The ruling on dedicating prayer to others or seeking nearness to them through it

Question:
The first message in this episode is one that reached the program from Algeria, sent by one of the brothers listening from there. He asks two questions: If a person is in prayer before the taslim, and he intends to pray for a man in the middle of the prayer, then he feels afterward that the intention was not for the sake of Allah, and he doubts whether he intended it before the prayer or after it, and whether it constitutes showing off? Please guide us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon whoever follows his guidance. As for what follows:
Prayer does not benefit others, neither the dead nor anyone else, because there is no evidence from the Shari'ah evidence for that. A person prays for himself, hoping for the reward of Allah. If he prays two rak'ahs or more, and then doubts after the prayer whether he intended it for so-and-so or so-and-so, his prayer is valid, because the original state is the absence of this intention, and doubt after the prayer does not affect the prayer.
Unless he knows that the intention occurred during the prayer, and that he intended it for another person; in that case, this prayer is not valid for that person, because there is no evidence for that. He must repent to Allah for that, and not return to praying for another person. Rather, he makes du'a' for the other person, gives charity on his behalf, performs Hajj on his behalf if he is dead, performs 'Umrah on his behalf if he is dead, or does good on his behalf if he is unable to perform Hajj and 'Umrah. Yes.

The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. It seems to me that Your Eminence, the Shaykh, is saying: prayer for so-and-so, and not prayer on behalf of so-and-so?

The Shaykh : That is his intention. "For so-and-so" means: he conveys the reward of it to him. But if he worships him with it, seeks nearness to him, prays for him, worships him, and prostrates to him; this is major shirk. This is major shirk: that he prays, prostrates to so-and-so, or bows to so-and-so, or prostrates to so-and-so, or fasts for so-and-so, seeking nearness to him, worshipping him besides Allah; this is major shirk. We seek refuge in Allah. It is like slaughtering for other than Allah, like making vows for other than Allah, and calling for aid from the dead, stars, and idols; all of it is shirk...
As for the living person who is able, the living person who is able, if something is asked of him, and he is alive and able, and he says: "Lend me such-and-such, or give me such-and-such," this is not shirk. Just as Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) said in the story of Musa: [Surat al-Qasas: 15].
So if he says to the living person present: "O so-and-so! Lend me, or give me such-and-such, or help me with such-and-such"; there is nothing wrong with it, it is not from shirk. But if he says it to the dead, or to the absent one, believing that he hears him, and that he is absent for a secret reason, believing that he hears him, or believing that he fulfills his needs while he is dead, or if he does it with an idol, or with a star, or with the jinn, it becomes major shirk. We ask Allah for safety.

The presenter : We ask Allah for safety and well-being. So if he intends the prayer for so-and-so, whether it is during the prayer or after the prayer, has shirk occurred? Has it occurred?

The Shaykh : If he is praying for him, seeking nearness to him with the prayer, not just conveying the reward to him, but seeking nearness to him with its bowing and prostration, worshipping him; this is major shirk.

The presenter : We ask Allah for safety and well-being.