What is the prescribed and the prohibited tawassul?

Question:
From Algeria, the questioner is Abd al-Raouf. Also from his questions is this question, Your Eminence, and it is about a great topic, namely tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means). He says: What is tawassul? Which of them is permissible, and which is prohibited? And what is the ruling of the Shari'ah in your view, Your Eminence, regarding tawassul through the blessing of Ramadan?

Answer:
Tawassul has categories: Tawassul of disbelief: This is seeking nearness through the supplication of the dead and calling for aid from the dead. One says to the dead, "O dead one, come and ask him to aid you, or to support you, or to fulfill your need, or to relieve your distress." This is shirk (associating partners with Allah), and some people call it tawassul; they call their shirk tawassul. This is major shirk. So if one supplicates to the dead, or calls for aid from the jinn, or from the dead, or from those who are absent, asking them for aid, or help, or victory over enemies, this is major shirk.
The second type of tawassul is tawassul by their status and their right. One says: "O Allah, I ask You by the status of so-and-so, or by the right of so-and-so, or by so-and-so." This is bid'ah (religious innovation), one of the means to shirk, and it is not permissible.
The third type of tawassul is tawassul by faith, or by righteous deeds, or by the names and attributes: This is a recommended practice (sunnah) that is sought. "O Allah, I ask You by You being the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. O Allah, I ask You by Your beautiful names to forgive me. O Allah, I ask You by my faith in You and my love for You to forgive me. O Allah, I ask You by my kindness to my parents and my maintaining family ties to forgive me..." and so on. All of this is a lawful means. This is tawassul by faith, and tawhid (the oneness of Allah), or by righteous deeds; all of it is good. All of it is prescribed. And from this is the hadith: This is lawful tawassul.
And from this is the tawassul of the people of the cave when the rock closed over them. They sought nearness to Allah by their good deeds. One of them sought nearness by his kindness to his parents, the second by his chastity from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and the third by his fulfillment of a trust; so Allah removed the rock from them. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you. And what about tawassul by the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?

The Shaykh: Tawassul by the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is bid'ah (religious innovation). Tawassul by the status of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the innovations. ... To seek nearness and say: "O Allah, I ask You by my faith in Your Prophet, by my love for him," this is good. This is a lawful means. "O Allah, I ask You by following Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)... by my love for him." This is lawful tawassul. But by his status, it is not lawful. However, one seeks nearness by his love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by his faith in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). All of this is good. All of it is a lawful means. But by the status of Your Prophet, or by the right of Your Prophet, this is not a lawful means. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you. He says, Your Eminence: What about tawassul by the blessing of Ramadan?

The Shaykh: No, one does not seek nearness... by the fasting of Ramadan. One seeks nearness by his fasting of Ramadan. This is the deed. But by the blessing of Ramadan, no, that is not a deed of his. The blessing of Ramadan is something Allah placed in Ramadan. But one says: "O Allah, I ask You by my fasting, and by my standing in prayer, to forgive me. Or by my Hajj (the major pilgrimage) to Your House, or by my obedience to You, or by my following Your Shari'ah." One seeks nearness by his own good deeds. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.