Permissible and prohibited Tawassul
5-5-2011 | IslamWeb
Question:
1- Is it permissible to supplicate Allaah The Almighty and make Tawassul (intercession) to Him by mean of the status of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?
2- Do the allies of Allaah The Almighty see the spirit of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, which expands their insight?
3- How can we differentiate between the true ally of Allaah The Almighty and the one who claims this alliance?
4- What is the Sharee‘ah (Islamic law) ruling on celebrating the birth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?
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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
1- Supplicating Allaah The Almighty is one of the sublime acts of obedience and the greatest type of worship. The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, even said that supplication is the core of worship. As long as it is a type of worship, we are obliged to perform it in the same way the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did. Therefore, what was made legal by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is legal for us and we are permitted to do; otherwise, we are not. It was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, warned that whoever introduced something new in the religion that neither he nor his Companions did, his deed is rejected and unacceptable. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that whoever performed religious observances in a way that is different from his way or that of his Companions 
his deed is rejected and unacceptable. [Muslim]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, informed us of the reasons that make supplication acceptable, such as raising one's hands while supplicating, having a conscious heart, repeating the supplication more than once, choosing the favored times such as the last third of the night and between Athaan (first call to prayer) and Iqaamah (second call to prayer),as well as others.
However, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was not reported , through a sound chain of narrators, to have directed his directed his Ummah (nation) to make Tawassul to Allaah The Almighty by means of his status, even though it is indisputable that his virtue and status in the sight of Allaah The Almighty are above those of all the sons of Aadam. Likewise, it was not reported from the Companions, with their keenness on doing righteous deeds and the intensity with which they supplicated and entreated Allaah The Almighty, that he said the following in making supplication, “O Allaah, I supplicate you by the right of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his status.”
Consequently, it was concluded that such Tawassul neither belongs to the guidance of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, nor that of his Companions . It was even narrated that when they wished to supplicate Allaah The Almighty after the death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, they made Tawassul by his uncle, Al-‘Abbaas 
. In this regard, it was reported that ‘Umar supplicated Allaah The Almighty by mean of Al-‘Abbaas the uncle of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. [Al-Bukhari]
There is evidence that they used to make Tawassul by means of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, (in the sense that they made Tawassul through his supplication and intercession) during his lifetime. However, after his death they supplicated Allaah The Almighty by means of Al-‘Abbaas, (which means through the supplication of Al-‘Abbaas not by himself). If someone says that it was necessary that they did so to perform the rain-invoking prayer and supplication, the answer will be as follows: ‘Umar as well as others could have led the prayer and supplicated Allaah The Almighty by means of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, since this was not done, it was deduced that the benefit lay in acting otherwise, and that this action was not dictated by the Sharee‘ah.
Regarding the Hadeeth of the blind man who came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and asked him to supplicate Allaah The Almighty to heal him, [Ahmad, An-Nasaa’i and At-Tirmithi] it refers to making Tawassul to Allaah The Almighty by means of the supplication of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, not by means of himself. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, gave the man the option to choose between supplicating Allaah The Almighty for him and patience which has a great reward. This blind man also asked Allaah The Almighty to accept the intercession of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on his behalf. Therefore, it was deduced that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, supplicated Allaah The Almighty for him and interceded with Him on his behalf.
Regarding the Hadeeth in which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, commanded his followers to supplicate Allaah The Almighty by his status, it is a fabricated Hadeeth. And the same applies to the Hadeeth in which it is mentioned that Aadam 
supplicated Allaah The Almighty by the right of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
The following are types of permissible Tawassul:
1- Making Tawassul to Allaah The Almighty through His Good Names and sublime Attributes, such as supplicating Him by means of His knowledge of the unseen, His omnipotence over His creation and that He is the One and only God.
2- Making Tawassul to Allaah The Almighty through one's righteous deeds, as in the parable of the Companions of the Cave: the youths who retreated to a cave in the mountain to spend the night therein, then a huge rock fell and blocked the entrance. They started to supplicate Allaah The Almighty, each by means of his righteous deeds. Thereupon, the rock moved and they were able to get out of the cave. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
2- The appearance of the spirit of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to the Waliyy (ally) and considering this as a supernatural event that supports him, is a groundless claim under Sharee‘ah. The foremost allies of Allaah The Almighty were Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, the ten to whom the glad tidings of Paradise were given, those who attended the Battle of Badr and those who attended the pledge of Ar-Ridhwaan. It was not transmitted on the authority of any of them that he saw the spirit of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, nor met him after his death, unless it was in a vision in his sleep. Scholars agree that seeing the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in a vision is possible and may happen to some people. It was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, mentioned that whoever saw him in a dream, had indeed seen him as if he were awake. In another narration, he added that Satan does not appear in his image. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Regarding the belief of the ignorant that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, attends their gatherings and they rise for him, there is no doubt that it is a manifest deviation. An even greater evil is the claim of some that they see the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, while they are awake. This is a definite contradiction to the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and the consensus of the Ummah. The dead will be resurrected from their graves on the Day of Judgment, not in this world; Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Then indeed, after that you are to die. Then indeed you, on the Day of Judgment, will be resurrected.} [Quran 23: 15-16] Ibn Hazm 
reported the consensus of the Ummah that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and all his Companions will not come back to this world until they are resurrected with the rest of humanity on the Day of Judgment.
Contemplating the lives of the masters of the allies of Allaah The Almighty from among the Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, makes it easy to realize the difference between the supernatural events that support the allies of Allaah The Almighty on one hand and sorcery and superstition on the other. Had it been possible for anyone to meet the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in order to guide him and extend his insight, as mentioned in the question, then his Companions would have been the worthiest of this, particularly during times of adversity and tribulation, such as their disagreement regarding the caliphate of ‘Uthmaan, and later ‘Ali . It was reported that ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab mentioned that he wished that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had not departed with them until he had issued a ruling in three specific issues. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Had the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, appeared to anyone after his death, he would have appeared to ‘Umar Al-Faarooq . ‘Umar did not wish to receive rulings on these three issues in his sleep because he knew quite well that Sharee‘ah rulings are not based on visions. To the contrary, some Sufis claim that they received their daily Athkaar (words of remembrance) and initiation vows while they are asleep or awake. Seeing the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, while awake is impossible, as we have already mentioned. According to the consensus of the scholars, Sharee‘ah rulings may not be based on visions.
Imaam Al-Qurtubi stated that when Allaah The Almighty supports an ordinary person, who is not one of the prophets, with supernatural events, this does not mean that he is one of His allies. This is the view of Ahl As-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa‘ah and is contrary to some Sufis and Raafidhis. He added that the evidence quoted by Ahl As-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa‘ah in this regard is that we cannot judge a certain person as an ally of Allaah The Almighty unless he dies as a believer. As long as we cannot prove that a certain person will die as a believer, we cannot judge him as one of the allies of Allaah The Almighty. In the Qudsi Hadeeth (sacred narration), it was reported that Allaah The Exalted said that whoever showed enmity towards one of His allies, He would be at war with him. [Al-Bukhari]
According to the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the road to the alliance of Allaah The Almighty is to regularly perform the obligatory acts of worship, be keen on doing voluntary acts, increase one's faith and fear Allaah The Almighty. Thus, we come to the conclusion that the insane, immoral and disobedient persons are not included in this category. The utmost that may happen to the insane person is that Allaah The Almighty will not hold him accountable for his deeds; not that he would make him one of His allies or reveal to him knowledge of the unseen. Such knowledge is not revealed to anyone in this life and it is only the Prophets who receive revelation. If a man flies in the air or walks on water, this does not mean that he is an ally of Allaah The Almighty, since supernatural events appear at the hands of disbelievers, polytheists and immoral persons just as they appear at the hands of believers. Al-Junayd said that knowledge is to be extracted from the Quran and the Sunnah, and thus, it is impermissible to follow a person who neither memorizes the Quran nor learns the Hadeeth. He also mentioned that for a believer, there is no other alternative but to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, because it is the only road to success.
The true ally of Allaah The Almighty is not the person who claims and testifies that he is an ally because this is dispraised self-commendation. The following are some invalid beliefs about the concept of alliance:
1- Believing that the ally disposes of the universe and that it is permissible to supplicate him and seek refuge with him in times of adversity. This belief is an act of apostasy and belying the oneness of Lordship and Worship of Allaah The Almighty.
2- Believing, as stated by Al-Qushayri, may Allaah pardon him, that the ally is infallible and that Allaah The Almighty did not create him capable of doing acts of disobedience.
3- Believing that the ally of Allaah The Almighty knows the unseen and that he has the authority to save himself and other creatures from the punishment of Allaah The Almighty.
4- Believing that the ally can change his appearance and appear in different shapes, such as that of a lion, an old person or a child, and that he may appear in many places at the same time. These false beliefs are widespread throughout books that recount the biographies of Sufi allies.
5- Believing that the ally is permitted to violate the Sharee‘ah, and that one should accept everything from him and not deny any of his deeds even if he abandons the Friday prayers and praying in congregation, because, as claimed by Ash-Sha‘raani, a Sufi figure, and others, he has a special status with Allaah The Almighty.
6- Believing that alliance is bestowed by a senior ally to any of his followers as he chooses. Indeed this deviation does not require any evidence to prove its falsity.
7- Believing that there is a seal of allies (a last ally) as is the case with Prophethood. This was transmitted by Al-Hakeem At-Tirmithi who was exiled from Tirmith and judged as a disbeliever because of his book Khatm Al-Wilaayah (Seal of Alliance). After him, there were those who claimed that they were the seal of the allies. In addition, there were those who were claimed by others to be the seal of the allies such as Ibn ‘Arabi, Ahmad At-Tijaani and others.
8- Believing that the ally can strip those who oppose him of both knowledge and guidance. This is a part of their belief that the ally can dispose of the universe. There is no doubt that such beliefs are invalid. They starkly contradict the Quran and the Sunnah, the methodology of the Companions and their Taabi‘is (Followers). Rather it is the methodology of the allies of the accursed Satan, not the allies of Allaah The Almighty; and success is only for he whom Allaah The Almighty grants success.
. As we stated before, the sources of religious observances are the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. What was declared legal by them is legal for us, and we are permitted to do it. Any act of worship that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was capable of doing and there was reason for him to do it, yet he did not do it, then abandoning it is recommended and doing it is considered a dispraised innovation in religion. This is the criterion of defining an innovated act in religion. The Companions had good reasons to celebrate the birth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: their great love for him, their praise to Allaah The Almighty for his birth, his existence and his mission, and as a way of expressing their joy with all this in front of the disbelievers, the Jews and the Christians. There was no objection to celebrating this occasion either during the life of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, or during that of the rightly-guided Caliphs when Muslims were opening other countries and fighting non-Muslims who venerated their prominent figures and celebrated them. However, they did not celebrate his birth. As long as the Companions did not celebrate the birth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then no one after them is permitted to do so, and Allaah knows best.
Reminding people of the biography of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, should be done through teaching it and explaining it in Masjids and other educational institutions at all times, not just narrating it in for one night or one hour, or using prohibited music to sing about his biography. Similarly, ending the celebration with something that contradicts Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) such as seeking the aid of or supplicating other than Allaah The Almighty -- be it a Prophet or an ally. May Allaah The Almighty protect us all from the evil of religious innovations.
Allaah Knows best.