The Difference Between Bid'ah (Religious Innovation) and Shirk (Associating Partners with Allah) in Tawassul (Seeking Nearness to Allah) Through the Status of the Dead, and the Types of Prescribed Tawassul

Question:
The questioner: There is a difference between bid'ah (religious innovation) and major shirk (associating partners with Allah), but the question is: what is the ruling on one who comes to the graves and says, "I ask you by so-and-so" or "by the status of so-and-so"? I want clarification on the ruling: "I ask you by so-and-so" or "by the status of so-and-so." Which of these is major shirk?

Answer:
All bid'ah (religious innovations) are wrong, and some of it is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and some is less than shirk. The definition of bid'ah is approaching Allah in a manner contrary to what He has prescribed, approaching Allah with something He has not prescribed; this is called bid'ah. So building on graves and making mosques on them is bid'ah. And if one calls upon them other than Allah, calling upon the dead and seeking their aid, thinking that this is permissible, this is bid'ah, but it is shirk. And if he knows that it is not permissible, then he is a deliberate mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah). If he calls upon the dead, like "O my master al-Badawi" or "O al-Hasan, O my master al-Hasan" or "O al-Husayn" or "O my master 'Abd al-Qadir, help me" or "heal my sick one" or "O Messenger of Allah, help me and heal my sick one" or "O so-and-so of the dead, heal my sick one" or "help us" or "al-Maddad, al-Maddad" as some of the ignorant do, all of this is major shirk. But if he says, "O Lord, I ask You by the status of so-and-so," this is bid'ah, not shirk. "I ask You by the status of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)," by the status of the prophets, by the status of my father, by the life of my father, by the status of the awliya (close friends of Allah), this is bid'ah, it is called bid'ah, because he did not ask them, he asked Allah, but by their status. This tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) by status is bid'ah, because Allah says , He did not say "call upon Him by so-and-so," He said "call upon Him by them," He is called by His names. He says, "O Lord, by Your mercy, have mercy on us," "O Lord, by Your favor, do good to us," "O Lord, by Your generosity and Your nobility, repeat Your blessings upon us," he asks Him by His attributes, not by the status of so-and-so, nor by the life of so-and-so, nor by the honor of so-and-so. This is how Allah has prescribed that He be called by His names and attributes (Exalted and Majestic is He), and that one seek nearness to Him by His names and attributes (Glorified and Exalted is He). And likewise by faith and tawhid (the oneness of Allah). "O Allah, I glorify You by my faith in You and my tawhid of You," "O Allah, I glorify You by my testimony that You are Allah, there is no deity but You, the One, the Eternal Refuge." This is a lawful connection, because you have sought nearness to Allah by tawhid, just as in the hadith where the Prophet heard a man saying , so he said (peace and blessings be upon him) , and like the other hadith . This is tawassul by the attributes and names of Allah, and from it is tawassul by righteous deeds, by charity in the cave. He says, "O Allah, I ask You by my obedience to You and my following of Your Shari'ah," "O Allah, I ask You by my restraint from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse)," "O Allah, I ask You by performing the prayer," "O Allah, I ask You by paying the zakah (the obligatory alms)," "O Allah, I ask You by performing Hajj (the major pilgrimage) at Your Sacred House." Tawassul by your righteous deeds, there is no harm in it. And from this is the story of the people of the cave, they sought nearness by their righteous deeds.
The cave: It came in the authentic hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "While three men were walking in the wilderness, they looked at a cave in the evening in the rain, meaning rain and night. They entered a cave in the mountain, so a rock slid down upon them. Allah intended a rock to slide down upon them, blocking the mouth of the cave, a great one. They could not push it away. So they said among themselves: 'Nothing will save you from this calamity except that you call upon Allah with your righteous deeds.' So they called upon Allah with their righteous deeds. One of them said: 'O Allah, I had two old parents, and I did not go down to them with food or wealth before them.' Be quiet, my brother, be quiet, listen to the benefit, be quiet, be quiet, may Allah bless you. Do not disturb the people, let us hear the benefit. These three entered the cave and the rock closed over them and they could not get out. So they said among themselves: 'Nothing will save you from this except that you call upon Allah with your righteous deeds,' and they agreed on this. So one of them said: 'O Allah, I had two old parents, and I did not go down to them with food or children before them. So the ghbuq, which is milk they drink after the evening prayer, I sought the trees one night."
Meaning, after that he sought trees for the camels, so he was delayed with them. So he came to them with a cup for his parents and found them sleeping. So he stood at their heads and did not want to wake them and disturb their sleep. And the child was at his feet, he did not give them drink, he did not want to give his family drink before his parents. So he remained standing with the cup until dawn broke and they woke up and drank. He said: 'O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your Face, then relieve us from what we are in.'"
So the rock opened a little, but they could not get out, but Allah showed them the acceptance of his supplication. Then the second one said: 'O Allah, if it is as mentioned about her. I loved her more than men love women, so I sought her for myself. If he sought her for zina, she refused. She refused me. So a year afflicted her, she was struck by a need in some of the years. So she came to him and he was her cousin, seeking his kindness. She said: 'I have been struck by a need, help me, give me charity.' So he said to her: 'No, until you allow me to have yourself, until you allow me zina.' So she allowed him zina because of the need. So he gave her one hundred and twenty dinars, one hundred and twenty dinars, , so he feared Allah and stood up and left her and did not commit the sin. Then he said: 'O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your Face, then relieve us from what we are in,' because he left her and gave her the gold, he left the gold for her and left the sin out of fear of Allah, so the rock opened a little more, but they could not get out. Then he said: 'Liar, O Allah, I had a wage.'"
So I gave every worker his wage, meaning the workers, he gave them their wages except one who left his wage and did not take it. So I increased it for him and covered it for him until it became from it camels, cows, sheep, and slaves. Then he came after years and said: 'O servant of Allah, give me my wage.' So the man said to him: 'O servant of Allah, everything you see is your wage, all of it is from your wage, these camels, cows, sheep, and slaves are all from your wage, I increased it for you.' 'Are you joking, O servant of Allah? Fear Allah and do not mock me, do not make fun of me.' So he said to him: 'By Allah, I am not making fun of you, this is the meaning of what I increased for you, take it.' So the man took it and took all of it. Then this man said: 'O Lord, if You know that I did this seeking Your Face, then relieve us from what we are in,' so the rock opened and they came out. What is this?
If Allah shows them the lessons, and that righteous, pure deeds are among the causes of relieving distress in this world and the Hereafter, then this story is a lesson for those of understanding, and an indication that Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) relieves the distresses of this world and the Hereafter by the causes of righteous deeds. So let the servant fear Allah, and let him strive in doing good, and let him do what Allah has prescribed, and let him beware of what Allah has forbidden. Yes.