The Prophet (a.

The Prophet (a.s) said, I can supplicate if you desire, or I can put it off until later, which is better. The man asked the Prophet to supplicate. The holy Prophet ordered him to make a ritual ablution, wudu', taking care in doing it, perform a prayer of two rak`ah and invoke God in the following manner: O God, I implore thee, and turn to thee through thy , the Prophet of mercy; O Muhammad, I turn to my Lord through you for my request to be granted.

O God, let him be my intercessor.[1] This tradition has been generally confirmed by the traditionists as Hakim Nayshaburi, who having narrated it in his Mustadrak, calls it sound. Quoting Abu-Ishaq, Ibn Majah says, This tradition is sound. In his Abwab al-Ad`iyah (The Gates of Supplication), Tirmidhi confirms that this tradition is sound.

Also, Muhammad Nasib al-Rifa`i, in his al-Tawassul ila al-Haqiqah, says No doubt this tradition is sound and known (to all), one in which it is proved that the blind mans eyesight was restored to him through the supplication of the Prophet (a.s).[2] [1] Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 4, p. 138, On narrations quoted from `Uthman Ibn Hunayf; Al-Hakim's al-Mustadrak `ala al-Sahihayn, vol. 1, the book on Salat al-Tatawwu`, p. 313, printed in Beirut; Sunan Ibn Majah; vol.

p.441; printed by Dar Ihya' al-Kutub al-`Arabiyyah; al-Taj, vol. 1, p. 286; al-Suyuti's al-Jami` al-Saghir, p. 59; Ibn Taymiyyah's al-Tawassul wa'l-Wasilah, p. 98, printed in Beirut. [2] Al-Tawwassul ila al-Haqiqah, p. 158, printed in Beirut. It is clearly understood from this tradition that it is permissible to resort to the holy Prophet, asking him to serve as an intermediary for the needs to be granted.

What is more the Messenger of God himself ordered the blind man to supplicate in that particular manner and implore God through the intermediary of the Prophet. This is what restoring to the saints, tawassul, really means. Abu-`Abdullah Bukhari has mentioned the following in his Sahih Whenever there was a drought, `Umar ibn al-Khattab went to Ibn `Abbas, the Prophets uncle, and said, O God, when the Prophet was alive we implored for rain through Thy Prophet, and Thou sent us rain.

Now, we turn to Thee by resorting to the uncle of our Prophet. So, give us rain water, and rain was given them.[1] So popular was the issue of resorting to the saints that the early Muslims wrote poems in which the Prophet was referred to as the intermediary between the Muslims and God.