بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The term ‘Waseela’ in religious matters is deemed a ‘facilitation towards approach to Allah’. A point of view of some people is that since our standing before Allah may not be of much value, therefore we should try to approach Allah through mediation of some one who is closer in value to Allah. Let see what Al-Quran tells about means of facilitation towards reaching Him in below ayahs:

5:35  يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O’ you people who believe take guard of Allah and seek the means towards Him and you strive in His way so that you may succeed.

Allah says in above ayat to seek a means to reach Him. Can some personalities be considered a ‘waseela’ i.e means to facilitate approach to Allah? please see the below ayat:

39:3  أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ ۚ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ

Isn’t the Din (Judgement) purely for Allah alone? But those who take protectors (Walis) besides Him (say). “We do not serve them except that they are nearer to bring us closer to Allah.” Truly Allah will judge between them in what they differ. Verily Allah does not guide him who is a liar, kafir/rejecter/coverer.

If some personalities are served with the belief that these personalities are nearer in bringing people closer to Allah, then the above ayat declares that Allah does not guide these people.

17:56-57  قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا  أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ ۚ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا

Say. “Call on those – besides Him – whom you fancy. they have neither the power to remove your troubles from you nor to change them. Those whom they call upon, themselves seek the means of access to their Lord– whoever of them is nearest– and they hope for His mercy and fear His chastisement; surely the chastisement of your Lord is a thing to be cautious of.

Those people who are called upon to be a ‘waseela’ in the nearness of Allah, they them-selves are seeking means towards Allah, and are afraid of Allah’s punishment and have absolutely no power to either benefit or harm people.

7:194  إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ عِبَادٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ ۖ فَادْعُوهُمْ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

Verily those whom you call upon besides Allah are servants like you. Call upon them, and let them respond to you, if you are (indeed) truthful!

2:166  إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ

Then would those who are followed clear themselves of those who follow (them) . They would see the penalty, and all relations between them would be cut off.

33:66-67  يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا  وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا

The day that their faces will be turned upside down in the fire, they will say. “Woe to us! would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the messenger!” and they would say. “Our Lord! Verily We obeyed our syeds/chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us as from the (right) path.

People will woe themselves on the day of judgement for obeying the Sadat/Syeds/Cheifs instead of obeying Allah and the messenger. Lets see what’s the messenger tells about means to approach Allah.

12:108  قُلْ هَٰذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ ۚ عَلَىٰ بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي ۖ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ

Say . “This is my way, on which I do invite towards Allah,- with perception,- I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah! and I am not of the associaters.

Above is the practice of the messenger. Al-Quran is the way towards approach to Allah. So his ‘sunnat’/practice should be followed by the believers.

25:27  وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا

And that day the oppressor will bite over his hand and will say .  O alas! I wish I should have taken that way along with the messenger.

13:43  وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلًا ۚ قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ

The Unbelievers say. “You are not sent (by Allah).” Say. “enough for a witness between me and you is Allah, and one who has knowledge of the Book.”

A person without the knowledge of the book (Al-Quran) will not be able to give the witness of the messenger. In order to know the true personality of the messenger, knowledge of Allah’s book is required to know how Allah has described the messenger in it. The true personality of the messenger can not be grasped from history books.

2:186  وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

When My servants ask you about Me, I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me. So, Let them also respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they get wisdom.

Allah says that he is near to his servants and listens to every supplication. Allah says they should respond to Him as well. How can we respond to Allah, if we don’t know what Allah is asking us. This two way communication with Allah can only be achieved with the help of His Book. If we make the Book of Allah a means towards approach to him, as messenger has done, then we will know what Allah’s orders are for His servants and we will know what we need to do in order for Allah to accept our supplications.

27:62  أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

Or, Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the evil/suffering, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? (Can there be another) illah/god besides Allah? Little it is that ye heed!

The above ayat states that who else beside Allah can respond to distress call of a caller who calls Him? The ayat asks are there illahs/gods besides Allah to which people call? So if any body calls other than Allah for divine matters, the person called is tantamount to be an illah for the caller. 

31:30  ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ

That is because Allah is the Haq/Truth, and whoever else they call other than Him is Falsehood; and indeed Allah,- He is the Most High, Most Great.

72:18  وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا

And the mosques are for Allah. So do not call any one along with Allah;

Some people may still justify their calling of some one other that Allah in divine matters by saying that who they are calling is in Allah’s party and a very favorite of Allah therefore calling him is not like calling some one without Allah. So the above ayat prohibits calling someone with Allah as well.