Types of Permissible and Prohibited Tawassul

Question:
And may Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, this person is asking about tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) in the Islamic Shari'ah. What is its ruling? And what is permissible of it?

Answer:
The prescribed tawassul is seeking nearness to Allah through His names and attributes, . You say, “O Merciful, have mercy on me,” “O Provider, provide for me,” and so on. You supplicate using any of the names of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Likewise, seeking nearness to Allah through righteous deeds. If you have righteous deeds that you have performed, you seek nearness to Allah through them. For example, the hadith of the men who were trapped in a cave when a rock fell and blocked the entrance. They sought nearness to Allah through their righteous deeds, and Allah relieved them. Also, seeking nearness through the supplication of the righteous. You ask a righteous man to supplicate for you. Just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked 'Umar when he intended to perform 'Umrah, saying, “Do not forget us, my brother, in your righteous supplication.” And just as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) sought nearness through al-'Abbas, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) uncle, by his supplication for rain. He said, “Stand up, O al-'Abbas, and supplicate.” So he supplicated, and Allah granted rain. These are the permissible types of tawassul.
As for the prohibited tawassul, it is seeking nearness through persons, or seeking nearness through the status of the Prophet, or the status of a wali (close friend of Allah), or seeking nearness through the deeds of people in which you have no share. You may seek nearness through the deeds of the righteous in the sense that it is reported that you may seek nearness through their supplication for you, but their deeds are for them Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you.