Question Summary:
Do you understand by this hadeeth that Umar RA was used to make dua by saying ”bi hurmati nabiyyina muhammad” and when Nabi SAW passed away he know start saying ” bi hurmati Al Abbas” ?

Question Detail:

Narrated Anas:
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." And so it would rain. (Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 17, Number 123)
 
Do you understand by this hadeeth that Umar RA was used to make dua by saying ''bi hurmati nabiyyina muhammad'' and when Nabi SAW passed away he know start saying '' bi hurmati Al Abbas'' ?
 
Or do you understand that Umar RA used to bring forward the Prophet SAW so that he made duaa to Allah for rain, and when he passed away now Umar RA forwarded and asked his uncle Abbas to make duaa for rain?
 
I noticed that Allamah Shah Kashmiri said in his Sharh of Bukhari called Faidul Bari:
 
His saying: (Oh Allah we used to do tawassul through our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) doesn't mean the tawassul that is known that is by the abscent, and no feeling might even be with it, but in it is the tawassul of the Salaf, which is to bring forward a man with a wajaha 'endallah (not sure how to translate it) and to order him to make duaa for them (then he mentions him in his duaa?? maybe someone can help me translate this part) like was done with al-Abbas radiyallahu anhu, the uncle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and if it included the tawassul of the later ones (the khalaf) , they wouldnt' have needed to let al Abbas go with them, and it would have been enough for them to do tawassul through their Prophet after his death also, or through al-Abbas radiyallahu anhu with him not being present with them.

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
The Muhadditheen (commentators of Hadith) have differed in the interpretation of this Hadith. Some have interpreted it to mean that The Sahaba (Radiallahu Anhum) used to make dua that Allah grant them rain through the Barakah of  Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and that Umar (Radiallahu anhu), during his Khilafat, used to ask Allah to grant them rain through the Barakah of Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu).

However most of the Muhadditheen have interpreted the Hadith to mean that the Sahabah Radiallahu Anhum used to request Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam to make Dua that Allah grant them rain and Umar Radiallahu Anhu, during his Khilafat, used to request Abbas Radiallahu Anhu to make dua for rain.

Allamah Kashmiri (Rahimahullah) has explained the Hadith as follows:

The commonly known Tawassul through a person who is not present and where he does not even have any knowledge that someone is using him as a Wasseelah is not meant here(in this Hadith), Rather what is meant here is the Tawassul of the Salaf. They would request a person who holds a high status in the eyes of Allah Ta’ala (a pious person) to make Dua on their behalf and thereafter, they would mention him in their Dua just as how Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) did with the Uncle of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).(Faidhul Baari, Vol:2, Pg 379, Haqqaniyyah)
قوله: (أللهم إنا كنا نتوسل إليك بنبينا صلى الله عليه و سلم) ليس فيه التوسل المعهود الذي يكون بالغائب حتى لا يكون به شعور أصلا, بل فيه توسل السلف و هو أن يقدم رجلا ذا وجاهة عند الله تعالى و يأمره أن يدعو لهم ثم يحيل عليه في دعائه كما فعل بعباس رضي الله عنه عم النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم.و لو كان فيه توسل المتأخرين لما احتاجوا إلى إذهاب عباس معهم و لكفى لهم التوسل بنبيهم بعد وفاته أيضا أو بالعباس مع عدم شهوده معهم.(فيض الباري للكشميري, ص:379 ج: 2)
 
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (Rahimahullah) has supported this view through a narration of Abdur Razzaaq on the authority of Ibn Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu) that Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) requested Abbas (Radiallahu Anhu) to stand up and make Dua for rain. It is evident from this hadith that Abbas (Radiallahu anhu ) was requested to make dua for rain and he was not used as a Waseelah. (Fathul Bari)

وقد روى عبد الرزاق من حديث ابن عباس " أن عمر استسقى بالمصلى ، فقال للعباس : قم فاستسق ، فقام العباس " فذكر الحديث ، فتبين بهذا أن في القصة المذكورة أن العباس كان مسئولا وأنه ينزل منزلة الإمام إذا أمره الإمام بذلك  (فتح الباري)
 And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Ml. Suhail Tarmahomed,
Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai