Question Summary:
Can we ask Allah directly for our needs or do we need to make intercession through a pious person?

Question Detail:

I have come across this mentality amongst the Ummah that we cannot ask Allah (SWT) directly for anything; we need to go through “channels” e.g. Allah (SWT) is the president, Rasulallah (SAW) is the prime minister and the Awliyas (AS) are the head of states. We need to go through these channels in order for our duas to get accepted / answered.

I know there are verses in the Quraan where Allah (SWT) states that “Ask of me and I will give”. Please can you quote me such verses with their location? Are there any Hadith of Bukhari Shareef that refers to this topic?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
 
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
 
A person can supplicate directly to Allah Ta῾āla without any intermediary and without the intercession of anyone. Allah Ta’ala says:
 
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“And when my servants ask you about Me, of course, I am near. I respond to the call of one when
he prays to Me; so they should respond to Me and have faith in Me so that they may be on the right path.”
(Quran, 2:186)
 
A person can also adopt tawassul (means) in making make duā. The means could be through one of the names or attributes of Allah, it could be a righteous deed one has done, or through a pious person, whether he is alive or has passed away as long is it not done in an impermissible way.
 
The basis for tawassul are the following.
 
 
Allah says in Sūrah Al-Māidah:
 
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek a means (wasīla) to him” (Quran, 5:35)
 
It is stated in a hadīth,
 
أن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه كان إذا قحطوا استسقى بالعباس بن عبد المطلب فقال : اللهم إنا كنا نتوسل إليك بنبينا فتسقينا ، وإنا نتوسل إليك بعم نبينا فاسقنا ، قال فيسقون
Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah ! Bless us with rain."
So it would rain.
 
In the time of Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam), a blind person came and requested Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) to make duā to cure him. Rasulullah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) asked him to make wudū and then make the following duā [1][vi]:
 
 اللهم إني أسألك وأتوجه إليك بنبيك محمد نبي الرحمة إني توجهت بك إلى ربي في حاجتي هذه لتقضى لي اللهم فشفعه
'Oh Allah, verily, I ask of you and I turn to you through your Prophet, Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy,  (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam), verily, I have turned to my Lord through you (Muhammad) so that my need be fulfilled. Oh Allah, accept his intercession on my behalf.'
 
It is clear from the above references of Quran and Ahadīth that tawassul is permissible. However in doing tawassul, it is important that one is making du῾ā’ to Allah and no one else.
 
The waseela, a good deed or pious person is a means to attract Allah’s mercy. One is not making dua to the pious person.
 
It is not like calling a prime-minister to reach the president. In dua we reach Allah directly and merely refer to the good deed or a pious as a means to invoke Allah’s mercy.
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mawlana Sohail ibn Arif
Student, Darul Iftaa
U.S.A
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net