Therefore...

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. Different views about intermediation (Tawassul) There is complete agreement on some aspects of intermediation while a fractious climate of opinion marks its other aspects. The Muslim scholars agree that virtuous deeds like prayer, fasting, pilgrimage to Makkah, zakat and recitation of the holy Qur’ān can serve as legitimate means of intermediation.

There are, of course, some people who deny intermediation without action (passive intermediation) i.e. through prophets, righteous ones, saints and relics, though the Muslim scholars have affirmed the possibility of intermediation through these means. These differences have been eloquently highlighted by Muhammad bin ‘Alawī al-Mālikī: “The conflicting view relates to intermediation without action (passive intermediation), i.e.