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The term tawassul (seeking a means of drawing near to Allah) may have three meanings. Two of these are agreed upon among Muslims.

The first is the very foundation of faith and Islam: seeking nearness to Allah through faith in the Prophet and obedience to him. The second is through his supplication and intercession. This too is beneficial: those for whom he supplicates and whose behalf his intercession is accepted may seek nearness to Allah through it, by the agreement of Muslims. Anyone who denies tawassul through him in either of these two senses is an unbeliever and an apostate, who is to be called upon to repent and, if he does not, put to death as an apostate.

However, seeking nearness to Allah through faith in him and obedience to him is the foundation of the religion. This is a matter necessarily known to be part of Islam among scholars and laypeople alike. Thus, the unbelief of anyone who denies this meaning is evident to scholars and laypeople alike. As for his supplication and intercession, and the benefit Muslims derive from them, anyone who denies this is also an unbeliever. Yet this is less evident than the first matter. Anyone who denies it out of ignorance is therefore to be informed of it; if he persists in denying it, he is an apostate.

As for his supplication and intercession in this world, no one among the people of the qiblah (the Muslim community) has denied them. Regarding intercession on the Day of Resurrection, the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa-l-Jamāʿah (the people of the Sunnah and the community)—namely, the Companions, those who follow them in righteousness, and all the imams of the Muslims, including the four imams and others—is that he will have both particular and general intercessions on the Day of Resurrection. His intercession will be accepted for those members of his community who have committed major sins and for whom Allah permits him to intercede. Only believers who affirm Allah’s oneness benefit from his intercession, not the adherents of