يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿۳۵﴾

﴾35﴿ yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanut taqul laaha wabtaghooo ilaihil waseelata wa jaahidoo fee sabeelihee la'allakum tuflihoon

﴾35﴿ O believers: fear Allah Almighty, and seek approach specificallyto Allah, and strive in the way of Allah Almighty so that you will be successful

[35] The connection to the previous verse is that it mentioned the wicked words and actions of the Children of Israel. Now, in this verse, the believers are addressed and called toward taqwa (God-consciousness). The meaning of taqwa here is to protect oneself from the wicked deeds that were previously mentioned. "Fear Allah (اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ)" — the rulings of the Shariah are of two types:
1. Prohibitions — from which one must refrain.
2. Commands — which one must fulfill and act upon.
Similarly, the obligations of the Shariah have two aspects:
1. Acting upon them oneself.
2. Calling others toward them.
Thus, refraining from prohibitions is indicated in "Fear Allah" (اتقوا الله). This meaning is mentioned by Ibn Kathir, al-Khazin, and others. Fulfilling the commands is indicated in "Seek the means to Him" (وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ).

The detailed explanation of the concept of wasīlah (means to Allah):

This text includes several discussions:
First Discussion: The Linguistic and Terminological Meaning of Wasīlah
Imam al-Rāghib in Mufradāt al-Qur’ān defines wasīlah as "attaining something with longing and love."
Ibn Manẓūr in Lisān al-‘Arab mentions that wasīlah can mean status, rank, longing, or connection.
The word "wāsil" (one who seeks closeness) appears in poetry: “Indeed, everyone of intellect is a wāsil (one seeking closeness) to Allah.” In the terminology of Sharia, Imam al-Rāghib says:
"Wasīlah is the consideration of Allah’s path through knowledge, worship, and striving for noble deeds in the Shari‘ah."
Second Discussion:
Tawassul and Similar Words
Istighāthah: means seeking rescue or relief (ghawth), which refers to removing hardship.
Istinṣār: means seeking help or victory. If one seeks these from a created being in matters within their ability, it is permissible — for example:
“The one from his group called him for help (فَاستَغَثَهُ الَّذِي مِن شِيعَتِهِ)” “Who are my helpers toward Allah? (مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ)”
But in matters beyond human capability, seeking help is exclusive to Allah alone — such as: “When you sought help from your Lord (إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ)” “Victory is only from Allah (مَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ)”
Isti‘ānah: seeking assistance — follows the same principle.
Istimdād: seeking support — same ruling applies.
Istishfā‘ (Seeking Intercession): If it is within the capacity of the person, like asking someone to make du‘ā’ or seeking the Prophet’s intercession on the Day of Judgment with Allah’s permission, then it is valid. That’s why the Prophet (peace be upon him) is described as “Shāfi‘, Mushaffa‘” (intercessor whose intercession is accepted). The hadith in Abu Dawud mentions that a man said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “We seek intercession with Allah through you, and we seek intercession with you before Allah.”
The Prophet replied:
“Allah’s status is far greater than that — no intercession is sought with Him on behalf of any of His creation.”
This means intercession is only valid with Allah’s permission, and seeking intercession from Allah through someone is wrong if done in a polytheistic manner — as some idolaters used to say:
“These are our intercessors with Allah.” — which is shirk-based intercession (shafā‘ah shirkīyah) and not accepted.
In summary, tawassul and related acts are only valid when they adhere to the principles of Islamic monotheism and do not grant divine powers to creation.