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yā-ʾayyuhā lladhīna ʾāmanū ttaqū llāha wa-btaghū ʾilayhi l-wasīlata wa-jāhidū fī sabīlihī laʿallakum tufliḥūna
O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah, and seek the means of recourse to Him, and wage jihad in His way, so that you may be felicitous.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Ma'idah, Verse 35
To seek means to approach Allah -To strive in the way of Allah - Hypocrisy of the Jews.
35. "O' you who have Faith! Be in awe of Allah, and seek the means (of nearness) to Him; and strive hard in His way, that you may be prosperous."
Imam Amir-ul-mu'mineen Ali (as) has said that the best means by which seekers of nearness to Allah, seek nearness, is the faith in Allah and His Messenger, striving in His way, (to believe) in the expression of Divine purification, the establishment of performance of Hajj (pilgrimage) of the House (i.e. Ka'bah) and' Umrah ' (lesser pilgrimage), regard for kinsfolk, almsgiving secretly and openly, and extending benefits (to people). 1 Therefore, in order to reach felicity, we must both stop committing sins and perform kinds of worship.
In the meantime, doing goodness are wholly the means toward felicity, if we ourselves do not waste them through our own sins. However, Ahlul-Bayt (as) are the very firm cord and means of nearness to Allah (s.w.t.). In Islamic literature, narrated from the Immaculate ones (as), the term /wasilah/ (means), mentioned in this verse, has been rendered into Imam (as) (At-Tafsir-u-Safi). In this regard, it is also cited in some traditions: "They are the firm cord and the means to Allah (s.w.t)." (At- Tafsir-u-Safi)
Supplication is a subject about which there has been cited in the books of many Sunnite scholars, such as: Sawa'iq, by Ibn- Hajar; Sunan-i-Bihaqi; Sahih-i-Darami; and also in Wafa'-ul-Wafa, vol. 3, p. 1371. Surah An-Nisa’', No.4, verse 64, Surah Yusuf, No.12, verse 97, and Surah At-Taubah, No.9, verse 114 can be taken as some authentic references for supplication, too.
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