The Ruling on Seeking Nearness to Allah Through the Status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)

Question:
He says: I found in the prayer of Hajj a supplication, and the words of the one praying are: "O Allah, You are the one to whom I ask and to Whom I call through Your Prophet, Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah. O Muhammad, I have turned to my Lord in this sitting. O Allah, send blessings upon..."

Answer:
No, it is not authentic. This is an invalid supplication. It is not obligatory to seek nearness to Allah through the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor through the status of any other prophet or righteous person. Seeking nearness through status is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Seeking nearness through status is a religious innovation, and it is not permissible. There is no status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be used in this way, nor any other, because there is no evidence for it. There is no scholarly evidence.
As for the one who came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "Call upon Allah to restore my sight," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to perform the ablution for prayer, pray two units of prayer, and ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to call upon Allah for him. This was during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not seeking nearness through status, but rather seeking nearness through the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is permissible to say to any one of the Muslims, "Call upon Allah for me for such and such," during his lifetime. But after death, nothing is asked of the dead person, and one does not ask by the status of so-and-so, or the right of so-and-so. All of this is from religious innovation, innovating in supplication.