Tawassul
Encyclopedia
Tawassul is the Islamic understanding of intercession
. It is a religious practice in which a Muslim
seeks nearness to Allah
. A rough translation would be: "To draw near to what one seeks after and to approach that which one desires." The exact definition and method of tawassul is a matter of some dispute within the Muslim community.
, Islam
's holy book, as the origin of the practice. Many Muslims believe it is a commandment upon them to "draw near" to Allah. Amongst Sufi and Sunni Muslims within Sunni Islam
, as well as Twelver Shi'a Muslims, it refers to the act of supplicating to Allah
through a prophet
, imam
or Sufi saint, whether dead or alive. Many Sunni Muslims dispute the practice's usage through the dead. See Opposition to Tawassul.
Muslims believe that the practice of seeking intercession began during the life of Muhammad. An oft-cited Hadith
in support of this is one narrated from Uthman ibn Hunaif
regarding a blind man who Muslims believe was healed through the process.
traditionally have believed that seeking intercession is only conditionally lawful:
, his family
, the Prophets
, and pious believers. Contemporary Shia scholar and theologian Jaafar Subhani, summarized the forms of intercession in Shia Islam as follows:
Intercession
Intercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
. It is a religious practice in which a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
seeks nearness to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
. A rough translation would be: "To draw near to what one seeks after and to approach that which one desires." The exact definition and method of tawassul is a matter of some dispute within the Muslim community.
Origin
Muslims who practice tawassul point to the Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
's holy book, as the origin of the practice. Many Muslims believe it is a commandment upon them to "draw near" to Allah. Amongst Sufi and Sunni Muslims within Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, as well as Twelver Shi'a Muslims, it refers to the act of supplicating to Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
through a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, imam
Imamah (Shi'a doctrine)
Imāmah is the Shia doctrine of religious, spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. The Shīa believe that the A'immah are the true Caliphs or rightful successors of Muḥammad, and further that Imams are possessed of divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt,...
or Sufi saint, whether dead or alive. Many Sunni Muslims dispute the practice's usage through the dead. See Opposition to Tawassul.
Intercession
Some Muslims also define tawassul as "intercession" with Allah, also pointing to the Qur'an in explanation of this. Muslims also believe that intercession is only with the permission of Allah.Muslims believe that the practice of seeking intercession began during the life of Muhammad. An oft-cited Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
in support of this is one narrated from Uthman ibn Hunaif
Uthman ibn Hunaif
Uthman ibn Hunaif was one of the companions of Muhammad. According to Shia belief, he did not give allegiance to Abu Bakr, until Ali supposedly did so. He narrated the Hadith of the blind man....
regarding a blind man who Muslims believe was healed through the process.
The Holy Qur'an and Tawwasul
The Holy Qur'an says in various points, (19:87, 20:109, 21:28, 39:44, 43:86, 53:26) that Allah will give permission of intercession to those who have made a covenant with Allah, and whose words Allah is pleased with. Allah is pleased with people who devote everything to Allah, they have love for Allah, his Prophets, His Angel and the Companions of the Holy Prophet and all devoted to God.Intercession in Sunni Islam
Sunni MuslimsSunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
traditionally have believed that seeking intercession is only conditionally lawful:
- SalafiSalafiA Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
school considers it unlawful to make Tawassul through dead people (including Prophets and saints). The Permanent CommitteePermanent CommitteeThe Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fataawa is an Islamic organization in Saudi Arabia that issues rulings in Islamic jurisprudence...
based in Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
holds the view that Tawassul through dead persons, virtuous or not, leads to Shirk (polytheism)., although there is no evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah that Prophet Muhammad, all the other Messengers, or Holy Persons devoted to God are unable to do so. - The Fatwa Committee based in MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
considers Tawassul using collective supplications dhikrDhikrDhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
permissible and commendable. - Syrian Islamic scholars Salih al-Na`man, Abu Sulayman Suhayl al-Zabibi, and Mustafa ibn Ahmad al-Hasan al-Shatti al-Hanbali al-Athari al-Dimashqi have similarly released FatwaFatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
s in support of the practice.. - Asking other living believers to pray to Allah on one's behalf is only lawful if one also prays directly to Allah.
Intercession In Shia Islam
The Shia believe it is permissible to perform Tawassul through MuhammadMuhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, his family
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
, the Prophets
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
, and pious believers. Contemporary Shia scholar and theologian Jaafar Subhani, summarized the forms of intercession in Shia Islam as follows:
- Intercession using the Quran: He backed this form of intercession using examples of supplications where believers ask Allah by the holiness of the Quran.
- Intercession using righteous deeds: In this form, the believers ask Allah by the deeds they introduce in advance such as fasting or charity.
- Intercession using the term "Oh Muhammad": That means believers address directly to the prophet by calling on his name so the prophet asks Allah on their behalf.
- Intercession using the supplication of other believers: This is the most common form in which a believer may ask any other believer saying: please pray for me.