The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.) refutes the Wahabbis

By: Al-Tijani Al-Samawi
There is no doubt that the Holy Qur'an has acknowledged intercession and tawassul between Allah and His people, and not prohibited that nor prevented His messenger from it. Rather, the Qur'an has made it permissible and recommended it.
The Qur'an has made the Prophet’s deeds, sayings, and approving of others’ deeds an example for us to follow in our lives, when saying: Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah (S) an excellent exemplar. Qur'an, 33:21
On this basis, we will take the Prophet’s doings and sayings as our evidence. We shall not derive our evidence from the books of the Shia nor from any of the books of the Sunni, for that shall be uncountable. We shall be satisfied with what al-Bukhari has mentioned in his Sahih alone, so that the answer to the Wahabis shall be by the knockout that they may not argue with it, if they are fair. Otherwise, their obstinacy and blind fanaticism shall expose them to all Muslims.
After we have proved the permissibility of tawassul from the Qur'an and the Prophetic Sunna, we discuss what to the Wahabis is more defamed and more deniable than tawassul; it is the asking the blessing of and wiping one’s body against holy shrines and sacred places.
The Wahabis have reached an extent that they beat the hajjis for doing so and accuse them of polytheism.

The companions seek the blessing of the Prophet’s hair
It is worth mentioning to say that the deeds of the Prophet’s companions are an argument against the Wahabis, because they believe that all the companions are totally just and honest. They claim that they follow them. They call themselves as Salafis meaning that they follow the “pious ancients” and that all the companions were pious and righteous in their view.
Al-Bukhari has mentioned in his Sahih that Malik ibn Ismaeel narrated from Israel ibn Aasim from Ibn Sirin who said, “Once, I said to Ubaydah, ‘We have some of the Prophet’s hair. We have got it from Anas or the family of Anas.’ He said, ‘If I have one hair from him, it shall be more beloved to me than the world and all that is there in it’.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1 p. 51).
Al-Bukhari also mentioned a tradition narrated by Muhammad ibn Abd ur Raheem from Sa’eed ibn Sulayman from Etad from ibn Sirin that Anas said, “When the Messenger of Allah (S) had his hair cut, Abu Talha was the first one to take from his (the Prophet’s cut) hair.”( Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1 p. 51).
Since Anas ibn Malik, the famous companion, kept the Prophet’s hair and gave from it to his relatives and friends, and since a companion said, “If I have one hair from him, it shall be more beloved to me than the world and all that is there in it”, (I swear) by my life, this is the clearest evidence that the companions sought blessing in the belongings of the Prophet (S) and everything related to him. And, by my life, this refutes the Wahabis who beat the hajjis who seek blessing in the Prophet’s belongings.
In my book ‘Then I was Guided’, I have mentioned the nice story of the Shia scholars who offered a copy of the Holy Qur'an wrapped in leather as gift to the Saudi king at that time. The king kissed the Qur'an and put it on his forehead as a kind of honoring. The Shia Scholar said to the king, “Why did you kiss the leather and honor it?”
The king said, “When I kissed the leather, I intended to kiss what was there inside the leather, which is the Holy Qur'an.”
The Shia scholar said, “And so do we! When we kiss the window of the Prophet’s room (inside which he has been buried), we know that it is iron, which neither benefits nor harms, but we mean what is beyond the iron, and it is the Messenger of Allah (S).”

Companions and caliphs seek blessings in the Prophet’s belongings after his death
Through my research on this subject, I have found more than twenty traditions in the six Sahihs (the Sunni books of Hadith) showing that the companions in general and the caliphs especially, sought blessing from the Prophet’s belongings. However, as I have promised, I shall only mention one or two traditions from al-Bukhari who seems to be strict in such traditions.
Al-Bukhari has mentioned in his Sahih in a chapter “on what was narrated about the Prophet’s armor, stick, sword, drinking-vessel, ring and what the caliphs used of that after him… and from his hair, shoes, and vessels by which his companions and others sought blessing after his death.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4 p. 46. Chapt. The Prophet’s call for Islam and Prophethood).
Al-Bukhari has mentioned in his Sahih that az-Zubayr said, “On the Day (the battle) of Badr, I met Ubaydah ibn Sa’eed ibn al-Aas (in fighting), who was heavily armed and nothing was seen of him except his eyes, and who was surnamed as Abu Thatil Karsh. He said, ‘I am Abu Thatil Karsh.’ I attacked him with my iron-tipped stick. I hit him in his eye and he died.” Hisham said, “I was told that az-Zubayr said, ‘I put my leg against him and stretched myself and with effort I could take spout (the stick) - where its ends were bent.”
Urwa said, “The Messenger of Allah (S) asked him (az-Zubayr) to give it to him, and he gave it to him. When the Messenger of Allah (S) was taken away in death, he (az-Zubayr) took it back. Then, Abu Bakr asked for it, and he gave it to him. When Abu Bakr died, Umar asked for it, and he gave it to him. When Umar died, he took it back, and then Uthman asked for it, and he gave it to him. When Uthman was killed, it became in the possession of Ali’s family, and then Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr asked for it, and it was with him until he was killed.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 5 p. 14. Chapt. The presence of angels in the battle of Badr from the book al-Maghazi (raids).

A necessary note
We notice from this tradition that the Messenger of Allah (S) himself sought blessing in that stick, which az-Zubayr had and with which he had fought heroes in the wars. With this stick, he fought Ubaydah ibn Sa’eed ibn al-Aas who was heavily armed and armored that only his eyes were seen. Despite that, az-Zubayr struck him with this stick in his eye and killed him, and then he took it out with difficulty. It was really a wonderful stick, and it might be from the kind of stick that Moses had, with which he had split the sea for the Children of Israel.
Allah says: Then We revealed to Moses: Strike the sea with your staff. So it had cloven asunder, and each part was like a huge mound. Qur'an, 26:63
And when Moses prayed for drink for his people, We said: Strike the rock with your staff So there gushed from it twelve springs. Qur'an, 2:60
It is no wonder then that the Messenger of Allah (S) asked az-Zubayr to give him that iron-tipped stick to seek the blessing in it, or it could be to teach people that seeking blessing is permissible in Islam. This possibility is too strong, especially when we know that all the caliphs after the Prophet (S) had asked for this stick, which moved from one to another until finally it came to Abdullah ibn az-Zubayer, for it was his father’s heritage.
We find in the Holy Qur'an many references to seeking blessing in things that were related to prophets and messengers. It has been said in the Qur'an: He said: What was then your case, O Samiri? He said: I perceived what they perceive not, so I seized a handful from the footsteps of the messenger, and then threw it in. Thus, my soul commended to me. Qur'an, 20:95-96
Perhaps Samiri perceived what the rest of companions, did not perceive when he seized a handful from the earth that the Prophet had stepped on, or which might have achieved some miracles. So he thought that Moses was a great magician and the miracles he showed to people were just magic that whoever had means to do it, could do.
Therefore, he threw the handful of earth and his soul incited him to take the Children of Israel back to worship the calf. The story confirms what we have said that he showed some charismata and miracles to the Israelites until they were deceived and they followed him.
We find other references in the Holy Qur’an to the seeking of blessing and cure by the belongings of the prophets. Allah says in the Sura of Yousuf: Take this my shirt and cast it on my father’s face, he will (again) be able to see, and come to me with all your families. And when the caravan had departed, their father said: Most surely I perceive the scent of Yousuf, unless you pronounce me to be weak in judgment. They said: By Allah, you are most surely in your old error. So when the bearer of good news came, he cast it on his face, so forthwith he regained his sight. He said: Did I not say to you that I know from Allah what you do not know. Qur'an, 12:93-96
What is understood from these verses is that the Prophet Jacob (S) was blind and that his son Yousuf sent him his shirt and asked the one who brought good news to wipe his father’s face with the shirt in order to recover his sight, and this actually happened.
Despite our deep faith that Allah the Almighty is able to make the Prophet Jacob (S) recover his sight without the shirt of Yousuf (S), able to make water gush out of the rock, and the sea to split without the stick of Moses and able to restore to life the killed one without hitting him with some pieces of the cow, (In reference to these verses: “And when you killed a man, then you disagreed with respect to that, and Allah was to bring forth that which you were going to hide. So We said: Strike the (dead body) with part of the (sacrificed cow), thus Allah brings the dead to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may understand.” Qur’an 2:73)
Allah the Almighty has made a means for all that to happen to make people understand what means and intercession are from the law of Allah to His people, and not polytheism as the Wahabis and their followers claim.
Allah says: This is Our book that speaks against you with justice; surely We wrote what you did. Then as to those who believed and did good - their Lord will make them enter into His mercy; that is the manifest triumph. And as to those who disbelieved: What! were not My communications recited to you? But you were proud and you were a guilty people. Qur'an, 45:29-31

The Prophet admits seeking blessing and teaches it to his companions
Let no one be deceived by the sayings of those who deny - who say that seeking blessing in things is a heresy invented by some companions or some of their successors. They say that out of ignorance or fanaticism to new Wahabism which is itself a heresy that accuses Muslims of polytheism just due to a false doubt the Wahabis themselves have created.
The Messenger of Allah (S) acknowledged on many occasion what his companions did, seeking blessing in certain things and he recommended them to do that. After that, the companions competed among themselves to do it
Al-Bukhari in his Sahih has mentioned a tradition narrated by Adam from Shu’bah from al-Hakam that Abu Juhayfah said, “The Messenger of Allah (S) went out with us at midday. He was brought some water and he performed wudhu’ with it. People began taking from the remaining water of his wudhu’ and wiping themselves with it. The Prophet (S) offered the Noon Prayer in two rak’as and the Afternoon Prayer in two rak’as, and there was a stick in front of him. Abu Musa said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (S) called for a vessel of water with which he washed his hands and face and ejected (from his mouth) in it and said to them (his companions), ‘Drink from it and pour on your faces and necks.’”( Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1 p. 55).
Al-Bukhari mentioned another tradition in his Sahih clearer than the previous one. He mentioned that Abu Musa (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Once, I was with the Prophet (S) while he was in al-Ja’rana (a place) between Mecca and Medina, and Bilal was there with him. A nomad came to the Prophet (S) and said to him, ‘Would you not carry out to me what you have promised?’
The Prophet said, ‘Be delighted!’
The nomad said, ‘How much you said to me - be delighted (with good news)!’
The Prophet (S) came to Abu Musa and Bilal while somehow angry, saying, ‘He rejected the good news. You both come to me!’
They came to him. He called for a vessel of water. He washed his hands and face in it, and then rinsed out his mouth in it and said, ‘Drink from it and pour on your faces and necks and wait for good news!’ They took the vessel and did so. From behind a curtain, Umm Salama (the Prophet’s wife) called out, ‘Leave some of it for your mother!’ And they left some to her.”( Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 5 p. 103).
These true traditions on seeking blessing do not show that the Prophet (S) approved of the matter, but rather it was he who ordered his companions to do it after he had washed his hands and face and rinsed out his mouth with the water. Then, he asked them to drink and pour on their faces and necks from that water. He gave them good news that they would receive goodness by the blessing of that water with which the Prophet washed his hands, face, and mouth and Umm Salama (the Prophet’s wife) asked to leave some of that water for her to be blessed with. So where are the Wahabis from these facts? Or are there locks on their hearts!