A Comparative Study of the Views of Wahhabism and the Shāfiʿī School on Tawassul through Status, Rank, and Right

Tawassul has long occupied a significant position in Islamic tradition. However, since the emergence of the Wahhabi movement, both the scope and the manner of this practice, particularly tawassul through the status (jāh), rank (maqām), and right (ḥaqq) of God's saints, have become subjects of intense theological controversy. Employing an analytical-comparative approach, this study examines the perspectives of Wahhabism and the Shāfiʿī school, one of the major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, regarding this form of tawassul. The article seeks to clarify the viewpoints and underlying evidential foundations of both sides while identifying their points of convergence and divergence. The findings indicate that the two perspectives fundamentally differ in their approach to scriptural texts and their juridical conclusions. Wahhabi scholars, by invoking the principle that acts of worship are strictly determined by divine revelation (tawqīfiyyah al-ʿibādāt) and by reinterpreting the relevant scriptural evidence, regard this form of tawassul as an innovation (bidʿah) and a potential precursor to polytheism (shirk). In contrast, the Shāfiʿī school, relying on the Qur'an, the Prophetic Sunnah, and the established practice of the early Muslim generations, considers it a legitimate practice deeply rooted in the authentic Islamic tradition.