Tawassul: Seeking Nearness to Allah

Mahad Nisa Al- Mumeenat

(Believing Women Institute)

Dars Notes

December 10, 2010

Section 4

What is Tawassul?

·       Tawassul is to seek nearness to Allah.

There are three types

 Invoking by Allah’s names and Attributes

·        invoking Allah by righteous, good deeds performed

·        By soliciting the Du’a of a righteous, living person.

The type we covered intensively was invoking Allah by righteous, good deeds performed

Great example explaining Tawassul, by righteous, good deeds performed:

The Messenger of Allah has informed us of the story of the three men who resorted to a cave to rest for the night, when a large rock fell down the mountain and blocked their way out. These three men then started to invoke Allah by the best righteous deed they could remember. The first one invoked Allah by his kindness with his parents, the second person by his refraining from fornication, while the third man invoked Allah by his good deed of investing the salary of a worker who left before he received his compensation. When the worker returned later on to collect his money, he found that it was multiplied many folds, and he took it all. These three people invoked Allah by mentioning the best deeds they could think of, so that Allah would save them from the cave that they were trapped in. Allah then accepted their Du’aa’ and the rock moved, allowing them to leave the cave. [Al-Bukhari] full hadith Bukhari Vol 8 Book 73 #5

Legislated Tawassul

·        based on good deeds

·        invoking Allah’s names and attributes

·        to ask a righteous living person to perform Dua on one’s behalf

o   examples from sunnah:

 Narrated 'Ata bin Abi Rabah:

Ibn 'Abbas said to me, "Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?" I said, "Yes." He said, "This black lady came to the Prophet and said, 'I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.' The Prophet said (to her), 'If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.' She said, 'I will remain patient' and added, 'but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.' So he invoked Allah for her. (Bukhari)

 Furthermore, the companions used to invoke

Allah by the Du’a of Al-‘Abbas, the Prophet’s beloved uncle for rain

When a famine occurred during the reign of `Umar ibn. al-Khattâb, he told the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) uncle: “O, `Abbas, ask Allah for us” and said: “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”. Neither `Umar nor another Companion went to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) grave and ask him for rain. No one used to go the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) grave to seek forgiveness.

 ~[Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 2, Book 17, Number 123 - istisqa [asking for rain]]

Unlegislated(innovated) Tawassul

o   invoking other than Allah, such as a dead righteous person, for various needs and wants. This is clearly shirk

o   asking a dead prophet or righteous person to invoke Allah on one’s behalf

o   invoking Allah by the Jah, that is, the grade and status the prophets and the righteous ones have with Allah.

May Allah save us from all innovated matters in the deen ameen.