Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Tawassul means taking a means by which a servant draws closer to Allah or asks Him to fulfill a need. Not everything called “tawassul” has the same ruling. Some forms are prescribed and supported by the Qur’an and Sunnah, some are matters over which scholars have differed, and some are not merely tawassul at all, but rather supplication and seeking help from someone other than Allah regarding matters that only Allah can do.
The main forms can be explained as follows:
First: Seeking Allah Through Faith and Obedience
This is among the greatest forms of prescribed tawassul. It includes drawing closer to Allah through faith in Him, belief in His Messenger ﷺ, obedience to Him, following His Messenger, and all other righteous deeds.
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]
The “means” here refers to whatever brings a servant closer to Allah from among the things that He loves and is pleased with.
This includes several forms of prescribed tawassul, such as:
Seeking Allah through His Names and Attributes, for example by saying: “O Most Merciful, have mercy on me,” or: “O Allah, by Your knowledge and power, guide me.”
Allah says:
“And to Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.”
[Al-A‘raf 7:180]
It also includes tawassul through one’s own righteous deeds, such as one’s faith, prayer, charity, kindness to parents, and sincerity to Allah.
Among the proofs for this is the story of the three men who were trapped in a cave. Each of them sought Allah through a righteous deed that he had sincerely performed for Allah, until Allah relieved them.
[Agreed upon]
Second: Tawassul Through the Supplication of a Living Righteous Person
One of the prescribed forms of tawassul is for a Muslim to ask a living righteous Muslim to supplicate to Allah for him.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to ask the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime to make du‘a for them.
When drought affected them, they would ask him to pray for rain. He would supplicate to Allah, and rain would fall.
After the death of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) sought rain through al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him), saying:
“O Allah, we used to seek a means to You through our Prophet, and You would give us rain. Now we seek a means to You through our Prophet’s uncle, so give us rain.”
[Reported by al-Bukhari]
Those who adopt this interpretation hold that what was intended was asking al-‘Abbas to supplicate, and therefore ‘Umar asked him to make du‘a to Allah for the Muslims.
Third: Tawassul Through the Status of the Prophet ﷺ or the Status of Righteous People
This is when a person supplicates to Allah alone but says, for example:
“O Allah, I ask You by the status of Your Prophet,” or: “By the right of so-and-so before You,” or: “By the rank of Your righteous servant before You.”
Scholars have differed concerning this form.
Some scholars permitted it, while others prohibited it, and the latter is the view adopted by the original fatwa.
Those who prohibit it hold that the Prophet’s ﷺ status and rank before Allah are undoubtedly established, but making this status a means in supplication requires religious evidence, and in their view no sound and explicit evidence establishes its permissibility.
Therefore, they distinguish between seeking Allah through love of the Prophet ﷺ, belief in him, and following him, which are righteous deeds of the servant himself, and seeking Allah merely through the Prophet’s ﷺ person or status.
It is important to note that someone who says, “O Allah, by the status of Your Prophet, forgive me,” is in this case supplicating to Allah. Therefore, this should not be confused with supplicating directly to the Prophet ﷺ or asking him to fulfill one’s need.
Fourth: Supplicating to Someone Other Than Allah and Seeking Help From Them
Some people refer to supplicating to the dead or to righteous figures as “tawassul,” although this differs from the previous forms.
If a person directs supplication to a deceased or absent person and asks them for something that only Allah can do, such as removing distress, forgiving sins, or granting healing in a manner only Allah can provide, then this is no longer merely asking Allah through another person. Rather, the request itself has been directed to the created being.
Supplication is an act of worship and must be directed to Allah alone.
Allah says:
“And the places of worship are for Allah, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah.”
[Al-Jinn 72:18]
Allah also says:
“And who is more misguided than one who invokes besides Allah those who will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, while they are unaware of their invocation?”
[Al-Ahqaf 46:5]
According to the original fatwa, directing supplication and seeking help from someone other than Allah in matters that only Allah can do falls under major shirk.
The Important Difference Between Tawassul and Supplication
One should not confuse a person saying:
“O Allah, forgive me by the status of so-and-so”
with saying to a deceased or absent person:
“O so-and-so, forgive me,” or “Remove my distress.”
In the first case, the supplication is directed to Allah, and the disagreement concerns the means being used in the supplication.
In the second case, the request itself is directed to a created being regarding something that belongs exclusively to Allah. Therefore, the rulings on the two cases differ greatly.
Conclusion
Tawassul is not one single category; rather, it has different forms.
Prescribed tawassul includes seeking Allah through His Names and Attributes, through faith, obedience, and righteous deeds, as well as asking a living Muslim to make du‘a.
As for seeking Allah merely through the status of the Prophet ﷺ or the status of righteous people, this is an issue over which scholars have differed, and the original fatwa adopts the view that it is not prescribed.
As for supplicating to the dead or absent people and asking them for what only Allah can do, this is not merely tawassul. Rather, it is directing supplication to someone other than Allah and, according to the original fatwa, is major shirk.
The safest and most complete approach, and the one furthest from scholarly disagreement, is for a Muslim to call upon his Lord directly through the means that Allah has prescribed. Allah says:
“And when My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near. I answer the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.”
[Al-Baqarah 2:186]
And Allah knows best.