Tawassul

Tawassul (Arabic: توسل) is a practice in which a Muslimattempts to seek nearness to God. 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 extreme dispute in the Muslim community. The majority of Muslims globablly, reject this concept altogether as false and and illegitimate attempt at nearness to Allah.

Origin

Muslims who practice tawassul point to the Qur'an, Islam's holy book, as the origin of the practice. Many Muslims believe it is a commandment upon them to "draw near" to God. Amongst Sufi and Barelwi Muslims within Sunni Islam, as well as Twelver Shi'a Muslims, it refers to the act of supplicating to God 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.

Intercession

Some Muslims also define tawassul as "intercession" with God, also pointing to the Qur'an in explanation of this. Muslims also believe that intercession is only with the permission of God.

Muslims believe that the practise 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. The modern Sunni scholar Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani commented on some of the Hadith regarding the subject, considering them to be authentic.

Intercession in Sunni Islam

Sunni Muslims traditionally have believed that seeking intercession is totally unlawful due to the number of verses in the Quran explicitly prohibiting such., however there are varying views on the subject:

* The Permanent Committee based in Saudi Arabia holds the view that Tawassul through dead persons, virtuous or not, leads to Shirk (polytheism). 

Intercession In Shia Islam

Contemporary Shia scholar and theologian Jaafar Subhani, summarized the forms of intersession in Shia Islam as follows:

• Intercession using the Quran: He backed this form of intercession using examples of supplications where believers ask God by the holiness of the Quran.
• Intercession using righteous deeds: In this form, the believers ask God by the deeds they introduce in advance such as fasting or charity.
• 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.
• Most Shias reject this practice as illegal. The Ayotallahs of Iran have not expressed the legality of this form of worship.

External links

• A Critical look at the Isnad of the Ahadith concerning the 'Blind Man' and others.
• Tawassul: Its Types and Rulings
• Treatise by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
• Position of Tawassul and Waseela in Islam