The one who invokes Allah The Almighty should avoid some matters that Muslims were ordered to avoid during invoking Allah The Almighty according to Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) texts. Some of these matters are:
1. Invoking any other than Allah The Almighty. This is one of the greatest violations as invoking any other than Allah is major Shirk (polytheism) that Allah The Almighty does not forgive the slave for, if he dies without repenting. Shaykh-ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah and others said that whoever makes mediators between himself and Allah The Almighty whom he invokes is considered a disbeliever by consensus.
Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "One of the types of major Shirk is to invoke the dead and seek their help. This is the origin of Shirk in the world as the dead can neither bring harm nor benefit to his own self or to any one who seeks his help or asks for his intercession. This is done out of ignorance of the one who should intercede and the One before whom this intercession is made for him."
Shaykh Ahmad bin ‘Eesa said, "It was established that invocation combines many types of worship such as submitting one's face to the one who is invoked, relying on him as well as submission and humbling oneself. Whoever submits his face to any other than Allah is a polytheist whether he acknowledged it or not."
Despite the danger of this matter, you find people who belong to Islam yet they invoke other than Allah The Almighty. Those people might say while they are at the sacred mosque or while performing Tawaaf (circumambulation): "O Muhammad!", "O ‘Ali!", "O Husayn!", "Madad Madad Ya Badawi!", "O ‘Abd Al-Qaadir!" or "O ‘Aydaroos!" These forms of invocations are among the forms of invoking other than Allah The Almighty. Muslims should avoid invoking any other than Allah The Almighty in order to preserve their religion and Tawheed (Islamic Monotheism). They should also disapprove of the ones who invoke other than Allah The Almighty.
2. Supplicating Allah The Almighty by means of prophets or righteous people is one of the Bid‘ahs that many Muslims commit. When invoking Allah The Almighty, some Muslims say, "O Allah! I invoke you by means of the status of your Prophet Muhammad," or "By means of the status of your righteous slaves." This form of invocation is innovated, as it did not take place at the time of the Prophet the rightly guided Caliphs or the righteous predecessors. Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said that invoking Allah The Almighty by means of the status of the dead is a Bid‘ah according to the consensus of Muslims.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz said,
"There is one type that is called Tawassul (intercession), which is invoking Allah by means of the status of the Prophet or by his right or self. For instance, one might say, 'O Allah! I invoke you by means of your Prophet, or by his status, or by means of the status of your prophets or their right, or by means of the status of the righteous people and so forth. This is Bid‘ah (innovation) and leads to Shirk (polytheism). Invoking Allah by means of any other is impermissible whether this was by means of the Prophet or by any other person, as Allah The Almighty did not legislate this and acts of worship are determined by Sharee‘ah (Islamic legislation) texts with no room for human reasoning.”
Thus, there are other kinds of lawful Tawassul that are permissible because of being proved by Sharee‘ah texts. These are:
• Tawassul through the Names, Attributes and Deeds of Allah.
• Tawassul through one’s good deeds.
• Tawassul through the invocation of the righteous people.
3. Transgressing in invocation. Allah The Almighty says (what means): {Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.} [Quran 7:55] Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said, "Transgression may occur by the multiplicity of expressions or meanings." Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said, "This includes forbiddance of any type of transgression in invocation and among what is included here is the innovation in supplication either with regard to time, place, quantity or way of performance."
‘Abdullaah bin Mughaffal, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he heard his son saying, "O Allah! I ask you to grant me the white palace on the right side of Paradise." He said to him, "O son! Ask Allah to grant you Paradise and seek refuge with Him from Hell as I heard the Prophet saying: "There will be people in this Ummah who transgress in purification and invocation." [Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah]
One of the sons of Sa‘d bin Abi Waqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "My father heard me saying: 'O Allah! I ask you to Grant me Paradise, its bliss, its delight and such and such, and I seek refuge with you from Hell, its chains and shackles and such and such.' Thus, he told me, 'O son! I heard the Prophet saying: 'There will be people who transgress in invocation.’ Be wary of being one of them. If you were given Paradise, you will be granted it along with all the good therein and if you were saved from Hell you will be saved from it and all the evils therein." [Abu Daawood]
Among the transgression in invocation are the following:
• Detailing in invocation
• Invoking Allah The Almighty for a sin or for severing of kinship ties.
• Making invocation conditional like saying, "O Allah! Forgive me if You wish".
• Exclusion in invocation. An example of this is what a Bedouin said, "O Allah! Have mercy upon me and Muhammad, and do not have mercy upon any other one."
• Invoking Allah The Almighty for something that is predetermined.
• Exaggeration in making rhyme in invocation.
• Exaggeration in raising the voice with invocation.