Istigatha (calling out respected personalities for help) and Tawassul (seeking divine intervention through the medium of respected personalities) are clearly mandated in Islam basis unambiguous Quranic verses and reliable traditions (Sunnah).
Yet there are constant attacks on Istigatha and Tawassul and there is an effort to weaken the belief of the Muslims in it, with the ulterior motive of weakening their faith and attachment to the divine personalities (Ahle Bait (a.s.)) through whom Istigatha and Tawassul is sought.
The Quranic verses and traditions clearly establish the permissibility (rather importance) of Istigatha and Tawassul.
For instance, the Holy Quran says regarding Tawassul / Waseelah:
يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُواْاتَّقُواْاللّهَوَابْتَغُواْإِلَيهِالْوَسِيلَةَوَجَاهِدُواْفِيسَبِيلِهِلَعَلَّكُمْتُفْلِحُونَ
‘O you who believe! Be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.’ (Surah Maaedah (5): Verse 35)
Clearly seeking nearness to Allah through a medium is an Islamic practice and is in fact Allah’s command to all believers.
Even so, we have listed views / verdicts (fatawa) of illustrious Shia scholars i.e. fuqaha / maraaje, on the topic of Istigatha and Tawassul.
View of Ayatollah Sayyid Abul Qasim Musawi al-Khoei (may Allah illuminate his grave)
When he was asked about seeking from infallibles (a.s.), Sayyid Abl Qasim Musawi al-Khoei (r.a.) in Sirat al-Najat and Munyat al-Sa’il judged it to be permissible as this interaction proves:
The questioner asked Sayyid al-Khoei (r.a.):
Is it permissible to seek children, sustenance, protection, security and other things directly from the infallible ones (a.s.)? Not because they create or provide sustenance, but because they are the means to Allah and intercessors towards Him to fulfil the needs, and because they do not act but with His permission…
Sayyid al-Khoei (r.a.): There is nothing wrong with the mentioned intention.
Clearly, Sayyid al-Khoei (r.a.) considers Istigatha / Tawassul permissible.
View of Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani (may his noble shadow endure)
In the book Al-Fawaid Al-Fiqhiyyah approved by him, in volume two, page 174, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani (r.a.) is asked this question:
‘There are some who call upon Imam Ali (a.s.) and hope for his help without invoking Allah. Is this action correct?’
The questioner is a sceptic who expects an answer saying it is not permissible.
Look at Sayyid al-Sistani’s reply:
‘We do not think that anyone calls upon Imam Ali (a.s.) thinking that he is independent in his affairs and governs the world like a deity.
So whoever calls on him (a.s.) and asks him for something is calling on him (a.s.) because he is among the chosen ones of Allah.
So Imam Ali (a.s.) is a mediator between Allah and His creation. And Allah has only prohibited seeking intercession from those not appointed as a proof or authority by Him, for instance, from the idols. Allah did not prohibit seeking intercession from the Prophets and His Proximate Creation.
Rather, Allah has declared, ‘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 (to mercy), Merciful. (Surah Nisa (4): 64)’
According to Sayyid al-Sistani seeking from divine personalities is permissible.
View of Shaikh al-Wahid al-Khorasani (may his noble shadow endure)
Shaikh al-Wahid al-Khorasani was asked this question:
‘Is it correct for a supplicating individual to ask for fulfilment of his needs directly from the infallible (a.s.)? For example, he says, O Ali, help me, O Fatima, help me, and O Husain grant me support, and he asks them for what he needs of this world and the hereafter, with the belief that they can fulfil the needs through the support of Allah, the Almighty. Or is it impermissible to seek needs from other than Allah?
Shaikh al-Wahid reply:
Yes (it is permissible). And it is one of the best approaches of seeking proximity to Allah.
View Of Other Jurists
Other respected jurists like Shaikh Jawad Tabrizi (r.a.), Sayyid Mohsin al-Hakim (r.a.) and Sayyid Sadiq al-Roohani (r.a.) likewise maintain that a direct request to the infallibles (a.s.) for help is permissible.
Evidently, Istigatha and Tawassul are Islamic concepts that find mention in the Quran and Sunnah. Moreover, the most illustrious Shia jurists / fuqaha have deemed it permissible. In fact, some like Shaikh Wahid al-Khorasani consider Istigatha / Tawassul among greatest acts of devotion.
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