What are the lawful means by which a believer can please Allaah the Almighty and ask Him to give him what he wants, whether the provision of good or protection from evil? Please provide me with an evidence-supported answer.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Lawful means through which a slave can ask Allaah The Almighty to give him what he wants, bring him good or protect him from evil are only the means that are approved by the Quran and the Sunnah. 

These include:

1-      Pleading to Allaah by means of calling on His Oneness:  the prophet Yoonus did this.  Allaah the Almighty Says (what means): {And [mention] the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers."} [Quran 21:87].  In addition, it was narrated on the authority of Buraydah that a man supplicated to Allaah the Almighty saying, "O Allaah, I ask You by the fact that I testify that You are Allaah and there is none truly worthy of worship but You The One, The Eternal Refuge Who did not beget and was not begotten and there is no one like You." Upon hearing him, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, swore that this man has asked Allaah The Almighty by His greatest name.  [Ahmad and Shu‘ayb Al- Arna’oot: Saheeh (Authentic)]

2-      Pleading to Allaah by means of believing in Him. Allaah the Almighty Says (what means):

·        {Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger Jesus, so register us among the witnesses [to truth]."} [Quran 3:53]

·        {Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous.} [Quran 3:193]

The same rule applies to making Tawassul (seeking a means of nearness to Allaah) by virtue of belief in the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and belief in what has been revealed by Allaah the Almighty.

3-      Pleading to Allaah by means of His names and attributes:  Allaah the Almighty Said (what means):

·        {And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.} [Quran 7:180]

·        {Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.} [Quran 17:110]

4-      Pleading to Allaah by means of the supplication of a righteous person. It was narrated on the authority of Anas ibn Maalik that after the death of the  Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘Umar used to ask Al-‘Abbaas the uncle of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to supplicate to Allaah The Almighty to make it rain, and it rained by the permission of Allaah The Exalted.  This happened after the death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. [Al-Bukhari]

5-      Pleading to Allaah by virtue of one's righteous deeds, as proved by the Hadeeth of the people who were stuck in a cave. It was narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, told of three men who slept in a cave. A rock fell down from the mountain and blocked the entrance to the cave. They were sure that nothing would save them from this disaster unless they supplicated to Allaah the Almighty by virtue of their righteous deeds. Therefore, one of them made Tawassul by referring to his dutifulness to his parents, the next made Tawassul by referring to him refraining from committing adultery with his cousin, in spite of the fact that he was able to commit it, and the third made Tawassul by referring to his safekeeping of the wages of an employee, although he was gone for a long time.  Moreover, he had invested his wages for him until he returned. As a result of their supplications, the rock moved aside and they walked out freely.  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Allaah Knows best.