Allah (swt) says: {And seek the means of recourse to Him.” [Quran 5:35]. It is a mistake, as mentioned by the Wahhabis, to interpret “waseelah” or “means” as referring to deeds and acts of worship, as there is no evidence for this interpretation. Rather, this noble verse includes seeking intercession through the prophets, messengers, and imams, peace be upon them. “Means” here means seeking closeness, and Arabs used the term in seeking closeness to a person.
Our traditions, it is narrated that the infallibles are the intended “means”:
In ‘Uyoon Akhbar al-Rida, peace be upon him, it has been narrated that Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “The descendants of Hussain, whomsoever obeys them has obeyed Allah, and whomsoever disobeys them has disobeyed Allah. They are the mainstay and means to Allah.”
In the narrations of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, regarding the verse “And seek to Him through means,” he said: “I am His means.”
In the sermon of Fatima al-Zahra, peace be upon her, mentioned in “Dala’il al-Imamah” and “Sharh Nahj al-Balagha” by Ibn Abi al-Hadid, she says: “So praise Allah, who, with His light and greatness, sought a means from those in the heavens and the earth to Him. We are the means of His creation, and we are the family of His Messenger.”
The scholar Abu Na`im al-Asfahani mentioned in his book “Nazool al-Quran fi Ali” and Abu Bakr al-Shirazi in “Ma Nuzzila Min al-Quran fi Ali,” as well as Imam al-Tha’labi in his commentary, that the intended “means” in the noble verse refers to the progeny of the Prophet, the great ones, peace be upon him and his family.
In the narrations of both Sunni and Shia traditions, there is a mention of the Prophets and Messengers seeking intercession through the family of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family. For example, in the interpretation of the Quranic verse: “So Adam received words from his Lord.” [Quran 2:37], Al-Sayuti narrated that Ibn Abbas reported: “I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family, about the words that Adam received from his Lord, and he repented to Him. He said: ‘He asked by the right of Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hassan, and Hussain. Were it not for them, I would not have created you, the heavens, the earth, paradise, or hell. Their names are derived from my names. So, if you have any need, seek it through them.’ And he forgave Him.”
In another narration from Abu Huraira, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said that Allah, the Almighty, said to Adam after seeing apparitions near the Throne and being asked about them: “These are five of your descendants. Were it not for them, I would not have created you, the heavens, the earth, paradise, or hell. Their names are derived from my names. I am the Praiseworthy, and this is Muhammad. I am the Exalted, and this is Ali. I am the Creator, and this is Fatimah. I am the Benefactor, and this is Hasan. I am the Gracious, and this is Husayn. So, if you have any need, seek it through them.”
In Sahih Bukhari, under the chapter on the virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib, it is narrated from Umar that he sought rain through Abbas, saying: “O Allah, we used to seek intercession with You through our Prophet, and You would grant us rain. Now, we seek intercession with You through the uncle of our Prophet, so grant us rain.”
Allah (swt) says: “Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you (Muhammad) and pleaded to Allah for forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for them [to Allah] for forgiveness, they would have surely found Allah all-clement, all-merciful.” [Quran 4:64]. This verse indicates that one of the conditions for the acceptance of repentance is seeking intercession through Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, as it says: “they would have surely found Allah all-clement, all-merciful.”
Likewise, the sons of Prophet Jacob (Yaqub), peace be upon him, sought intercession through their father when they said: {O our father, ask for us forgiveness of our sins. Indeed, we have been sinners.} [Quran 12:97]. They sought intercession from their father even though they could have sought forgiveness directly from Allah. Prophet Jacob did not prevent them from doing so; instead, he agreed and promised them forgiveness by saying: {I will ask forgiveness for you.} [Quran 12:98].
In Fayd al-Qadir, Imam Ali, peace be upon him, is quoted saying: “Supplication is blocked from Allah until He is invoked for Muhammad and his family.”
In Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, it is reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family, said: “Supplication is blocked until it is prayed upon Muhammad and his family.”
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