The ruling on uttering phrases that involve seeking aid from the jinn, and swearing by the Prophet

Question:
Some people utter phrases that involve seeking aid from the jinn, or supplicating to or swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When they are reminded, they say: "My tongue has become accustomed to it." What is the ruling on that?

Answer:
He must train his tongue to speak good words and beware of speaking what is wrong. This is not an excuse. He must guard his tongue from what Allah has forbidden. Seeking aid from the jinn and supplicating to the jinn is shirk (associating partners with Allah) (Exalted and Majestic is He). Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Jinn: 6]. Many of the Arabs in their pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to worship the jinn, seek refuge in them, and fear them.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the believer to beware of that and to trust in Allah, rely upon Allah, and seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, night and day, from the evil of what He has created. May Allah protect him from their evil. He says: "I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created," in his night and day, in any dwelling and in any place. "I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created," repeating it three times or more, always: morning and evening. And Allah will save him from their evil. Likewise, if he says: "In the name of Allah, with Whose name nothing on earth or in the sky can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing," three times, morning and evening, this is among the causes of well-being from everything. Likewise, reciting "Say: He is Allah, the One" (al-Ikhlas) and the two chapters of seeking refuge (al-Mu'awwidhatayn) three times, morning and evening, after Fajr and after Maghrib, is among the causes of safety from all evil.
The point is that it is obligatory for him to guard his tongue from what Allah has forbidden, such as speaking bad words, supplicating to the jinn, or swearing by other than Allah, or by any other of the wrong speech. He has no excuse by saying: "My tongue is accustomed to it." Rather, he must beware and guard his tongue from what Allah has forbidden. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And Allah says in His great Book: [Surah Qaf: 18].
So he is accountable for his speech, and he must guard his tongue from everything Allah has forbidden, such as backbiting, talebearing, and cursing, supplicating to the jinn, and tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) through created things to Allah, such as seeking nearness through the Prophet or through the status of the Prophet, or by the right of the Prophet. All of this is not permissible. Tawassul is done by supplicating to Allah and affirming His oneness, by tawassul through faith in Him (Glorified and Exalted is He), and by following the Shari'ah. Tawassul through your righteous deeds, all of this is good. "O Allah, I ask You by my faith in You, by my love for You, by my following Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by my dutifulness to my parents, by my maintaining family ties, by my fulfilling trusts." One seeks nearness through his deeds, like the people of the cave, who sought nearness to Allah through their righteous deeds, so Allah saved them and relieved their distress.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us about three men from before us. The night and the rain sheltered them in a cave, so they entered it because of the rain and the night to spend the night there. So Allah caused a rock to roll down from the top of the mountain until it blocked the cave, and they could not move it. They said among themselves: "Nothing will save you from this rock except that you supplicate to Allah with your righteous deeds." So they sought nearness to Allah with their righteous deeds, and Allah saved them from it. One of them said: "O Allah, I had two old parents, and I did not give the evening milk to my family or my wealth before them. The evening milk means the milk at the beginning of the night. It is the custom of the Bedouin to drink the evening milk at night when they milk the camels. So he would bring the milk to give to his parents before his family. One night, he was delayed in seeking wood, so he came to them and found them sleeping. He disliked waking them, and remained standing with the cup waiting for them to wake up, while the children with him were crying, wanting the milk. Because of his intense love for his parents and his dutifulness to them, he remained standing until Fajr broke. So they woke up, and he gave them the milk. Then he said: 'O Allah, if You know that I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.'" So the rock opened a little, but they could not get out.
Then the second one said: "O Allah, I had a cousin who was among the most beloved people to me, so I proposed to her for herself—meaning for zina (unlawful sexual intercourse)—but she refused me. Then a severe year of need—meaning a pressing need—struck her, so she came to me seeking support and to meet the need. He said: 'No, until you allow me to have yourself'—meaning until she allows him zina. So out of necessity, she agreed. When he sat between her legs, she said: 'O servant of Allah, fear Allah, and do not break the seal except with its right.' And he had given her a hundred dinars or twenty dinars, a hundred pounds or twenty pounds. When she said to him: 'Fear Allah, and do not break the seal except with its right,' he feared Allah and stood up and left her, and left the gold for her. Then he said in this incident: 'O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in,' meaning he left the zina and left the gold out of fear of Him, 'so relieve us of what we are in.' So the rock opened a little again, but they could not get out.
Then the third one stood up and said: "O Allah, I had workers—employees under me—so I gave them their rights except for one. His right remained with me. So I grew it and its produce in camels, cows, sheep, and slaves. I waited for him to come to take his right. I was dealing with it, trading in it, buying camels and livestock from it, giving him a sa' of barley, or of sorghum, or of rice. So this money grew, he grew it, traded in it, and bought camels, cows, sheep, and slaves from it. So he came after a period and said: 'O servant of Allah, give me my right that I left with you.' He said: 'O so-and-so, everything you see is your right, it is all yours. These camels, cows, sheep, and slaves, they are all from your right, the produce is yours.' He said: 'O servant of Allah, do not mock me.' He said: 'I am not mocking you, it is from your right, take it.' So he drove it all away, driving the camels, cows, sheep, and slaves. Then the man said: 'O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.' So the rock opened, and they got out, by the means of their righteous deeds with which they sought nearness to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), so they benefited them in the distress, and Allah saved them by it in the distress.
So seek nearness to Allah with your faith and your taqwa (mindfulness of Allah), your dutifulness to your parents, and your fulfillment of rights; it is a good means. Likewise, tawassul through the oneness of Allah and sincerity to Him, and faith in Him entirely, is a good means. Seek nearness to Allah by you testifying that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you believe in the Last Day; all of this is a lawful means. "O Allah, I ask You by Your names and Your attributes," a lawful means.
As for tawassul through created things, no. The status of the Prophet, or by the right of the Prophet, or by the status of so-and-so, or the honor of so-and-so, is a false means that does not benefit; it is not a lawful means.