Now these words were uttered by the sacred tongue of the...

Now these words were uttered by the sacred tongue of the holy Prophet*(Peac Be Up Him and His Household)* himself and he uttered them in the form of a command. Therefore, this tradition furnishes a cogent justification for the act of intermediation. In the following pages I will draw upon some of the statements made by the Holy Prophet*(Peac Be Up Him and His Household)* , which clearly prove that intermediation is neither a form of disbelief nor a forbidden act.

On the contrary, it is quite valid and one of the permissible ways to seek the nearness of Allah. Section One : Intermediation through good deeds Good deeds are called virtues. To pray through the means of these deeds, “O Allah, through my particular act which I performed purely for Your pleasure, I beseech You that my need be fulfilled,” is quite valid. A few statements that support the act of intermediation are given below: 1.

Deliverance from trouble through mediation A tradition recorded in as-Sahīhayn[5] furnishes clear evidence of the use of intermediation through virtuous deeds which delivers individuals from tension and anxiety or from an actual calamity. ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Umar cites the Messenger of Allah*(Peac Be Up Him and His Household)* to have said: Once upon a time three travellers were passing through a jungle. All of a sudden the sky was overcast with jet-black clouds.

They were thinking of seeking shelter that it began to rain in buckets. They had no other choice but to take shelter in a cave. So they scraped into the cave. The entrance of the cave was quite small. Suddenly a heavy stone came sliding down and covered the entrance. They were trapped inside the cave. They could not move the stone even with their collective might. Therefore, they lost all hope of survival. They felt that the cave would prove to be their grave.

The three of them were religious persons and had an optimistic outlook on life. They had complete faith in the glory and grandeur of God, so the spell of hopelessness did not last long. They chuckled to themselves as they thought of a plan. The clouds of frustration rolled away. Since the plan derived from their strong religious conviction, they readily decided to implement it. They said to one another: there is only one-way to escape the present crunch.

We should offer to Allah as a form of intermediation the acts we have performed for His exclusive pleasure and implore Him through their blessings.