The Shaykh’s explanation of the benefit of scholarly disagreement and its impact, and the Shaykh’s citing of 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 described, 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, just as they are, as evidenced by his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) They said, "How is that when you have passed away?" He said, So the person of the Messenger and his self remain as they are. If the blind man sought nearness to Allah through his self, then it exists, and therefore they generalize the ruling until the Day of Resurrection. As for the other interpretation, which is the stronger, correct 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 to Allah through the supplication of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with many names, among which is that we are unable to 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 step forward in front of him... How would he pray while the Messenger of Allah is beside him, alive in his grave? For his life (peace 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). Therefore, as long as 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, and this new petitioner returns and seeks nearness to Allah through his supplication (peace and blessings be upon him), this is not possible. Hence comes the distinction held by the scholars of the Salaf (the earliest generations), which the Khalaf (the later generations) interpret with a false ta'wil (figurative interpretation) and accuse them of what they are innocent of, as innocent as the wolf is of the blood of the son of Ya'qub. The Salaf (the earliest generations) say that as long as this tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) was through... (peace and blessings be upon him), and this is not possible now because he has moved to the highest companion, the opponents interpret their saying with stubbornness, tyranny, and aggression. They say that 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 and his family) So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has in his grave the highest 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 companion 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 came 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 and his family) uncle. 'Umar said "O Allah, we used to seek nearness to You through Your Prophet when we were afflicted with drought, and You would send us rain. And now we seek nearness to You through the uncle of Your Prophet, so send us rain. O Abbas, supplicate to Allah for us" He would supplicate and they would be given rain. This is 'Umar and all his noble Companions, all of them approving 'Umar ibn al-Khattab's saying "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 send us rain" And now, 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 been clarified to you to mean tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through his supplication. So when they used to seek nearness to Allah 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 came in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was delivering a sermon one day, on Friday, when a Bedouin man entered from 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 saying of this man "Supplicate to Allah for us" is his tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his hands until his armpits were visible and said And in a narration So they were given rain for a week, 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 is not misguided, neither he nor the one who holds his view, let alone that he is 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 doer into shirk (associating partners with Allah) when it is accompanied by what follows. 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 for except through Allah. I dislike that Allah be asked for except through Allah." The prescribed tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through something like the saying of Allah the Exalted This tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) is the person's tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) 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 them.