Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
Seeking Allah through the status or person of the Prophet ﷺ is an issue over which scholars have differed. It is not correct to say that scholars unanimously agreed on its permissibility and that Ibn Taymiyyah later opposed this consensus. Scholars before Ibn Taymiyyah prohibited it, while others permitted it. Those who prohibit it argue that supplication is an act of worship, and acts of worship must be based on evidence. In their view, there is no authentic and explicit evidence establishing the permissibility of seeking Allah merely through the status or person of the Prophet ﷺ or any righteous person.
What Does Seeking Allah Through the Status of the Prophet ﷺ Mean?
It means that a person supplicates to Allah alone but makes the status or rank of the Prophet ﷺ a means in the supplication, saying, for example:
“O Allah, I ask You by the status of Your Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,” or, “by the right of Your Prophet,” or similar expressions.
This is different from supplicating to the Prophet ﷺ himself or asking him to fulfill one’s needs. It is also different from asking a living person to make du‘a for you.
Why Do Some Scholars Prohibit It?
Their main reason is that supplication is an act of worship, and no form of worship should be prescribed without evidence.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Supplication is worship.”
[Reported by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi]
He ﷺ also said:
“Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that does not belong to it, it will be rejected.”
[Agreed upon]
Therefore, these scholars say that it is not enough for a means of supplication to seem reasonable or good to a person; there must be evidence that it is prescribed.
Allah says:
“O you who believe, fear Allah and seek the means of approach to Him.”
[Al-Ma’idah 5:35]
They interpret the “means of approach” here as what Allah has prescribed, such as faith, obedience, and righteous deeds.
What Types of Tawassul Do These Scholars Permit?
They permit seeking Allah through His Names and Attributes, through faith and righteous deeds, through love for and following the Prophet ﷺ, and by asking a living Muslim to make du‘a.
For example, a Muslim may say, “O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy,” or supplicate to Allah while mentioning his faith, repentance, or righteous deeds.
An example is the story of the three men trapped in the cave. Each of them sought Allah’s help by mentioning a sincere righteous deed he had performed, and Allah relieved them of their hardship.
Likewise, during the Prophet’s ﷺ lifetime, the Companions would ask him to supplicate for them. This was seeking Allah through his supplication, not merely through his person or status.
There Is No Disagreement About the High Status of the Prophet ﷺ
Prohibiting tawassul through the Prophet’s status does not mean denying his rank or diminishing his honor.
The Prophet ﷺ is the leader of the children of Adam, the possessor of the Praiseworthy Station, and the greatest of creation in rank before Allah.
However, scholars who prohibit this form of tawassul say: The Prophet’s ﷺ high status before Allah is one matter, while considering that status a prescribed means for us to use in our supplications is another matter that requires evidence.
Not everything that possesses virtue and honor automatically becomes a prescribed means in supplication.
What About the Hadith of the Blind Man?
Those who permit tawassul through status cite the hadith of the blind man, who said in his supplication:
“O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through Your Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of mercy...”
However, scholars who prohibit tawassul through status interpret the hadith as the man seeking Allah through the Prophet’s ﷺ supplication and intercession for him during his lifetime, because the man originally came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him to supplicate to Allah for him.
They also point to the words in the supplication:
“O Allah, accept his intercession for me.”
That is: accept his supplication and intercession on my behalf.
Therefore, they do not consider the hadith explicit evidence for seeking Allah merely through the Prophet’s status.
What Does ‘Umar’s Prayer for Rain Through al-‘Abbas Indicate?
They also cite the report that when the Muslims suffered from drought, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“O Allah, we used to seek a means to You through our Prophet, and You would give us rain. Now we seek a means to You through our Prophet’s uncle, so give us rain.”
[Reported by al-Bukhari]
They then asked al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) to supplicate for them.
According to scholars who hold this view, if what was intended were merely personal status, the status of the Prophet ﷺ would certainly have been greater than that of al-‘Abbas, and his death would not have affected that status. Rather, ‘Umar turned to al-‘Abbas because he was alive and able to supplicate for the Muslims.
Was Ibn Taymiyyah the First to Prohibit Tawassul Through Status?
No. This claim is historically inaccurate.
Prohibition or dislike of this practice was reported before Ibn Taymiyyah from a number of Hanafi jurists and others.
Among the well-known statements transmitted in Hanafi works is the dislike of saying in supplication:
“I ask You by the right of Your prophets and messengers, and by the right of so-and-so.”
This meaning has been attributed to Abu Hanifah and his companions in a number of works of the Hanafi school.
This establishes, at the very least, that the issue was disputed before Ibn Taymiyyah. Therefore, it is incorrect to claim that there had previously been a scholarly consensus permitting it.
Is Tawassul Through the Prophet’s Status Shirk?
According to the original fatwa, merely saying, “O Allah, I ask You by the status of the Prophet,” is not in itself major shirk, because the person is still supplicating to Allah, not to the Prophet ﷺ.
However, scholars who prohibit this form consider it an unprescribed means of supplication. Some describe it as an innovation and hold that it should be avoided in favor of the means established in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
This is entirely different from supplicating directly to a deceased person and asking that person for something that only Allah can provide. That is a separate issue with a more serious ruling.
Conclusion
Seeking Allah through the status or person of the Prophet ﷺ is an issue over which scholars have differed. There was no scholarly consensus permitting it, and Ibn Taymiyyah was not the first scholar to prohibit it.
Those who prohibit it do so because supplication is an act of worship whose forms must be established by revelation, and they do not consider there to be authentic and explicit evidence making the mere status of the Prophet ﷺ or the person of a righteous individual a prescribed means in supplication.
There is no dispute regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ high rank and honor before Allah. The disagreement concerns only whether this particular form of tawassul is prescribed.
Whoever wishes to avoid the scholarly disagreement may use forms of tawassul that are unquestionably established: seeking Allah through His Names and Attributes, through faith and righteous deeds, through love for and following the Prophet ﷺ, and by supplicating directly to Allah, for He is Near and Responsive.
And Allah knows best.