Seeking Nearness to Allah Through the Person of the Messenger with Imam Ahmad and the Rejection of Those Who Hold This View

Question:
The Honorable Shaykh says: Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his *Noble Principle on Seeking Nearness and the Means of Seeking Nearness* that Imam Ahmad holds the permissibility of seeking nearness to Allah through the person of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The question is: Is it necessary to reject those who hold this view? And if one does not reject it, does that constitute open sinfulness?

Answer:
First, what the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) or others mention. Whoever is tasked with this has not looked at the context. What did the Shaykh say? Did he affirm it, or did he refute it later? One must look at the Shaykh’s words. When the Shaykh mentioned it, the one who assumes thinks the Shaykh is mentioning it while refuting it later and discussing it. And I know, or it is more likely in my opinion, that this report from Imam Ahmad is weak, weak. And even if it were established, if Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) was a mujtahid, and every mujtahid is given and becomes [a source of reference]. It is permissible to rely on the persons of the created to seek nearness to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). If it were established that Imam Ahmad said this, then his saying is taken and benefits, like the non-mujtahids, like Malik, like Abu Hanifah, and like al-Shafi'i. What is taken from their sayings is what agrees with the evidence. So he said to him: Even though this report is more likely in my opinion to contain praise, one must look at the words of the Shaykh of Islam. And if the Shaykh or other scholars mentioned something about so-and-so, without mentioning the context in which it was said, or what came before or after it, and one sees the opinion of the scholar who mentioned this thing, did he authenticate it or not? I have experience in dealing with matters.