a. Definition of Wasila
In the Islamic sciences, words are typically defined both linguistically and as-applied in the religion (shar’i). Linguistically, the term wasila comes from the trilateral root (al-wazn al-thalithi) w-s-l ((و-س-ل, which means to connect something or have it arrive. Wasila refers to drawing closer to Allah for the purpose of a request being accepted using other means than the request itself. All Muslims agree that some kinds of wasila are legislated. Imam ibn Jarir al-Tabari quotes Abu al-Khattab Qatada in his tafsir as to the shar’i meaning of wasila,
حدَّثنا بِشرٌ قال ثنا يَزِيدُ ثنا سعيدٌ عن قَتادةَ قولَه ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ أي تَقَرَّبوا إليه بطاعتِه والعملِ بما يُرضِيه[i]
Bishr narrates from Yazid who narrates from Sa’id who narrated from Qatadah that His statement (And seek to Him a wasila), ‘Refers to drawing nearer to obedience through obedience and acting by what pleases Him.’
Wasila refers to performing additional acts of worship alongside a request to Allah in the hope that these additional acts of worship will increase the likelihood of the request being accepted. This is a concept which is accepted by consensus among Ahl al-Sunnah. As Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said,
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ
“The servant is closest to his Lord during prostration, so increase your supplications therein.”[ii]
Abu Huraira also reported that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said,
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، وَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَغَرِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ يَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ ”.
“Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: “Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”[iii]
Narrated Ibn `Umar:
حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ خَرَجَ ثَلاَثَةٌ يَمْشُونَ فَأَصَابَهُمُ الْمَطَرُ، فَدَخَلُوا فِي غَارٍ فِي جَبَلٍ، فَانْحَطَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ صَخْرَةٌ. قَالَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ بِأَفْضَلِ عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتُمُوهُ. فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمُ اللَّهُمَّ، إِنِّي كَانَ لِي أَبَوَانِ شَيْخَانِ كَبِيرَانِ، فَكُنْتُ أَخْرُجُ فَأَرْعَى، ثُمَّ أَجِيءُ فَأَحْلُبُ، فَأَجِيءُ بِالْحِلاَبِ فَآتِي بِهِ أَبَوَىَّ فَيَشْرَبَانِ، ثُمَّ أَسْقِي الصِّبْيَةَ وَأَهْلِي وَامْرَأَتِي، فَاحْتَبَسْتُ لَيْلَةً. فَجِئْتُ فَإِذَا هُمَا نَائِمَانِ ـ قَالَ ـ فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُوقِظَهُمَا، وَالصِّبِيْةُ يَتَضَاغَوْنَ عِنْدَ رِجْلَىَّ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ ذَلِكَ دَأْبِي وَدَأْبَهُمَا، حَتَّى طَلَعَ الْفَجْرُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِكَ فَافْرُجْ عَنَّا فُرْجَةً نَرَى مِنْهَا السَّمَاءَ. قَالَ فَفُرِجَ عَنْهُمْ. وَقَالَ الآخَرُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ أُحِبُّ امْرَأَةً مِنْ بَنَاتِ عَمِّي كَأَشَدِّ مَا يُحِبُّ الرَّجُلُ النِّسَاءَ، فَقَالَتْ لاَ تَنَالُ ذَلِكَ مِنْهَا حَتَّى تُعْطِيَهَا مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ. فَسَعَيْتُ فِيهَا حَتَّى جَمَعْتُهَا، فَلَمَّا قَعَدْتُ بَيْنَ رِجْلَيْهَا قَالَتِ اتَّقِ اللَّهَ، وَلاَ تَفُضَّ الْخَاتَمَ إِلاَّ بِحَقِّهِ. فَقُمْتُ وَتَرَكْتُهَا، فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِكَ فَافْرُجْ عَنَّا فُرْجَةً، قَالَ فَفَرَجَ عَنْهُمُ الثُّلُثَيْنِ. وَقَالَ الآخَرُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي اسْتَأْجَرْتُ أَجِيرًا بِفَرَقٍ مِنْ ذُرَةٍ فَأَعْطَيْتُهُ، وَأَبَى ذَاكَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ، فَعَمَدْتُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْفَرَقِ، فَزَرَعْتُهُ حَتَّى اشْتَرَيْتُ مِنْهُ بَقَرًا وَرَاعِيَهَا، ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَقَالَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ أَعْطِنِي حَقِّي. فَقُلْتُ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى تِلْكَ الْبَقَرِ وَرَاعِيهَا، فَإِنَّهَا لَكَ. فَقَالَ أَتَسْتَهْزِئُ بِي. قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مَا أَسْتَهْزِئُ بِكَ وَلَكِنَّهَا لَكَ. اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِكَ فَافْرُجْ عَنَّا. فَكُشِفَ عَنْهُمْ
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “While three persons were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave. They said to each other, ‘Invoke Allah with the best deed you have performed (so Allah might remove the rock)’. One of them said, ‘O Allah! My parents were old and I used to go out for grazing (my animals). On my return I would milk (the animals) and take the milk in a vessel to my parents to drink. After they had drunk from it, I would give it to my children, family and wife. One day I was delayed and on my return I found my parents sleeping, and I disliked to wake them up. The children were crying at my feet (because of hunger). That state of affairs continued till it was dawn. O Allah! If You regard that I did it for Your sake, then please remove this rock so that we may see the sky.’ So, the rock was moved a bit. The second said, ‘O Allah! You know that I was in love with a cousin of mine, like the deepest love a man may have for a woman, and she told me that I would not get my desire fulfilled unless I paid her one-hundred Dinars (gold pieces). So, I struggled for it till I gathered the desired amount, and when I sat in between her legs, she told me to be afraid of Allah, and asked me not to deflower her except rightfully (by marriage). So, I got up and left her. O Allah! If You regard that I did if for Your sake, kindly remove this rock.’ So, two-thirds of the rock was removed. Then the third man said, ‘O Allah! No doubt You know that once I employed a worker for one Faraq (three Sa’s) of millet, and when I wanted to pay him, he refused to take it, so I sowed it and from its yield I bought cows and a shepherd. After a time that man came and demanded his money. I said to him: Go to those cows and the shepherd and take them for they are for you. He asked me whether I was joking with him. I told him that I was not joking with him, and all that belonged to him. O Allah! If You regard that I did it sincerely for Your sake, then please remove the rock.’ So, the rock was removed completely from the mouth of the cave.”[iv].
Wasila is a practice that is acceptable in Islam and has legislated forms. However, it is conceivably possible that some forms of wasila can be heresies and that a person may engage in a form of wasila believing it to be meritorious which actually contains shirk. Whether or not this may be the case with Muslims in reality is one of the central focuses of this book.
b. Definition of Istighatha
The term istighatha comes from al-wazn al-thailithi غ-و-ث and it is on the wazn of istif’al. The istif’al wazn indicates seeking the meaning of the wazn al-thailithi. Therefore, it means, “seeking ghawth”. Al-Rāghib al-Isfahānī defines the word Istighatha in Mufradāt al-Qurʾān as:
الغَوْثُ يقال في النّصرة، والغَيْثُ في المطر، واسْتَغَثْتُهُ: طلبت الغوث أو الغيث، فَأَغَاثَنِي من الغوث، وغَاثَنِي من الغيث، وغَوَّثت من الغوث، قال تعالى: إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ[الأنفال/ ٩] ، وقال: فَاسْتَغاثَهُ الَّذِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ عَلَى الَّذِي مِنْ عَدُوِّهِ [القصص/ ١٥] ، وقوله: وَإِنْ يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغاثُوا بِماءٍ كَالْمُهْلِ [الكهف/ ٢٩] ، فإنّه يصحّ أن يكون من الغيث، ويصحّ أن يكون من الغوث، وكذا يُغَاثُوا، يصحّ فيه المعنيان. والغيْثُ: المطر في قوله: كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَباتُهُ [الحديد/ ٢٠]
Al-ghawthu denotes rescue, al-ghaithu denotes rain; istaghaththu-hu means ‘I asked him for rescue or rain.’ Hence Allah uses the verb in Qurʾān 8:9—idh tastaghīthūna rabbakum—‘When you sought help from your Lord,’ and in 28:15—fastaghāthahu allaḏī min shīʿatihi—‘The man from his party sought his help.’”[v]
We see the phrase in usage within the long saḥīḥ ḥadīth of Imām al-Bukhārī wherein Hājar عليها السلام said,
فذلك سعي الناس بينها فلما أشرفت على المروة سمعت صوتاً فقالت صه تريد نفسها ثم تسمّعت فسمعت أيضاً فقالت قد أسمعت إن كان عندك غواث فأغث فإذا هى بالملك عند موضع زمزم
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “This is the source of the tradition of the Sa’y – i.e., the going of people between the two mountains. When she reached Al-Marwah (for the last time), she heard a voice and she exclaimed: ‘Shshs!’ (Silencing herself) and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said: ‘O (whoever you may be) You have made me hear your voice; have you any succour for me?‘ And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam… .”[vi]
Here, Hajar addressed to the angel Jibrīl عليه السلام for assistance without first seeing him. The shar’I definition of istighatha refers to directly seeking one’s needs, one’s ghawth, from someone else. There are permissible forms of istighatha, such as seeking assistance from someone with respect to a mundane worldly task, obligatory forms, such as beseeching Allah in the salah, impermissible forms, and forms of istighatha which constitute shirk.
c. Controversies
What kind of wasila is actually istighatha and what forms of wasila or istighatha exactly constitute shirk is the focus of this book. The main point of contention is that one group of Muslims says istighātha can be recommended, permissible, makrūh, ḥarām, or even shirk in some fringe circumstances, while another group considers it shirk in every case except when the person being asked satisfies three conditions:
- Ḥayy – alive.
- Ḥāḍir – physically present.
- Bi-mā yaqdiru ʿalayh – the request pertains to his normal range of capabilities.
While these controversies may seem abstract, this dispute raises several practical questions:
- Is it allowed to stand at a grave and make duʿāʾ to Allah?
- Is it allowed to perform ṣalāh facing a grave (still directing the prayer to Allah)?
- May one speak to the dead in general?
- May one ask Allah by the rank (maqām) of a righteous walī?
- Is any form of sujūd of respect—as opposed to sujūd al-ʿibāda—permissible?
- Is it allowed to perform ṭawāf around a grave?
- May one make duʿāʾ to a living person who is not physically near?
- May one ask a dead person to pray (make duʿāʾ) on one’s behalf?
- May one ask a dead person directly to fulfil one’s needs?
However, the primary focus of this book is the final question. With respect to the other questions, both sides may disagree or dispute as to their permissibility – but it is generally agreed none of them are shirk by consensus. This is not so with the last issue. The primary issue of contention is whether asking the dead permissible, ḥarām, shirk, kufr—or does the ruling depend on circumstances?
[i] Tafsir al-Tabari, Surah al-Ma’idah, v. 8 pg. 404 and al-Durr al-Manthur by al-Suyuti v. 6 ph. 680
[ii] [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 482]
[iii] Sahih al-Bukhari 1145
[iv] Sahih al-Bukhari 2215
[v] Mufradat al-Qur’an by al-Raghib al-Asfahani
[vi] Ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth of Imām al-Bukhārī 3364