Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (1/200)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Allah has commanded the believers to seek encompasses every obligatory and recommended deed. Whatever is neither obligatory nor recommended is not included, whether it is forbidden, disliked, or permissible. Obligatory and recommended deeds are those prescribed by the Messenger, who commanded them either as obligations or as recommendations. Their foundation is faith in what the Messenger brought. Thus, the essence of the means of drawing near that Allah has commanded His creation to seek is to draw near to Him by following what the Messenger brought. No one has any means of drawing near to Allah other than this.

Second is the term “wasīlah” as it occurs in authentic hadiths, such as the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Ask Allah to grant me al-wasīlah, for it is a rank in Paradise reserved for only one of Allah’s servants, and I hope to be that servant. Whoever asks Allah to grant me al-wasīlah will be entitled to my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.”

And his words:

“Whoever says upon hearing the call to prayer, ‘O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to be established, grant Muhammad al-wasīlah and eminence, and raise him to the praised station You have promised him. Indeed, You never break Your promise,’ will be entitled to intercession.”

This wasīlah is exclusively for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. We have been commanded to ask Allah to grant him this wasīlah. He stated that it can belong to only one of Allah’s servants, and he hopes to be that servant. We have been commanded to ask for this wasīlah for the Messenger, and he stated that whoever asks for it for him will be entitled to intercession on the Day of Resurrection. This is because the reward corresponds to the deed: since they supplicated for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, they became deserving of his supplication for them. Intercession is a form of supplication, just as he said that whoever invokes blessings upon him once, Allah will send blessings upon that person ten times in return.

أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِابْتِغَائِهَا تَتَنَاوَلُ كُلَّ وَاجِبٍ وَمُسْتَحَبٍّ وَمَا لَيْسَ بِوَاجِبِ وَلَا مُسْتَحَبٍّ لَا يَدْخُلُ فِي ذَلِكَ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ مُحَرَّمًا أَوْ مَكْرُوهًا أَوْ مُبَاحًا. فَالْوَاجِبُ وَالْمُسْتَحَبُّ هُوَ مَا شَرَعَهُ الرَّسُولُ فَأَمَرَ بِهِ أَمْرَ إيجَابٍ أَوْ اسْتِحْبَابٍ وَأَصْلُ ذَلِكَ الْإِيمَانُ بِمَا جَاءَ بِهِ الرَّسُولُ. فَجِمَاعُ الْوَسِيلَةِ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ بِابْتِغَائِهَا هُوَ التَّوَسُّلُ إلَيْهِ بِاتِّبَاعِ مَا جَاءَ بِهِ الرَّسُولُ لَا وَسِيلَةَ لِأَحَدِ إلَى اللَّهِ إلَّا ذَلِكَ. وَالثَّانِي لَفْظُ " الْوَسِيلَةِ " فِي الْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ كَقَوْلِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ {سَلُوا اللَّهَ لِي الْوَسِيلَةَ فَإِنَّهَا دَرَجَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَا تَنْبَغِي إلَّا لِعَبْدِ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا ذَلِكَ الْعَبْدَ. فَمَنْ سَأَلَ اللَّهَ لِي الْوَسِيلَةَ حَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ شَفَاعَتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ} وَقَوْلُهُ {مَنْ قَالَ حِينَ يَسْمَعُ النِّدَاءَ: اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ آتِ مُحَمَّدًا الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا الَّذِي وَعَدْته إنَّك لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ حَلَّتْ لَهُ الشَّفَاعَةُ} . فَهَذِهِ الْوَسِيلَةُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَاصَّةً. وَقَدْ أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ لَهُ هَذِهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهَا لَا تَكُونُ إلَّا لِعَبْدِ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ يَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ الْعَبْدَ وَهَذِهِ الْوَسِيلَةُ أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَسْأَلَهَا لِلرَّسُولِ وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ مَنْ سَأَلَ لَهُ هَذِهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ فَقَدْ حَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّفَاعَةُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ لِأَنَّ الْجَزَاءَ مِنْ جِنْسِ الْعَمَلِ فَلَمَّا دَعَوْا لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَحَقُّوا أَنْ يَدْعُوَ هُوَ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّ الشَّفَاعَةَ نَوْعٌ مِنْ الدُّعَاءِ كَمَا قَالَ إنَّهُ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ مَرَّةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا عَشْرًا.