The correct view is that it is definitely haraam, because there can be no tawassul in du’aa’ except by virtue of the Names and Attributes of Allaah.
4. Tawassul as it is understood by many of the Muslims of later times, which is calling on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and seeking his help (or seeking the help of the dead and so-called awliya’). This is a form of major shirk, because calling on or seeking help from anyone other than Allaah with regard to something that that only Allaah is able to do is a kind of worship, and directing worship to anyone or anything other than Allaah is major shirk. And Allaah knows best.
Tawassul : Its types and Rulings - by Shaik Nasiruddin Albanee , Al Hidaayah Publishers [Book]
The people are in great confusion about the matter of Tawassul and its rulings in the religion, and they greatly differ concerning it, some declaring it lawful and others prohibiting it, some going to extremes and other being over-lenient. Also, a large number of the Muslims have been used to saying in their supplications for centuries such things as: ‘O Allah by the right of your Prophet …,’ or by the right of the sacred house… forgive me.’ `O Allah by the right of me Awliyaa and the pious, and so and so, etc.’ Or `O Allah by the honor of the men of Allah to you, and by the honor of those in whose presence we are, and under whose assistance we exist, relief us and the distressed from all distress’… “So what is Tawassul? What are its types? What is the meaning of the Aayaat and the ahaadeeth, which mention it? And what is the correct ruling for it in Islam?”
The Rule on Those who Seek Help in Other than Allah - Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz - 26p [Book]
Rule on Those who Seek Help in other than Allah or those who believe in the soothsayers & fortune The author has proved that to seek help in other than Allah is a Shirk according to the teachings of the Qur'an & Sunnah.
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