Dinamizador y guía del proceso de aprendizaje

(this is the scan from the copy of hashiya of ibn hajar maki on idah fi manasik of Nawawi (published from maktabatus salafiyya)

rom amongst the untruths of Ibn Taymiyya which no scholar before him had said, and whereby he created dissent between the people of Islam, is that he denounced tawassul and istighatha

(seeking aid) through him ; and that is not as he had decreed (i.e. that it is impermissible). Rather, Tawassul through him is hasan (good) in every state: before his creation and after his creation, in the dunya and in the akhira. That which proves seeking tawassul through him before his

creation and that it is the path taken by the pious predecessors, the Prophets, the Awliya and others (and thus the view of Ibn Taymiyya has no basis [and is] from his concoctions) is: that which al- Hakim transmitted and declared sahih that he said: ―When Adam committed his mistake he said: O my Lord, I am asking you to forgive me for the sake of Muhammad. ALLAH said: O Adam, and how

do you know about Muhammad whom I have not yet created? Adam replied, O my Lord, after You created me with your hand and breathed into me of Your Spirit, I raised my head and saw written on the heights of the Throne: la ilaha illALLAH muhammadun rasulALLAH. I understood that You

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would not place next to Your Name but the Most Beloved One of Your creation. ALLAH said: O Adam, I have forgiven you, and were it not for Muhammad I would not have created you.‖ The meaning of ‗for his sake‘ (bi-Haqqihi) is his rank and station in His sight Most High, or the right (Haqq) that ALLAH made for him over creation, or the right which ALLAH Most High made

obligatory on Himself over him by His grace as in a sahih Hadith,

―He said: what is the right (Haqq) of the servants over ALLAH?‖ not [that it is] incumbent (wajib) [upon ALLAH] since nothing is incumbent upon Him. Furthermore, asking by him is not actually asking him such that it may be considered associating [partners with ALLAH]. It is truly but asking ALLAH Most High through one who has a high estimation, an elevated rank and a great distinction with Him. From amongst his miracles from his Lord is that He does not fail one asking

through him, and seeking intermediary to Him through his rank. I suffices as humiliation for one who denies this that he is deprived of this [blessing]. [That which proves seeking tawassul through him] during his lifetime is that which was transmitted by al-Nasa‘I and al-Tirmidhi who declared it sahih that:―An afflicted man approached the Prophet and said, ‗supplicate to ALLAH on my behalf that He cures me‘. He said, ‗if you wish, I will supplicate (to ALLAH on your behalf) and if you wish you can remain patient and that is better for you.‘ He said, ‗supplicate to Him.‘‖

And in (another) narration (he said) ―‘I have no guide and it is difficult for me‘, so he (the Prophet) instructed him to perform wudu and perfect his wudu and supplicate with this supplication: ‗Oh

ALLAH, I ask You and turn to You through my Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy; O Muhammad, I seek your intercession with my for my need, that it may be fulfilled. O ALLAH! Grant

him intercession for me.‘‖ Al-Bayhaqi also declared it sahih and added, ―he stood and was able to see‖.(again we see that an Imam is using the hadith of uthman bin hunayf directly for as proof of

Tawassul just as we saw Imam Nawawi doing above in his al adhkaar and the usage of it by AbdulMalik taabiee- Ruhan. WALLAHu taalaa alam) And, in [another] narration, ―O ALLAH! Grant him intercession for me and grant me intercession for myself‖ The Prophet knew that but did not supplicate for him because he desired to achieve from him concentration and the toil of poverty, brokenness and desperation, seeking istighatha through him , so as to attain for him the perfection of

his objective. And such an implication is attainable in his life and after his death; and therefore the Salaf have used this supplication in their needs after his death. `Uthman Ibn Hunayf taught it to a Sahabi… al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi narrated it and at-Tabarani narrated with a jayyid (good) chain

that, ―He mentioned in his supplication ‗for the sake of Your Prophet and the Prophets before me.‘‖ There is no difference between the mention of tawassul, istighatha, tashaffu` and tawajjuh (directing/turning) through him or through others of the Prophets and likewise the Awliya. This is

because the permissibility of tawassul with actions as in the sahih Hadith of the cave has been mentioned despite them (the actions) being transitory; therefore pious souls are more preferable, and

(also) because `Umar Ibn al-Khattab sought tawassul through al-`Abbas for seeking rain and (al- `Abbas) did not repudiate this. It is as though the wisdom of his tawassul through him and not th Prophet and his grave was to display humility on his behalf, and elevation of his relatives, and thus in

his tawassul through al-`Abbas he is performing tawassul through the Prophet and more. It is not to be said that the expressions tawajjuh and istighatha presuppose that the one by whom aid is sought (al-mustaghath bihi) is higher than the one whose aid is sought (mustaghath ilayhi). That is because tawajjuh comes from [the word] jah which is a high status. Tawassul could be sought from possessor of rank unto one who possesses a higher rank than him. Istighatha is seeking aid, and the one seeking aid is seeking from the one from whom aid is sought in order to obtain aid from other than him, even if that other is greater than him. So tawajjuh and istighathah with him and others than him does not

have a meaning in the heart of the Muslims other than that and they do not intend by these two matters (i.e tawajjuh and istighatha) anyone besides Him . So, whoever‘s breast is not opened with this, then let him cry over himself. We ask ALLAH for well-being. The one in whom aid is sought in

reality is ALLAH the Exalted, and the Prophet is a intermediary between Him and the one seeking aid. So aid is sought from Him, the Exalted, and the aid comes from Him both in creating and

bringing fourth. The Prophet is the one whose aid is sought and aid is from him by way of intermediary means and kasb (acquisition) and aid is sought from him metaphorically. So in general, using the term istighatha in an unrestricted sense for the one from whom aid is obtained, even if only by way of intermediary means and kasb, is something well known and there is no doubt regarding it; not in the language, or in the Sacred Law. Therefore, there is no difference between it and asking,

especially in light of the narration that has been mentioned in al-Bukhari concerning the intercession on the day of judgement: ―As they were in that state, they sought aid (istaghathu) from Adam , then Musa , then Muhammad ‖ Tawassul could also mean seeking supplication from him for indeed he is living and knowing the question of the one who asks him. I has been authentically reported from a

long Hadith: The people suffered a drought during th successorship of `Umar , whereupon a man came to the grave of the Prophet and said:―O Messenger of ALLAH, ask for rain for your Community, for verily they have but perished," after which the Prophet appeared to him in a dream

and told him that the rain shall come. And in it also it appears: "Go to `Umar and give him my greeting, then tell him that they will be watered. Tell him: You must be clever, you must be clever!‖

Meaning, gentleness, because he was severe in the religion of ALLAH. So he came to him and informed him, after which he cried and then said: ―O my Lord, Ispare no effort except in what escapes

my power!‖ In another narration it states that the one who saw the dream was Bilal Ibn Harith al Muzani, the companion . ( This is taken from :Ibn Hajar al-Haytami, al-jawhar al-munazzam; as cited

by al-Qadi Yusuf al Nabhani in shawahid al-Haqq fil-istighatha bi-sayyid al-khalq (The Proofs of Truth in the Seeking of Aid with the Master of Creation )

I say that ―tawassul‖ and ―tabarruk‖ is also performed by Sahih of Imam Bukhari!. And this is not a hollow statement that is made, rather almost all the muhadditheen have accepted this as stated by Imam Ibn Kathir in his ―al bidayah wan nihayah‖.

It is very interesting and intruiging to know that the so called ―ahle hadith‖ faction in India denies all such things today and call them shirq and bid`at, when their own IMAM and greatest muhaddith, Allama Abdur Rahman Mubarakpoori in his very acclaimed book ―tuhfat al ahwadhi‖ that is a commentary on sunnan of Imam Tirmidhi, under the chapter of the ―sharaf of sahih bukhari‖ has quoted all this and he quotes probably four references, among which we will mention only some. He quotes Imam Ibn Katheer who in fact writes in his bidayah wan nihayah under the tarjamah of Imam Bukhari, while writing about the greatness of the sahih al bukhari:

َبّغٌا ہراشمث بمغزغ٠ یسبخجٌا خ١ذص ةبزک !

And he even quotes Imam Abdul Haqq muhaddith dehlavi from his ishat ul limat in Persian where Imam abdul haqq has said that ulema ath thiqaat have had it that sahih al bukhari is recited amongst them for gaining benefits and to cure sickness and gaining blessings and fulfilling needs, and to ward of evil and the list goes on and on. The third reference that he gives in his tuhfat al ahwadhi is the reference of Imam jamal ad din muhaddith who narrated from his shaykh of hadith that the

muhadditheen were given permission to perform ―khatm‖ of sahih al bukhari for warding of evil and other such things because it was an ―amal al mujarrab‖ that is effective in its nature and in the end al mubarakpoori concludes by writing a ―tanbeeh‖ (crudely translated as ―warning‖) that ―there is no shirq in this‖!!.

Now if we open a copy of tuhfat al ahwadhi now a days we can see how ―angry‖ the ahle hadith are by this fact that their Imam has written such things and they usually in the ―hashiyya‖ write that Allama Mubarakpoori is wrong in this matter and that and this is shirq and kufr and haram and bid`at and they mention everything against it! Or the easy way out can be to completely get away from the thing by erasing all such things in the name of ―edition‖! Sahih al bukhari has been used as tawassul material and it has barakah in it and the muhadditheen have had its qirat for barakah and fulfilling needs, then I say that this is a non living thing and such benefit from this, then there is benefit in even visiting the graves of the pious and praying to ALLAH there because there is the barakah of ALLAH and HIS mercy descends and having this intention that my dua has more chances to be accepted here

than other places because this is a place where ALLAH descends his mercy and blessings is allowed in this case! Then if they say that this is grave worship, I say that the muhadditheen then performed ―book worship‖ by having such aqaaed about a book named ―sahih al bukhari‖!. We perform tawassul even through sahih al bukhari as it is a thing that has been used and has been found to be effective and this is the minhaj of the ulema and aaema among the muhadditheen!

Mubarakpoori even writes that it has come from mashayakh and aaema that ―innas sahih al bukhari,

maa quriyyat fi shiddatin illa furijat‖ that verily sahih al bukhari, whoever reads and performs

―qira`at‖ of it in a shiddah (difficulty) he is freed from that difficulty (through the blessings in it because it has the aqwaal of the prophet alyhi salatu was salam to the highest level of accuracy), and shaykh mubarakpoori even mentions that anyone who carries it with him, when he has to travel by sea route, then his chances of drowning also decrease! And imagine it is he who in the end writes that there is no shirq in this!.

I say that this very thing is tawassul and tabarruk and this is found to be effective and is written as such by him who is called ―Imam‖ by the people who themselves are against such things!. These are matters just to think about and we have mentioned what is correct. (All this discussion can be found in the introduction of tuhfat al ahwadhi).

TAWASSUL THROUGH THE AWLIYA':

he evidence for tawassul through the awliya' or saints is also Abundant, and it suffices that ALLAH strictly warns all believers to keep company with them when He says: "O believers! Be wary of ALLAH, and keep company with the truthful!" (9:119) and He enjoins us to follow those who have turned to Him in true and complete repentence (31:15). The Prophet said to al-Firasi, concerning asking from people: "If you absolutely must ask from people, then ask from the righteous ones" (in kunta la budda sa'ilan fas'al al-salihin).31[31] There is no doubt that the visit of pious persons is a Sunna in Islam for that very purpose, as shown by the chapters to that effect entitled Bab ziyarat

al-salihin in the books of etiquette and invocations.

Some people think that if a du`a from a holy man is answered while he is alive then he cannot help you if he is dead, as if the holy man or Shaykh or saint is the origin of the help, but it is always ALLAH who is the source of the baraka and never a human being; so to think that ALLAH can only give when that saint is alive, and that when he is dead, ALLAH does not give anymore, is to say that the source is the person and not ALLAH in the first place! But in reality it is ALLAH who is giving help in both cases: life or death.

As for the objections of some "Salafis" today that it is not permissible to seek the blessings of saints after their death, they are based on the false belief that ALLAH's influence through the saints is in need for the saints' biological life to be effective, and this is absurd! As we said before, ALLAH's gift to the saints is independent from their being alive or dead, since in either case the real power always belongs to ALLAH, and the saints are only a secondary cause with no effective power in themselves. Moreover, the views of the early and late Imams and scholars quoted below concerning the permissibility of tawassul through the pious, also confirm that the objections of "Salafis" to

tawassul through the saints after their passing from this life do not stand up to scrutiny.

It is obligatory for Muslims to believe that the abdal or Substitute-saints exist -- so called because, as the Prophet said (see #3 below), "None of them dies except ALLAH substitutes another in his place" -- and that they are among the religious leaders of the Community concerning whom there is no doubt among Muslims. No less than Ibn Taymiyya writes at the end of his `Aqida wasitiyya:

The true adherents of Islam in its pristine purity are Ahl al-Sunnat wal-Jama`a. In their ranks the truthful saints (siddiqin), the martyrs, and the righteous are to be found. Among them are the great men of guidance and illumination, of recorded integrity and celebrated virtue. The Substitutes (abdal) and the Imams of religion are to be found among them and the Muslims are in full accord concerning their guidance. These are the Victorious Group about whom the Prophet said: "A group within my Community manifestly continues to be in the truth. Neither those who oppose them nor those who abandon them can do them harm, from now on until the Day of Resurrection."32[32]

The Prophet emphasized in many authentic narrations the benefits brought to all creation through the intercession of ALLAH's saints and their standing with Him. Suyuti in his fatwa on the

abdal in his Hawi li al-fatawi provided many examples of this type of universal intercession from

which we quote the following:

1. Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal says in his Musnad (1:112):