Al-Istighatha:

A Heretical Innovation or Established in

Tradition?

John Andaluso
thirdshahada.com
 In thawab of
A certain servant of al-Zahra’

May our master Fatima (a) bless them

And bless all the believers
 What is Istighatha?
Purpose of this research

‘Istighatha’ is defined the ‘act of directly beseeching aid from a pious

saint without invoking Allah’.

Meaning, a person would say “O Ali help me with my task”, calling

upon Ali for aid directly - instead of:

⁃ Invoking Allah alone, by saying “O Allah help me with my task”.

This is defined as a dua.

⁃ Invoking Allah by the sake of a saint. In other words, by saying

“O Allah help me with my task by the virtue of Ali”. This is
defined as tawassul.

Characteristically associated with Shi’i Islam and Sufism, istighatha is

seen as the most powerful medium of spiritual interaction with holy
saints, often deceased.

When one addresses a saint directly asking for him to make use of
spiritual powers in his hold to grant the religious practitioner worldly
favors, and such request is granted - an intense personal relationship is
developed between the murid (follower of the saint) and the saint
himself.

The two may have never met, and the saint might not even be
physically alive - yet, such a relationship may be closer to the murid’s
heart than a relationship with his own parents.

However, not all denominations of Islam agree with such a practice,

arguing that;
• Such an intense personal, spiritual relationship is reserved only
for Allah and His slaves, as He is “closer to [them] than their
jugular vein” (50:16)

• Most importantly, the act of directly invoking a saint is

associating others with Allah - an act known as shirk. And shirk
is the only sin which Allah does not forgive, and causes all deeds
to become useless - per Allah’s words: “And it was already
revealed to you and to those before you that if you should
associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become
worthless, and you would surely be among the losers” (39:65)

Due to the differences between sects and strains of Islam in their

outlook regarding Istighatha, it had become in recent times a hot topic
of debate between Shi’i and puritanical Salafi polemicists - who
accept and deny the concept respectively.

Because of the lack of shared hadith corpus, the arguments frequently

invoked Quranic texts and logic to validate or refute Istighatha.

However, it has come to my notice that the issue of istighatha is being

challenged even in Shi’i circles lately. This has prompted me to write
this booklet to present a clearer and comprehensive understanding of
the concept and the basis of it, if any.

Moreover, unlike Shi’i - Salafi polemics, my book will be focused on

understanding the concept from the perspective of Shi’i ahadith. Thus,
while Quranic verses may be used to reference or contextualize any
positions I state - the primary focus of the discussion will be on
ahadith.

To do this, inshallah - the booklet will be divided into the following

sections:

(1) Basis of Istighatha

• The Imam Sees and Hears you Wherever You Are
• Imam’s Active Involvement In Affairs of Shia - Even If
Deceased
• Basis of Addressing the Imam Directly

(2) Ahadith on Istighatha

(3) Conclusion

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem

—
The Imam Sees and Hears you Wherever You Are

1. (Basa’ir al-Darajat p 474 and al-Kafi, vol 1, page 272)

“On the authority of Al-Mufaddal bin Omar, he said,

“I said to Abu Abdullah (al-Sadiq), peace be upon him:

I asked him about the Imam’s knowledge of what is in the regions of

the earth while he was in his house, covered up in his blanket. (In
other words, can the Imam have ghayb knowledge what is happening
in different regions of words while in the comfort of his home?)

He (the Imam) said: O Mufaddal -God, Blessed and Exalted be He,

gave the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his
family, five spirits:

⁃ the spirit of life in which he went about

⁃ the spirit of strength, in which rose and fought
⁃ the spirit of eating, drinking, and consummating with women in
halal
⁃ the spirit of faith from which he ordered and judged
⁃ he Holy Spirit, through which he carried the prophecy.

When the the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and
his family died - the Holy Spirit moved and became in the Imam.

And the Holy Spirit is constant, by which he (the Imam) sees what is
in the east and west of the earth, its land and its sea.

I asked him (the Imam):

Can the Imam see the entirety of Baghdad wrapped in his hand?

He (the Imam) said:

‫”‪Yes, and everything below the throne of Allah.‬‬

‫حدثنا الحسني بن محمد بن عامر عن معلى بن محمد حدثني أبو الفضل عبد اهلل )‪(13‬‬
‫بن إدريس عن محمد بن سنان عن املفضل بن عمر قال قلت ألبي عبد اهلل عليه السالم‬
‫سئلته عن علم اإلمام بما في أقطار األرض وهو في بيته مرخى عليه ستره فقال يا‬
‫مفضل ان اهلل تبارك وتعالى جعل للنبي صلى اهلل عليه وآله خمسة أرواح روح الحياة‬
‫فيه دب ودرج وروح القوة فبه نهض وجاهد وروح الشهوة فبه اكل وشرب واتى النساء‬
‫من الحالل وروح االيمان فبه امر وعدل وروح القدس فبه حمل النبوة فإذا قبض النبي‬
‫صلى اهلل عليه وآله وسلم انتقل روح القدس فصار في االمام وروح القدس ال ينام وال‬
‫يغفل وال يلهوا وال يسهوا واألربعة األرواح تنام وتلهوا وتغفل وتسهوا وروح القدس ثابت‬
‫يرى به ما في شرق األرض وغربها وبرها وبحرها قلت جعلت فداك يتناول االمام ما‬
‫ببغداد بيده قال نعم و ما دون العرش‬

‫)‪2. (Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 285‬‬

‫‪“May I be ransom to you (Imam al-Sadiq), by what is the Imam‬‬

‫?‪known‬‬

‫‪He (the Imam) said:‬‬

‫;‪With qualities‬‬

‫‪As for the first of these qualities, it is with a sign that was presented by‬‬
‫‪his father in it with a reference to him to be a hujja (proving his‬‬
‫‪Imamate to the Shi’a).‬‬

‫‪If he is asked, he answers.‬‬

‫‪If the questioner silent, he (the Imam) begins the conversation by‬‬
‫‪telling him about the question he (asker) intended to ask.‬‬

‫‪He tells what will happen tomorrow and speaks to people in every‬‬
‫‪tongue, then he (Imam al-Sadiq) said to me:‬‬
O Abu Muhammad, I give you a sign before you rise. It was not long
before a man from the people of Khurasan came to us, and Al-
Khorasani spoke to him in Arabic. Abu Al-Hasan, peace be upon him,
answered him in Persian.

Al-Khorasani said to him: By God, may I be your ransom. What

prevented me from speaking to you in Khurasan, except that I thought
that you did not do it well, so he said:

Glory be to God, if I am not good at answering you, what is my virtue

over you?

Then he said to me: O Abu Muhammad, not hidden for the imam is
the words of any of the people, nor a bird, nor an animal, nor
anything that has a soul, so whoever does not have these qualities in
him is not an imam.”

‫ أما أولها فإنه بشئ قد تقدم من أبيه‬:‫ بخصال‬:‫ فقال‬:‫جعلت فداك بم يعرف االمام؟ قال‬
‫( لتكون عليهم حجة ويسأل فيجيب وإن سكت عنه ابتدأ ويخبر بما‬3) ‫فيه بإشارة إليه‬
‫ يا أبا محمد أعطيك عالمة قبل أن تقوم فلم‬:‫ ثم قال لي‬،‫في غد ويكلم الناس بكل لسان‬
‫ فكلمه الخراساني بالعربية فأجابه أبو‬،‫ألبث أن دخل علينا رجل من أهل خراسان‬
‫ واهلل جعلت فداك ما منعني أن‬:‫الحسن عليه السالم بالفارسية فقال له الخراساني‬
‫ سبحان اهلل إذا كنت ال‬:‫ فقال‬،‫أكلمك بالخراسانية غير أني ظننت أنك ال تحسنها‬
‫ يا أبا محمد إن االمام ال يخفى عليه كالم‬:‫أحسن أجيبك فما فضلي عليك ثم قال لي‬
‫ فمن لم يكن هذه الخصال فيه‬،‫أحد من الناس وال طير وال بهيمة وال شئ فيه الروح‬
‫فليس هو بإمام‬.

3. (Al-Kafi, volume 1, page 219)

“The deeds are presented upon Rasul Allah - the deeds of mankind
every morning. Its righteous and wicked [deeds] so beware of it, as
Allah says:
‘Do as you will. Your deeds will be observed by Allah, His Messenger’
(9:105)’

‫ تعرض األعمال على رسول اهلل‬:‫ عن أبي عبد اهلل عليه السالم قال‬،‫عن أبي بصير‬
‫ وهو قول‬،‫( كل صباح أبرارها وفجارها فاحذروها‬1) ‫صلى اهلل عليه وآله أعمال العباد‬
‫( " وسكت‬4) ‫ " اعملوا فسيرى اهلل عملكم ورسوله‬:‫اهلل تعالى‬.

• Evaluation:

The three ahadith listed above can be best surmised by a statement of

the Zaydi Imam al-Qassim al-Rassi, a contemporary of Imam Ali al-
Hadi, describes the Shi’a of his as the believing in the following
regarding the Imam:

(Al-Rad ‘ala al-Ghulat min al-Rafida, from Majmu Kutub al-Qassim

al-Rassi p574-575)

“And like your statement (O Rafida):

He (the Imam) sees us in every land, and sees our state, acts, and
deeds.

And he hears our speech”

‫ ويسمع كالمنا‬،‫ومثل قولكم يرانا في كل بالد ويرى حالنا وأعمالنا وأفاعيلنا‬

It is evident that these ahadith were taken upon by the bulk of Shi’a in
their conception of the Imams during the times of our Imams, such
that the Zaydi Imam generalized those beliefs to all Shi’a (Rafida).

The ahadith feature an idea of the infallible having active oversight

over the Shi’a - whether this infallible is physically dead or alive; that
the Imam can:
(1) See us wherever we are, to the extent he can open his hands and
see what the entire city of Baghdad is doing (as the Basa’ir al-Darajat
hadith says) and can see everything below the Throne of Allah.
(2) Hear whatever we say, in whatever tongue
(3) Is presented with our deeds, even if he is deceased (such as
Rasul Allah).

Note:

The hadith says the prophet is presented with our deeds every
morning, however ‘morning’ is for emphasis not exclusivity.

Similar to when the Prophet tells Imam Ali:

(Fada’il al-Shi’a by Shaykh al-Saduq, p 17)

“O Ali, the deeds of your Shi’a are presented to me every Friday. So I

become happy with their good deeds and perform istighfar for their
bad deeds”.

But the presentation of deeds cannot exclusively be every Friday, as

they are presented to the Prophet every morning.

It is likelier that both Friday and every morning is for emphasis, as the
reality of the fact is that angels constantly record our deeds, actions,
desires, words.

And the angels’ knowledge is equal to that of the Holy Prophet (thus
he knows whatever they know). Then this angelic and prophetic
knowledge at the same time is transmitted to the Imams:

(Al Kafi, volume 1, page 255)

“Allah has two types of knowledge: [one type of] knowledge he

bestows upon his angels, prophets, and messengers. And whatever
He bestows upon His angels, messengers, and prophets - then we
know it.”

3 - :‫ قال‬،‫ عن ضريس‬،‫ عن جعفر بن بشير‬،‫ عن صالح بن السندي‬،‫علي بن إبراهيم‬

‫ وعلم مكفوف‬،‫ علم مبذول‬:‫ إن هلل عز وجل علمني‬:‫سمعت أبا جعفر عليه السالم يقول‬
‫فأما املبذول فإنه ليس من شئ تعلمه املالئكة والرسل إال نحن نعلمه‬

Upon this idea of all-hearing, all-seeing, and all aware Imam by the
permission of Allah does the concept of istighatha revolve around.
An Imam - even if deceased - is still involved in affairs of Shi’a

1. Blessing his Shi’a with Rizq (provision)

(Al-Kafi, vol 6, p 296)

“We were with Abi Abdilah [al-Sadiq], so he fed up.

Then we all raised our hands and said ‘Alhamdulilah’.

So Aba Abdilah [al-Sadiq] said:

‘Oh Allah, this [Rizq, that is the food] is from you and from
Muhammad your Messenger. O Allah, to you is praise, send your
blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.”

22 - ‫ عن جده الحسن بن‬،‫ عن القاسم بن يحيى‬،‫ عن أحمد بن محمد‬،‫محمد بن يحيى‬

‫ كنا عند أبي عبد اهلل عليه السالم فأطعمنا ثم رفعنا أيدينا‬:‫ عن ابن بكير قال‬،‫راشد‬
‫فقلنا‬:
" ‫ اللهم‬،‫ " اللهم هذا منك ومن محمد رسولك‬:‫ أبو عبد اهلل عليه السالم‬:‫الحمد هلل " فقال‬
‫" لك الحمد صل على محمد وآل محمد‬.

2. Supernaturally strengthening his Shia’s souls to obey God and

performing good deeds for Him

(Al-Kafi, vol 2, p 268)

“On the authority of Abu Khadija, he said: I entered upon Abu al-
Hasan (peace be upon him) and he said to me:

God, Blessed and Exalted be He, supports the believer with a spirit
from Him who attends the believer every time he is good and pious,
and is absent from him every time he commits sins and transgressions.
It (the spirit) is with him (the believer), happy when he is righteous
and dwindles when he is unrighteous.

So pledge, O servants of God that you will reform yourselves, you will
increase in certainty and gain what is valuable.

May Allah have mercy upon an individual who aimed for good and
performed it, or aimed for evil and stopped himself.

Then he (the Imam) said: “We (the Ahlulbayt) strengthen the spirit
with obedience to Allah and performing (good) deeds for him.”

‫ دخلت على أبي الحسن )عليه السالم( فقال‬:‫ عن أبي خديجة قال‬،‫عن محمد بن سنان‬
،‫ إن اهلل تبارك وتعالى أيد املؤمن بروح منه تحضره في كل وقت يحسن فيه ويتقي‬:‫لي‬
‫ فهي معه تهتز سرورا عند إحسانه وتسيخ‬،‫وتغيب عنه في كل وقت يذنب فيه ويعتدي‬
‫ فتعاهدوا عباد اهلل نعمه باصالحكم أنفسكم تزدادوا يقينا‬،‫في الثرى عند إساءته‬
:‫ ثم قال‬،‫ رحم اهلل امرءا هم بخير فعمله أو هم بشر فارتدع عنه‬،‫وتربحوا نفيسا ثمينا‬
‫( الروح بالطاعة هلل والعمل له‬2) ‫نحن نؤيد‬.

• Evaluation

In the first hadith, Rizq (provision) which the companions of Imam

al-Sadiq received in the first hadith was certainly attributable to not
only Allah, but also to Prophet Muhammad - by Imam al-Sadiq.

Because whatever the Prophet gives from Rizq, it is from Allah but
the Prophet is its executor (the one who actually distributes the Rizq).

Similar to when Allah says:

“It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and
His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter]
have any choice about their affair” (33:36).
The Messenger does not independently decide a matter from Allah,
however, he is simply the best executor of Allah’s orders.

Thus, the Prophet (and thus the rest of infallibles) from his heavenly
position, can still endow the Shi’a with his provision even after being
physically deceased.

The provision will be from Allah, but the Prophet distributes it to the
people of Earth.

In the second hadith, what is described is that Allah supports the

believer (i.e, Shi’i) with a spirit comprised of faith.

Allama Tabatabaei clarifies that this spirit is (typically) occupied by an

angel who strengthens the believer in his deeds.

‫ قال تعالى‬،‫ ليس معناه تفسير الروح بامللك بل امللك يصاحب الروح ويعمل به‬:‫أقول‬:

However for the Shi’a, it seems the Imam strengthens the spirit to
obey Allah and perform good deeds - when they desire to perform
them. This suggests an active involvement by the Imams in the lives
of their Shi’a to lead them to salvation.

Such as, if a believer desires to enter a halal merchant activity of sort -

the Imam will guide him in this venture, as long as it is halal.

Thus, another crucial basis of istighatha is formed:

⁃ The Imam’s ability to provide provision, per Allah’s will

⁃ The Imam’s ability to give strength to the believer in obedience to
Allah.
Why Invoke the Imam, When Allah Is the Giver? (From Quran)

⁃ “Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Your soul will be taken by the Angel of

Death, who is in charge of you. Then to your Lord you will ˹all˺
be returned.” (32:11)

• Evaluation:

The Angel of Death, put in charge over us, is whom Allah says wills
take our souls.

Why doesn’t Allah tell the Prophet to inform the people that HE
(Allah) will take their souls, why say the angel of death of death who
was put in charge of us?

Does the angel of death have free will from Allah? If not, then why
did Allah attribute the taking of a soul to him (angel) instead of Allah
(the one who causes death)?

The answer is that the Angel of Death is a faithful executor of Allah’s

command to take people’s soul, hence the act is attributable to him.

⁃ “Since We have sent you a messenger from among yourselves—

reciting to you Our revelations, purifying you, teaching you the
Book and wisdom, and teaching you what you never knew”
(2:151)

• Evaluation:

Allah attributes purification to the Prophet in the above verse.

Allah also cites a way one may be purified by the Prophet, through
zakat:
“Take from their wealth ˹O Prophet˺ charity to purify and bless them,
and pray for them” (9:103)

Why is Allah attributing purification to the Prophet, and cites actions

one can undertake to obtain the Prophet’s purification (i.e, through
zakat).

Whereas, “Allah purifies whom He wills” (4:49)?

The answer is Allah delegated the the power to purify believers to the
Prophet, not independently from Allah.

Thus, one should go to the prophet directly to seek blessings from this
delegated power and attribute this power to him (the Prophet).

With knowledge, that the authority of that power stems from Allah.

⁃ “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom

they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah
and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and
prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them
what is good and forbids them from what is evil” (7:157)

• Evaluation:

We can see in the above verse that Allah attributes to the Prophet the
delegation of making matters permissible or forbidden, making lawful
good and evil forbidden.

Allah directly states that the Prophet for examples “makes lawful for
them (Muslims) what is good”, because he delegated this task to the
Prophet.

Thus, it is attributable to him.

(Al-Kafi, vol 1, page 268)

“Abu Abdullah, peace be upon him, said: No, by God, God has not
delegated (duties) to any of His creation except to the Messenger of
God, may God bless him and his family, and to the imams. The
Almighty said: “Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book with the
truth, so that you may judge between people by what God has shown
you”

And this verse continues to he applicable to the awsiya’ (i.e, Imams,

peace be upon them.

‫ ال واهلل ما فوض اهلل إلى أحد من خلقه إال إلى رسول‬:‫ قال أبو عبد اهلل عليه السالم‬:‫قال‬
‫ " إنا أنزلنا إليك الكتاب بالحق‬:‫ قال عز وجل‬،‫اهلل صلى اهلل عليه وآله وإلى األئمة‬
‫( " وهي جارية في األوصياء عليهم السالم‬1) ‫لتحكم بني الناس بما أريك اهلل‬.
 Ahadith of Istighatha

1. (Basa’ir al-Darajat, page 271)

“On the authority of Hisham ibn Salem, he said:

I entered upon Abdullah ibn Jaafar (who claimed Imamate) and Abu
al-Hasan (al-Kadhim) in the majlis, in front of him was a mirror.

So I turned to Abdullah and did not ask him until the zakat was
mentioned, so I asked him and he said: You ask me for zakat, whoever
has forty dirhams is required to spend one dirham.

I I turned my eyes on Abdullah and was astonished by him, so I said to

him:

May God give you health, because you know my affection for your
father and my attachment to him, and I have narrated books from him,
so would you like me to bring them to you? (to prove to you otherwise)

He said: ‘Yes, oh cousin, come to us (with those books)

So I performed istighatha from Messenger of God and I went to his

grave and said:

O Messenger of God, to whom (should I seek the correct faith)? To the

Qadariyyah? To the Haruriyyah? To the Murji'ah? To Zaydism?

I remained in that state until a young boy, less than five years old,
came to me and pulled my dress and said to me:

‘Answer!’

I said: ‘To who?’

‫‪He said: To my master Musa ibn Ja’far, so I entered the courtyard of‬‬
‫‪the house, and he was inside the house and he said:‬‬

‫‪‘O Hisham.‬‬
‫‪Not to the Murji’ah, nor to the Qadariyyah, but to us (you should‬‬
‫’)‪turn for the answer‬‬

‫”‪And then I entered upon him.‬‬

‫‪ -‬بصائر الدرجات‪ :‬الهيثم النهدي‪ ،‬عن إسماعيل بن سهل‪ ،‬عن ابن أبي عمير‪ ،‬عن‬
‫هشام ابن سالم قال‪ :‬دخلت على عبد اهلل بن جعفر‪ ،‬وأبو الحسن في املجلس‪ ،‬قدامه‬
‫مرآة وآلتها مردى بالرداء موزرا‪ ،‬فأقبلت على عبد اهلل فلم أسأله حتى جرى ذكر الزكاة‬
‫فسألته فقال‪ :‬تسألني الزكاة‪ ،‬من كانت عنده أربعون درهما ففيها درهم قال‪:‬‬
‫فاستشعرته وتعجبت منه فقلت له‪ :‬أصلحك اهلل قد عرفت مودتي ألبيك وانقطاعي إليه‬
‫وقد سمعت منه كتبا فتحب أن آتيك بها؟ قال‪ :‬نعم بنو أخ‪ ،‬ائتنا‪ ،‬فقمت مستغيثا برسول‬
‫اهلل صلى اهلل عليه وآله فأتيت القبر فقلت‪ :‬يا رسول اهلل إلى من؟ إلى القدرية إلى‬
‫الحرورية إلى املرجئة إلى الزيدية‬
‫قال‪ :‬فاني كذلك إذا أتاني غالم صغير دون الخمس فجذب ثوبي فقال لي‪ :‬أجب! قلت‪:‬‬
‫من؟ قال‪ :‬سيدي موسى بن جعفر‪ ،‬فدخلت إلى صحن الدار‪ ،‬فإذا هو في بيت وعليه‬
‫‪:‬كلة‪ ،‬فقال‪ :‬يا هشام قلت‪ :‬لبيك فقال لي‬
‫ال إلى املرجئة‪ ،‬وال إلى القدرية‪ ،‬ولكن إلينا‪ ،‬ثم دخلت عليه‬

‫•‬ ‫‪Evaluation:‬‬

‫‪Hisham ibn Salim was one of the foremost companions of Imams al-‬‬
‫‪Kadhim.‬‬

‫‪After the majority of Shi’a adopted Abdullah son of Imam al-Sadiq as‬‬
‫‪Imam, after his father’s death - Hisham was among them.‬‬

‫‪However, Abdullah’s answers were not satisfactory to Hisham due to‬‬

‫‪their contradiction to the words of Imam al-Sadiq.‬‬
Thus, Hisham says he performed istighatha by the Prophet and
invoked the Prophet near his grave - asking him, what does the correct
faith? Zaydism? Murji’a? Qadariyya?

The Prophet answers Hisham’s istighatha by Imam Musa al-Kadhim

calling upon him and telling the path is neither Murji’a nor Qadariyya,
but to him (the Inam.

2. (Al-Kafi, volume 3, page 473)

When needing Rizq, pray two rak’at and then say the following:

“O Allah, I turn my face towards You by virtue of the intercession of

Muhammad the Prophet of mercy.

O Muhammad, O Messenger of Allah. I turn my face through you to

Allah - your Lord and my Lord that you [O Muhammad] send your
blessings on Muhammad (i.e, on yourself) and his Ahlulbayt.

I ask you [O Muhammad] for a generous scent from your scent, and
an easy change in my situation, and wide Rizq [provision] which I
can speed up my matter, pay off my debt, and use it for my children.”

‫ يا محمد يا رسول اهلل إني أتوجه بك إلى اهلل ربك‬،‫أتوجه إليك بمحمد نبيك نبي الرحمة‬
‫وربي ورب كل شيء أن تصلي على محمد وأهل بيتهوأسألك نفحة كريمة من نفحاتك و‬
‫ ألم به شعثي وأقضي به ديني وأستعني به على عيالي‬،‫»فتحا يسيرا ورزقا واسعا‬.

• Evaluation:

Prophet Muhammad is directly invoked for Rizq (provision) and a

change in situation.

Additionally, Mawla Muhammad Salih al-Mazandrani in his famous

Sharh (explanation) of al-Kafi comments on this hadith saying -
explaining why the Imam asks the Prophet to send his blessings on
himself:

“I turn my face through you to Allah - your Lord and my Lord that you
[O Muhammad] send your blessings on Muhammad (i.e, on yourself).

This is linked to the statement “I turn my face to you [O

Muhammad]”, and the reason why he asks intercession of [the
Prophet] in the act of asking Allah to send his blessings upon -
despite the fact already sends his blessings upon the Prophet.

This is definitely for [the supplicator] to display weakness and gravity

of his situation, and to emphasize how his request when it comes
from him alone [i.e, invoking Allah alone] would not be accepted
without requesting the intercession of the Prophet.

And in some copies [of other scribes] regarding this hadith, “you [O
Muhammad] send your blessings” is changed to “He [Allah] send his
blessings].

Except the phrase ‘Upon Muhammad and his Ahlulbayt’ [suggests the
opposite]. In fact, suggesting this phrase is to seek the blessings of the
Prophet ‫لقصد التبرك‬..”

‫ان )تصلي على محمد وال محمد( متعلق بقوله »أتوجه إليك« وإنما توسل بهم في طلب‬
‫الصالة عليهم مع أنه تعالى يصلي عليهم قطعاإلظهار العجز واالنكسار واإلشعار بأن‬
‫ وفي بعض الن‬،‫هذا الطلب من حيث أنه صدر منه ال يستحق القبول بدون التوسل بهم‬
:‫سخ »يصلي« على الغيبة وهو حينئذ متعلق بقوله‬
:‫»يا محمد يا رسول اهلل إني أتوجه بك إلى اهلل« إال أن في قوله‬
‫»على محمد وأهل بيته« عدوال عن الخطاب إلى الغيبة لقصد التبرك أو اإلستلذاذ أو اال‬
.‫هتمام هذا غاية الجهد في ربط هذه الفقرة بما قبلهفليتأمل‬

3. (Al-Kafi, vol 8, page 109)

Narrated Ali ibn Abi Hamza, who has said:

Abu Ibrahim (al-Kadhim) said to me:

“I (as) have had fever for seven months and my (as) son has had fever
for twelve months and it has been increasing for us. I (as) feel that it
does not affect the whole body. Sometimes it affects in the upper part
of the body and does not affect in the lower of it, and sometimes it
affects in the lower part of it and does not affect in all of the upper
body’.

I said, ‘May I be sacrificed for you. If you (as) allow me, I would
narrate to you (as) a Hadeeth from Abu Baseer from your (as)
grandfather [Al-Baqir] (as):

“When he (as) had fever, he (as) sought help by the cold water. He
(as) would take the first [cloth] out and immerse it in cold water and
put the other [cloth] on his body and rotate between them. He'd then
call out until his voice would be heard at the door of the house: “O
Fatima daughter of Muhammad”.

He [Al Kadhim] (as) said: ‘You have spoken the truth’."

• Evaluation:

Some argue that the hadith above does not indicate istighatha, but
simply shows Imam al-Baqir was in remembrance of Sayyida Fatima
when he had a fever.

However, saying “Ya Fatima bint Muhammad” while specifically

experiencing a fever is a form of istighatha suggested by our Imams to
he cured fromn such ailment.

(Makarim al-Akhlaq by al-Tabrasi, page 396)

“Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar narrated in a marfu’ fashion.

He said: I entered Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) while I was
feverish, and he said to me:

Why do I see you weak?

I said: May I be sacrificed for you - a fever has befallen me

So he (Imam) said: If one of you experiences a hot fever, let him enter
the house alone and pray two rak’ahs and place his right cheek on the
ground and say:

‘Oh Fatima, daughter of Muhammad - ten times - I seek intercession

with you to God for what has befallen me.’

He will be cured from his ailment, if Allah wills.”

‫ دخلت على أبي عبد اهلل )عليه‬:‫صالة للحمى( محمد بن الحسن الصفار يرفعه قال‬
‫ جعلت فداك حمى‬:‫ ما لي أراك ضعيفا؟ فقلت‬:‫ فقال لي‬،‫السالم( وأنا محموم‬
‫ إذا حم أحدكم فليدخل البيت وحده ويصلي ركعتني ويضع خده األيمن‬:‫ فقال‬،‫أصابتني‬
‫على األرض ويقول‬:
" ‫ عشر مرات‬- ‫ يا فاطمة بنت محمد‬-

4. (Al-Kafi, vol 2, page 559)

“If a matter saddens you, say at the end of your sujood ‘O Gabriel, O
Muhammmad. O Gabriel, O Muhammad, satisfy me for you [two]
are satisfiers. And protect me - by Allah’s permission - for you [two]
are protectors”

‫إذا أحزنك أمر فقل في آخر سجودك‬:

‫ اكفياني ما أنا فيه فإنكما‬- ‫ تكرر ذلك‬- ‫ يا جبرئيل يا محمد‬،‫" يا جبرئيل يا محمد‬
" ‫كافيان واحفظاني بإذن اهلل فإنكما حافظان‬

• Evaluation:
It becomes clear from the Imam’s words that the Prophet (and thus
Imams) can help us in our worldly needs and protect us but only with
permission of Allah.

5. (Al-Kafi, vol 3, page 476-477)

Imam al-Sadiq teaching one of his companions this supplication

which includes directly calling upon Rasul Allah to fulfill our needs:

“O Muhammad, O Rasul Allah. I complain to Allah & you (O

Muhammad), about my need. And beseek your rightly guided
Ahlulbayt in my need”

‫ " يا محمد يا رسول اهلل أشكو إلى اهلل وإليك حاجتي وإلى أهل بيتك الراشدين‬:‫وقل‬
‫حاجتي وبكم أتوجه إلى اهلل في حاجتي‬

• Evaluation:

Allah is sought directly, but also the Prophet and his Ahlulbayt are
sought directly - as, like explained in the previous section, the Prophet
is the executor of Allah’s will.

The fact the Prophet is sought directly for a need shows that while
Allah may be the ultimate cause, he can allow the Prophet to execute
His will.

Hence for example as shared earlier, the Imam attributes the Rizq of
food to both Allah and Prophet.

(Al-Kafi, vol 6, page 296)

“Oh Allah, this [Rizq, that is the food] is from you and from
Muhammad your Messenger. O Allah, to you is praise, send your
blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.”

6. (Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya, page 258)

“O Rasul Allah - may my father and mother and the purified
Ahlulbayt be sacrificed for you.

I turn through you to your Lord, and I place you between my needs
(i.e, seek your help with my needs).”

، ‫ وأقدمك بني‬،‫ إني أتوجه بك إلى ربك‬،‫يا رسول اهلل بأبي أنت وأمي وأهل بيت الطيبني‬
‫يدي حوائجي‬

• Evaluation:

Imam al-Sajjad addresses the Prophet directly and invokes him for
help with his needs also directly, showcasing a case of istighatha.

7. (‘Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha, vol 2, page 82)

“When al-Rasheed arrested Musa ibn Ja’far, peace be upon him, he

was arrested while he was standing at the head of the Prophet (peace
be upon him) standing and praying.

His prayer was interrupted, and he was carried away crying and said:
I complain to you, O Messenger of God, for what I am facing”

‫ملا قبض الرشيد على موسى جعفر عليهما السالم قبض عليه وهو عند رأس النبي‬
‫ أشكو إليك يا رسول اهلل‬:‫)ص( قائما يصلى فقطع عليه صالته وحمل وهو يبكى ويقول‬
‫ما القى‬

• Evaluation:

The fact our Imams in hadith #5 recommend addressing the Prophet

directly and telling him “O Rasul Allah, I complain to you..” regarding
one’s needs shows that the above hadith of Imam al-Kadhim is not
said out of remembrance of Rasul Allah, but seeking his istighatha.
 Conclusion

Istighatha is a spiritual act signifying communication with a pious

saint and expecting his or her help, by the permission of Allah.

Not only does it have basis in Shi’ism in its facets, it is also

established in Shi’i ahadith.

Inshallah this work was of help

May Allah bless you all
Wasalaam