The Prescribed Tawassul and the Prohibited Tawassul

Question:
With the blessing of Allah, we begin with the first question in this session with His Eminence Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan. This questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, tell us about the prescribed tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) and the prohibited tawassul, with evidence from the Book and the Sunnah. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, commanded His servants to take a means of approach, and He said, Glorified and Exalted is He: The means of approach is the righteous deed that brings one closer to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. This is the meaning of the means of approach: the righteous deed that brings one closer to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. It is not that you take an intermediary between you and Allah, as the innovators do, taking an intermediary from among the living or the dead creatures to fulfill your needs. This is not the means of approach commanded in this verse. Rather, the means of approach is drawing near to Allah through righteous deeds. It is called a means of approach from the word "wasl" (connection), which is likening, so it is a cause for the mercy of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and a cause that leads to the pleasure of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
Likewise, among the commanded means of approach is tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) by the names of Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He. You seek nearness to Allah by His names and attributes, as Ayub (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful." Likewise, seeking nearness to Allah by His tawhid (the oneness of Allah), Exalted is He, as Yunus (peace be upon him) said:
Likewise, seeking nearness to Allah by displaying one's poverty and need for Him, the Exalted, as in the phrase, "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and I am among the wrongdoers." Acknowledging one's error and wrongdoing is a form of seeking nearness to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Likewise, seeking nearness to Allah through righteous deeds, as in the hadith of the people of the cave who were trapped by a rock; they sought nearness to Allah through their righteous deeds, and Allah relieved them. And likewise, seeking nearness through the supplication of the righteous, the living, by asking your brother to make du'a' for you. This is a prescribed form of seeking nearness. Asking the righteous, and those whose supplications are hoped to be accepted, to make du'a' for you, and seeking nearness through them, is what 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) did when they sought rain. He asked al-Abbas, the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) uncle, to supplicate to Allah for rain for them. So he supplicated. Therefore, seeking nearness to Allah through the supplication of the righteous, the living who are present, is a prescribed matter. This is specific to the living who are present. As for the dead, nothing is asked of them, because the Companions did not go to the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him to supplicate to Allah for them for rain or for anything else. 'Umar turned away from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) to al-Abbas, even though the Messenger is better than al-Abbas. But because the Messenger was in the highest company and had passed away, he turned to the living person who could supplicate to Allah, which was al-Abbas. Seeking nearness to Allah through the supplication of the righteous, the living who are present, is also a prescribed matter. Yes.