Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The “means” mentioned in the verse refers to whatever brings a servant closer to Allah, such as faith, obedience, righteous deeds, and following His Messenger ﷺ. This is the interpretation transmitted from the majority of Qur’anic commentators. As for the narration stating that Adam (peace be upon him) sought Allah through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ after committing his mistake, it is not considered authentic by leading hadith scholars. Imam al-Bayhaqi himself declared one of its narrators weak.
First: How Authentic Is the Hadith About Adam Seeking Allah Through the Prophet ﷺ?
A narration is reported stating that when Adam (peace be upon him) committed his mistake, he said: “My Lord, I ask You by the right of Muhammad to forgive me,” and that he knew of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ before his creation.
However, this hadith is not authentically established from the Prophet ﷺ, and a number of hadith scholars have classified it as severely weak or fabricated.
An important point concerns what is sometimes claimed about Imam al-Bayhaqi. Al-Bayhaqi did not authenticate the hadith. Rather, he narrated it in his book Dala’il al-Nubuwwah and then said:
“‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam alone narrated it, and he is weak.”
Therefore, the mere fact that al-Bayhaqi included the hadith in his book does not mean that he considered it authentic.
Likewise, Imam al-Dhahabi’s praise of a particular book does not mean that he authenticated every hadith contained in it. Each narration must be judged according to its chain of transmission and the reliability of its narrators.
What Supplication of Adam (Peace Be Upon Him) Is Authentically Established?
The Qur’an itself tells us the supplication that Adam and his wife made after their mistake. Allah says:
“They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.’”
[Al-A‘raf 7:23]
Allah also says:
“Then Adam received words from his Lord, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, He is the Accepter of Repentance, the Most Merciful.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:37]
Thus, the Qur’an describes Adam’s repentance, his humble turning to Allah, his acknowledgment of his wrongdoing, and his request for forgiveness and mercy from Him.
Therefore, an established Qur’anic text should not be abandoned in favor of building a religious ruling upon a narration that has not been authentically established.
Second: What Does “the Means” Mean in the Qur’an?
Allah says:
“O you who believe! Fear Allah, seek the means of nearness to Him, and strive in His cause so that you may succeed.”
[Al-Ma’idah 5:35]
In Arabic, wasilah originally means something by which a person reaches or approaches what he seeks.
In this verse, it means: drawing closer to Allah through what He loves and is pleased with, including faith, acts of obedience, and righteous deeds, while avoiding disobedience to Him.
This interpretation has been transmitted from a number of the early generations, including Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and others.
Ibn Kathir transmitted from Qatadah regarding its interpretation:
“Draw near to Him through obedience to Him and by doing what pleases Him.”
The context of the verse itself speaks about fearing Allah, striving in His cause, and obedience—all of which are deeds through which a servant draws closer to Allah.
Following the Prophet ﷺ Is Among the Greatest Means of Drawing Near to Allah
Drawing closer to Allah is not based merely on what a person considers good. Rather, it is achieved through the path that Allah has prescribed and with which He sent His Messenger ﷺ.
Allah says:
“Say, ‘If you truly love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins.’”
[Ali ‘Imran 3:31]
Therefore, among the greatest means of drawing near to Allah are believing in the Prophet ﷺ, loving him, believing what he taught, following his Sunnah, and obeying him.
In this sense, the Prophet ﷺ is the greatest means by which people were guided to Allah, because he showed them the path that Allah loves and is pleased with.
Does the Verse Prove Seeking Allah Through the Persons of Prophets and Righteous People?
The verse does not say, “Seek Me through the persons of prophets or righteous people.” Rather, it commands believers to seek the means of nearness to Allah.
Therefore, scholars who adopt this interpretation hold that using this verse as evidence for seeking Allah merely through a person or his status is not the meaning transmitted from the early generations in their interpretation of the verse.
The tawassul indicated by the verse is drawing closer to Allah through the acts of obedience that He has prescribed.
These include supplication, prayer, charity, repentance, faith, love for Allah and His Messenger, following the Prophet ﷺ, and all other righteous deeds.
The Meaning of Wasilah in the Verse: “They Seek the Means of Nearness to Their Lord”
Allah says:
“Those whom they invoke themselves seek the means of nearness to their Lord—which of them will be nearer—hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment.”
[Al-Isra’ 17:57]
The verse explains that those who are invoked besides Allah themselves seek nearness to Allah, hope for His mercy, and fear His punishment.
This confirms that the meaning of wasilah here is seeking nearness to Allah, obeying Him, and seeking His pleasure.
An Important Note About the Meaning of Tawassul
Different practices referred to as “tawassul” should be distinguished from one another.
Seeking Allah through His Names and Attributes, and through faith and righteous deeds, is among the prescribed forms of tawassul.
Likewise, asking a living Muslim who is able to supplicate to make du‘a is established in the Sunnah.
As for seeking Allah merely through a person’s status or person, this is an issue over which scholars have differed. The verse “And seek the means of nearness to Him” should not be presented as an explicit text proving this particular form, because the interpretation transmitted from the early generations explains the wasilah as drawing closer to Allah through obedience and deeds that please Him.
This is also different from invoking someone other than Allah and asking them for something that only Allah can provide. That is a separate issue concerning directing supplication and worship to other than Allah.
Conclusion
Allah’s statement, “And seek the means of nearness to Him,” means: Seek nearness to Allah through what He has prescribed of faith, obedience, righteous deeds, and following His Messenger ﷺ.
The verse itself is not explicit evidence for seeking Allah merely through the persons or status of prophets and righteous people.
As for the story that Adam (peace be upon him) sought Allah through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ after his mistake, the hadith reporting it is not authentically established, and al-Bayhaqi, who narrated it, pointed out the weakness of one of its narrators.
What is firmly established in the Qur’an is that Adam and his wife repented to Allah and said:
“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”
And Allah knows best.