- 14 Mar 2007, 22:17
#9563
By: Aadila Moloo
People often argue that intercession and wasila are forms of shirk and very similar to the Christian Trinitarian model where they people think that they are impure and therefore must approach God through Jesus.
They argue that this concept of approaching Imams is very foreign in the Quran:
"Call unto me and I will answer your Call" - God tells mankind in the Quran.
"When my servants ask about me tell them I am close to them. I answer the call of the caller when he calls unto me" - God telling the prophet to tell the people that he is :
"Also closer to you than your jugular vein".
Yes, it is true that God is closer to us than our jugular vein but when referring to the Quran to prove certain matters we must look at all the ayahs in the Quran regarding that issue. It would be injustice if we neglected a portion of it just to prove ourselves right.
We have several ayahs in the Quran regarding intercession:
"and who can intercede on my behalf EXCEPT with my permission" (2:255)
If Allah (swt) did not want us to intercede he would simply have said "and NONE" can intercede on my behalf" but he said "EXCEPT with my permission", which implies that there is someone who can be given permission. Who else could be more entitled to this divine grace and unique privilege than the Apostle of God and his Ahlul-bayt?
Allah (swt) also says:
"O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah (swt) and seek means of nearness to him" (5:35)
In another ayah we have:
"And we did not send any apostle but that he should be obeyed by Allah's permission; and had they, when they were unjust to themselves come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle had also asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning, Merciful"
This ayah clearly says that when we go through the Prophet, then we would find Allah Merciful.
The misleading question which the critics raise, is that why should we not seek the help we need directly from God? This question itself has an answer that when such devotees of God (The critics) get ill, why do they go to the doctor? Why not depend on God for the cure and avoid means of the doctor, when the doctor is not the actual curer. No, they do it because they have to seek a means or a medium and they do it because they cannot avoid it.
But at the end of the day it is ONLY Allah (swt) who provides for our needs and it would be shirk to think that what we have is from the Prophets or Aimmah, they just act as a means for us to get to the Almighty.
May Allah (swt) give us all hidayat and always be able to distinguish truth from false. Ameen.
People often argue that intercession and wasila are forms of shirk and very similar to the Christian Trinitarian model where they people think that they are impure and therefore must approach God through Jesus.
They argue that this concept of approaching Imams is very foreign in the Quran:
"Call unto me and I will answer your Call" - God tells mankind in the Quran.
"When my servants ask about me tell them I am close to them. I answer the call of the caller when he calls unto me" - God telling the prophet to tell the people that he is :
"Also closer to you than your jugular vein".
Yes, it is true that God is closer to us than our jugular vein but when referring to the Quran to prove certain matters we must look at all the ayahs in the Quran regarding that issue. It would be injustice if we neglected a portion of it just to prove ourselves right.
We have several ayahs in the Quran regarding intercession:
"and who can intercede on my behalf EXCEPT with my permission" (2:255)
If Allah (swt) did not want us to intercede he would simply have said "and NONE" can intercede on my behalf" but he said "EXCEPT with my permission", which implies that there is someone who can be given permission. Who else could be more entitled to this divine grace and unique privilege than the Apostle of God and his Ahlul-bayt?
Allah (swt) also says:
"O you who believe! Be careful of your duty to Allah (swt) and seek means of nearness to him" (5:35)
In another ayah we have:
"And we did not send any apostle but that he should be obeyed by Allah's permission; and had they, when they were unjust to themselves come to you and asked forgiveness of Allah and the Apostle had also asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning, Merciful"
This ayah clearly says that when we go through the Prophet, then we would find Allah Merciful.
The misleading question which the critics raise, is that why should we not seek the help we need directly from God? This question itself has an answer that when such devotees of God (The critics) get ill, why do they go to the doctor? Why not depend on God for the cure and avoid means of the doctor, when the doctor is not the actual curer. No, they do it because they have to seek a means or a medium and they do it because they cannot avoid it.
But at the end of the day it is ONLY Allah (swt) who provides for our needs and it would be shirk to think that what we have is from the Prophets or Aimmah, they just act as a means for us to get to the Almighty.
May Allah (swt) give us all hidayat and always be able to distinguish truth from false. Ameen.
How does he, whose guardian is Allah, get perished? And how can he, who is being pursued by Allah, get salvation? (Imam Mohammad Taqi
)
![Alayhis Salaam (as)](./images/smilies/as.gif)