The Permissibility of Asking Allâhu ta’âlâ for Things by Some of His Creation

If performing tawassul had been blasphemy, then the believers, i.e., the Prophet, sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’, his Companions, and the Salaf and Khalaf of this nation would not have done it.[1]Yet it is mentioned in the sahih hadith of the Prophet that the Prophet used to ask Allâh by saying:

Which means: <<O Allâh, I ask You by the status of those who ask You.[2] >> Without doubt, this is tawassul. The Prophet, sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam, used to teach this supplication (du^a’) to his Companions and order them to say it. This issue was expounded upon in different books and treatises refuting Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab Najdi.

There is a hadith related by al-Hakim that mentions after Adam ate from the tree, he performed tawassul by our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’. He did that, because he saw the name of the Prophet written on the ^Arsh, Adam said: <<O Allah, by the dignity of this son [Muhammad], forgive this father [Adam].>>

It was also related by Ibn Hibban, that upon the death of Fatimah Bint Asad, may Allâhu ta’âlâ raise her rank, the Prophet, ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’, with his own honorable hands, put her in her grave and said: <<O Allâh, forgive my mother[3], Fatimah Bint Asad, and widen her place by the status of Your Prophet and the prophets who came before me. You are the most Merciful.>>

There is a hadith classified as sahih[4], that a blind man asked the Prophet, ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’, to make a supplication (du^a’) to Allâhu ta’âlâ to return his sight. The Prophet ordered him to make ablution (wudu’) and pray two rak^ahs and then say:

“O Allah, I ask You and direct myself to You by Your Prophet, Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I ask Allâh by you to fulfill my need. O Allâh, enable him to intercede for me.”

The blind man did what the Prophet taught him to do[5] and Allâhu ta’âlâ  brought his sight back. Moreover, as related by at-Tabaraniyy, the tawassul made by the blind man was used by the Companions and Salaf after the death of the Prophet.[6]

^Umar Ibn al-Khattab performed the tawassul by al-^Abbas (the uncle of the Prophet), may Allâh reward their deeds, when he prayed the Salah of ’Istisqa’[7] with the people. There are other proofs mentioned in the books of the Islamic scholars but we will not recount them at length here.

The one who pursues the saying of the Companions and their followers will find a great deal of proof about the validity of calling the prophet by saying “O Muhammad” in his presence as well as in his absence and in his life as well as after his death. In fact, many texts include the phrase which means, “O Muhammad”. Calling the name of the Prophet, ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ‘alaihi wa sallam’, is permissible. An example is the saying of the Companion, Bilal Ibn al-Harith, may Allâh reward his deeds, when he went to the grave of the Prophet. He said: “O Messenger of Allâh, ask Allâh to send rain to your Nation.” His saying contains this format[8].

Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Sulayman al-Kurdiyy[9] was among the authors who wrote refuting Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab. He was Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab’s own shaykh. Among what he said is as follows: