Explaining the benefit of scholarly disagreement and its impact, and citing examples from the reality of the Companions to clarify the meaning of true tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means).

The Shaykh : If the matter is as you say—and it is certainly so—what is the benefit of the disagreement between this correct, stronger interpretation and that weak, weaker interpretation?
The benefit of the disagreement is that, according to the weak opinion, if the blind man sought nearness to Allah through the person of the Messenger and his self, then the person of the Messenger and his self remain until the Day of Resurrection as they are, as evidenced by his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): They said: How is that when you have been circumcised? He said: . So the person of the Messenger and his self remain as they are. If the blind man sought nearness through his self, it exists; therefore, they generalize the ruling to the Day of Resurrection. As for the other interpretation, which is the correct, stronger interpretation, if tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is through the supplication of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), then there is no room now for a Muslim to seek nearness through the supplication of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with many names, among which is that we cannot reach him as the blind man was able to reach him. This is one of the differences between worldly life and the barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to lead the people in prayer in his mosque, and none of his Companions dared to stand in front of him. Now, who prays in his mosque? Muslims like us. How can one pray with the Messenger of Allah beside him, alive in his grave? Because his life (may Allah’s prayers and blessings be upon him) in his grave is a barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life whose reality is known only to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). For this reason, since it is not possible for a person to come to the Messenger (peace be upon him) and ask him for supplication as the blind man did, and then listen to whether the Messenger agreed to his request and promised him good by supplicating for him, so that this new petitioner returns and seeks nearness through his (peace be upon him) supplication? This is not possible.
From here comes the distinction held by the scholars of the Salaf (the earliest generations), which the Khalaf (the later generations) interpret with a false interpretation, and they accuse them of what they are innocent of, as innocent as the wolf is of the blood of the son of Jacob. The Salaf (the earliest generations) say: Since this tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) was through the supplication of the Messenger (peace be upon him), and this is not possible now because he has moved to the highest company, the opponents of their view interpret their words with stubbornness, transgression, and aggression. They say: The Messenger died. And who says that he did not die? Allah says: . But despite that, they affirm for him (peace and blessings be upon him) a spiritual barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life that has no parallel for anyone else (peace be upon him). So among his special traits, as he said (peace and blessings be upon him): . So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has in his grave the noblest barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life, unlike his brothers the messengers and prophets. But this life is completely separated from our life, so we cannot treat our Prophet after his move to the highest company as his noble Companions treated him, such as that blind man.
So the hadith of the blind man revolves around tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the righteous Salaf (the earliest generations) proceeded on this basis. As reported in "Sahih al-Bukhari," when the people were afflicted with drought in the time of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), he went out with the people to seek rain, and among them was al-Abbas, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) uncle. 'Umar said: O Allah, we used to seek nearness to You through Your Prophet when we were afflicted with drought, and You would give us rain. And now we seek nearness to You through the uncle of Your Prophet, so give us rain. O al-Abbas, supplicate to Allah for us. He supplicated, and they were given rain. This is 'Umar and all his noble Companions, all of whom approved of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab’s statement: "O Allah, we used to seek nearness to You through our Prophet when we were afflicted with drought in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and You would give us rain." And now it is as if he is saying: There is no room for tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through our Prophet, because tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through the Prophet has become clear to you to mean seeking nearness through his supplication. So when they used to seek nearness through the Prophet in seeking rain, did they place the person, the person of the Messenger, in front of them and that was the end of it, or did they do with him what 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and his Companions did with his uncle al-Abbas, where he said to him: "Supplicate to Allah for us"?
And this is what the Messenger used to do, as reported in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim" in the hadith of Anas ibn Malik, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering a sermon on a Friday when a Bedouin man entered through one of the doors of the mosque and said: O Messenger of Allah, the wealth and the families have perished due to the scarcity of rain; so supplicate to Allah for us. So the statement of this man: "So supplicate to Allah for us" is his tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands until his armpits were visible, and said: , and in another narration: , so they were given rain on a Saturday, and the sky was raining like the mouths of water skins, to the end of the hadith.
And the summary is: If Imam al-Shawkani says that tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is permissible due to his misconception and wrong understanding of the hadith of the blind man, then he is rewarded for that, and he is not declared misguided, nor is anyone who holds his view; let alone that he is not declared a disbeliever. But this is the sensitive point, which relates to its contradiction with shirk (associating partners with Allah) or to the contradiction of this tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) with tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the falling of its practitioner into shirk (associating partners with Allah) when it is accompanied by the following: When we discuss with people and try to guide them to the prescribed tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) that our righteous Salaf (the earliest generations) were upon, including the imams, and foremost among them is the first of the four, Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man ibn Thabit, who said: "I dislike that Allah be asked except through Allah," "I dislike that Allah be asked except through Allah." And the prescribed tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through something like His saying (the Exalted): . This tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is the person seeking nearness through one of the names of Allah, or one of the attributes of Allah, or through his righteous deed, or through the supplication of a righteous man. And this has its evidence, and we are not currently addressing it.