Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (3/89)

Tawḍīḥ al-AḥkāmAbd Allah al-Bassam

namely, that the rain had stopped and pasture had become scarce.

3 – The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) never went to the Prophet’s grave to ask him to pray for them, nor did they seek Allah’s favor by the Prophet’s very person or his rank. They knew that his supplication had ceased with his death. Seeking tawassul through his person or status, therefore, is not prescribed; and whatever is not prescribed is an innovation.

For that reason the Commander of the Believers ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, together with the other Companions, asked al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (may Allah be pleased with him) to supplicate Allah for rain while they voiced their “āmīn” to his prayer. This is perfectly lawful and sanctioned.

4 – Al-ʿAbbās said in his supplication: “O Allah, no calamity descends except because of sin, and it is lifted only through repentance. The people have turned to You through me because of my closeness to Your Prophet; here are our hands raised to You laden with sins, and our forelocks bowed to You in repentance, so grant us rain!” He (the narrator) said: “The sky then poured down torrents like mountains until the earth turned green and the people thrived.”

5 – This hadith has long been a point of dispute: the innovators who allow tawassul through the physical being or status of created beings—whether living or dead—cite it in support of their view, whereas Ahl al-Sunnah regard it as clear evidence that tawassul is through supplication, and that tawassul by a person’s essence or rank is impermissible. For had such a practice been valid, the Prophet’s dignity with his Lord and his exalted station did not diminish after his death—indeed, they endure—so why did the Companions abandon tawassul through his person and instead ask al-ʿAbbās to pray?

The answer is simply that requesting supplication from someone who has died—no matter how high his standing—is impossible; the request must be made of someone living who is able to offer it. That is the proper understanding.

6 – Thus is confirmed what Shaykh al-Islām so often reiterates in his writings: whenever the advocate of falsehood tries to support his error with a sound proof, that proof becomes evidence against him, not for him.

7 – On this occasion we shall present a concise summary of the categories of tawassul and their respective rulings:

وذلك بانقطاع الأمطار، وقلة المرعى. ٣ - أنَّ الصحابة ﵃ ما كانوا يأتون إلى قبر النبي ﷺ، فيطلبون منه الدعاء، ويتوسلون بذاته وجاهه إلى الله تعالى؛ لعلمهم أنَّ دعاءه انقطع بوفاته ﵊ أما التوسل بذاته أو جاهه فإنَّه ليس بمشروع، وما ليس بمشروع فهو بدعة. لذا فإنَّ أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب والصحابة معه ﵃ طلبوا من العباس بن عبدالمطلب ﵁ أن يدعو الله ﵎ لهم بالسقي، وهم يؤمنون على دعائه، فهذا أمر جائز مشروع. ٤ - قال العباس في دعائه: اللهمَّ إنَّه لم ينزل بلاء إلاَّ بذنب، ولم يُكشف إلاَّ بتوبة، وقد توجه بي القوم إليك لمكاني من نبيك، وهذه أيدينا إليك بالذنوب، ونواصينا إليك بالتوبة، فاسقنا الغيث، قال: فأَرْخَتِ السَّماءُ مثل الجبال، حتى أخصبت الأرض، وعاش الناس. ٥ - هذا الحديث مثار جدل بين المبتدعة الذين يرون جواز التوسل بذات المخلوق، وجاهه من الأحياء والأموات، وبين أهل السنة الذين يرون في هذا الحديث دليلاً صريحًا على أنَّ التوسل هو بالدعاء، وأنَّ التوسل بالذات والجاه غير جائز، ذلك أنه لو كان جائزًا، فإنَّ كرامة النبي ﷺ عند ربه ورفعة مقامه ما نقصت بموته، بل هي باقية، فلماذا عدل الصحابة عن التوسل بذاته إلى طلب الدعاء من العباس؟. والجواب: ما كان إلاَّ لأن طلب الدعاء من الميت -مهما عظمت منزلته- غير ممكن، فطلب ذلك من الحي القادر عليه، فهذا هو التوجيه الصحيح. ٦ - وبهذا ظهر ما يردده شيخ الإسلام في كتبه، من أن أي مبطل يحتج على باطله بدليل صحيح، يكون حجة عليه، لا حجة له. ٧ - وبهذه المناسبة، فإننا نسوق خلاصة عن أقسام التوسل وأحكامه: