Section One: Basic conceptions of intermediation (توسل)

The relevance and wholesomeness of the concept of intermediation is an established fact. The negation of this reality is in fact the negation of the Qur’ānic injunctions. This attitude is simply inconceivable for any Muslim, irrespective of his group affiliation. Intermediation is a twofold act: on the one hand, it acknowledges the humility and helplessness of the creature who has a pressing need to be fulfilled; on the other hand, it asserts the superiority of an act which has been hallowed by divine sanction, or of a personage who enjoys divine approval through a series of noble deeds. The idea behind intermediation is not to vitiate or supplant divine authority but to facilitate the acceptance of human needs through the act of prayer. Thus the act of intermediation involves a sliding-scale of graded functions: at the bottom is the humble creature who hopes for a favourable divine response; in the middle is the sanctified act or the personage who has developed closer affiliation with God through meditation, prayer and human service and at the top is God Himself Who Alone possesses the power to grant the prayer.
The concept does not imply that the intermediary will grant the prayer or that he will pressurize God to grant the prayer of an individual or condone his sins. This is an egregious misconception, which haunts the minds of a number of people. In fact, the prayee believes that when he mediates his prayer through divinely blessed persons, after positing his own helplessness and after articulating the praise of God, He will fulfil his need as a token of courtesy to the intermediary. He does not even have the creeping notion that the intermediary is a partner in divinity. It is, therefore, vitally significant to grasp the reality of intermediation to obviate any misunderstanding, especially on the part of those who are prone to interpreting it in a characteristically un-Islamic sense.
It should be understood at the very outset that intermediation is only a form of prayer to be answered by God Alone. The intermediary is only a medium who serves as a means to activate the process of its fulfilment.
It should also be noted that the choice of an intermediary depends on two vital factors; first he is loved by the prayee and secondly he is also loved by God. Therefore, to love someone simply because he is loved by God is in itself a virtuous act, so his choice as an intermediary becomes indisputable. This is the factual position and if someone harps on another string, he is not only mistaken but is also committing an ignominious deed. This contention is easily endorsed by the logic of commonsense. If the prayee believes that the intermediary can harm or benefit like God, he is guilty of a heinous sin and will be dismissed as a believer on the basis of this erroneous belief.
Besides, it is not necessary that mediation alone should serve as a guarantee for the realization of prayer, because Allah says:

And (O beloved,) when My servants ask you about Me, (tell them,) “I am Near.”[1]

(O beloved,) say, “Call upon Allah or call upon ar-Rahmān (the most Merciful), by whichever name you call on Him, His are the most beautiful names.”[2]

The misunderstanding that intermediation is a form of coercion should end now as the intermediary cannot force God to grant a prayer against His Own will. No one can dictate to Him, we can only beseech Him. It is only an expression of His infinite mercy that he has upscaled some of His creatures on the grounds of their love and obedience and turned them into agents of redemption for millions of ordinary people who, without their mediation, might have drifted in sheer hopelessness and frustration. This is an indirect divine recognition of their services that God puts a positive spin on whatever is associated with them. It is for the same reason that sacred places and objects are offered as means. The purpose is to boost human expectation for the divine reprieve.




[1]. Qur’ān (al-Baqarah) 2:186.
[2]. Qur’ān (al-Isrā’) 17:110.